Tobal No. 1: A PlayStation Fighter Worth Revisiting

In 1996, Squaresoft took a surprise swing at the fighting game genre with Tobal No. 1 on the PlayStation. Best known at the time for their RPG juggernauts like Final Fantasy, Secret of Mana, and Chrono Trigger, Squaresoft’s first PlayStation title was an ambitious—and maybe a little risky—step into new territory. Ultimately, Tobal No. 1 may not have reached the success of its fighting game peers from that era, but it still stands as a cult classic, thanks to its innovative mechanics, unique visuals, and an all-star soundtrack featuring some of Squaresoft’s best!

(L to R) North American Box Art, Japanese Box Art, PAL Region Box Art

A Fighter Like No Other

Thanks to Square’s earlier work on Chrono Trigger, they were able to bring back Akira Toriyama to design a vibrant cast of characters that felt like they came straight out of the pages of Shonen Jump. Initially, director Seichi Ishii considered using characters from Chrono Trigger for the game because he liked Toriyama’s distinctive art style. But, after they began prototyping the game, Toriyama created an entirely new roster specifically for Tobal No. 1, giving the game its own unique identity to match the game's diverse set fighting styles.

Hey, look at us! Who woulda thought.

While the untextured polygons were seen as "dated" at the time, in retrospect, they contribute to a unique and stylized visual appeal that still stands out today. It also gave Tobal super fast loading times and helped the game run at a buttery smooth 60 frames per second.

Beyond its visuals, Tobal No. 1 also introduced innovations that set it apart from the competition. Square and the team at DreamFactory implemented an impressive fully 3D movement system, giving players the ability to sidestep and maneuver around opponents instead of being restricted to a linear plane. Additionally, the game featured a grappling system that added strategic depth, moving beyond the traditional button-mashing mechanics common in many fighting games.

One of Tobal No. 1’s most intriguing features (and a personal favorite of mine and many others) was its innovative Quest Mode. This dungeon-crawling adventure lets players fight and explore 30 levels, find items, and face off against challenging foes, eventually unlocking characters for the versus mode. By blending fighting mechanics with RPG-style progression, Tobal No. 1’s unique approach to single-player content should definitely get credit for very likely inspiring side modes in Tekken 3, like the volleyball-esque Tekken Ball and the side-scrolling beat’em, Tekken Force.

Quest Mode was pretty cool ngl

Tekken Ball (L) & Tekken Force (R) from Tekken 3 (1998)

A Soundtrack That Packs a Punch

The game’s soundtrack was also a knockout in its own right! Since Dream Factory did not have its own composer while the game was in development, Squaresoft assembled a dream team of composers led by Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger, Xenogears). Alongside him were names that are legendary in the world of video game music like Kenji Ito (Romancing SaGa), Junya Nakano (Threads of Fate), Masashi Hamauzu (Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy XIII), Yasuhiro Kawakami (Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, Super R-Type), and Yoko Shimomura (Street Fighter II, Super Mario RPG, Kingdom Hearts).

Together, this talented team crafted a brilliant fusion of jazz, electronica, a touch of hip-hop, and a dose of rock, giving Tobal No. 1 an innovative and outstanding sound—one that’s absolutely worth a listen, if I do say so myself.

(L to R) Junya Nakano, Kenji Ito, Masashi Hamauzu, Yoko Shimomura, Yasuhiro Kawakami, Yasunori Mitsuda

These are some of the games they composed for, either before or after Tobal No. 1. Someday I'd like to own all of these... (checks eBay) .......oh

Legacy and Impact

When you look at it on paper (or screen), Tobal No. 1 had everything going for it—fun and varied gameplay, an incredible soundtrack, and character designs by the legendary Dragon Ball artist… but despite all its strengths, it didn’t make a lasting impact in terms of sales. It wasn't like the game missed the attention of the media either! Magazines frequently praised the game's controls, free-flowing 3D movement, and its excellent replayability thanks to the Quest Mode. Some even questioned if it was better than Tekken 2 on the cover!

Despite receiving positive reviews, Tobal No. 1 sold only around 100,000 copies in the U.S. and approximately 750,000 in Japan. It later became clear that these figures were largely influenced by the inclusion of the Final Fantasy VII demo. The U.S. version even highlighted this feature on the front of the box, clearly banking on it to boost sales. It made sense though, if you were a gamer that was eager to experience the future of RPGs a year ahead of its release, purchasing Tobal No. 1 was the only way to do it!

A sequel followed just a year later—though only in Japan—where strong sales justified the release of Tobal 2. Squaresoft made sure it was worth every yen, expanding on nearly every aspect of the original. This time, they introduced texture-mapped polygons, retained that 60 frames per second gameplay, and added a massive new Quest Mode featuring themed dungeons, a town to explore, and a Guinness World Record-setting 200-character roster... only if you captured all the game’s monsters. And, of course, it also boasted a blazingly awesome soundtrack!

Though Tobal 2 never made it to the West, and Tobal No. 1 is often remembered more as a delivery method for the Final Fantasy VII demo, that didn’t stop me from playing it for hours on end. It was an incredibly fun fighting game that deserves way more recognition when discussing the PlayStation’s best fighters. This game still packs a punch and remains fun to play to this day! Whether you’re in it for the deep mechanics, the cool character designs, or just to bask in that incredible soundtrack, it’s a game worth revisiting!

Now, if you want to listen to the incredible soundtracks from both games, I have an episode of barSILENCE just for you! Take a listen to the show—trust me, you’ll love it.