Tobal 2

PlayStation exclusive

The fighting system in Tobal 2 is the same as in the previous game. The player can freely navigate 3D fighting arenas under the condition that he or she faces the opponent. High, medium, and low attacks can be executed using assigned buttons. As in Tobal No.

Released: 25 April 1997
Platforms: PlayStation
Genres: Adventure Arcade Fighting Role-playing
Developers: DreamFactory
Publishers: Square
Series: Tobal
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: Third person
Themes: Action Fantasy Science fiction
Country: Japan
Age ratings: CERO A
Entry: #2 in Tobal
Composers: Takayuki Nakamura

About

Tobal 2 (トバル2, Tobaru 2) is a 1997 fighting video game developed by DreamFactory and released by Square for the PlayStation. It is the sequel to Tobal No. 1. Unlike its predecessor, it was not released outside Japan. The game was re-released in 2007 under Square Enix's "Legendary Hits" label.

As of 2010, the game held the record for the largest character roster in a fighting game with 200 playable characters to choose from, as well as a greatly expanded Quest Mode compared to its predecessor.

Keywords

versus
futuristic

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

The fighting system in Tobal 2 is the same as in the previous game. The player can freely navigate 3D fighting arenas under the condition that they face the opponent. High, medium, and low attacks can be executed using assigned buttons. As in Tobal No.

1, the grappling and blocking system offers the player a variety of offensive and defensive maneuvers. An unblockable fireball attack has been added for each character. Tobal 2 was released on the same day as Sony's Dual Analog Controller in Japan, noted as the first game compatible with the peripheral. Graphically, the game features Gouraud shaded and higher-resolution character models compared to Tobal No.

Development

Like the first game, the characters in Tobal 2 were designed by Akira Toriyama.

Tobal 2 was to be released in North America, with a planned launch date of March 7, 1998, but the release was cancelled. It would have been the sixth and last title to be part of Square's publishing deal with Sony Computer Entertainment America; the companies instead opted to release Einhänder. According to a Square official, the game was not localized due to the disappointing sales of Tobal No. 1, and the assumption that most of the people who did buy it only did so for the included playable demo of Final Fantasy VII.

Reception

Reviewing the game as an import, American video game website GameSpot gave Tobal 2 an 8.1/10, finding it superior to Tobal No. 1, but also said that it has no chance of competing with more popular fighting series such as Tekken and Mortal Kombat.

Tobal 2 sold over 318,000 copies in Japan in 1997, making it the 31st best selling game of the year. In 2000, Tobal 2 was ranked number 50 on Weekly Famitsu's 100 best PlayStation games of all time.