R-Type Tactics

The player creates a custom commander based on several parameters at the start of the game and then takes on one of the three campaigns. Each campaign is based on a different faction: the human EAAF (Earth Allied Armed Forces), the revolutionary GZRA from Mars, or the alien Bydo Empire. The two human factions need to be completed first. Profiles from the first game can be carried over and are used for the Bydo campaign.

Each faction has different units and abilities. For example, the EAAF uses Force weapons based on Bydo alien technology, while the GZRA faction warns against dependency on alien technology and uses techniques like Capture, Jamming, and Sonar instead. This conflict between the two human factions is the main storyline, taking place in MC 0074, ten years after the events of the first game. The game features branching mission paths unlocked through choices in the journal.

Players can unlock almost all units, including those of other factions. They can choose to leave missions early, taking the spoils gathered so far to run. Multiplayer is supported in competitive matches over Wi-Fi next to a cooperative two-player mode using Game Sharing and an ad hoc connection.