The First Three Games Of The 'Toshinden' Series Will Be Redistributed On Modern Platforms

The Battle Arena Toshinden games are coming back. Not in a newer version, but rather the original three games that launched on the PSX appear to be aiming for a re-release. To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Tamsoft-developed 3D fighting game, the marketing and merchandising agreements have been made by Edia, a company that specializes in distributing compilations of retro games, such as the Valis and Cosmic Fantasy series (via Limited Run Games).

As Edia accelerates its efforts to commercialize a wide range of retro game IP, it will port "Toshinden," "Toshinden 2," and "Toshinden 3," the first 3D fighting games for PlayStation® that were huge hits worldwide, to current consoles," a press release states. "This commemorative, hugely popular series, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary since its release in 1995, will be delivered to retro game fans around the world as high-quality retro game titles."

The plan is to release the games between the end of the fiscal year 2026 and 2027.

WHAT IS THE TOSHINDEN SERIES?

Developed by the aforementioned Tamsoft company, Battle Arena Toshinden was a launch title fighting game for the PlayStation. 3D fighting games were beginning to establish themselves in arcades, and the Toshinden was marketed as a contender and projected "killer" of Sega's Virtua Fighter series, which was already released a year prior in 1994. Contrast to VF's complex and cerebral fighting system, which still technically fought on more of a 2D plain (characters like Lion and Shun Di could "dodge" or sidestep into the foreground and background), Toshinden opted for a more anime-style flair that had a wider range of movement, using the L/R shoulder buttons to dodge attacks and projectiles.

When it came to marketing in the United States, Toshinden played a significant part in the PS1's early days. Being an unknown entity in console gaming, months leading up to the launch of the PlayStation saw the brand aiming to brand a mascot, akin to Mario and Sonic being the face of their respective brands. If you grew up in the 90's and had a subscription to one of the many video game magazine publications, Toshinden's leading female character, Sophia, a scantily clad combatant with a whip, appeared in these dominatrix-esque ads.

For as ambitious as the fighting aimed to be, Toshinden's flashy weapons-based combat did not resonate well with American audiences. The combat lacked fluidity, special moves were clunky to execute, and the original release lacked much in the way of ingratiating these characters with its player base. Not many people knew or cared about the game's lore, which ranged from decent to cliche, even by 1995 anime standards. An enhanced version of Battle Arena Toshinden was released for the Sega Saturn, titled "Remix", which adds gameplay changes, extra story features for the cast, and a localized dub for the audio.

Battle Arena Toshinden 2 would be released a year later, but changed nothing about the stiff combat system. Toshinden 3 (also released in '96) would address the aging gameplay, but this did little to help its appeal, as Namco's Tekken 2 was already available, and boasted much faster and stimulating gameplay. Soul Edge also launched in 1996, leaving little reason to follow Tamsoft's vision in the field of 3D fighters. Toshinden 4, released in 1999, would never see a North American release. The series would see a reboot a decade later in 2009 for the Nintendo Wii (also only released in Japan), and the franchise has been dormant ever since.

A two-episode OVA anime was developed, with art direction from Masami Obari (who's known for the Fatal Fury anime adaptations, and Voltage Fighter Gowcaizer). A few years ago, I did a review of that, which can be seen: