After many years of being tied up in red tape, the popular live-action/animation blend adventure game finally gets a re-release, and gets its digital début on GOG.com.
Toonstruck was originally released in 1996. With high-quality animation, many celebrity actors and three years in production, the game ended up costing over $8 million to make, and is often quoted as one of the most expensive games ever made at the time. In the end only half of the game was released, and when the game flopped, publisher Virgin Interactive decided to call it quits on the project. In spite of the commercial failure, the game was well received by both media and gamers of the time, and fans have clung to the hope of a sequel through online petitions and groups in social media.
Last year Keith Arem, who worked as audio director on Toonstruck, caused excitement when he announced on a Facebook petition for Toonstruck 2 that he would bring Toonstruck back to life, provided he'd be able to raise enough funding and fan interest. He was also a special guest for a session of DF Game Club where Toonstruck was streamed. There he provided some interesting insight into development of the game, along with the state of the re-release and sequel. According to Arem, much of the design, art and animation for the 3rd and 4th act that would have made up the sequel was complete at the time of the original release, but some redesigning would be necessary. He also noted that it had taken them 15 years to gather assets and 5 years to tie together the interactive rights.
Despite its colorful cartoon graphics, the game contains references to adult themes like BDSM and torture and is known for having particularly difficult puzzles. As such, it is probably best enjoyed by a mature audience.
About the game
Drew Blanc is a cartoon animator and the original creator of the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show.. Drew's boss, Sam Schmaltz (played by Ben Stein), sets him the task of designing more bunnies to co-star in the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show by the next morning. However, the depressed animator soon nods off, suffering from acute artist's block. He wakes early the next morning to inexplicably find his television switched on, announcing the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show. Suddenly, Drew is mysteriously drawn into the television screen and transported to an idyllic two-dimensional cartoon world populated by his own creations, among many other cartoon characters.
To get home, you'll need to unravel the secrets of these loony lands before they unravel you permanently. Outsmart demented clowns, shock the socks off cross-dressing livestock, and match wits with a diabolical Count named Nefarious. It's a mind-reeling toonatopia that'll have you acting so depraved you might even shock yourself. Send someone an exploding turkey. Watch Spike the Clown torture balloon animals. If you've got any energy left after those escapades then try and prevent an all-out war between the cartoon forces of good and evil. Word to the wise: BETTER PACK AN ANVIL!
DF Game Club is a weekly event run by GOL editor Cheeseness with help from a few others. Grim Fandango Remastered is the current game, and the three remaining years of the game will be streamed over the next three Saturdays with attendance by some of the developers of the game in the chat.
Toonstruck is available DRM free from GOG, and if it sells well it might help speed up the process of making a sequel a reality. As noted on the store page, the game is powered by ScummVM, and it's nice to see the project receive credit there for once. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Toonstruck was originally released in 1996. With high-quality animation, many celebrity actors and three years in production, the game ended up costing over $8 million to make, and is often quoted as one of the most expensive games ever made at the time. In the end only half of the game was released, and when the game flopped, publisher Virgin Interactive decided to call it quits on the project. In spite of the commercial failure, the game was well received by both media and gamers of the time, and fans have clung to the hope of a sequel through online petitions and groups in social media.
Last year Keith Arem, who worked as audio director on Toonstruck, caused excitement when he announced on a Facebook petition for Toonstruck 2 that he would bring Toonstruck back to life, provided he'd be able to raise enough funding and fan interest. He was also a special guest for a session of DF Game Club where Toonstruck was streamed. There he provided some interesting insight into development of the game, along with the state of the re-release and sequel. According to Arem, much of the design, art and animation for the 3rd and 4th act that would have made up the sequel was complete at the time of the original release, but some redesigning would be necessary. He also noted that it had taken them 15 years to gather assets and 5 years to tie together the interactive rights.
Despite its colorful cartoon graphics, the game contains references to adult themes like BDSM and torture and is known for having particularly difficult puzzles. As such, it is probably best enjoyed by a mature audience.
About the game
Drew Blanc is a cartoon animator and the original creator of the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show.. Drew's boss, Sam Schmaltz (played by Ben Stein), sets him the task of designing more bunnies to co-star in the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show by the next morning. However, the depressed animator soon nods off, suffering from acute artist's block. He wakes early the next morning to inexplicably find his television switched on, announcing the Fluffy Fluffy Bun Bun Show. Suddenly, Drew is mysteriously drawn into the television screen and transported to an idyllic two-dimensional cartoon world populated by his own creations, among many other cartoon characters.
To get home, you'll need to unravel the secrets of these loony lands before they unravel you permanently. Outsmart demented clowns, shock the socks off cross-dressing livestock, and match wits with a diabolical Count named Nefarious. It's a mind-reeling toonatopia that'll have you acting so depraved you might even shock yourself. Send someone an exploding turkey. Watch Spike the Clown torture balloon animals. If you've got any energy left after those escapades then try and prevent an all-out war between the cartoon forces of good and evil. Word to the wise: BETTER PACK AN ANVIL!
- A weird and whacky world filled with an insane asylum's worth of bizarre characters - and that's just the humans!
- Starring Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future, Taxi) and featuring the vocal talents of Dan Castellaneta (TV's Homer Simpson), Dom DeLuise (All Dogs Go To Heaven I & II), and the inimitable Tim Curry (Gabriel Knight, Rocky Horror Picture Show)!
- Over 40,000 of classic 1990s animation and over 75 unique locations crammed full of puzzles!
DF Game Club is a weekly event run by GOL editor Cheeseness with help from a few others. Grim Fandango Remastered is the current game, and the three remaining years of the game will be streamed over the next three Saturdays with attendance by some of the developers of the game in the chat.
Toonstruck is available DRM free from GOG, and if it sells well it might help speed up the process of making a sequel a reality. As noted on the store page, the game is powered by ScummVM, and it's nice to see the project receive credit there for once. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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7 comments
Segata Sanshiro Feb 11, 2015
I really hope this means the sequel is coming out. Probably my most anticipated game.
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Cheeseness Feb 11, 2015
I notice that Keith Arem has been telling people on twitter to "stay tooned" in response to questions about the sequel.
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I'm very happy to see ScummVM credited in GOG. It was one of the few things I didn't like about this store.
About the game, if I had to choose the best adventure game ever, it would be Toonstruck or The day of the Tentacle. No more candidates. I played it during 2014 again and thanks to ScummVM it doesn't feel aged at all. Stop reading and buy the game, I'm serious, stop reading and buy the game NOW.
About the game, if I had to choose the best adventure game ever, it would be Toonstruck or The day of the Tentacle. No more candidates. I played it during 2014 again and thanks to ScummVM it doesn't feel aged at all. Stop reading and buy the game, I'm serious, stop reading and buy the game NOW.
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Quoting: RobertI'm very happy to see ScummVM credited in GOG. It was one of the few things I didn't like about this store.
Someone pointed out to me yesterday that GOG has also included the same text and link to ScummVM on previously added games. It's not always as visible though, since some games, like Sam & Max: Hit the Road, use a different info template and has it hidden under a collapse with system requirements for different OSes.
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Only tangentially related, but does anyone know how GOG determines Linux sales? Do they just go by which version was downloaded? Have they ever published any statistics?
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oldrocker99 Feb 11, 2015
I apparently have quite a number of alleys, and this looks like it's right up, uh, one of them :P . One I missed completely in the 90s . Eagerly awaiting more news.
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