During the early 2000s, cartoony and colorful 3-D platformers were everywhere. Ty the Tasmanian Tiger, however, stood out as a cult classic. The fanbases' dedication facilitated an HD remaster of the first game, and now an HD version of the sequel is in development.
Originally released in 2004, Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2: Bush Rescue is often considered a high point of the series. Developer Krome Studios has so far acted on their motivation to remaster the entire Ty series, having released the first game in March 2020.
Krome Studios announced the news today in a message to its Kickstarter backers. The note references the remaster already available on Steam, and says that the team has begun to look into the coding work that would bring an HD version of Ty 2 to consoles. The developer also states that players shouldn't expect to see or hear anything regarding the remaster this year.
However, fans will get updates in early 2021. As far as creating an all-new sequel in the series goes, Krome has, unfortunately, said nothing is in development. At the same time, it has laid the groundwork for a new Ty entry. Given to Kickstarter backers, the new 'Doomeranger' comic lays the plot out for a Ty 5. The company has stated that while a Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 5 is possible, it would require a "much bigger budget".
Interestingly enough, the post also details patch notes for the Nintendo Switch version of the game. The update fixes various graphic bugs and camera issues, as well as several tweaks to Hardcore mode. Some of the other notable changes to Ty the Tasmanian Tiger include:
- Options for disabling motion control support added to the pause screen.
- Added Hardcore mode warning UI when starting a hardcore game. This makes it clearer to the player what it means.
- Added new control/camera inversion for swimming and Doomerang controls.
- Implemented 1st Person Infrarang effect on the Switch.
- Miscellaneous small bug fixes and performance improvements.
3D platformers have had somewhat of a renaissance in recent years. Likely due to the surge in HD remasters of nostalgic titles, the genre is gaining a new generation of fans. These types of games have proven to be best-sellers as well, with Super Mario 3D All-Stars breaking the digital Switch sales record. Other game franchises like Crash Bandicoot and Spyro the Dragon have also seen an immense resurgence in recent years. This adds to the number of revived mascots that have been largely off-grid for the past 15 years or so.
Although there's no official word on Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 2's release date, fans can likely expect it to arrive sometime next year. Perhaps it'll debut on the rumored Nintendo Switch Pro.
Ty the Tasmanian Tiger HD is available now on PC, PS4, Switch, Steam, and Xbox One. The remastered sequel is currently in development.
