Well, kidnap my girlfriend and spank my monkey! New Old Pixels is bringing Toki back to several consoles of yesteryear. The French retro publisher, working with Microids, recently announced that three officially licensed ports of TAD Corporation’s 1989 Toki arcade game are in development: one for the SEGA Genesis/Mega Drive, one for the SNK Neo Geo, and one for the Commodore Amiga AGA. All three are planned as complete physical editions designed to run on the original hardware, with presentation and packaging meant to feel like they came straight from the early 1990s.

The goal, in New Old Pixels’ own words, is to deliver ports that remain as faithful as possible to the original arcade game, preserving its gameplay, graphics, animations, and soundtrack while making the most of each platform’s technical capabilities. The Neo Geo version is expected to land closest to the arcade original given that hardware’s superior power, but this release matters for the Genesis in particular, because SEGA’s 16-bit console already had a Toki game, but it wasn’t a straight port. The Genesis version, known in North America as Toki: Going Ape Spit, was more of a remake of the arcade game (for some reason), with new art, new levels, new bosses and fewer powerups. This new release from New Old Pixels is setting out to do the opposite: to specifically recreate the actual arcade game itself.

Here is how the two versions are expected to differ, based on what the original Genesis version did with Toki: Going Ape Spit and what New Old Pixels says the new arcade port is aiming for:

• Levels: The Genesis remake expanded the game to nine levels, each split into three stages, for 27 stages in total. The arcade game had six levels, and the new port is being built to match the arcade game’s levels rather than the remake’s expanded set.
• Graphics: The Genesis version redrew the backgrounds completely, with a darker, more muted, more realistic tone than the arcade original. The new port aims to preserve the arcade game’s brighter, cartoonier (if that’s a word) look.
• Power-ups: The Genesis version dropped several of the arcade game’s power-ups, including the football helmet that let Toki absorb one hit, and the non-spit related upgrades. The new port is being built to match the arcade game, which means those cuts are exactly the kind of thing it is meant to undo.
• Pace and deaths: Toki walks more slowly in the Genesis version, and dying sends you back to the beginning of the current area rather than respawning nearby. The new port is aiming to use the arcade game’s checkpoint system instead.
• Bosses: The Genesis version added new bosses of its own, including a submarine that shoots torpedoes with ape faces (Aquatic Apes Theory: confirmed). The new port is being with the arcade game’s bosses.
• Character Names: The North American Genesis version added the “Going Ape Spit” subtitle and renamed the characters, with Miho becoming Wanda and Vookimedlo becoming Dr. Stark. The new version will retain the original character names.
• Music and weapons: The Genesis version redid the music, which some reviewers praised, and added new weapons such as bouncing energy balls. The new port aims to recreate the arcade soundtrack using the crunch-tastic Genesis sound chip.

Two things worth keeping in mind while we all wait for more details. First, the new Toki ports are still in development, and New Old Pixels has not shown any gameplay, screenshots, or video yet, so the differences above describe what the new version is setting out to do versus what the SEGA Genesis remake actually did. Second, this upcoming release is not the same as Microids’ 2018 Toki remake for modern platforms. This is a new conversion of the 1989 arcade game for the retro hardware of its era.

We will keep an eye out for a release window, first footage, or any other monkey business that pops up.

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