Developer: Tamsoft Publisher: Playmates Interactive Entertainment Release: 1997 Genre: Fighting
For a long time Battle Arena Toshinden was the joke of the 3d fighting game community. Many were fooled by the original as it was one of the flagship games of the PlayStation launch. While the graphics were striking it did not take long for us to realize the game itself was a turd. The sequel made baby steps toward being a respectable fighting game but still suffered under sloppy execution. Battle Arena Toshinden 3 is finally a legitimately good game in this series as it introduces a few signature features that give the series an identity while also borrowing from its contemporaries. Although it is far from a classic it still makes for hours of solid fun.
The Secret Society, sponsors of the previous Toshinden tournaments are no more. However their rival, the Organization was keeping a close eye on their activities and use their defeat to enact their plans. Their leader Abel needs the blood of the world’s strongest fighters to bring their god, Agon Teos in to the world. The Organization hosts the third Toshinden tournament to lure fighters from around the world to be potential sacrifices.
Toshinden 3 has the largest roster in the series at 32 characters. It takes a page from Tekken as all 14 characters in the main roster has a rival. When you beat arcade mode with each one their rival unlocks. Gameplay wise they play similarly but there are enough subtle differences that they feel kind of distinct. As a series Toshinden has always excelled at character design and they knock it out of the park with this one. The huge roster also plays in to the structure of arcade mode. When you play as a “hero” character you face organization members on the way to the bosses. Organization members deal with the heroes conversely. It is a slight touch but one that makes sense within the context of the game’s story.
From top to bottom the gameplay systems in Toshinden have been overhauled. The biggest change is the battlegrounds. Each arena is enclosed with four walls and a ceiling. Heavy and dashing attacks will send characters flying in to walls where they can be juggled. As well everyone has a launcher to smack them in to the ceiling to juggle too. The combo opportunities are huge as you maneuver in to position or exploit whiffed attacks to smack their asses around. It is possible to pull off 10-14 hit strings with somewhat relative ease depending on the character. The damage values have been adjusted so that long combos are not broken. They seldom deal 25% damage for example. Aside from juggling every character has a large number of preset combos that are easy to learn. It is clear they took the feedback to heart and the game is better for it.
Toshinden 3 improves a lot across the board but still has issues that they did not fix. Characters are still slow to orient themselves when an attack misses or waking up from a knockdown. The camera provides a less than optimal view at times in an attempt at being cinematic and is annoying. The controls still feel a little sluggish and while it was excusable in the first years of the system games like Tekken 3 & Fighter’s Megamix make it seem amateurish. The fun of the gameplay systems manages to overcome some of the lingering jankiness however. This is not a game you play for serious competition. It is one you pop in for some mindless fun, with its plethora of characters and modes it succeeds at that in my opinion.
For all of its flaws the previous games were at least technical showcases for the PlayStation. In order to tighten up the gameplay with its enclosed arenas Toshinden 3 takes a step back in that regard. The character designs are better but the 3d models are less detailed and blocky. Lighting effects are less pronounced and the backgrounds are simple in comparison. This does enable the game to hit its 30 fps target more consistently however. To deal with the sluggish controls the game has an optional 60 fps mode. Here the backgrounds become untextured and the character models are blockier with flat shading. The tradeoff is smooth gameplay that will make you wish they spent the time making this the default with better graphics. Titles like Bloody Roar and Dead or Alive show it is possible to have both.
In Closing
Battle Arena Toshinden 3 is a solid entry in the series that finally backs up the cool character designs and high production values with good gameplay. While it does not push the boundaries of the genre it has fun mechanics that make it feel distinct in the genre. It is still janky and not as refined as its competition at the time but a good first step toward greatness. However there is enough depth to warrant a purchase once you tire of those games. Granted that will probably take a while but still. Toshinden 3 could have been the blueprint for the series going forward. Unfortunately they make an odd pivot that all but kills the series for decades. There is a reason the next game skips the US. But that is a story for another day.
