This is a listing of all fighters in the RVR series, which spans Thunder Force V and Thunder Force VI. RVR stands for "Refined Vasteel Replica" and is centered around the Rynex design.
RVR-01 Gauntlet[]
A Refined Vasteel Replica fighter that as suggested, is a replica of the original Rynex from Thunder Force IV that was discovered in the Oort Cloud. This version is the standard type used by the player.
Weapons[]
- Twin Shot - Shoots a very rapid stream of bullets directly ahead. Moving up/down changes the stream into two.
- Over Weapon - A very powerful laser continuously shoots out in front of the fighter and destroys or critically damages enemies.
- Back Shot - Shoots a stream of bullets behind the fighter.
- Over Weapon - Lightning streams shoots somewhat haphazardly behind the fighter.
- Wave - Releases a continuous warping stream of energy that is weaker compared to the other weapons but goes through things and is good for general enemy and debris cleanup.
- Over Weapon - A much more larger stream is shot out and is somewhat more powerful than normal.
- Free Way - A radar-like cone is shot out and can be aimed in any direction. If an enemy enters the cone, lasers shoot out and damage it until destroyed. The closer the enemy is, the more powerful the laser is. This is generally considered the best weapon available.
- Over Weapon - The cone's range increases and the lasers are replaced with powerful lightning.
- Hunter - Shoots weak but very accurate homing energy shots. This acts exactly like the Hunter from Thunder Force IV.
- Over Weapon - Several powerful energy "lances" are released and rapidly home in on enemies.
- CRAW - Up to three spheres of pure Nanoactine that adds to the fighter's power, partially shields it from attacks, and directly powers the Over Weapons. As Over Weapons are used, the CRAWs will change color from blue, green, yellow, and red. If a bullet hits a CRAW while it's red, it will dissipate. The CRAWs will recharge over time, recharging faster if no weapons are fired. In general, Over Weapons will last about 7-10 seconds, assuming there are 3 CRAWs.
Other Models[]
- RVR-01E - Deemed "enhanced mass productivity" model of the Gauntlet that is Green. It is actually more of a challenge to use as all of its weapons/overweapons are weaker and the fighter has no discernible advantage compared to the other models (It has 37.5% attack strength compared to the Gauntlet). Apparently, it gains two times the points for destroying things. Usable by holding Triangle on controller 2 while selecting the initial stages (or bosses while in Boss Rush).
- RVR-01HiS - Deemed "enhanced speed and mobility" model of the Gauntlet that is Red. Its specialty is the greatly increased speed which is rated at 218.75% compared to the Gauntlet. It also has a slight increase in weapon/overweapon strength (112.5%) which makes this variant very effective although CRAW recovery is 1/4th slower. Usable by holding Circle on controller 2 while selecting the initial stages (or bosses while in Boss Rush).
- RVR-01Ex - Model deemed to have "major improvements in all categories" compared to the Gauntlet and is Purple (listed as Black in the Text Viewer). This is outwardly a lie as the fighter has a speed rating of 37.5% compared to the Gauntlet. It's specialty is its weapons/overweapons as they are much more powerful compared to the other variants, rated at 175%. However, it can only have two CRAWs max compared to the three of the other versions although they are recovered much faster (rating is 150%). Usable by holding Square on controller 2 while selecting the initial stages (or bosses while in Boss Rush).
RVR-02 Vambrance[]
This model of fighter was stated to be much more superior compared to the original Rynex. It was also so expensive to create that its cost was equal to more than a dozen RVR-01s. In terms of gameplay though, it replaces the Gauntlet after stage four and permanently replaces the Twin Shot and Back Shot with the Blade and Rail Gun, respectively.
Weapons[]
- Blade - Upgraded version of the Twin Shot that is permanently added after stage four. It is exactly like the Blade from Thunder Force IV.
- Over Weapon - A very powerful laser continuously shoots out in front of the fighter and destroys or critically damages enemies.
- Rail Gun - Upgraded version of the Back Shot that is permanently added after stage four. It is exactly like the Rain Gun from Thunder Force IV.
- Over Weapon - Lightning streams shoots somewhat haphazardly behind the fighter.
- Wave - Releases a continuous warping stream of energy that is weaker compared to the other weapons but goes through things and is good for general enemy and debris cleanup.
- Over Weapon - A much more larger stream is shot out and is somewhat more powerful than normal.
- Free Way - A radar-like cone is shot out and can be aimed in any direction. If an enemy enters the cone, lasers shoot out and damage it until destroyed. The closer the enemy is, the more powerful the laser is. This is generally considered the best weapon available.
- Over Weapon - The cone's range increases and the lasers are replaced with powerful lightning.
- Hunter - Shoots weak but very accurate homing energy shots. This acts exactly like the Hunter from Thunder Force IV.
- Over Weapon - Several powerful energy "lances" are released and rapidly home in on enemies.
- CRAW - Up to three spheres of pure Nanoactine that adds to the fighter's power, partially shields it from attacks, and directly powers the Over Weapons. As Over Weapons are used, the CRAWs will change color from blue, green, yellow, and red. If a bullet hits a CRAW while it's red, it will dissipate. The CRAWs will recharge over time, recharging faster if no weapons are fired. In general, Over Weapons will last about 7-10 seconds, assuming there are 3 CRAWs.
Brigandine[]
An armor component used by the RVR-02 Vambrace to conduct space operations. The Brigandine is very powerful in that it has a shield that protects it from damage and has two weapons that are generally powerful. The first weapon is comes from the Ishtar Edge which allows the continuous use of the Twin Shot overweapon. The second weapon is a series of lasers that shoot out from the rear and arc to the front. Two lasers shoot directly behind and the rest are affected by movement. The disadvantages of the Brigandine are its slow speed and big hit area. Once the shield is gone, the armor detaches.
A different version of the Brigadine was seen in the intro of Thunder Force VI connected to the Phoenix but is not usable in the game. The boosters disconnect shortly after it achieved orbit with the rest still connected to the Phoenix for the rest of the fight.
Weapons[]
- Ishtar Edge - Allows continuous stream of Twin Shot Over Weapon.
- Rear Laser Battery - Lasers shoot out the rear and arc to the front.
RVR-00 Phoenix[]
The next generation trial production type fighter of the RVR-series, created by scientists from the Unified Earth Fleet. Although its number is set before the RVR-01 Gauntlet and the RVR-02 Vambrace, the Phoenix is more advanced than its predecessors, a multipurpose fighter that was put to the test against ORN forces. It can travel into spa independently without need for supporting forces, able to absorb energy from various attacks by ORN forces and perform CRAW nanoactine conversions for Over Weapons. When launched from Earth, it was equipped with an upgraded version of the Brigadine armor and detached the boosters, keeping the weapons platform intact. Phoenix was built from the remains of an unidentified ship, however this information is kept top secret by the military. In one of the reports unlocked as the game is played through, it states that the name Phoenix was originally the name given to mankind's first warp-capable cruise ship.
Weapons[]
- Twin Shot - The basic weapon equipped on the ship from the start, it fires two blue parallel lasers that shoot rapidly.
- Over Weapon - A very powerful laser continuously shoots out in front of the fighter and destroys or critically damages enemies.
- Back Shot - As the name suggests, the ship fires shots from its rear against ambushing enemy units.
- Over Weapon - Five lasers are shot: one from the front, two from the back, one each for the top and bottom. This looks similar to the Brigadine Rail Gun weapon from Thunder Force V.
- Wave - Fires a blue crescent wave that splits when it impacts on an object. Acts similar to the Styx version.
- Over Weapon - A series of giant waves are shot out and split upon impact.
- Free Way - As indicated on screen as a green cone-shaped targeting reticle when used, the ship fires and destroys enemies with blue lasers within the cone range. As the name suggests, the ship is able to rotate this range 180 degrees, which means it can fire vertically up or down as well as diagonally.
- Over Weapon - Shoots a field of lightning encompassing the area of the targeting reticle.
- Hunter - The ship fires glowing balls of blue light in 3 different directions that home in on enemies that appear on-screen. It is not very powerful, but it is effective at hitting targets.
- Over Weapon - Six rapid firing streams of big energy shots are released: two on top, two on bottom, and two to the front. They do not home in as well as the original, but are more powerful.
- CRAW - Two support pods that assist in firing and acting as a makeshift shield as they orbit the Phoenix and are invincible. They power the Shield and it will drain due to the weapons being currently used. If the CRAW support units are being utilized by a weapon needed to power it, eg. Back Shot, the shield is inactive during this period.
Syrinx[]
A powerful hybrid fighter consisting of Galaxy Federation, Earth and ORN technology. The Syrinx was created when the RVR-00 Phoenix was unexpectedly merged when the core of ORN Faust after the Vasteel Nocht battle. Due to ORN Faust's programming of the Styx, Rynex, and Gauntlet, they were added to the Phoenix and subsequently reformed all of it's systems to create a fighter using all of that technology. The Syrinx's true nature is unknown due to the ORN influence, however the fighter seems unaffected perhaps due to remnants of Guardian's programming. Being such an extensive hybrid, it is the most powerful fighter available.
Weapons[]
- Twin Shot - The basic weapon equipped on the ship from the start, it fires two blue parallel lasers that shoot rapidly.
- Over Weapon - A medium range, wide flamethrower is fired from the front.
- Back Shot - As the name suggests, the ship fires shots from its rear against ambushing enemy units.
- Over Weapon - Five lasers are shot: one from the front, two from the back, one each for the top and bottom. This looks similar to the Brigadine Rail Gun weapon from Thunder Force V.
- Wave - A large red beam of energy that passes though all objects and damages all enemies in its line of fire. This is similar to the RVR-01 and RVR-02's version.
- Over Weapon - A much more larger stream is shot out and is more powerful than normal. This is a similar concept to the RVR-01/02's version.
- Free Way - As indicated on screen as a green cone-shaped targeting reticle when used, the ship fires and destroys enemies with blue lasers within the cone range. As the name suggests, the ship is able to rotate this range 180 degrees, which means it can fire vertically up or down as well as diagonally.
- Over Weapon - Shoots a field of lightning encompassing the area of the targeting reticle.
- Hunter - The ship fires glowing balls of purple light in 3 different directions that home in on enemies that appear on-screen. It is not very powerful, but it is effective at hitting targets.
- Over Weapon - Six rapid firing streams of big energy shots are released: two on top, two on bottom, and two to the front. They do not home in as well as the original, but are more powerful.
- CRAW - Two support pods that assist in firing and acting as a makeshift shield as they orbit the Syrinx and are invincible. They power the Shield and it will drain due to the weapons being currently used. If the CRAW support units are being utilized by a weapon needed to power it, eg. Back Shot, the shield is inactive during this period.