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It's probably safe to say at this point that ININ Games' R-Type Dimensions III wasn't exactly what the fans were expecting or hoping for when it was announced that the developer was going to remake the classic SNES game, R-Type III.
Since its release last month across PC and consoles, the game has taken a bit of a battering online, with hardcore shmup fans pointing out a number of major issues with the title, ranging from hitbox/collision problems to strange enemy and weapon behaviours, incorrect sound effects, and much, much more.
In the aftermath, ININ Games has begun putting out patches to try to address some of the most pressing issues, and has announced what it is calling a "comprehensive improvement initiative for R-Type Dimensions III," which promises to tackle "important concerns regarding several aspects of the release" from "members of the dedicated R-Type community."
But this hasn't stopped people from criticising the company for releasing the game in this state in the first place, with R-Type III's original director Kengo Miyata lending his voice to those "deeply concerned" with the state it was allowed to go out in.
Miyata previously said online that he himself had once approached Irem with the idea of remaking the game, but was turned down due to the company not granting any new licenses, leading him to hold talks with Granzella and Tozai that eventually fell flat. As a result, he's inevitably shown a keen interest in this latest project and is just as disappointed as fans that it didn't live up to expectations.
Contacting ININ Games via Twitter/X, he wrote: "As the original director of R-TYPE III, I would like to share my thoughts regarding the current situation. I am deeply concerned about the state in which the product was released. While I welcome the fact that corrections are now being made, this product has already been released and sold as a paid product.
At this stage, effectively conducting another QA process with the help of paying customers seems inappropriate. Releasing a version containing so many issues and then relying on purchasers to identify and verify fixes does not feel like a sincere response from a company responsible for the release."
He continued, "Would it not be more appropriate to suspend sales, offer refunds to existing customers, and continue QA for as long as necessary until the major issues have been resolved? The product could then be re-released once it reaches an acceptable level of quality.
"I believe such an approach would be a more honest and respectful way to treat the fans who have supported this title."
ININ Games has yet to respond, the developer, at least publicly.
At this point, given the game is already out there, we imagine it's not that likely that ININ Games will actually go to the lengths of withdrawing it from sale, or issuing refunds. But it's definitely not a good look for a remake developer to have the original director essentially suggesting to you to stop selling the game because of the multitude of problems that have surfaced. If you haven't already bought the game, we advise you to wait until more fixes are out in the wild, or to stick with the original for now, if you happen to have it close at hand.