BODY: The bullets are flying again. On July 30, THQ Nordic Japan and TATSUJIN released the physical edition of TATSUJIN EXTREME, a new entry in one of the most storied lineages in Japanese arcade history, for PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch 2.
The standard package retails for ¥4,950 on PS5 and ¥5,940 for the Switch 2 game card. To mark the launch, publisher and developer also dropped a fresh promotional video walking players through the game's high-intensity vertical-scrolling action and what makes this revival tick.
For collectors, a PREMIUM BOX launched alongside the base game. Priced at ¥19,800 for PS5 and ¥20,790 for Switch 2, it bundles the full game with a spread of special goods — headlined by a die-cast metal figure — aimed squarely at the devoted shoot-'em-up faithful who have kept this genre alive for decades.
The name carries serious weight. "TATSUJIN" — meaning "master" or "expert" — was the Japanese title for Toaplan's 1988 arcade classic, known overseas as Truxton. That pedigree traces back to the golden age of Japanese arcade shooters, and TATSUJIN, the company, now stewards the Toaplan library, reviving these dormant IPs for a modern audience.
The insider take
From Tokyo, this release reads as more than a nostalgia play. Japan's danmaku ("bullet hell") and classic shmup scenes have quietly persisted through the arcade-decline years, sustained by a hardcore community and boutique labels like M2 that keep old Toaplan boards spinning. A ¥19,800 PREMIUM BOX with a metal figure is a bet on that exact demographic — the collectors who will pay a premium for physical media in a digital age. THQ Nordic's stewardship of the Toaplan name signals that Western publishers now see real, durable value in Japan's arcade heritage, not just a one-off tribute. For a genre often written off as niche, that's a meaningful vote of confidence.
Originally reported by GAME Watch (Japanese).