Wave Cannon

The Wave Cannon is a core feature of R-Type. Though not quite as uniquely identifying as the Force, it's still one of the defining features of flying an R-craft.

The Wave Cannon is an energy based weapon that has been modified into many forms, often appropriate to the design and function of the ship that carries it. It's a standard feature, in some form or another, on every R-Craft in the Space Corps, and thus there are many different kinds of Wave Cannons. When charging a Wave Cannon, the pilot must forego firing the main weapons, both Vulcan cannon and any applicable Force weapons (though Missiles will continue to fire) and fly defensively until the charge has reached the desired limit. The pilot is committed to firing the Wave Cannon once the charge sequence has started; there is no way to cancel it short of ship destruction or firing the weapon. Since most missions present a target-rich environment however, this is rarely a concern. Part of mastering an R-craft is knowing how its Wave Cannon works and when best to use it. Note that a Wave Cannon can be fired at any point during the charge sequence; even at a 50% charge, a Wave Cannon shot can pack a good punch and often pierce weak targets. Typically, each R-craft will possess a single Wave Cannon, but exceptions do exist.

Variants[]

R-Type II[]

The R-9C War-Head is capable of firing two different Wave Cannons. Charging the beam will result in a Standard Wave Cannon shot, but after hitting maximum charge, the Beam bar will flash orange for a couple of seconds. During this window, releasing the charge will result in a Diffusion Wave Cannon shot instead.

R-Type III: The Third Lightning[]

The R-90 Ragnarok can switch between the Hyper Wave Cannon and Mega Wave Cannon at will, but switching in the middle of a charge will also cancel and reset the charge. The type also cannot be switched if the cannon is cooling down after a Hyper Wave shot.

R-Type Final/R-Type Final 2[]

In R-Type Final, every Wave Cannon has a number of 'loops' - a loop is when the beam bar is filled all the way. If more loops are available, continuing to charge the wave cannon will fill the beam bar again, increasing the energy of the wave cannon shot. The pilot will know when the maximum loop has been achieved when the wave meter flashes. Although it takes a long time, with certain wave cannons it is possible to charge a beam so powerful that it can even kill bosses in a single blast.
The most common number of loops is two, but the number varies between one and four, with a single wave cannon having seven loops. The loops are labelled Beam - High - Strong - Great - Special - Devil - Bydo. Most Wave Cannons are unique to, at best, a small group of ships in the R-Series. However, the fully customizable R-99 Last Dancer, R-100 Curtain Call, R-101 Grand Finale can equip any Wave Cannon.

Wave Cannon

Contents

Variants[]

R-Type II[]

R-Type III: The Third Lightning[]

R-Type Final/R-Type Final 2[]

List of Wave Cannons[]

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