A full remake after 33 years! “Baseball Fighting League Man: Bases Loaded” is tough but fun—new animations improve action [TGS2026]

The “Tokyo Game Show 2026” was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba from September 17 to September 21 (the in-person event on the 21st was canceled due to a typhoon).Here’s our hands-on report on *Baseball Fighting League Man: Bases Loaded*, a full remake developed by City Connection, Irem, and Gref, which was showcased as a playable title at the City Connection booth.

The challenging gameplay of the original is still very much intact! One-button special moves make it more accessible

This title is a full remake of the arcade belt-scrolling action game released by Irem in 1993. The original version had never been ported to home consoles until now.As befits a full remake, there are some changes from the original, such as the aspect ratio and character designs. According to Gref’s announcement, Irem was responsible for these newly redrawn designs and added detailed animations.

During the demo, I was able to play Stage 1. While the basic gameplay follows the original, the visual impression has changed significantly due to the character graphics being completely redrawn. This difference is particularly noticeable with Red Leegman.In the original version, the heavy use of black in the shading gave him a powerful, comic-book-style look, but in the remake, the shading has been softened, resulting in a more vibrant and pop-art style.

The character animations are also meticulously crafted, resulting in a smooth and satisfying feel when controlling the characters. On the other hand, dodging or parrying enemy attacks is challenging, and I struggled during my first playthrough.

Furthermore, each character in this game has special command moves; for example, Red Leegman can unleash a powerful attack by inputting a command move while dashing.When using a gamepad, inputting commands while moving felt a bit hectic. In the remake, however, special moves can be activated with a single button, making it easier to focus on the action itself even on your first playthrough. Despite having to continue a few times, I managed to defeat the Stage 1 boss.

The new character, Pink, wields pom-poms in both hands and has a fairly wide attack range. Although she’s a newly illustrated character, she blends seamlessly into the game’s world alongside the existing characters, and I didn’t feel any sense of incongruity. Her special move involves cheerleaders appearing one after another from off-screen to attack. With its wide attack range, her performance seems easy to handle even for beginners.

While the animations have been significantly enhanced, the game retains the original’s challenging difficulty and the authentic feel of a side-scrolling action game. Features like one-button command moves have been added to improve playability, resulting in a full remake that’s more than just a “prettyed-up version of the old game.”

“Baseball Fighting League Man: Bases Loaded” is scheduled for release on December 10 for PC (Steam), PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2.The physical editions (PS5/Nintendo Switch 2) are priced at 5,500 yen, while the digital editions are 4,180 yen each (the Xbox Series X|S version is 4,200 yen).

野球格闘リーグマン Bases Loaded【予約特典】CD付き公式ファンブック「野球格闘名鑑」 付 - Switch2
￥4,778
(価格・在庫状況は記事公開時点のものです)

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野球格闘リーグマン Bases Loaded【予約特典】CD付き公式ファンブック「野球格闘名鑑」 付 - PS5
￥4,722
(価格・在庫状況は記事公開時点のものです)

Amazon

楽天市場