Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes (Japanese: 闘姫伝承 ANGEL EYES, roughly translating into “Legend of the Fighting Princess”)[1] is a 1996 fighting video game produced by Tecmo. It is a two-dimensional game featuring an all-female cast of characters, although their art styles consist of a mix of both pre-rendered 3D models and traditional 2D sprites.[2] Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes was released in Japan on arcades and was followed by an enhanced port to the PlayStation console in December 1997, with additional content; the game was released internationally for the first time in October 2022, digitally for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. It was Tecmo's first fighting game and some of the development team would work on Dead or Alive released later in 1996; despite being overshadowed in popularity by Dead or Alive, Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes maintain a fanbase in Japan.[1]
| Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes | |
|---|---|
 Arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Tecmo |
| Publisher(s) | Tecmo |
| Producer(s) | Nuehina |
| Designer(s) | Asamin Jun Kasuya |
| Programmer(s) | Eigo Miyazaki Val |
| Artist(s) | Anny Hideki Niimi K Tam |
| Composer(s) | Hiroaki Takahashi Takuya Hanaoka |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, PlayStation, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch |
| Release | ArcadePlayStationPlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch
|
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | |
Gameplay
edit
Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes is a two-dimensional fighting game, featuring an all female cast.[3] The original arcade game features eight playable characters with a wide array of character designs. Characters in the game include a biker girl, a volleyball player, a girl in a Japanese school uniform, a ninja girl, and one who uses a stuffed teddy bear to fight.[4]
Attacks include standard punches and kicks as seen in many fighting games, but also includes special moves, and special techniques.[3] Unique to the game however, is a system called "reverse combo correction" by fans and one of the planners who is inexperienced in fighting games. In a typical fighting game, as combo attacks are chained together, the damage decreases. However, in this game, the damage actually increases as the combo is chained. This results in each characters being able to carry out combos that instantly kill the opponent.[5] Another feature is "homing jumps", which are special jumps which thrust you into your opponent.[6][4] Game modes in the PlayStation port include "Arcade mode", "VS mode", "training mode", and "story mode".[3]
Development and release
editDevelopment began in 1994 after Ninja Gaiden II on the Neo Geo was cancelled. Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes was one of the first games to feature all female characters in a fighting game.[5] Similar games from that era include games such as Pretty Fighter X, Asuka 120% Burning Fest, and Variable Geo.[7] Some of the characters in the game were created via pixel art, while some of them were created from pre-rendered 3D models. The PlayStation version has 2D renditions of Kiriko, Reika and Lina as unlockable characters.[5]
Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes was originally released in Japanese arcades in June 1996.[8] Later it was ported to the Sony PlayStation console and released on December 11, 1997.[9] This port adds proper intros and endings for each character as part of a fully voiced story mode. It also had additional unlockable characters and an arranged soundtrack.[1] Also released was a drama CD titled Tōkidenshō Drama Album, as well as a soundtrack CD.[10][11]
On November 12, 2008, the PlayStation version of the game was re-released for the Japanese PlayStation Network's Game Archives, and was available to download for the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 3.[12] On October 20, 2022 the arcade version[1] of Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes joined Hamster Corporation's Arcade Archives series on PlayStation 4[13] and Nintendo Switch.[14]
Reception
editFamitsu gave the game a score of 22 out of 40. Reviewers noted the unique nature of mixing pixel art and polygon characters, but noted it wasn't a major issue. They noted that it follows a trend of recent fighting games to include battles in the air, and noted they were fun but somewhat awkward.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Angel Eyes – Hardcore Gaming 101". Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ Extension, Time (2022-10-20). "Tecmo's Tōkidenshō Angel Eyes Is Coming To Nintendo Switch And PS4". Time Extension. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- ^ a b c "PlayStation Store最新情報，ゲームアーカイブスで「フロントミッション ザ・ファースト」など4タイトルが配信開始". www.4gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2016-02-13. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ a b "Arcadeline: Overseas titles that may hit home". Game On!. Vol. 1, no. 6. Viz Communications. October 6, 1996. p. 15.
- ^ a b c 電撃オンライン. "『闘姫伝承～ANGEL EYES～』攻撃、反撃どちらも強力！ 刹那の読み合いから瞬時に決着がつくハイスピード対戦格闘【電撃PS×PS Store】". 電撃オンライン (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ a b "闘姫伝承 〜ANGEL EYES〜 [PS] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2015-10-20. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "This Week in Games - Delays All Around". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2018-10-16. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "闘姫伝承 〜ANGEL EYES〜 [アーケード] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "闘姫伝承 ANGEL EYES | ソフトウェアカタログ | プレイステーション® オフィシャルサイト". www.jp.playstation.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-24. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "闘姫伝承 -ANGEL EYES- NOW ON SALE". www.tecmo.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2016-04-24. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "闘姫伝承（ＡＣ）のドラマＣＤ好評発売中！". www.tecmo.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2016-04-24. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "2008年11月もサービスてんこ盛り PlayStation Store最新トピックをお届け". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2018-12-06. Retrieved 2018-12-06.
- ^ "Arcade Archives TOUKI DENSHOU ANGEL EYES on PlayStation 4". Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ^ "Arcade Archives TOUKI DENSHOU ANGEL EYES on Nintendo Switch". Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ^ "Jogo Rapido: Angel Eyes". Ação Games. No. 125. March 1998. p. 9.