Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast From The Past Announced
The 1990s were a heck of time for anthropomorphic animals who liked to fight crime. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Swat Cats, Battletoads…a lot of these also featured in video games. One group that didn’t, but are finally getting their due, are the Samurai Pizza Cats.
Dutch Studio BLAST ZERO and publisher Red Dune Games are developing Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast From The Past for all major platforms, based on the classic cartoon. Even better news for fans of the crime-fighting felines is that the original voice cast (of the English and Japanese versions) are reprising their roles.
“The passion of the game development team for this series was so evident, and it made me incredibly happy,” Ai Orikasa, who voices the character known as Pururun in Japan, Polly Esther in the States, said in a press release.
On recording dialogue for the upcoming game, she said: “I truly believe the camaraderie among the cast and crew translated into what audiences loved about the show.”
Fighting Crime All Over Town
Samurai Pizza Cats debuted in 1990 in Japan as Kyatto Ninden Teyandee and followed three cyberbog cats, Speedy, Polly and Guido, as they battled the villainous fox, Big Cheese, and his ninja crows. With Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast From The Past, players will be able to swap between the cats in a 2D action adventure set in the show’s city of Little Tokyo.
Players will also get to use unique abilities to solve puzzles, and upgrade characters with special combat cards. All of this is wrapped up in an art style that faithfully captures the look and feel of the 1990s cartoon.
Honoring The Cartoon’s Legacy
Bringing the Samurai Pizza Cats back to life are the full English voice cast: Sonja Ball (Polly Esther), Rick Jones (Speedy Cerviche) and Terrence Scammell (Guido Anchovy).
They’re joined by most of the original Japanese voice cast, including Kappei Yamaguchi, Ai Orikasa and Ikuya Sawaki. Seiichirō Yamashita has taken over the role of Sukashii (Guido in the States), who was originally voiced by Jurota Kosugi.
“I was deeply conscious of preserving the image of Sukashii that fans hold dear,” said Yamashita. “The love for Kyatto Ninden Teyandee has endured over decades. To see that love manifest in a brand-new game is truly extraordinary.”