Among our final entries in previews for the IAAPA 2025 tradeshow is exA-Arcadia. They often have a big roster of new games, if not the biggest, due to the ability to operate multiple games in each cabinet that they bring. This year is no exception, as we’ll detail below. Before that however, we have a couple of their game releases to discuss, so we’ll do that first, then the preview.
Chaos Code NEXT & Axel City 2: The Final Storm Are Shipping
If you are into 1v1 fighting games, then the exA platform has been bringing the heat lately, releasing several new titles. Both of these are exclusive to the platform, with no console edition existing at this time, or announced for the near future. Chaos Code: Nemesis Experiment is a sequel, while Axel City 2: The Final Storm is a major content update, to the point that you could call the game Axel City 2.5.
exA’s IAAPA 2025 Booth
exA has occupied various spots of the Games & Arcade Pavilion over the years, and this year they are again in a slightly different spot to last time. They are at Booth #102A in the lower left hand/southwest corner of the show floor (across from the Tecway & Really Big Crane Company booths); exA wanted this spot to place them closer to the entryway, which is beneficial thanks to its high foot traffic.
The setup will go as follows:
ARC-32 4P Joysticks
Jitsu Squad
Toxic Crusaders
ARC-32 2P
Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact
ARC-32 1P
Baki Hanma Blood Arena
ARC-32 2P Fighters
Chaos Code NEXT
Vanguard Princess R
Asuka 120%
Axel City 2: The Final Storm
Daemon Bride exAGAIN
Rumble Fish 2 Nexus
Blazing Strike AC
ARC-32 2P Shooters
Cambria Sword: Another Cry
Earthion EXA
Jamjam’n Jelly Exalente
ARC-32 2P Trackball
Cyberblocker R
As you might have noticed, there are a couple of new, previously unannounced games in that mix. Let’s discuss:
New Game: Baki Hanma Blood Arena
Starting with another anime connection (following the recently released Hunter x Hunter Nen x Impact), we have Baki Hanma, which is a story about a teenager who becomes a champion in the world of underground illegal fights. In the US you can catch this on Netflix, but for the game itself, think of a violent version Punch-Out!!.
New Game: Toxic Crusaders
Also in the vein of fighting, although from a different angle is Toxic Crusaders, a 1-4 player beat ’em up based upon the short-lived ’90s cartoon (and series of Troma films) of the same name.
The arcade edition will feature some extra content, although at this time that will be held back; the IAAPA build should play similar to the upcoming console release with seven characters. It will also have exA’s signature low input lag. This puts it into a similar class as Jitsu Squad Feat. The Samurai Pizza Cats, the latter being a little known anime from the ’90s (I was a voracious cartoon watcher at that time, but not everything aired in my area, including both The Samurai Pizza Cats and Toxic Crusaders. Now if something comes along from Denver The Last Dinosaur, I’ll know that obscure reference). Perhaps the next time that we come across the game, it will have the additional content.
The art style and flow of play feels similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge, as some on the dev team (I’m not sure to which extent), worked on on the TMNT game. I enjoyed Shredder’s Revenge, so that’s a plus in my book.
No release dates have been announced for either of these games yet, although early next year seems likely.
What do you think about these games and exA’s IAAPA 2025 line-up?
