Last month, we reported that the R-Type and Metal Slug artist Akio Oyabu recently joined Twitter and was considering a return to pixel art at the age of 60.
Well, now it appears that Akio has been causing headlines once again, this time discussing the controversial origins of the Giger-esque boss Gomander from the 1987 arcade shoot 'em up R-Type (as reported by Gosokkyu and WhyNowGaming).
In a tweet, Akio revealed, "R-Type was my first job as a working adult. I was 22 years old at the time, and although I designed Gomander as a cool boss influenced by Giger, as you can imagine, the controversial design caused a stir within the company. My boss said, 'I'll take responsibility! Go with it!' and it was later adopted."
In case you've never played R-Type, Gomander is the pulsating flesh-colored mass that appears within the game's second stage as a boss. Its design was very much in keeping with the H.R. Giger-Esque art direction displayed elsewhere in the shoot 'em up game, but likely drew some concerned looks within the company thanks to its more suggestive features that resemble human reproductive organs.
Nevertheless, as Akio mentioned in his post, his boss was prepared to take the fall for the controversial creature, allowing him to push ahead and ultimately get it into the finished game. It's a good thing too, as the character has become one of the series's recurring bosses.
In addition to the first R-Type game, Gomander later reappeared in R-Type III: The Third Lightning, R-Type Delta, R-Type Final, and R-Type Command/Tactics, becoming one of its more iconic enemies.
If you haven't already, we recommend following Aki on Twitter to show your support. They've been sharing some incredible artwork from their career, which yes, includes a closer look at some development materials from R-Type!