ARCADE WATCH
Keeping an eye on the coin-op gaming scene
Game Tattoo Assassins
Manufacturer Data East, exA-Arcadia
“Prepare yourself”, read the blurb for Tattoo Assassins when the coin-op was originally being readied for launch in 1994. “This isn’t just a game!” And in one respect it was correct: it was also an object lesson in how not to create a clone of a beloved franchise – in this case, Mortal Kombat. Created by Data East’s pinball division, the game’s roster of fighters (sample names: Truck, Derek) have tattoos that give them special powers in battle. In Fatality-style finishers, nothing is off the table: an opponent can be transformed into a tortoise, a squirrel or even a human-sized hot dog wearing trainers (which immediately runs off the screen, screaming). Or they might have their clothes removed or have an ocean liner dropped onto their head (“Eat ship and die!” the game cackles). Perhaps most telling of all is the inclusion of not just one way of launching farts at your opponent but several, including one finishing variant that creates a cone-like cloud of flaming gas. Tattoo Assassins was received so poorly in tests that it never made it into production. That exA-Arcadia is resurrecting it for release in 2025 is evidence of the game’s cult following – and for the arcade scene’s apparently unending desire to march to its own beat.