We recently had the opportunity to speak with Tribute Games about Marvel Cosmic Invasion, TMNT: Shredder’s Revenge, and what goes into creating modern beat ’em ups that still feel connected to the classics.
Taking part in the Q&A were Frederic Gemus, Game Director, Remi Lavoie, Producer, and Yannick Belzil, Narrative Designer. Together, they shared insight into how Tribute Games approaches retro-inspired design, character selection, co-op mechanics, and the challenge of making something familiar feel fresh again.
How did you and your team balance staying faithful to classic TMNT beat ’em ups, such as Turtles in Time, while making the gameplay feel more modern for new players?
Frederic Gemus: The most important thing is, of course, being in love with the source material. At Tribute Games, we are old-school beat ’em up fans, so this is a real passion project for us. But there is still work to do to get things right.
First, you need to take time to analyze and understand these games to really figure out what players really loved about them. We often remember the results, or content of a game, but not the recipe, meaning how the mechanics actually work. Then, you should...
