When it was first announced in 2019, Tamarin drew attention for its all-star lineup of developers. Many people at the indie studio Chameleon Games come from Rare, a renowned developer that won acclaim for its work on the Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country series. Although the project faced several delays, Tamarin finally saw the light of day with a new trailer at Gamescom 2020. Now, developers at Chameleon are answering questions about the upcoming game and in some cases, working to manage expectations.
After the recent trailer premiere at Gamescom, the official Chameleon Games Twitter account confirmed that Tamarin drew at least some inspiration from the 1993 game Jet Force Gemini. The cult classic Rare third-person shooter centered around the protagonists’ struggle against invasive insectoids. However, while Rare originally released Jet Force Gemini for the Nintendo 64, Chameleon Games admitted that its spiritual successor would not be available for the Nintendo Switch anytime soon.
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When some fans stated that they were looking forward to a Switch version on Twitter following its Gamescom appearance, the developer gently announced that fans should not expect a Switch port anytime soon. Chameleon Games elaborated further on Tamarin‘s official FAQ, stating that its smaller staff could not split up and focus on different ports like AAA developers.
The studio also said that work on Tamarin began “long before” the Switch’s release in 2017, and that developing a port would both “take a long time” and deal with a lot of technical difficulties. At the moment, Tamarin will only be available for the PlayStation 4 and PCs on its release day next month. Afterward, Chameleon Games will be completely focusing on the game’s Xbox One version.
It is important to note that Chameleon Games has not ruled out a Switch release entirely. After a tense exchange with one Twitter user who insisted that Unreal Engine 4 would easily port the game to the Nintendo Switch, the developer did clarify that it did “like Nintendo and the Switch” and told players to wait for any potential updates. However, any future ports will likely depend on the game’s initial success.
With any luck, Tamarin‘s warm reception at Gamescom will translate to successful sales for the indie title. In the replies to its trailer, fans celebrated the game’s excellent graphics, its villains’ parallels to Jet Force Gemini and its soundtrack, which Chameleon Games claims is in the vein of Donkey Kong Country‘s songs. Although its absence on other platforms may be a disappointment to some, it is heartening to see accomplished developers and new studios take center stage for a PS4/PC release.
Tamarin is coming to PC and PS4 on September 10, 2020. An Xbox One port is in development.
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Source: Chameleon Games/Twitter
