Digital Pinball: Last Gladiators is getting another turn at the table. Japanese independent developer BeXide has announced plans to bring KAZe Co., Ltd.'s 1995 pinball classic to Nintendo Switch, Switch 2, PC, and Mac later this year.
The new version will add online rankings, giving players a fresh way to chase scores beyond the old living-room setup. No exact release date has been shared yet, so the launch window remains broad for now.
A Saturn Pinball Favorite
Last Gladiators was one of several pinball simulators KAZe made during the 1990s. The studio also worked on its sequel, Necronomicon, along with earlier Super Famicom and SNES titles such as Super Pinball: Behind the Mask and Super Pinball 2: The Amazing Odyssey.
The game was directed by Norio Nakagata, a former Namco composer who also served as KAZe's head of development. Nakagata saw himself as part of the pinball generation, and his goal was to find a convincing way to bring that arcade feeling into the home.
For the Saturn release, KAZe leaned into a bold mid-'90s style. The game used FMV visuals and audio made overseas, with an eye on Western players as well as Japanese fans. That gives Last Gladiators a very particular period flavor today.
Its heavy metal soundtrack also had notable names attached. American hard rock guitarist Doug Aldrich, then known mainly for his work with Lion and Bad Moon Rising, is credited as one of the music producers, alongside Emi Akimoto and Yusuke Takahama.
Nakagata described the original theme as a battle between interdimensional warriors. The game included four tables: a Roman-inspired setting, a roses-and-princess knight scene, a battle set in the Eastern world, and a fourth fantasy-themed table.
Built From Source Code
According to the developers, this comeback is not based on emulation. Instead, BeXide is porting the game from the source code for the 1997 update Ver9.7, which KAZe appears to have kept. That makes this more than a simple wrapper around the old Saturn version.
The game will be playable at BitSummit PUNCH, which takes place at the Kyoto International Exhibition Hall in the Miyako Messe convention center from May 22nd to 24th. Visitors who try it will receive an original postcard, and a Steam page is already live for wishlisting.
Z-retro's view: this sounds like a careful return for a distinctive Saturn-era pinball game, especially because the port is tied to preserved source code. The final test will be how naturally its old speed, sound, and table feel carry onto modern hardware.
