If my MythForce article hasn’t already invigorated you with the power of the 80s cartoons’ fountain of youth, I suggest you take five and get some inspiration from a couple of leaders of Tribute Games and Dotemu, the dynamic duo behind the arcade-classics-inspired Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge.
Tribute Games’ Co-Founder Jean-Francois Major and CEO of Dotemu Cyrille Imbert share a drink and some serious hang time over what we can expect in this brand new side-scrolling brawler and how they stayed true to the authentic arcade aesthetic that’s very much of a different time.
Although, Major adds that fans of both Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Streets of Rage don’t have to worry that this will simply be a TMNT headband on a Streets of Rage body. This is very much a different game with a different speed and an art style taken straight from the 90s or the pinnacle of popularity for the lean, mean and green fighting machines.
“Contributing to an iconic universe like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an incredible opportunity on any level, but even after completing a TMNT project years ago, I always held out hope that I’d be able to create an experience set in the original era that inspired so much of my childhood wonder,” said Major. “We finally found a partner that shares Tribute Games’ passion for the Heroes in a Half Shell’s debut. Getting to continue the legacy of the classic, beloved TMNT beat-em-ups that fans around the world grew up playing is surreal.”
Major shares fond memories of dressing up as bō staff-wielding Donatello, even though Raphael would go on to be his favourite fighter in a half-shell.
Imbert reflects upon how the transition to something in the Turtle’s universe seemed like a smooth operation after the company nailed 80s culture and tradition with the incredible Streets of Rage 4.
After pitching Nickelodeon at GDC, Dotemu learned that Tribute was also pitching a similar project. True to the brothership of the shell, the two studios agreed to work together to win the day.
Personally, my excitement for this classic arcade brawler grows each time new information launches.
