Today I managed to get some hands-on time with Ubisoft’s Wii brawler, TMNT: Smash Up. The E3 build of the game adds a few characters from the previous preview version and tightens the gameplay and controls.
The game has two confirmed control schemes: remote only and remote-nunchuk. Remote only is usable, but as awkward as it was with Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Control is much more precise with the remote-nunchuk setup.
The demo stages varied in dynamics. Some, like the rooftops, were largely static. Others, like the sewers, had multiple parts and lots of moving water. The collision detection has been worked on heavily over the past month or so, and the focus is on realistic contact. With Brawl, characters’ attacks hit more of an area around the point of contact, but precision is key in TMNT.
I got to chat with some people working on the project about some design decisions, notably the character glow. The color can be turned off, or even customized, but the dev team found that the fast pace and muted colors of the game made it tough without it.
Characters in addition to the four turtles, Shredder, April and Splinter will be announced at Comic-Con.
