Success Booth blooms with "Cotton Rock With You" and "Cyberia 3" at [TGS2025]
Note: the original Japanese article can be found at:
https://www.4gamer.net/games/943/G094387/20250928012/
Writer: Senichi Yagimoto | 2025/09/28 04:00 (UTC)
At the Success booth of Tokyo Game Show 2025, two new shooting games—“Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3”—were playable, so this article presents impressions from playing them.
Image Gallery No.001 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025] Image Gallery No.002 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025]
“Psyvariar 3”
This title is the long-awaited latest installment in the Psyvariar series, released 22 years after its initial launch in 2000. It will be available on PC, Switch 2, PS5, and Switch, with a planned release in the spring of 2026. The series’ iconic “BUZZ” system—where players intentionally graze enemy bullets against their own craft—is retained here, delivering that unique thrill once again.
Image Gallery No.003 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025] Image Gallery No.004 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025]
In most shooters, staying away from enemy bullets increases safety. However, in this game, the closer you get to enemy fire and successfully BUZZ (graze) it, the more experience points you gain—and the faster your level-up progresses. Upon leveling up, players become invincible, allowing them to deliberately dive into dense bullet patterns and trigger even more BUZZes.
This pursuit of BUZZing carries a certain addictive charm. Once understood, players instinctively rush toward what would normally be avoided—drawn in like magnets by the danger itself. The key to mastering each stage lies in touching as many enemy bullets for as long as possible, so intense bullet patterns are not feared but actually welcomed.
However, excessive greed can disrupt precise control and lead to careless mistakes. Since the player is deliberately making contact with avoidable bullets, failure brings a heightened sense of regret.
The escalating desire, the exhilaration upon successful BUZZing, and the emptiness felt after being destroyed—these are nothing short of the very essence of the Psyvariar series.
Notably, the playable version featured Cotton as a guest character. Her craft is broom-shaped and fires large projectiles forward from behind. The contrast between Psyvariar’s intense bullet-dodging mechanics and Cotton’s whimsical image of flying on a broom is delightfully mismatched.
Image Gallery No.007 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025] Image Gallery No.008 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025] Image Gallery No.009 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025]
“Cotton Rock With You”
The original Cotton, released in 1991, was praised for its cute character design, fantastical world setting, and the adventurous witch Cotton chasing after a mythical delicacy called “WILLOW.”
In 2021, a new title titled Cotton Rock ’n’ Roll launched after a 21-year hiatus. Cotton Rock With You continues in that same direction. It will be available on PC, Switch 2, and PS5, with an arcade version for APM3 also planned, scheduled for a summer 2026 release.
This installment takes place in a world with strong Japanese aesthetics. In addition to Cotton’s classic outfit, she also sports an elegant geiko (courtesan) costume. Enemies are all themed around traditional Japanese folklore—yokai and other culturally inspired characters.
A giant crane appears as the boss, one-eyed moppets shoot beams from the ground, lantern ghosts float in the sky, and deer fire bullets from their rear ends—all charming to look at and full of humorous action, making gameplay a joy just to watch.
Image Gallery No.019 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025]
Image Gallery No.012 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025] Image Gallery No.013 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025]
Upon defeating enemies with special attacks, countless score items appear—resulting in flashy, aggressive gameplay reminiscent of Cotton Rock ’n’ Roll. The screen is lively and vibrant thanks to cute enemy designs and scattered points flying everywhere, keeping the player’s energy high.
Image Gallery No.014 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025] Image Gallery No.015 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025]
The inclusion of characters from various other games, a feature carried over from Cotton Rock ’n’ Roll, is also present here. For example, Ria from Psyvariar can use the same BUZZ system to level up as in her original appearance—offering diverse and entertaining gameplay.
Additionally, this installment introduces Izuna from the RPG Kouma Reifudensha Izuna, who fights using kunai and shuriken. Her return after 17 years since appearing with “Windy × Windam” will surely bring a wave of nostalgia for longtime fans.
The title features a Japanese aesthetic, with both allies and enemies being charming characters. The overall tone is bright and lively, filled with flashy action sequences. Although only two stages were playable in the demo version, anticipation for what awaits in the final release has already begun to build.
On this day, Nami Miyagi—the voice actress for Cotton—appeared at the booth dressed in a Cotton costume, helping energize the event! Image Gallery No.018 thumbnail / “Cotton Rock With You” and “Psyvariar 3” make the Success booth a shooting game paradise [TGS2025]