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Jitsu Squad

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Jitsu Squad
Developer(s)Tanuki Creative Studio
Publisher(s)Tanuki Creative Studio
ININ Games (consoles)
Director(s)Dave Baljon
Designer(s)
  • Dave Baljon
  • Sebastien Romero
  • Pieter Visser
Programmer(s)
  • Pieter Visser
  • Akli Lounés Touati
Artist(s)Laurent Romero
Writer(s)Dave Baljon
Composer(s)Sebastien Romero
EngineGameMaker
Platform(s)
Release
March 29, 2022
  • Microsoft Windows
  • March 29, 2022
  • Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
  • December 9, 2022
Genre(s)Beat 'em up
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer
Arcade systemexA-Arcadia

Jitsu Squad is a 2022 beat 'em up indie video game self-developed and published by Tanuki Creative Studio for Microsoft Windows, and published by ININ Games for home consoles. The game was released on March 29, 2022, for Windows,[1] which was followed by console releases for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S, on December 9.[2][3]

Development

[edit]

Jitsu Squad is developed by Tanuki Creative Studio, an independent game company from the Netherlands.

Development on the game began in 2015 and over the years had two successful Kickstarter campaigns.[4] YouTuber Maximilian Dood and the titular Yooka-Laylee characters, Yooka and Laylee, were announced as cameo extras in February 2021.[5] In a March 2022 interview with GameRant, several mechanics, such as "Fury Mode" and "big burst attacks", were inspired by works such as Samurai Pizza Cats and Dragon Ball respectively.[4] In a followup interview in April the same year, there were plans of a "Survival" mode and having the character Dash, the first boss of the game, to be a fifth playable character.[6] None, however, were panned out into further update patches as Tanuki Creative Studio rebranded as Blast Zero in 2024 and are working on their next project Samurai Pizza Cats: Blast from the Past![7][8][9]

Audio

[edit]

Sebastien Romero serves as the game composer.[6] Johnny Gioeli, the lead vocalist of Crush 40, provided vocals on 3 tracks, one of which was "Surfing on the Lava".[1] The other two was its opening theme, "Go! Fight! Jitsu Dreamers!",[10] and its closing theme, "Into the Heart of the Sun".[11]

Reception

[edit]

Jitsu Squad received "mixed or average" from critics, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[12]

Scott McCrae from Nintendo Life scored the game a 7 out of 10, praising the "great art style and music" and being "a love letter to '90s Capcom classics" whilst critiquing that it has "performance issues" and is a bit too "short, even for a beat 'em up".[13] In TouchArcade, Shaun Musgrave rated it a 7.5, highlighting its "cartoonish graphics" and "fast action", but felt that there was little "technique" to go off of and that the unlockable tag-team mode was not available from the get-go.[14]

Accolades

[edit]
Date Award Category Result Ref.
October 6, 2022 Dutch Game Awards Best Debut Game Nominated [16]
Best Art Nominated

Legacy

[edit]

In February 2021, Arcade Heroes stated that the game would be heading to exA-Arcadia arcade systems in 2022.[17] In March 2024, the arcade system port, titled Jitsu Squad featuring Samurai Pizza Cats, was unveiled at the Amusement Expo in Las Vegas.[18] The arcade version featured the character Speedy Cerviche as a fifth playable character, with Kappei Yamaguchi reprising the role.[18] In December the same year, it was available to the public.[19]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Melchor, Erickson (March 29, 2022). "4-Player Co-Op Beat 'em Up Jitsu Squad Releases on Steam". Sirius Gaming. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  2. ^ "2D Brawler From Tanuki Creative Studio Jitsu Squad Launches Today". Gaming Lyfe. December 8, 2022. Archived from the original on December 28, 2022. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
  3. ^ "Jitsu Squad Gets A New Trailer Ahead of Launch; Squad Up On Dec. 9". GoNintendo. November 29, 2022. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Whitson, Hank (March 31, 2022). "Jitsu Squad Creators Discuss Anime and Arcade Influences". GameRant. Valnet. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  5. ^ "Maximilian Dood & Yooka-Laylee Revealed For Upcoming 2D Beat 'Em Up Game: Jitsu Squad!". Gamasutra. February 18, 2021. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
  6. ^ a b Whitson, Hank (April 2, 2022). "Jitsu Squad Interview: Creators Talk Beat 'Em Up Essentials, Fight Fatigue, and Following Your Dreams". GameRant. Valnet. Retrieved April 2, 2022.
  7. ^ "Tanuki Creative Studio's website for Jitsu Squad game". Jitsu Squad. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  8. ^ "Dutch Game Industry Directory's entry for Tanuki Creative Studio". DGID. Dutch Games Association. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  9. ^ Scullion, Chris (February 20, 2025). "A game based on cult anime Samurai Pizza Cats is in development". Video Games Chronicle. Archived from the original on February 21, 2025. Retrieved February 22, 2025.
  10. ^ Sebastien Romero (December 6, 2022). Go! Fight! Jitsu Dreamers! ft. Johnny Gioeli - Jitsu Squad OST. YouTube. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  11. ^ Sebastien Romero (December 6, 2022). Into the Heart of the Sun (CREDITS) ft. Johnny Gioeli - Jitsu Squad OST. YouTube. Retrieved December 6, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Jitsu Squad". Metacritic. Fandom Inc. Archived from the original on November 30, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  13. ^ a b McCrae, Scott (December 13, 2022). "Mini Review: Jitsu Squad (Switch) - A Joyous Love Letter To '90s Capcom, Held Back By Technical Issues". Nintendo Life. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 13, 2022. Retrieved December 13, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Musgrave, Shaun (December 15, 2022). "SwitchArcade Round-Up: Reviews Featuring 'Wavetale' and 'Jitsu Squad', Plus the Latest Releases and Sales". TouchArcade. Archived from the original on December 15, 2022. Retrieved December 15, 2022.
  15. ^ Dunitz, Alana (January 8, 2023). "Jitsu Squad (PC) Review". GameGrin. Archived from the original on January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  16. ^ "These are the nominees of the Dutch Game Awards 2022!". Dutch Game Awards. July 9, 2022. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  17. ^ "New Beat 'Em Up Headed To Arcades In 2022: Jitsu Squad by Tanuki Creative Studios". Arcade Heroes. February 24, 2021. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  18. ^ a b "Jitsu Squad Featuring Samurai Pizza Cats Unveiled At Amusement Expo 2024". Arcade Heroes. March 21, 2024. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
  19. ^ "JITSU SQUAD featuring SAMURAI PIZZA CATS Available Now!". exA-Arcadia. December 27, 2024. Retrieved December 27, 2024.
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