Rendering Ranger™: R² [Rewind]

Okay, to WHO THE HELL EVER actually** beat this game, legit, is a liar. Between stages 6 and 7 is becomes quite apparent that you're at the final boss. I mean, considering how difficult it was to even get to those bosses. Stage 8 and 9 are SADISTIC. I could *not* imagine someone constantly putting quarters in this thing and actually came out happy they've played it. The rewind feature is, hardly helpful. This game is so stretched out and the levels to squeeze through the worlds smallest tunnels. And the worst part, after you lose all your lives out of frustration, even with using rewind. There is no continue. Nope, just a straight up GAME OVER. Okay, ouch.....I love my Shmups...but this is terrible.

Happy to see this game out in the US. NOT happy LRG stained it with their name and not happy I found out they were on this after paying for it.

Manfred Trenz used the pseudonym 'The Master' — a title that was truly fitting (see, for instance, his game 'Enforcer'). Unfortunately, he faced a great deal of bad luck with later projects like 'Turrican 3D', 'Katakis 3D', and his company Denaris Software. I once owned two original copies of 'Rendering Ranger R²' for the Super Famicom. At heart, I’m more of a Commodore, Atari, and SEGA kid; consequently, I largely ignored the whole Super Nintendo / Super Famicom era until 'Rendering Ranger' was released. That game was the reason I bought a Super Famicom and imported the title from Japan. I acquired the second copy from Japan via eBay a few years later. Unlike 'Turrican', 'Rendering Ranger' has significant weaknesses in its run-and-gun levels imho. For my taste, the run-and-gun stages in 'R²' are too linear compared to 'Turrican'. 'Turrican' featured plenty of secrets to discover — something 'R²' unfortunately lacks. On the other hand, 'Rendering Ranger' really SHINES when it comes to its shoot-'em-up sections. Furthermore, 'Rendering Ranger' shouldn't really be compared to 'Turrican'. Regardless, thank You for taking on this project and investing the time and effort to make thi…

Manfred Trenz <3

Great game; I love run and gun and shmup games. However, there are some issues with the PC version itself. Sometimes the game will crash upon start up, usually if I'm trying to boot from the desktop shortcut. The other issue, is that unless you're playing with a controller, the keyboard bindings are just frustrating to me. Yes, I'm a boomer who likes to play shmups and 2D games with just a keyboard, especially using WASD for movement. Regrettably, there is no way to rebind keys in-game or upon launch. This is usually a standard feature with PC games, even with older ones with source ports. I had to use the app Microsoft Powertoys to rebind the keys in a way that I was comfortable with, which took a bit of tinkering to just even figure out what key does what in-game. The rewind feature is nice, as it makes a very challenging game a lot more accessible. Music, stages, visuals are all great. I guess my only issue with the game is sometimes, it can be hard to see enemy shots incoming on Stage 7, due to so much happening in the backgrounds and with your ship zooming around. Other than that, I love this game. I guess wish the PC port of it allowed one to rebind keys natively; some …

Rendering Ranger: R² is a fascinating relic of 16-bit ambition, the kind of game that even today feels unusually bold in both its visual presentation and its hybrid approach to action. Developed originally for the Super Famicom and now revived on modern platforms by Limited Run Games, Rainbow Arts, and Ziggurat, it stands as a testament to how far developers were willing to push aging hardware. The modern release preserves that ambitious spirit, presenting a run-and-gun shooter fused with explosive horizontal shmup sequences, all wrapped in a distinct pre-rendered aesthetic that feels unlike anything else from its era. Even without nostalgia, it carries the unmistakable energy of a developer trying to exceed every expectation of what a cartridge game could be. From the moment gameplay begins, the game wastes no time throwing players into chaotic, fast-paced action. Running through collapsing futuristic corridors, mowing down alien creatures, and transitioning into high-speed space battles gives the experience a fluid, kinetic rhythm. What makes these sequences stand out is not just the speed, but the visual density: enormous bosses, shimmering metallic environments, and waves of e…