DotEmu are seriously one of my favorite developers. They take highly-regarded classic games and port them over to iOS with the sort of love and care that they deserve, not to mention they almost always include tons of cool additional features that weren’t part of the originals. In July of last year, they released an iOS version of the beloved 1987 IREM shooter R-Type ($1.99), and it was an excellent experience for both old and new fans alike. Today DotEmu has revealed that the sequel, R-Type II, is also on its way to iOS and they’ve released a new trailer for it.

I loved the original R-Type in arcades as a kid, but never had the satisfaction of beating it. It’s notorious for its difficulty, and me being just a youngin’ I didn’t have the necessary quarters to continue pumping into the machine. That’s what is so beautiful about the iOS release of R-Type, as DotEmu added in additional features like unlimited continues, more forgiving checkpoints and a stage select feature so players could experience the game in its entirety without being subjected to its brutality. Of course, you could still play it as originally intended if you really wanted to test yourself.

I imagine R-Type II on iOS will be in a similar vein, and I’m really looking forward to it. No release date has been revealed just yet, but it’s said to be coming “soon" and in the meantime you can check out more in our forums.