Sad news for ToeJam and Earl fans, as what was supposed to be a 2017 release for the newest sequel to the franchise, "ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove" has been canceled. It will instead see a future release sometime in 2018.
In a statement released by game developer HumaNature, they said: "We tried super hard to get ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove out in 2017. Game development is an inexact science and it's our priority to deliver the best, most solid game we can."
"To get the game across the finish line we need to push into 2018, but rest assured we are working our butts off and you guys are going to get an awesome game. Thanks for the continued support and keeping the faith! We're working so hard over here and will have additional updates over the coming weeks and months," added the developer.
For those who are unfamiliar with the game, "Toejam and Earl" are two alien rappers who crash landed on Earth and must survive the planet's antagonistic inhabitants while searching for their spaceship's wreckage so they could go back to their home planet, "Funkotron." It was received well by the critics, and has amassed a cult fan base over the years.
"ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove" became a reality after raising over $500,000 on Kickstarter. It is the fourth sequel to the franchise, after appearing on the Sega Genesis for the first time in 1991. The game was followed by "Panic in Funkotron" in 1993, and "ToeJam & Earl III: Mission to Earth" in 2002.
The game will be published under Adult Swim Games, and is expected to be compatible with Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch, Mac, and PC. To compensate for the fans' disappointment, a new "overly cinematic" trailer was released, which even made note of the game's delay in release.
As there are no extensive details yet available for the game's overall gameplay, fans can only glean little snippets based on the new trailer. It looks like the newest iteration did not stray so much from the classic original. So, fans should expect more or less the same missions and tasks such as collecting items and completing crazy puzzles, all with the signature split-screen multiplayer action.
