Cooly Skunk, Punky Skunk - this long forgotten platforming mascot character went by a couple of different names during his short life in late 90s gaming - but as of last week, he's suddenly become a lot more interesting. Originally released on the original PlayStation, it turns out that the same game was initially developed for the Super Famicon. More specifically, it was developed, completed, but never physically released and seemingly lost - until the combination of a freak discovery combined with the efforts of the game preservation community brought this title back from oblivion.
As we move into another awkward cross-gen development period, the recovery of Cooly Skunk demonstrates that while game makers have it tough today, the process was just as challenging in the move from 16-bit to 32-bit platforms. It's possible to compare the eventual PlayStation release with the Super Famicom original, and it's fascinating to see just how close the completed Nintendo original compared to the final PS1 release, while at the same time highlighting some radical differences.
But it's the process of Cooly Skunk's recovery that is borderline mind-blowing. The game was developed by a small Japanese company known as Ukiyotei. Founded in 1991 by Kenshi Naruse - previously of Capcom - Ukiyotei would develop a surprisingly solid stable of games during its 11-year run, including an adaptation of Hook for Super NES, published by Sony Imagesoft. Cooly Skunk began as a project to deliver a platforming mascot for publisher Bullet Proof Software, before being cancelled and rebooted for another publisher - Visit - who aimed to tailor game more towards US audiences. By the time it was completed, 16-bit sales were collapsing and so the decision was made to reboot the game for the PlayStation.
from Eurogamer.net https://ift.tt/30S9CSC
https://ift.tt/3aK5SqM January 26, 2020 at 07:30PM https://ift.tt/2CT6urR
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