Battle Arena Toshinden
by Tamsoft Released 1 Jan 1995 0 views
Quick facts
- Developer
- Tamsoft
- Publisher
- Takara, Funsoft, Sony Computer Entertainment, Playmates Interactive Entertainment, Takara Tomy
- Released
- 1 Jan 1995
- Platforms
- DOS
- Genres
- Fighting
- Themes
- Action
- Game modes
- Multiplayer, Single player
- Age rating
- ESRB: T
Our verdict
Battle Arena Toshinden is a nostalgic piece of 3D fighting history.
Battle Arena Toshinden is a 1995 3D weapons-based fighting game from Tamsoft, published by Sony on the PlayStation and later ported to the Saturn and DOS. It was one of the PlayStation’s early showcase games.
Gameplay
Ten fighters with swords, whips, spears and other weapons compete in a tournament held by a mysterious organisation.
- 3D arenas: Polygonal fighters in fully 3D arenas.
- Sidestep: Dodge sideways with the shoulder buttons, pushing fighting games into true 3D.
- Ring-outs: Knock opponents out of the arena.
- Desperation moves: Powerful attacks at low health.
- Weapons: Each fighter has a distinctive weapon.
Its 3D graphics, lighting and camera work impressed in 1995, though the combat was soon overshadowed by Tekken and Virtua Fighter.
Verdict
Battle Arena Toshinden was an impressive early 3D fighter. It’s shallow by later standards, but it was a big hit, selling over a million copies and winning EGM’s Best Fighting Game of 1995.
The Good
- Impressive 3D graphics for 1995
- Sidestep move
- Weapon-based combat
- Ring-outs
The Bad
- Shallow combat
- Overshadowed by Tekken
- Unbalanced
Trailer
Screenshots
