Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Revealed

City Connection announced Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, two collections of classic Toaplan shoot ’em ups for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. Each collection features eight shoot ’em ups, and physical and digital editions will be sold starting August 28 in Japan. Clear Wave Games and Bitwave Games will release Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 on August 14 in the US and Europe.

Digital editions of Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 will be sold for 5,500 yen each, with the exception of the Switch versions at 5,480 yen each. The physical editions will cost 5,940 yen. 

Lastly, here’s an overview of the collections, via Bitwave Games:

Toaplan is a legendary developer known for its arcade games released throughout the 1980s and 1990s, and the team at Tokyo’s TATSUJIN have been tirelessly working to make sure that retro game fans and new gamers alike can continue to enjoy their iconic legacy. Some of the games include not only the Japanese version, but also the international version with different specifications, allowing players to get their hands upon rare titles that were hard to procure in Japan. Swedish modern retro game veterans Bitwave Games, who specialize in blending old-school game design with all luxuries you expect from modern games, have been integral in ensuring that the games’ retro roots sparkle brightly with 21st century mojo.

So what’s on offer in each collection? 

Included Titles

• • • Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 1
      • Flying Shark
      • Fire Shark (local co-op support)
      • Tiger Heli
      • Twin Cobra (local co-op support)
      • Out Zone (local co-op support)
      • Fixeight (local co-op support)
      • Batsugun (local co-op support)
      • Dogyuun (local co-op support)
    • Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 2
      • Zero Wing (local co-op support)
      • Hellfire (local co-op support)
      • Slap Fight
      • Grind Stormer
      • Truxton
      • Truxton II (local co-op support)
      • Vimana (local co-op support)
      • Twin Hawk (local co-op support)

In order to bring these retro titles into the 2020s, a number of useful quality of life updates have been made to the games to alleviate some of the frustrations that original gamers had to endure from last century gaming, offering a full suite of options for beginners and veterans alike.

• • • PS5/4 and Xbox One and Series X|S feature Achievements and Trophies
    • Online Leaderboards are on offer, so you can test your metal against the best in the SHMUP community
    • Stat tracking allows title-specific tracking of stats from your game sessions
    • Dip switches – to recreate customisable arcade settings, such as region, lives, difficulty and autofire
    • Assist features – even more aid features such as smaller hitboxes and increased player durability to let you take additional hits before dying and slowdown/speed-up – a must for anyone who finds old-school SHMUPs a bit too challenging
    • Customisable audio settings and screen settings to capture the feeling of the good old days
    • Rewind function – so you can go back and correct that little mistake that ruined your run
    • Quick Save/Load – allowing you to create up to 6 save slots per title
      For players wishing for a physical copy of the game, there are a number of first-print bonuses up for grabs:

For players wishing for a physical copy of the game, there are a number of first-print bonuses up for grabs:

• • • Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 1 – includes an exclusive sleeve made to house both Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.
    • Toaplan Arcade Collection Vol. 2 – includes an “Instruction Card Gallery Book” containing arcade-style instruction cards for each game, including those in Vol. 1.