Ninja Baseball Bat Man's HD remaster just showed off four-player co-op

City Connection has released the first full gameplay trailer for Ninja Baseball League-Man Bases Loaded. The new video highlights four-player local co-op and introduces a brand-new playable character.

Irem's 1993 arcade game Ninja Baseball Bat Man is a cult classic beat 'em up about robotic baseball players fighting other baseball-themed enemies, but it never received a home console port during its original run. The HD remaster was just announced yesterday. Now we have actual footage of how the updated version looks in motion ahead of its December 10 release.

The cheerleader gets a promotion

The biggest mechanical change is the expanded roster. The 1993 arcade cabinet had four playable characters: Captain Jose, Twinbats Ryno, Beanball Roger, and Stick Straw. The remaster adds a fifth option.

Pink was originally just a support summon who would drop in to clear the screen. Now she is a fully realized fighter who attacks enemies with pom-poms and acrobatics. Her inclusion bumps the maximum player count up to four for local co-op. You can finally have a full team on screen without someone having to sit out. The game doesn't include online multiplayer.

The core combat loop remains intact. Players chain together rapid button mashes for standard combos. You can execute heavy throw moves by grabbing opponents or trigger screen-clearing special attacks with a single button.

Arranged modes and mini-games

The development team built several new ways to play. The base game includes a "Regular Season" mode that strictly follows the original arcade layout. If you want something harder, you can boot up "Climax Season." This is a high-difficulty arranged version with altered enemy placements and brand-new stages.

The developers also added a suite of competitive mini-games. Players can compete for high scores in a home run derby or race cars in a chaotic split-screen mode.

Audio got a similar treatment. Composer Yosuke Yasui provided a newly arranged soundtrack. The game lets you toggle between the new music and the original 1993 arcade tunes in the settings menu.

Physical release details

Ninja Baseball League-Man Bases Loaded launches December 10 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PC via Steam, and the Nintendo Switch 2. The digital versions will cost 4,180 yen in Japan.

City Connection is also handling a physical release for the Switch 2 and PlayStation 5. The physical box includes a soundtrack CD and a fan book packed with original arcade design documents and character art. Fans who order directly from City Connection's official shop get an extra bonus. The publisher is pressing a custom cassette tape containing selected tracks from the arranged soundtrack, complete with a special sleeve.

Irem's original arcade board is notoriously expensive and hard to find on the secondhand market. Having a modern port with four-player support is a much cheaper way to hit robotic baseballs with a bat.