There once was a time when Rare was considered one of the top video game studios. It consistently put out best-selling, critically-acclaimed works like Banjo-Kazooie and Conker's Bad Fur Day, as well as games that are considered some of the most influential in video game history, like GoldenEye 007. Many of the developers that worked at Rare during that time period, its so-called "Golden Age," are no longer at the company, but some have banded together at Chameleon Games to work on a new platformer called Tamarin.

Tamarin will release at a budget price of $30 for PC and PS4 when it finishes development. The game is a 3D platformer that also features some third-person shooter elements, looking almost like Ratchet & Clank meets Banjo-Kazooie. The Banjo-Kazooie inspirations are obvious by the platforming gameplay, as well as the game's general tone and one of the characters. It seems players will be getting new abilities from a porcupine that is a dead ringer for Bottles the mole from the Banjo-Kazooie games.

Besides its Banjo-Kazooie inspirations, fans of Rare's classic games have more reasons to be excited about Tamarin. The development team is comprised of Rare all-stars who worked on games like Battletoads, Donkey Kong 64, and more. The soundtrack is being put together by Donkey Kong Country composer David Wise, and the sound effects are being handled by Graeme Norgate, who worked on both GoldenEye 007 and Killer Instinct.

Considering the pedigree of its development team, it's understandable that Rare fans may be excited about Tamarin. However, others may be hesitant to get hyped about the game. After all, a similar project was released just a couple of years ago in the form of Yooka-Laylee that generated quite a bit of hype and even broke Kickstarter records, but ultimately released to mixed reviews.

Whether or not Tamarin can avoid a similar fate remains to be seen. The game looks fairly reserved with its graphics, but as long as it can recreate the gameplay and charm of Rare's classics, then it may very well live up to expectations.

Tamarin is in development for PC and PS4.

Source: IGN