Clear River Games has officially announced that Truxton Extreme, the highly anticipated new entry in Toaplan’s legendary bullet-hell shooter series, will be released on July 30th.
This latest title continues the saga directly from where Truxton II left off in 1992, itself a follow-up to the original 1988 classic. Truxton Extreme offers a vertical arcade experience spanning 18 levels, meticulously recreating the classic atmosphere with modern 3D graphics. It features a variety of game modes to cater to all players, including a chapter-based Story mode, the traditional Arcade mode, cooperative play, an easy mode, a “caravan” mode, and more.
While previous announcements confirmed versions for PC and PlayStation 5, the game will now also be available on Xbox and Switch 2.
This project is particularly noteworthy due to its development team. Tatsujin, the studio led by Masahiro Yuge—one of the original creators of Truxton—is at the helm. Yuge is a revered figure from Toaplan, recognized for his contributions as a composer, programmer, and designer. Beyond his work at Toaplan, Yuge has also left his mark on titles like Kuru Kuru Kururin with Eighting. In 2022, Embracer Group (the parent company of Clear River Games, a publisher dedicated to retro titles) acquired Tatsujin, which crucially also owns all of Toaplan’s intellectual properties. This acquisition has paved the way for Clear River to release several ports of classic Toaplan games and develop new ventures, such as Truxton Extreme.
It is significant that “Tatsujin” is the Japanese title for “Truxton,” underscoring the project’s deep commitment to honoring the original game’s legacy. Another veteran contributing to the game is mangaka Junya Inoue, who is illustrating the in-game story vignettes. Inoue is well-known in the gaming world for his work at Cave, where he even directed the acclaimed title Progear (published by Capcom). His career, however, began at Toaplan, where he was responsible for the visual design of the historic Batsugun. Following Toaplan’s bankruptcy, Inoue and other employees founded Gazelle, while Tsuneki Ikeda and others went on to create Cave. Their paths eventually converged again as Gazelle’s future became uncertain, with Inoue ultimately joining Cave and other Gazelle staff moving to Eighting. This project truly brings together a remarkable collection of former Toaplan talent.
Truxton Extreme will be available in both digital and physical editions, both launching simultaneously on the release day.
