After seven years of development and two Kickstarter campaigns, Tanuki Creative Studios' multiplayer beat 'em up Jitsu Squad is available now on PC, with console launches planned later this year. From the indie game's title to its aesthetic, it is clear that classic anime and arcade titles are a major influence on sidescrolling brawler. In many ways, Jitsu Squad is a love letter to the early 1990s, when beat 'em ups and 2D fighting games dominated the arcade scene as Japanese animation was beginning to make its presence known in the west, courtesy of imported VHS tapes and dubbed Saturday morning cartoons.
Game Rant spoke with Sebastien Romero and Dave Baljon, the creators of Jitsu Squad, about the game's inspirations and unique appeal. While beat 'em ups are based around a relatively simple mechanical premise, Jitsu Squad is designed to dodge the fight fatigue that often plagues the genre with four playable characters boasting unique moves and weapons. Despite these modernizations, Jitsu Squad's humor, style, and structure are sure to appeal to nostalgia with its early '90s energy.
Hail to the '90s
As anime tapes began to hit Blockbuster, Family Video, and other video rental chains, Japanese beat 'em ups and fighting games dominated the arcades, sharing many of the same character design conventions and motifs. Baljon, who began Jitsu Squad with a series of static illustrations, was heavily influenced by the style of those early Japanese imports.
The aesthetic of '90s games is very 'anime' in general. The games that we played, you know, Capcom, Konami, and SNK games from the '90s were all pretty anime looking.
The fact that Jitsu Squad's playable characters are all anthropomorphic animals (or humans transformed into animals), is also a hallmark of the era. Following the global success stories of Sonic and Mario, mascot-style characters were a major force in video games and animation in the '90s. Entire franchises were built around the mascot model of storytelling and merchandising, which featured over-the-top action, irreverent humor, and a typically punk, in-your-face attitude. Jitsu Squad aims to channel the same energy, translated to modern day via HD hand-drawn animations.
Anime Transformations, Special Moves, and More
Anime has such a ubiquitous presence on modern streaming sites like Hulu that being an anime fan has become common. But in the early '90s, before the Internet was widely available, anime was scarce and early imports had a big impact on creators like Romero.
The fury transformations are very inspired by Samurai Pizza Cats, which we love very much. Even though we are different ages, we both grew up on it. Then there's also the stuff like Dragon Ball, with the big burst attacks. Hokuto No Ken, or Fist of the North Star, is another one.
Fist of the North Star is a post-apocalyptic martial arts anime, perhaps best known for its "you are already dead" meme. A product of the '80s that began to circulate in the west in the early '90s, it saw fighters kicking tanks into submission, detonating opponents after striking their pressure points, and other bombastic, ultra-violent action. The accessible humor of Dragon Ball and Samurai Pizza Cats seems to hone closer to Jitsu Squad in tone and style, but the newer beat 'em up is packed with influences. Baljon mentioned that his brother was a huge fan of Doraemon, and Romero cited Akira Toriyama's less-known series Dr. Slump.
An Arcade-Inspired Odyssey in Jitsu Squad
Baljon and Romero repeatedly cited early Capcom, SNK, and Konami fighting and beat 'em titles as the most prominent influences on Jitsu Squad. The storied Marvel vs. Capcom series was a particularly strong inspiration, with its blend of tag-team fighting and summonable guest characters. But Baljon and Romero have played a variety of arcade classics, including obscure titles like Ninja Baseball Bat Man, which Romero cited as a favorite thanks to its breathless pace and action. Baljon said his favorite beat 'em up is Capcom's Alien vs. Predator arcade game, which he once beat with a single coin.
Jitsu Squad is available now on PC. It is in development for consoles.