Battle Arena Toshinden Redux Version 2





Battle Arena Toshinden REDUX  is a proposed revival reboot of the Toshinden Series, made by Takara and released in 1996. The first ever 3D weapons fighter of its kind, Toshinden was left in the dust and stagnated long after, with titles like Tekken, Soul, and Virtua Fighter immediately taking over.

However, its legacy, including its wide cast of characters, soundtrack, atmosphere, use of its anime styles, and story themes have all gathered a cult following since its initial debut, and still has its fans, even after 14 years since its release. Initially considered a waste of great potential and a rich world that could be worked upon by some, the series demands a revival that captures and enriches a classic that should have been.

Story
On an Earth, where the carnal and mystical forces of latent power within have proved themselves to have existed in the history of man... Such power was used to shape destinies, fell enemies, and give rise to kingdoms and civilizations...

In an era of technology and progress, these arts have dwindled to be in the hands of those devoted to their use, for good, and for evil.

1996. The 20th Century. The world had experienced great changes, technologically and socially. However, great progress in the fields of science and technology has allowed mankind to experience even greater change since World War II. But, as great progress marches on, the shadows that loom behind hide the great conflict and repression that will rise at karma's call. All things that mankind has traversed in its depths, shall clash and give rise to a new future beyond expectation and speculation. But does salvation or chaos await ahead?

The Toshinden.

An underground weapons fighter tournament, sponsored by the Secret Society, a payroll of numerous, anonymous corporations, and broadcasted worldwide live, through pirate TV channels, with the evasion of law made available through pulling strings within the foundations of society and underhanded means.

Only through this long held underworld tournament born of lavish extravagance, can the world truly see the great demonstrations of mystical and long forgotten power of a former age, once held in value long ago....

Through this event, the spectators recieve their entertainment, and their contestants fight for their own purposes. The rules are loose, and being set in the underworld, no assurance is given for one's own well being.

Yet still under such danger of death and brutality, many of these fighters engage in this tournament of carnage for many reasons. Some of the fighters have come for personal glory. Some have come to fight for those they love. All will do their utmost to gain victory in this event which will decide their fortunes, from the depths of the Toshinden Tournament.

But this year starts early, and a strange air lurks about the registration... What could lie in wait for the contestants? We can only watch...

Gameplay
The game is a 3D fighting arena game, where players fight against a variety of opponents to win.

Like its predecessors, the game is based off of Toshinden, one of the first 3D fighting games. Loosely following its eariler incarnations, a fighting tournament is held where contestants must fight until one loses by definition of the rules given.

Rounds are numbers of battles one must fight to win the entire fight itself, and

Battles are set on an elevated ring, where one can lose the round if they are knocked off or fall off of it.

Fights are self explanatory, where one must win the fight by beating the opponent's life gauge to zero/empty. They can also win by knocking them out of the ring, and a judgement done by time out, by whoever had performed the best in the fight, akin to King of Fighters XII.

Stages
List of Battle Arena Toshinden REDUX Stages

Control Mechanics
Movement:


 * Characters fight while automatically facing each other, this mechanic called "Stancing". Characters can also disengage from stancing, being allowed to run freely and move about the arena, allowing more mobility than stancing, yet is a bit more unfocused than stancing mode.


 * During stancing, characters can only run forward towards opposition, and can only sidestep, dodge roll and backstep.

Battle

Attack


 * Attacks are regulated to Low and High degrees of Slash and Kick attack types.


 * Like most fighting games, special attacks can be performed through the input of a combination of directional commands and the specified attack type. Toshinden will feature a mix of both varieties of special move inputs, from those of intricate motions from games like Street Fighter and Samurai Showdown, to even subtle and movement based inputs from the Soul and Virtua Fighter series.

Defense



Soul Bomb

Modes
Arcade Mode:

Story Mode:

Versus Mode:

Team VS Mode:

Survival Mode:

Training Mode:
 * Tutorial
 * Mechanics Training
 * Free Training

Minigames:

Gallery:

Options:

Story Mechanics
The story unravels itself akin to a season of a TV Show, with each segment known as a Chapter. While a Chapter is essentially a DLC Pack, they are added without charge, and are essentially a sequel without the need for major overhauls, while adding to the more and more to the game.

Each Chapter entails events akin to Toshinden's sequels, detailing the next bi yearly tournament and the new adventure that unfolds for all characters involved.

Alongside story expansion, there comes new characters, new story arcs, and features like backgrounds, music, costumes, to even new extra movesets and additional attacks.

Graphics and Style
The series is influenced heavily upon mid 90's anime styled artwork, and specifically that of veteran Toshinden series artist Kotobuki Tsukasa.

The graphics are to be a combination of those presented for the Toshinden Wii reboot game, and a small touch of cell shading, skin lighting engine improvement, and texture updating, allowing style without excessive need for investment on graphical aesthetics.

Misc. Features
Because of the amount of dark plot elements, moderate showcase of blood, minimal yet still graphic depiction of gory details, suggestive themes, and adult use of language, the series is designated for an older youth/young adult audience.


 * under construction*

Story and Characters
List of Battle Arena Toshinden REDUX Characters

All characters listed in each part are to make their debut that respective part of Toshinden. Please also note, things will be added as the story progresses, so be on your heels and be ready.

First Bout - Rise To Destiny
The first chapter of the series. Entails the events that will eventually lead to a startling conclusion for all contestants involved.


 * Eiji Shinjo - Freespirited adventurer and samurai from Aizu of Fukushima, Japan. Enters the tournament to find his older brother.
 * Kayin Amoh - Collected and cool underworld contractee from London, Britain, and childhood friend and rival of Eiji. Enters the Toshinden to track his foster father's killer.
 * Ellis - Purehearted and world famous acrobat dancer from Turkey. Enters the tournament after hearing rumors about her long lost father being part of the underworld.
 * Sophia - Suave and haughty P.I. from Russia. Enters the tournament in search of those in the Secret Society who were said to have tampered with her memory.
 * Rungo Irons - A big hearted miner from the Western United States who fights in the tournament for the safety of his family held at ransom.
 * Duke B. Rambert - A noble gentleman and current heir of the Rambert lineage from Auvernge, France, who enters the tournament to engage a certain contestant for a rematch.
 * Mondo - An onimitsu tasked with infiltrating the Toshinden and the Secret Society.
 * Fo Fai - A kindly, worldly magician, with a sinister and bloodthirsty side, which he enters in the tournament for to appease and entertain.
 * Ripper - An elite wandering martial artist looking to build his own school.
 * Armor Basara Gaia - A tall and ominous behemoth brandishing devil red armor.
 * Cupido - An enigmatic woman who is a co host of the 33rd Toshinden Tournament.
 * Sho Shinjo - Mysterious and adrift world wandering ronin. Said to be merciless and emotionless in battle, what does he want from the Toshinden?

Second Bout - Rampage of Darkness


The second chapter of the series. Details the master plan of the Secret Society, and the involvement of both the 33rd tournament's contestants, and the mysterious newcomer by the name of Boy.


 * Boy * - A wandering, tactiturn teenager from Britain. After delving into the underworld, he enters the tournament with motivations of his own accord involving the Secret Society.
 * Seiya * - Passionate and cool bounty hunter from Germany. Hunts down Boy on the behests of his clientele.
 * Sabrina *
 * Karen * - A close classmate of Boy when he moved to Japan, she received a message telling her to forget about him, when he soon disappeared. Finally uncovering the events entailing his disappearance, she sets off to find him and resolve his inner turmoil.
 * Kohjin * -
 * Schneider *
 * Tracy - Fiesty and lively NYPD policewoman from America. Enters the tournament after recieving an invitation, as she is still assigned on the investigation of a cold case related to the Secret Society.
 * Ronron - A scientist from Shanghai researching the correlations of magical powers, vitalism and Qi in junction with material elements and physics. Upon the seize of weapons said to have been utilizing her research, she traces it to the Secret Society, and enters the tournament to take them down.
 * Gaia - Fierce and towering shugenja from Japan. Enters the tournament to settle a score with the Secret Society.
 * Chaos
 * Saotome *
 * Venus *
 * Lucifer *
 * Uranus - One of the top Executives of the Secret Society, with a most notable role of being in charge of managing the affairs of the Vatican.
 * Master
 * Vermillion - A mysterious gun wielding killer who walks in the shadows and darkness of society.
 * Bloody Sophia - An extremely violent, sadistic, and dangerous personality and figment of Sophia's past.

(*These characters are imported from another Takara series, D-Xhird)

Third Bout - Bloodshed Mayhem


The third chapter of the series. Details the aftermath of Second Bout's events, along with the rise of the Secret Society's enemy rivals, the Organization, and their master plans through the boy named David.


 * Shizuku Fuji - Competitive and moody fun loving gambler from Nagoya, Japan. A friend of David's family, who now involves herself to protect him.
 * David - Calm and reserved teenager from Britain. On the run from the Organization, as he has witnessed many inhumane crimes and atrocities committed by them, and they desire him in their plans.
 * Cuiling- A seemingly emotionless and cold girl from Hong Kong. An assassin for trade through the Triads, she is hired under the Organization's employ to track down their targets, yet questions deep down about many things, including the path of her own life.
 * Nagisa Iwashiro - A strict and hotblooded detective with a past of delinquency from Osaka, Japan. Takes up the case offered by Interpol to investigate the Organization, and is reluctantly paired with Tracy.
 * Leon - Crude attituded and cocky crime gang leader from the West Coast of America. His gang in is league with the Organization, and participates in the tournament to get payback on Eiji for a past defeat.
 * Ten Count - Smooth and refined, yet prude and elitist assassin from London. An infamous criminal and contract killer whose family has been influential in the Organization since its beginnings, he is assigned to target Kayin.
 * Atahua
 * Zola - An elegant and easygoing opera singer from Austria, with a double life as a voluptuous femme fatale assassin for the Organization. Also has a past vendetta with Sofia in her early days, she hopes to take advantage of the tournament to extract vengeance.
 * Adam - A complete full functioning android. The first of his kind, he desires to be a human, and works in the employ of the Organization to achieve his dream.
 * Balga - A passive aggressive semi renowned instructor of European and Geatish schools of Swordsmanship from Norway. His family holds a great grudge upon the Rambert bloodline, and hearing that Duke had participated in the Toshinden, he also aids the Organization with his own sinister plot in mind.
 * Toujin - An assassin with a history of mercenary undertakings from Japan, he retired into seclusion, until his wife contracted an incurable illness. Seeking any help and method he can, it is only in the ranks of the Organization that promises him the life of his love.
 * Bayhou - A mysterious monkey from the mountain ranges of Southern China.
 * Tau -
 * Rachael - A semi popular host and coach for an American youth athletics media sensation, whose main purpose is to also recruit new members for a private military company of the Organization. She takes the task of chasing down Tracy with a maddening vendetta involving a dark secret held by her family.
 * Judgement- A monster who was once a human being, from England. A childhood friend of David, he apparently walked down the wrong path and now searches for him.
 * Miss Til - Elegant and graceful self carrying fortune teller from Malaysia. She is actually experienced in the depths of the occult and spirits, and is high ranking in the Organization.
 * Schultz- Snide and vicious full time member of the Organization. In charge of ceremonies and educating newcomers and members about the Organization's philosophies, he also is in charge of espionage against their enemies. He desires to capture Chaos to fully realize the Secret Society's own plans.
 * Abel - Smug and arrogant sociopathic leader of the Organization. A man who enjoys portraying different personalities and acting for the crowd, he desires the revival of an exiled god for his own purposes.
 * Veil - A violent and malicious prisoner within the Organization's main headquarters.

Fourth Bout - Flow of Truth

 * Genma - A fiendish, cruel, and curious assassin, said to have been the rival of Fo Fai. He enters the tournament to discover the secret power of the Four Sacred Weapons.
 * Eos - A biological weapon made by the Secret Society.
 * Akane - The sister in law of Gaia.
 * Dan McGovern - An agent of the CIA forced out of retirement, thanks to the events and concerns over the affairs of the underworld making their effect on the surface.
 * Izanagi
 * Ascended Uranus
 * Ascended Saotome
 * God Master
 * Shouki - A long time friend of Eiji and Sho, and a scholar pursuing studies in the fields of martial arts.
 * Shadow Boy
 * Toshin Sho

Fifth Bout - To Grasp Power

 * Harbringer Vermillion

Sixth Bout - Eschaton Dawn
The sixth chapter of Toshinden. Takes place far into the future, where the world has greatly changed. Stars Toji Shinjo, the son of Eiji, Leena, a mysterious orphaned girl, and a new adventure that awaits both of them.


 * Toji Shinjo - The son of Eiji Shinjo.
 * Leena - A mysterious pink haired girl, found unconscious in a park.
 * Christopher Irons - The son of Rungo Irons.
 * Rook Castle
 * Wino McGovern
 * Miyabi
 * Puella Marionette
 * Fen Barefoot
 * Lancelot Lakenight
 * Mamoru Fuji - The daughter of Shizuku Fuji.
 * Idabel Florabel - A rising teen star from Romania.
 * Billy Rider - A rowdy, coarse mouthed, and fun loving bounty hunting vagrant.
 * Mitchell Scintill Fords - A teenager from the underworld of countryside Midwest America.
 * Susan Dana Pavers - A childhood friend of Mitchell who also desires to leave the dank and dark underworld.
 * Carmine
 * Silvia
 * Goyathlay
 * Mortiz
 * Subaru Shinjo - The son of Sho Shinjo, and Toji's cousin.
 * Naru Amoh - Kayin's daughter.

Movelists
List of Battle Arena Toshinden REDUX Movelists

List and Glossary of Terms
List of Battle Arena Toshinden REDUX Terms