Battle Arena Toshinden 3

Gameplay

Whereas Toshinden 2 was largely built upon the first game, Toshinden 3 radically changes the series' gameplay. Most notably the arenas are now enclosed, allowing players to launch opponents into the walls and ceilings in order to juggle them with further attacks. The combo system has also been reworked, with every character possessing a preset list of combos. As well as the 14 starting fighters, the game also adds a huge 18 unlockable fighters bringing the total to 32, though most of them are largely mirror images of the original 14's fighting styles.

Toshinden 3's Arcade Mode is much different from the previous two. The opponents that the player faces from within the game depends on their selected character. If the player chooses one of the 14 starting fighters or "Heroes", then the computer-controlled opponents will eventually be Organization members while choosing an Organization member will have the player facing off against the "Heroes" themselves. Nagisa and Vermilion serve as the first bosses to their opponents' sides while the specific playing character's sub-boss soon appears next. After that, Sho arrives as the third boss (doubling as the final boss for any Organization member) and once he's defeated, the player will then face off against the Organization leader Abel, who serves as the "final" boss of the game.

The U.S. and EU releases of Toshinden 3 featured several game play differences to the original Japanese release including:

Plot

The destruction of the Secret Society should've meant the end of the Toshinden tournament, but this was not the case. While the second tournament had occurred from within its own time and accord, another malevolent group had watched on from the shadows and waited for the right moment to make their own move. This shrouded group is known only as "The Organization" and that its diabolical leader, a mysterious man named Abel, seeks to bring a destructive fighting god named Agon Teos into the world.

For his callous plan to work, Abel requires the sacrificial blood of the strongest warriors so that he can use it as a conduit of allowing Agon Teos to enter into the world. Upon Vermilion reporting the strength and power of the Toshinden fighters, Abel targets them as the immediate sacrifices and gathers a group of his own fighters so that they can learn and copy their respective targets' fighting styles.

Another part of the plan requires Abel to find a human vessel for Agon Teos so that it can be reborn through it while having immense spiritual power from within its own rebirth. To this end, Abel targets a young English boy named David and sees him as the perfect choice for his wicked plot.

Upon announcing and sponsoring the third Toshindaibukai so that he can use it as a way to lure the targets into his inescapable trap, Abel is determined to make his ruthless plan come into complete fruition and that he won't rest until things fall in his own favor. However, Eiji Shinjo and the rest of the Toshinden fighters won't exactly give in to Abel's plan and that each of them will fight in order to stop his wicked plot and defeat "The Organization" from succeeding in their sinister goal of causing havoc to the world.

Characters

Returning characters:

New characters:

Unlockable characters;