Welcome to the third part of our coverage of our IAAPA 2025 wrap-up, the series of posts that comb through the arcade games and companies that appeared at the expo. Today we are taking a look at the main exhibitors who had a bend towards video games (with one exception): exA-Arcadia; a variety from the AVS Companies booth (Incredible Technologies, DSM Arcade, and Dark Escape Games); and JET Games.
As many of you may know by now, exA have a 100% focus on video games, while AVS is a distributor representing several brands (including Alan-1, DSM Arcade, and Dark Escape Games), then JET has a mix of video games, videmption, redemption, and kiddie rides from various sources.
For previous coverage in case you missed it:
- IAAPA 2025 Part 1 (Raw Thrills, Wahlap, Alan-1, TouchMagix, Blue Motion Games)
- IAAPA 2025 Part 2 (Bandai Namco, Sega Amusements, LAI Games)
Reminder that games listed below in bold mark the first time we’ve seen them at a North American show.
We dedicate this post to former Arcade Heroes writer Nick Thorpe, who sadly passed yesterday. RIP.
exA-Arcadia
If you are ever at an arcade show and you’re interested in pure, non-redemption video games, then exA-Arcadia is your go-to, assuming that they are there. Their presence at IAAPA this year was in a different spot than previous years, with them being found in the Southwest corner of the convention center floor.
This time, they also focused entirely on their ARC-32 Japanese cabinet design, with five of these lined up to play (last year they only had two of these, then four of the big red ARC-1 cabs alongside them). As you can see in the video here, they debuted both the four player control panel and the trackball panel for us to see, although the trackball panel had been seen in Japan a year previously. All of the ARC-32s were installed on the optional risers, putting them at a height that most American arcades prefer:
While there were six cabinets on hand in total, they had many more games available to play, including some mid-development titles which were not set up for others to see – but exA were kind enough to let me try them. I’ll denote those prototypes with red text; please keep in mind that anything shown of a prototype is subject to change (especially the early days stuff like Toxic Crusaders and Neon Inferno).
- Asuka 120% Burning Fest EXALLENT
- Axel City 2: The Final Storm
- Baki Hanma Blood Arena Clash
- BAYANI
- Blazing Strike AC
- Bunny Bomber Blast
- Cambria Sword AC
- Chaos Code: Nemesis Experiment
- Cyberblocker R
- Daemon Bride exAGAIN
- Earthion EXA Label
- Jamjam’n Jelly EXA LENTE
- Jistu Squad Feat. The Samurai Pizza Cats
- Hunter X Hunter Nen X Impact
- Neon Inferno EXA LABEL
- The Rumble Fish 2 Nexus
- Toxic Crusaders
- Vanguard Princess R
That is quite a lot to cover, so strap in. Note that for any of these with an existing console/PC version, I have not played those releases to compare, but exA has stressed multiple times to me that they are the main developers of these versions. It is also become more apparent that they have been implementing further changes that are not found on any home version, and there are more games which have no home port at all now than at any time since we started covering exA back in 2018.
For early prototypes – games that are so new that they had little modifications to them in these builds – it is more to know that these games are coming than to judge how they’ll be once released. How much will they change? I would suggest looking at Jitsu Squad as an example, which had a lot of tweaks, changes, and content additions made to it from the console/PC build. Toxic Crusaders still had extensive cutscenes in it that I imagine will all be removed, while Neon Inferno was so new that it still had the console/PC menus and control icons in place (exA wasn’t sure if they were going to show it). I would note that despite this, both games feel at home on an arcade cab, so I look forward to seeing more about them in 2026.
Baki Hanma Blood Arena Clash is one new game that is almost finished, but will still see some changes/improvements to it before it launches next year. I was really impressed with this one, with its gameplay falling into the Punch-Out!! category, then upping the violence with an almost Mortal Kombat level of brutality. The overall feel of it is very fast and smooth, also helping to make the game one of my surprise favorites of the show. I look forward to seeing how its final release build software looks:
exA has been on a fighting ‘kick’ lately (pun intended), and it came through here with nine of the games on the list above falling into the genre. This was the first time where we got to see Hunter X Hunter, which includes all of the DLC from the console editions packed into one place, and enhanced graphics. It seems approachable by beginners, without requiring too much technical knowledge on a fighter to enjoy, and graphically its a modern game so between that and the license, I imagine it will draw some attention.
Axel City 2: The Final Storm adds 10 more characters and new stages to this exclusive arcade fighter. This doesn’t have the very best visual presentation (especially compared to the likes of Hunter X Hunter above and Chaos Code 2 below), but that is less of a factor when the gameplay is what draws people into it. This now has a roster of 50 fighters, giving players a lot of content to repeatedly come back for.
For another exA exclusive with no console port, there’s Chaos Code: Nemesis Experiment. This builds on the first game and improves it in every way by what I can see – better graphics, sound, more moves, refined systems, more characters, etc. This seems like a pretty good alternative to the likes of Guilty Gear, but time will only tell if it has the same impact on the market. Early indications on its performance are positive however, as it has been posting better numbers than competitors like Street Fighter 6 Type Arcade.
I did play through all of Vanguard Princess R, although the difficulty was on easy. It’s one for venues where fans might be into all-girl fighters, as is the yet-to-be released Asuka 120% Burning Fest EXALLENT. Blazing Chrome AC was not set to easy and I got my trash kicked in, but I watched exA’s head give a proper play, and will post footage of that soon. I know that the home version was given mixed reviews, but it looks like exA has fixed those and turned it into the game that fans wanted. The Rumble Fish 2 Nexus should also provide fans with a favorite – I never played the originals but enjoyed it (this one is based off of the NESiCA code and assets, not the 2020 HD port). Daemon Bride exAGAIN was also there, although my footage of that ended up not being usable (cursed auto focus), but it’s the best version you can find.
Before finally moving on from fighters, exA additionally showed me BAYANI. That was a nice surprise to see, given that it was announced years ago and we hadn’t seen it since 2021. This version was polished up a bit and is almost ready to hit the market, but we have to wait until next year for it.
One of the cabinets was loaded with STGs (shooting games, or ‘shmups’ as they are often called in the West): Earthion EXA Label, Cambria Sword Another Cry, Jamjam’n Jelly EXA LENTE, and Bunny Bomber Blast (the latter not being an STG but a new retro game like Bomberman + Dig Dug). They all play super well and have been available since earlier this year. You also won’t find equivalent versions of Cambria & Jamjam’n on consoles (it’s not quite the same degree with Earthion, but that also has the superior version).
Another that classifies as an STG but also as a block breaker is Cyberblocker R. While playable with joysticks, it’s best with trackballs, and supports two players simultaneously. Once this lands, it will give the exA an Arkanoid Returns-type game, but the shooting elements add an extra layer of fun.
All-in-all, this was one of the best showings that exA has produced to date, and they have a lot more in the pipeline going into 2026 and 27. I will be posting videos of all of these games to the channel, but publishing before they are all done, as otherwise it would delay our remaining IAAPA coverage.
AVS Companies
AVS Companies is a distributor that has often showcased something different that you can find elsewhere at the show, and this time they had perhaps the most varied booth they’ve ever proffered. Because there is a bit of variance here, we’ll cover these under the AVS umbrella instead of individually. The only issue was that everything felt very packed into the space, so it was cramped. As long as you didn’t mind that though, there were some great and interesting games to be seen:
- Arachnid 360 Darts (Arachnid)
- Clown Around (Dark Escape Games)
- Dr Pepper Soda Slam! (DSM Arcade/Alan-1)
- Perfect Pour: Pabst Blue Ribbon Edition (DSM Arcade)
- Pyramid Scheme (Dark Escape Games)
- Silver Strike: League Night (Incredible Technologies)
Dark Escape Games is the newest industry arrival and one that had a lot of people talking at the show, thanks to their unique mini-escape rooms. These offer an “arcadified” way to do escape rooms, where you pay for a five minute game and there is no attendant required. All of the puzzle items inside of the game are tied down using strong, spring loaded cables (during testing at an FEC, Clown Around had no problems with no stolen/broken items. Pyramid Scheme hadn’t done a test yet). The limitations on these are replay value and the price (they cost more than a HOTD Scarlet Dawn did when new), however, in a high foot traffic area with many tourists, they could find strong appeal, as those aren’t repeat customers or regulars anyways.
In video games, Dan from DSM Arcade was there with the first public appearance of Perfect Pour Pabst Blue Ribbon Edition, and its bigger cousin Dr Pepper Soda Slam!. The latter is based upon the original Perfect Pour, but mainly designed by Alan-1 and refocused for FEC/videmption play. Having a well-known soda license on it should mean better location performance, and I heard that they have sold at least one cabinet of this version into the UK already, so it seems to have some weight internationally.
For Perfect Pour Pabst Blue Ribbon, this still offers the original Perfect Pour’s deeper gameplay approach to filling up everything from shot glasses to pitchers to a bevy of thirsty bar customers. If you run an arcade bar, then you should have this game, whether you have a Tapper or not (I find the criticism of “it’s just Tapper” to be rather silly, given that #1 it is different in several ways, #2 the industry is full of driving and gun games but that’s never a problem, so why can’t we have more than one drink pouring games in existence?).
Last but not least we have Incredible Technologies. They did have their own booth, but it was in a weird place on the opposite end of the hall from the Games & Arcade Pavilion (I also walked past it once without realizing they were there). Fortunately, they did debut their new Silver Strike game at three different spots – their booth, Player One’s, and at AVS Companies. At theirs, they also had the latest Golden Tee PGA Tour.
For the new Silver Strike, this brings the oft-requested league play to IT’s bowling classic, while updating the cabinet, graphics, and adding more to it so that it is considered a new game. Details were announced on IT’s site during IAAPA, but I was too busy to see. Getting to play it, the jump to 4K is welcome and the foot print is great too. While it is targeting bars, I’m sure it will do fine in regular arcade establishments too.
JET Games
In case you thought that was all after everything exA and AVS brought, now we have JET. They turned heads a couple of years back when they debuted both Big Shot and Mega Shot to the industry, and this time they were looking to stir the pot again with more big gun games out of their main Chinese partner (Flamestone/Leon Amusement, who additionally had their own small booth nearby that showed off a couple different games), G.I. Joe and Giga Shot. They also have quite a few new redemption pieces, but we’ll only touch on those very briefly after the video titles are all done and dusted.
For the games at their booth that are in the video above:
- Big Six
- Cannonball Jam
- Cheddar Chase
- Cyber Boxer
- G.I. Joe
- Giga Shot
- JET Darts
- Mega Shot (standard + deluxe)
- Stop The Prize
- Talking Tom: Gold Run
- Unlock Mania
- Various kiddie rides
G.I. Joe was the game that always seemed to be drawing the most attention and for good reason – even if it didn’t have the license, the enormous artillery cannon that is attached to the cabinet (surprisingly remaining intact from the original FlameStone Cannon game seen in China) does the job. The twin cabinet is very impressive, with its air-powered gun creating an experience that you truly can’t get at home or on the phone. As I emphasize on the video, JET is aiming at releasing this in Spring 2026 and the software is supposed to change, so hold your final judgments for later. I hope that those changes include more than just adding G.I. Joe characters to the mix, but also polishing up the software, which did have some bugs, and removing some elements that are foreign to the license, like fire-breathing dragons.
Giga Shot is an interesting variation on the Quick/Big/Mega Shot series (made by the same Chinese company who did G.I. Joe’s base) that was a surprise. This uses a metal shotgun controller that once again feels more realistic than what you usually find in the industry. Also, there are two models of the gun on the cabinet – it supports up to four players, with two brandishing a short barrel, and the other two a longer one (not the full length of a 12 gauge, mind you). The game also features different software to the other ‘Shot’ games, with new shooting galleries and new scenarios, including a dinosaur hunting level.
A sort of video game that was a little surprise was Cyber Punch. This is a boxer that has a video screen on the top marquee area, but then it actually uses it, plus a camera, to incorporate some video elements to the mix. Players credit it up, then pick their weight class. They then punch the bag as usual, and the game makes a little more of a spectacle out of counting up the score, playing a loop of your punch on the screen while it reaches the final score. Sega Amusements also have this, but in a different art package under the name of Cyberboxer and for overseas, while JET has the rights for it in North America.
Then Talking Tom: Gold Run is a videmption game in a big cabinet for kids; I saw it at Amusement Expo but it was earlier software with a photo ban back then. This cutesy endless runner game uses a touchscreen controller instead of a trackball like we had seen in the past, and it has two game modes(Run or Shoot). It even uses the touchscreen for selecting between the modes or from gift boxes at the end of a run. The shooting mode is decent fun, although the size of the screen maybe feels overwhelming for the kiddos.
Finally, JET keeps a strong focus on redemption still, where they did debut a clever game that I would probably grab for my venue if I were running redemption. Cheddar Chase is a clever variation on Whac-A-Mole – a reverse Whac-A-Mole as it were. The mice come out of their holes and you have to pull back on the spring-loaded plunger to keep them from getting it. Simple but fun and it’s pretty different.
That wraps up this look at IAAPA 2025, but that’s not all – we’ve got a ton more to go, from pinball to several Chinese companies and those distributing their product here. I may be doing a livestream review of IAAPA here this week or next – I’d rather not wait too long, as by the time I finish all of the videos, we could be into January. Until then, which of the new arcade games seen here interest you the most?
