truxton

Truxton (TATSUJIN) is a 1988 vertically scrolling science fiction shooter video game developed by Toaplan and published by Taito for Japanese and European arcades; in North America, it was distributed by Midway.

It is set in a future where the evil Gidans alien race, led by Dogurava, have invaded the fictional planet Borogo. Players assume the role of fighter pilot Tatsuo taking control of the Super Fighter ship on a last-ditch effort to overthrow the alien invaders and save Borogo. The Super Fighter ship is armed with different energy and missile weapons, as well as a last ditch super bomb that creates a massive skull shaped blue energy blast that wipes out all the enemies in the screen.

Truxton was conceived by Yuge Masahiro and proved to be a commercial success in Japanese arcades. However, it was less successful in western regions and was met with mixed reception from game magazines. The game has since been released on multiple platforms, each one featuring changes and additions compared to the original version. In 1989, Truxton was ported to the Sega Mega Drive/Sega Genesis by Toaplan and released in Japan and North America by Sega. This port was later re-released by independent publisher Retro-Bit in 2020.

Truxton later received a port to the PC Engine by Sting Entertainment, released exclusively in Japan by Taito on 24 July 1992. On 24 September 2019, Truxton was re-released for iOS and Android mobile devices in Japan by MOBIRIX Corporation under the name Tatsujin Classic. In July 2022, the original arcade version was included as part of the Sega Astro City Mini V mini console. Truxton was also included as part of the Toaplan Arcade 1 compilation for Evercade on 15 December of the same year. In February 2023, a Microsoft Windows version, published by Bitwave Games, was released on Steam and GOG.com. The game was also included in the Toaplan Arcade Collection for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 released in 2025.

Truxton was followed by the arcade sequel Truxton II in 1992. The rights to the game are currently owned by "Tatsujin", a company formed by Yuge.