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Clear River Games has announced that it will be publishing Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark this August, which is the latest entry in the Toaplan Arcade Garage series, and which will comprise three of Toaplan’s vertically scrolling shoot ‘em ups: Flying Shark, and its sequels, Fire Shark, and Sky Shark.
The Toaplan Arcade Garage release of the games has been developed by M2, and Clear River Games has said that: “The game is packed with a variety of features that help the player. The M2 gadgets displayed on the left and right of the playing field alert the player of enemies appearing from blind spots, the location of hidden features, what the next item will be, and other things that help you improve your chances of surviving the barrage of enemies.”
Clear River Games announced the pairing of Flying Shark and its sequels by saying: “Together at last! The Shark series by legendary Japanese game studio, Toaplan, is a prominent feature in the shoot ‘em up genre. Its first entry, Flying Shark, praised for its expertly tuned difficulty level and simple rules, went on to influence future vertical scrolling shmup titles. The sequel, Fire Shark, was renowned for setting arcades ablaze with the utter devastation of its screen-filling weapons.”
And whether you’re a hardened arcade shmup veteran or a complete novice, you’ll be able to enjoy the games on Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark because each game will feature both an Arcade Mode and an Easy Mode.
Clear River Games went on to explain that: “included in the titles are a whole host of features to assist burgeoning captains and to help them survive the seemingly never-ending onslaught of enemies. The M2 Gadgets shown on both sides of the playing field have been designed to take the sting out of blind spots and give an early warning to watch out for new items and hidden features. Arcade Challenge Mode splits each area into bite-sized chunks so players can perfect every section of the game, and there’s even a rewind feature that is automatically activated when your ship is hit in Challenge Mode. A one-credit clear awaits you!”
The six games included in the Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark compilation are…
Flying Shark (Worldwide arcade version)
Sky Shark (US arcade version)
Hisho Same (JP arcade version)
Fire Shark (Worldwide arcade version)
Same! Same! Same! (JP arcade version)
Same! Same! Same! (JP arcade 2-player version)
NES and Mega Drive/Genesis versions of the games will also be included with the physical releases of Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark, and these will also be made available as DLC for the digital versions. Also set to be made available as DLC is Toaplan’s 1987 arcade title Wardner, which has never before been released on home platforms in the West.
The full list of games included on the DLC is…
Sky Shark (NES version 1989)
Same! Same! Same! (JP SEGA Mega Drive version 1990)
Fire Shark (SEGA Genesis version 1990)
Wardner (Worldwide arcade version 1987)
Wardner no Mori (JP arcade version 1987)
Pyros (US arcade version 1987)
Wardner no Mori (FDS version 1988 – JP language only)
What’s more, as a special bonus, Toaplan’s 1991 arcade puzzler Teki-Paki will be available as a free download for anyone who has purchased any of the Toaplan Arcade Garage series.
Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark will launch on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch with both digital and physical editions available from August 29th, 2026.
Toaplan Arcade Garage: Flying Fire Shark is just one of several re-releases of Toaplan classics for modern formats. We have previously reported on several others, such as the Snow Bros. Classic Collection, Toaplan Shooters Collection, and Evercade’s Toaplan Arcade cartridges.
