Rezon
Image: Hamster

Irem's 1987 shmup epic R-Type certainly has a lot of imitators over the years, but one of the most infamously blatant has been exclusive to arcades for decades – until now.

Originally released in 1991, Rezon is the work of Japanese company Allumer, which went bust in 1999. It didn't make that much of an impact, beyond the fact that it was clearly lifting elements from Irem's more famous game. As such, it didn't get a look-in when it came to a domestic conversion.

Rezon
A flyer for the original arcade release of Rezon

Hamster, the company behind the excellent Arcade Archives series, has picked up the rights to Allumer's back catalogue, paving the way for Rezon to finally make its way to home systems after 32 years (thanks, Destructoid).

It's available on PS4 and Switch now, and while it's not quite in the same league as the game it so clearly plagiarises, it's still an interesting footnote in arcade gaming history – and well worth checking out for the low price of entry, especially if you're a shmup fan.

[source destructoid.com]