In 1990, Data East Pinball (situated in Chicago, Illinois) had produced a pinball machine based on the movie trilogy Back to the Future. In the course of this, Bob Gale, the movie series' scriptwriter, had become friends with Data East Pinball's head of engineering, Joe Kaminkow, and occasionally sent him his latest scripts. One of these scripts involved tattoos coming alive and fighting each other, and Joe Kaminkow thought this would make a great video game. Bob Gale actually created the characters and the story:
And it came to pass that Mullah Abba, spiritual leader of the Order of Colors, discovered the ancient secret of the Ink of Ghize… The Ink of Ghize is an amorphous fluid organism which can form into real objects for brief moments when applied to human bodies as tattoos. However, the ink is only compatible with those of a certain unusual genetic make-up, those known as Hosts. The ink can cause bizarre mutations in those who prove unsuitable…
Among the Color Guard, only Koldan was a suitable host. Thus believing himself superior to all mankind, Koldan stole the secret of the ink. His goal is to create an army of mutants and enslave the human race.
Mullah Abba commanded the nine remaining color guards to find new hosts for the Ink of Ghize, one of whom might be powerful enough to defeat Koldan. Nine hosts were found. Each received magnificent chest and arm tattoos, plus a magical morph tattoo on their palm. The Tattoo Assassins!
Yet Koldan's power had grown stronger. His consciousness possessed the assassins. He would use them to find the remaining ink for himself! But all was not lost, for Mullah Abba discovered the strange power of the mysterious tattooed woman, Lyla Blue… By using Lyla as a channel, Mullah Abba has the power to allow you to possess any one assassin. Choose!
Now, you must defeat each of the other assassins. Use your tattoos as weapons. Earn new tattoos. Destroy mutants. Find Kolan and defeat him—if you can! The mutants await you…
- Maya
- Maya's father, a tribal chief, was killed by foreign land developers intent on taking over the tribe's land. Maya has taught her people to use guerilla tactics against the foreigners; now the developers want her dead as well…
- Billy Two Moons
- Branded a renegade after taking arms against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management over preservation of the burial site of his ancestors, Billy has been a fugitive for many years, and he has had to dispatch numerous bounty hunters…
- Truck Davis
- Truck is the last surviving member of the Holy Terrors biker gang. The Holy Terrors were ambushed by a rival gang, the Sore Losers, after they lost a drinking contest. Now Truck has a score to settle, and the Losers want to finish the job…
- A.C. Current
- A.C. is a cyber-mercenary who travels the Net, cracking computer systems for the highest bidder. After being set up in an industrial espionage double-cross, A.C. is wanted by the Interpol and by his former employers…
- Tak Hata
- Tak is a former Yakuza assassin. When the governor's daughter was killed by the son of a powerful crime lord, Tak was framed for the murder. He is now wanted both by the Yakuza and the Japanese police…
- Luke Cord
- Luke is a former Navy Seal who was stranded in Alaska after a secret operation against the Soviets was compromised by a bureaucrat. He has been declared dead by the US Navy, but the CIA still has a contract out on him because of his knowledge…
- Hannah Hart
- Hannah was a world class strip club dancer, until a deranged killer started stalking the other dancers and murdered her best friend. She now prowls the night, in searhc of the man who ruined her life. Her only desire is a cruel revenge…
- Karla Keller
- Karla was cheated out of her chance to compete in the Olympics when her rival Eva Gunther attempted to cripple her in a late-night ambush. Karla has sworn a vicious revenge and is practicing her martial arts for that day…
- Derek O'Toole
- Derek is an aspiring rock star who was falsely accused of taking part in terrorist activities in his home town of Belfast. He was forced to develop fighting skills to defend himself. He is now part of the underground club scene…
Data East Pinball had never before developed a video game, only pinball machines, but somehow Joe Kaminkow pushed it through at the Japanese headquarters.
What killed the game was the ridiculous short deadline of only eight month. The programmers and artists worked twelve hours a day, seven days a week. The company payed for takeout lunches just so that they wouldn't leave work. In the end they all hated the game. They did not want it to be good any more, they just wanted the nightmare to stop.
