Rendering Ranger R2 is a title that bears some significance in the Super NES/ Super Famicom collecting scene. It happens to be one of the most rare games ever released for the system, with a total production run of a few thousand copies at most. Copies show up every now and then on eBay, and fetch well over $100 US each. This game also happens to be developed by Manfred Trenz, who created the excellent Turrican series.
The game starts off with a Contra style action sequence. There is no story, the player merely moves forward and start shooting. You start off with a choice of a rapid fire spread gun or a focused laser gun. These can be upgraded with power ups. Later in the game, rebound and multi-directional pulse guns become available. The controls allows you to easily aim and shoot the enemies that appear above and below.
The level design in the action sequences is straightforward. In the first level, the main issue is avoiding pits. In subsequent action levels, there is a bit more exploration, but there are no brain teasing puzzles. Enemies swarm you and show no mercy, so it is best to turn on the auto-fire option so you can focus on aiming. If you die, the weapon system only downgrades the currently selected weapon, so the best strategy is to switch to the weakest weapon in your arsenal if you are on the verge of death.
