It’s time for another exA-Arcadia update, this time is another round about fighting games, with Vanguard Princess R now shipping out, and pre-orders opening for the sequel to Chaos Code.
Vanguard Princess R
We reported on the pre-orders for this game not long ago, and now interested locations and private buyers can get their hands on this all-female 1v1 fighting game that has been “redesigned, remastered…and reborn.” Reports were that it was earning exceptionally well on test, and it was developed in conjunction with FK Digital. Per the exA website:
Revamped by the designers of the CHAOS CODE series, every fight is now more frenetic as you can easily chain combos canceling into special or super moves. Tactically use your support teammate to to extend combos or trap your opponent. Use the Reflect defensive technique to parry your opponent’s attack and gain an opening. Use the easy special move button to perform even super moves with ease or use the traditional motion inputs to finish off your opponent in style.
That site also has additional details on what makes this the definitive version of the game, as is normal with exA’s releases. Here’s the kit followed by the trailer:
Chaos Code: Nemesis Experiment
Also from FK Digital is the highly anticipated sequel to Chaos Code EXA, with this one being 100% exclusive to the platform(no ports of any kind exist for this one at this time). There are 20 playable characters now (up from 16), combined with a new graphics engine and exA’s super fast, better-than-any-console input response.
For the kit, here’s what you get with it. Like with the first game (which I used to have, but sold to grab Omen of Sorrow), they have larger posters to explain the rules (those sheets you see slightly right of center). Orders placed now will begin shipping out next month.
Note that these games are available worldwide and are not subject to region locks – any arcade anywhere can grab one, if they get an exA system. Speaking of which…
What’s Next?
If you count the low key release of Nope Nope Nurses for the exA adjacent Hawt Pink platform this year, this marks five new fighter releases this year to arcades worldwide, six once Chaos Code 2 begins to ship. It should be at least seven by the time the year is over, maybe eight. We’ll likely know after IAAPA 2025 how that roster will look, although I believe Blazing Strike AC should be a part of that. Other anticipated titles like The Fallen Angels Revenge and Tattoo Assassins are still a little ways off.
Throw in all of the other 1v1 fighters that exA has released since 2020, and we have more new fighting games available to the arcade scene since the late 90s. And there are many more coming by next year.
It could be worth doing another post or a video about the subject of what the US FGC could do to better embrace this all, but at the same time people get lambasted for suggesting that players rally around these games and do a grassroots movement to convince more arcades to grab these games. Instead, most just want everything ported, while over in Japan, players are putting momentum into locations, and it’s becoming more common to find these and other exA titles over there.
Could be the same here? I think so, but it needs to be driven by the players. 99% of arcade operators will only care if they see a game earn, the rest is just noise. We know that it can happen – Killer Queen Arcade would be a forgotten game now if the fans behind it didn’t campaign for other arcades to get the game. But how do we do that for stuff like new fighters?
I’m always saying this as if you are like me and you want to see the market grow with actual video games and not mindless ‘ticketslop’, then players themselves have to support this stuff. Not through social media, but by showing up with friends at locations and playing the games they want and more than once a year.
If someone else has a better suggestion, then I’m all ears. Either way, which of these two new exA-Arcadia titles interests you most?
