In R-Type for Nintendo's Game Boy, you are captain of the R-Type, a spaceship equipped with a laser cannon, which can be fully charged by holding in the B button. Moving from left to right while shooting everything in sight, you must protect Earth from extraterrestrial mutants from the BYDO Empire, which is lead by El Supremo and his five warlords.
R-Type will take you through six stages, each ruled by a boss. Pods, which you can gain by destroying POW Shuttles, can be used to spread fire in front of you or behind you, or they can be used as shields. After you have collected a pod, each additional POW Shuttle you destroy will leave behind a power-up. These power-ups include Fire Chains, Bubble Units, speed boosters, and Laser 1s, which boost your cannon power.