R-Type III: The Third Lightning was released in 1993 to the Super NES console exclusively. It later ported to the Game Boy Advance and the Wii's Virtual Console.
Story
BYDO RETURNS!
The dark forces of the BYDO Empire threaten humanity yet again, with more powerful weapons than ever. Over the past few years, they have crept close to Earth, building hidden bases for their fleets. The Earth Science Center had believed that all of the BYDO Empire was destroyed. Now they know that somewhere a BYDO mother ship carries the remnants of that foul civilization. Earth will be overthrown unless the latest R-series vessel, the R-90, can defeat BYDO's armies. Equipped with the mighty Round, Shadow, or Cyclone Forces of power, the R-90 can warp into different dimensions and meet the enemy ships and ground troops on an equal basis. As the Captain of the R-90, you must seek out the mysterious mother ship and destroy it to save humanity.
- - SNES Manual
Spacecraft
The pilot is supported by TP-2 POW Armor.
Armaments
- Standard Force (This is called the Round Force in the game).
- Shadow Force
- Cyclone Force
Stages and Bosses
| Stages | Bosses |
| Catapult Dimension | ... |
| Acid Creatures | ... |
| Heavy Metal Corridor | ... |
| Fire Cask Factory | ... |
| Bionics Laboratory | Phantom Cell |
| Galaxy of Abyss | Bydo (Core) |