The 24th game for the exA-Arcadia system is now shipping thanks to the release of Touhou Perfect Sakura Fantastica. Orders have already been filled in Japan with at least 21 locations there already featuring the game. While the bulwark of interest will be there, the game is also available for the rest of the planet to enjoy as well.
Here’s the official trailer for the game so you can see it in action; It’s a remake of the 7th game in the Touhou series, which was described to me as: “Touhou 1-5 are kind of like the prototypes for what the series would become; Touhou 6-8 are like the original Star Wars trilogy in terms of how fans feel about it.” If you’re like me and unfamiliar with the IP, Touhou 6-8 are vertically scrolling shoot’em ups launched on PC. This marks the first time that the series is available in arcades:
[Click here for the TATE version of the trailer]
There are various enhancements to this version, including the reduction of input lag to 2 frames instead of the 6 of the PC original, new voice acting from several well-known anime voice actors, new game modes, new stories, etc. It also will work on either a horizontal or vertical display, although it’s best experienced on the latter. I noticed that the price on this is a little bit below both of CAVE’s releases; It would be interesting to see how this compares in sales although it’s rare that such numbers are released.
Per exA’s site, there are three kit options available, following the same pattern used with exA’s CAVE releases. As a note, European customers can order this game through Red Sun Systems.
The Complete Limited Edition will begin shipping in September and comes with the special artwork you see above, plus everything found in the Limited Edition (LE) kit. The art was done by Liao Wei and the systems are numbered. Once they are all sold out, that’s it, so it’s sure to be a collector’s item.
For the LE, it’s also limited in number but comes in at half the price since you’re not purchasing an exA board with it. It features:
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- A1 Size Poster
- Standard Art Set (Japanese/English)
- Vewlix Art Set (Marquee, Bezel Stickers, Vewlix sized instruction strip in Japanese only)
- Special Blue Color Game Cartridge
- Sanwa Joystick Accessories Set
- exA-Arcadia Joystick Ball
- exA-Arcadia Joystick Dust Cover
- exA-Arcadia Set of 3 Buttons
- A single TOUHOU PERFECT SAKURA FANTASTICA 180 cm POP (Buyers can pick from1 of 4 designs)
Then last, but not least, is the standard software kit which comes with a similar setup to the above, sans the POP and the exA joystick kit.
What do you think about this new launch?
