as influence early in development. Release Batsugun was first launched in arcades worldwide by Toaplan, Taito and Unite Trading in 1993. During the same year, a soundtrack album containing music from the title was co-published exclusively in Japan by Scitron and Pony Canyon. Several promotional materials were also released by Toaplan. A second edition, titled Batsugun Special Version, was showcased to attendees at the 1994 AOU Show in Japan but it was never officially released in arcades, as Toaplan slid into bankruptcy and this special version appeared on the secondary video game collecting market after the company vanished. The special version featured a number of changes compared to the original version including a much smaller hitbox, a shield protecting the player from one hit, more powerful bombs, new scoring items, and the addition of multiple loops of increasing difficulty after completing the initial loop, among other changes. On 25 October 1996, Batsugun received a conversion to the Sega Saturn by Gazelle, an offshoot of Toaplan, and published exclusively in Japan by Banpresto. The Saturn version featured various changes and additions such as the inclusion of both the original and special versions as a 2-in-1 package, as well as an arranged soundtrack. In 2022, the original arcade version will be included as part of the Sega Astro City Mini V, a vertically-oriented variant of the Sega Astro City mini console. Reception Batsugun was met with positive reception during its initial release in arcades. In Japan, Game Machine listed it on their February 1, 1994 issue as being the seventh most-popular arcade game at the time. In the April 1994 issue of Japanese publication Micom BASIC Magazine, the game was ranked on the number nine spot in popularity. Gamest simultaneously awarded the title with both the 6th "Best Shooting" and 36th "Best Character '94" awards. Nick Zverloff of Hardcore Gaming 101 praised Inoue and Sakai's artwork and soundtrack respectively, among other aspects. The Sega Saturn conversion received mixed reviews from critics such as Famitsu and the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine. According to Famitsu, the Saturn version sold over 7,017 copies in its first week on the market. Readers of the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine voted to give the Saturn port a 8.4 out of 10 score, ranking at the number 245 spot, indicating a large popular following. Edge reviewed the Saturn version, deeming it "not a classic in designs terms, perhaps, but