Ty The Tasmanian Tiger is aiming at a re-release on the Nintendo Switch. A new Kickstarter has been launch raising money to bring the 3D platformer to Nintendo’s newest platform. So far it looks like the game will sail past its $50,000 target.
A relic from the era of the Gamecube, PS2 and original Xbox, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger was a pretty good 3D platformer. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger does not immediately stand out among other mascots of the same era. Its a theme that plagues the series. As the 3D platformer was dying out, the series was met by mixed reviews and comparisons to more established franchises. Despite this the game was a success. It sold a million copies and had a much-improved sequel. Later sequels were released less-widely – indicating falling sales or a lack of faith. Krome studios was recognised for their skills with this type of game. The studio went on to produce a couple of the rebooted Spyro games; The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning and Eternal Night. Ty is now what you’d call a hidden gem. It’s a game that’s not top of anyone’s list, but is surprisingly good. The Australian flair alone is worth the price of admission. Don’t expect the best 3D platformer ever made, but if you’re a fan of the genre I’d call this a must-play.
Returning to the Kickstarter, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger seems a fairly safe title to back. No crowd-funded title is guaranteed to be good, or even come out, but the short timeline and modest goals here are reassuring. The early-supporters $20 reward tier that got you a digital copy of the game and your name in the credits has already sold out. Its only a modest increase to the $25 tier which gets you the same rewards, thankfully. That’s £21 for a digital Switch code (when it releases) and your name in the backer credits. To put that into perspective, Turok 2 is set to release this week and that’s £15.79. And that’s a N64 game! Yooka-Laylee, a newer game in a similar style, will cost you £34.99 on the eShop. Resident Evil, a game from a similar era (though an updated version) is asking £29.99. The upshot of all this? £21 is a pretty decent price for a port on the Switch. Particularly when its helping to bring that port to fruition.
If you’re a life-long devotee of Ty the Tasmanian Tiger then you have a few more expensive options. It’s worth noting that the game is only looking at a digital release: no amount of money will get your a physical cart at this time. If you want to get your actual hands on something though, for $100 (about £82) you can get physical versions of the art book and soundtrack. If you wan’t to drop truly silly money there’s some more unusual rewards available. For $250 dollars you can have your own fake shark-tooth necklace and a mug.
We’ve seen a resurgence in retro-inspired, 3D, collectable-heavy, platformers of late. The biggest success story is undoubtedly Yooka-Laylee. The spiritual successor to Banjo-Kazooie, from the same team, wasn’t a total success but it showed a market for a genre all but dead. Banjo Kazooie himself is enjoying a comeback on Super Smash Bros Ultimate later this year. Similarly, Spyro the Dragon and Crash Bandicoot have both hit the big-time again with their remastered trilogies across a range of different platforms. Its nice to see that Ty the Tasmanian Tiger is joining in the fun.
