Esteemed Japanese developer Toaplan may no longer be with us, but current rights holder Tatsujin is making sure its legacy is remembered. We’ve seen Toaplan games on Switch and PC, and there are now four special collections for the Evercade family of systems, covering pretty much all of the company’s key releases during the ’80s and ’90s.
This third cartridge includes Batsugun, Batsugun Special Version, FixEight, Out Zone, Truxton II, Ghox and Vimana. Six of those seven titles are shmups, which should come as no great shock to fans of Toaplan; it made its name in the genre.
Batsugun is widely regarded as one of the first “manic shooters” and was Toaplan’s final game before the firm slid into bankruptcy in 1994. One of its designers, Junya Inoue, would later join Cave, and you can certainly see some of that trademark Cave DNA in Batsugun’s tight bullet patterns and bosses.
Batsugun Special Version features a smaller hitbox, a one-hit shield and multiple loops after finishing the game (as well as other changes) and was never officially released in arcades; having it here is a real bonus for fans.
FixEight and Out Zone are somewhat unique in Toaplan’s catalogue as they’re on-foot, vertically-scrolling shooters. Both are excellent titles and serve as a welcome change of pace from Toaplan’s usual shmup fare. Neither were given home ports at the time of release, so it’s great that they have the chance to reach a new audience via this release.
Truxton II (also known as Tatsujin Oh) is likely to be the second-most appealing game in this package for shooter fans, behind Batsugun. It’s one of Toaplan’s most refined and accomplished arcade releases – yet, outside of a Japan-only port for the FM Towns home computer, it was cruelly ignored at the time of release.
Inspired by Hindu culture, 1991’s Vimana is perhaps the weakest shmup on this cartridge – but an average Toaplan shooter is better than most others you could mention. It certainly plays well enough, even if the visuals are a little less impressive than those seen in Batsugun and Truxton II.
Finally, we have Ghox, an attempt by Toaplan to iterate on the template laid down by titles such as Breakout and Bad Omen / Devilish. While it’s hardly essential, it’s another example of a hidden gem from early ’90s arcade history. It’s worth noting that every single game included here is compatible with the Evercade EXP’s TATE mode, arguably making it the preferred Evercade system to play this collection on.
Toaplan Arcade 3 would be worth the price of entry even if it only included Batsugun and Truxton II, but the fact that it also features five other noteworthy releases from the company’s library makes it downright essential – unless, of course, you utterly hate shmups.
Go on.... treat yourself to a new game.
