Japan’s Amusement Expo – formerly known as JAEPO – is going to begin on Friday in Japan, while IAAPA Expo 2024 starts less than a week from now in Orlando. In the instance of both events, exA-Arcadia will be there with a booth, and they will be showing off brand new games for their cartridge-based arcade system. Here, we’ll dive into the initial announced titles, which will be gracing arcades sometime over the next year. Look out for a full preview post on the other companies for the JP AM Expo going up soon too…
The exALive Showcase
exA first did a YouTube livestream on Wednesday morning to announce their first titles, but as usual it is all in Japanese. You can watch here, but in the event that you don’t speak or read the language, we’ll fill you in right below that on each announcement.
Trackball Controller
The first announcement isn’t for a game, per se – as exA has now confirmed trackball controller support. The ball being used is 2 1/4″ diameter, which is a little smaller than the American standard of 3 1/2″, but that is the standard for Japan given the smaller form factor of candy cabs. This will also fit into a Vewlix control panel. What is shown on stream is for exA’s ARC-32 cabinet model, but a variant will also be made available for the American ARC-1.
Of course, it wouldn’t make much sense to unveil a controller like this and not have games made to use it. Some of the games below support it (which will be noted), while others use the traditional joystick. Note that most of these games are set to launch in 2025.
Wild Guns Rawhide
Wild Guns Rawhide is set to be a new version of NatsumeAtari’s Wild Guns Reloaded, which first released nearly 15 years ago now. This new version is the first major exA title to have trackball support, also being controlled with 4-buttons (Fire, Jump, Bombs, Lasso), and allowing for simultaneous 4-player support. The original SNES version will be available (tuned for arcades) + a new EXA mode are playable, which will include some new content. Players can choose between the original and arranged soundtracks by Hiroyuki Iwatsuki.
Cyberblocker R
A newer original game that exA have picked up is kt. software’s Cyberblocker R. Known as an “aggressive block breaker + shooter game”, the R update will provide an Arkanoid-like game back to arcades. This also uses a trackball controller, with three action buttons (Shot, Speed, Power Bar). It features support for simultaneous 2-player and horizontal & vertical screens; character designs by Yoshitoshi Abe (designer of popular anime Serial Experiments Lain); and an original soundtrack composed by ex-ZUNTATA artist yack. I did get to play an early version of this at Amusement Expo 2024 that was using a joystick, and it’s a fun game. I grabbed very early footage of it, but need to find the file which has been lost in the many videos I’ve shot since.
Bunny Bomber Blast!
Following on from Donut Dodo Do!, exA have now got another early 80s classic-style game in the pipeline, called Bunny Bomber Blast! from Hiulit’s Game Studio. This adapts their Switch/Steam game Murtop, which released last year and owes something of a debt to Dig Dug (think Dig Dug meets Bomberman). The controls of it are simple, employing a joystick for movement and a button for bombs. This also features multiplayer, horizontal & vertical screen support, key visuals by KOU (he worked on Megaman ZX, Shantae, as well as Donut Dodo Do!), and an original soundtrack. I did get to play this at Amusement Expo, where YouTube members got to check it out back in March. The game has been streamlined to make it fit with the demands of arcade play and plays like a different game compared to the console version.
Earthion EXA Label
Developed by the legendary Yuzo Koshiro (of Streets of Rage/Maximum Tune music fame) and his long-running Ancient development team, the indie Mega Drive/Genesis shooter Earthion is now getting an EXA Label version. This supports both horizontal and vertical monitor modes (although the game is horizontal scrolling). exA stated that they have been assisting Ancient in the MD version’s design. The EXA Mode will be the main way to play it, although the Mega Drive/Genesis version will be available to play as well. Koshiro-san has shared some updates to this online, and there’s Ancient’s account with more.
Demon Front EXA Label
Developed by IGS way back in 2002, Demon Front was their stab at a Metal Slug-like game. Now, off the back of its inclusion in their recent Classic Arcade Collection for Switch, it is also receiving an updated EXA Label edition. This will include the original game and a new EXA mode, along with 4-player support and an arranged soundtrack on top of the original one.
Batsugun EXA Label 1.5
Batsugun EXA Label is getting a major update (45:30 in the vid for reference). This free update adds a Score Attack mode to each of the available play modes, a daily ranking function, and a few other small changes. The EXA Mode has been remade, so players can expect a different experience from that one compared to what they had previously encountered. This should be available by next month.
Airgallet EXA Label
This scrolling shoot ’em up Director’s Cut is nearing completion, featuring the standard set up of the original arcade release along with its new EXA Mode. Players can also select Score Attack or Extreme Difficulty if they wish when they play one of the modes. Key visuals, including a new opening, are handled by former Gazelle team member Junya Inoue, with Keishi Yonao handling the new Arranged soundtrack. You can also expect exA’s standard low input lag controls (1 frame per the game page).
Asuka 120% BURNING Fest. EXALLENT
For some updates on this previously revealed title, the version of Asuka 120% it will be based on is the popular LimitOver. It will feature all the characters from the series, arcade and training modes, a new theme song by Reika and Yonao Keishi, selectable original or arranged soundtracks, key visuals by Yo-co, and low input visuals thanks to exA’s technology.
Daemon Bride exAgain
The wait for Daemon Bride’s EXA upgrade is almost over, as the game is slated for a release within the fiscal 2024 year. New additions include a training mode, extensive game balance adjustments, low input lag, key visuals by Tomomi Saito, and a remastered opening movie that is now in full HD (it can be see starting at 1:04:00 on the exALive video).
Anything else?
exA-Arcadia is set to appear at IAAPA, but unfortunately for the staff in Japan, they’ll have to jump on a plane and make the 22 hour trip as soon as the JP AM Expo is finished. I think that also might be the case with some staff from Taito and Bandai Namco as well. It’s pretty poor planning on the part of the JP AM Expo organizers to put this so close to another major arcade show yet again.
That said, there are some games that were not announced in the exALive which should be at JP AM Expo and will be at IAAPA – barring any last minute issue. This at least covers two games, possibly four (one of which is another EXA Label game). exA won’t have time to do another livestream, but whether they show up within JP AM Expo coverage or at IAAPA, we’ll be sure to get them covered for you.
Which of these game releases interests you the most? If you are new to the exA concept, note that these games are NOT limited to Japan as so many arcade releases to originate there are. So if there’s a local arcade with an exA cabinet, there’s a chance they can grab one of these titles.
