Tattoo Assassins (US prototype, Mar 14 1995)

Tattoo Assassins is a two-player fighting game released in 1994 by Data East Pinball, intended as a competitor to popular titles like Mortal Kombat. Players select from nine characters, each adorned with unique tattoos that influence their abilities and attacks, engaging in one-on-one battles at the behest of Mullah Abba against Koldan and his forces. Gameplay involves utilizing an eight-way joystick and six buttons for standard punches, kicks, blocks, and special moves; a rushed development cycle resulted in a flawed final product with simplified mechanics. While originally envisioned to include numerous exaggerated finishing sequences and transformations, these were ultimately scaled back due to technical limitations and the team's burnout during production.