Toshinden 4
Toshinden 4 (Toshinden Subaru in Japan) is the fourth and final installment of the fighting game series Battle Arena Toshinden. Unlike previous installments, it only saw release in Japan and the PAL region. It was released a total of three times in Europe; it originally came out on June 30, 2000, and was re-released on the white label range on April 12, 2001, and was re-released again by Play It On, November 20, 2003.
| Toshinden 4 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Tamsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Takara (JPN) Studio 3 (EU) Virgin Interactive (white label re-release) |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Plot
Ten years after the events of Toshinden 3, Eiji Shinjo, who is now the new leader of an organization called the "Gerard Foundation", has organized a fourth Toshinden tournament which revolves around the gathering of four holy weapons that can be used to either save the world or destroy it. Eiji's old enemy, Vermilion, is after the four holy weapons for his own malevolent ambition and that many fighters from within the tournament, including Eiji's own nephew Subaru, will find themselves getting caught from within the conflict itself. Can Eiji stop Vermilion before it's too late?
A plot point introduced in this game focused on the Four Sacred Arms. Though seen in full since Battle Arena Toshinden 2, their relevance was never previously brought up. Each weapon bears a reference to one of the Chinese cardinal beasts, Byakko, Suzaku, Seiryu and Genbu. The weapons also seem to change appearance depending on the user. While the Byakko no tachi (White Tiger Fang) is usually seen as a rather plain katana, the Seiryuu no yari (Azure Dragon Spear) was a long leaf tipped spear while held by Mondo, yet altered to an ornate golden rod in the hands of Eos. As a purely cosmetic addition, when using a certain attack, an image of the beast associated with the weapon will display in the background.
Plotwise, it was said that when all four weapons were gathered together, they would bestow tremendous power on a person. Most characters in the game have their endings based around uniting the weapons and receiving the power of them. In some endings, they use this power to speak to a parent or loved one. However, Eiji's ending reveals the true nature of the power behind the weapons: It is the "Toshin", or god of fighting.
Characters
Team 1:
- Subaru Shinjo
- Naru Amoh
- Rook Castle
Team 2:
- Puella Marionette
- Lancelot Lakeknight
- Fan Barefoot
Team 3:
- Genma
- Miyabi
- Bang-Boo
Team 4 (Unlockable Characters):
- Eiji Shinjo
- Eos
- Zero
Team 5 (Unlockable Character):
- Vermilion
Regional differences
The Pal release of Toshinden 4 made a couple of graphical changes to the original Japanese release, aside from the renaming of the game; the plain string linking Rook's nunchuks was replaced with an electricity inspired effect. Bang Boo and Eos's warm up animations also had the ends cut resulting in a sudden jump in their animations.
Reception
The game was poorly received. Official PlayStation Magazine opined the "multiple game modes provide no cover for a lackluster fighting game".
References
- Official PlayStation Magazine issue 54, (January 2000).