Thrill Kill

Thrill Kill is a fighting video game developed by Paradox Development for the PlayStation, originally scheduled for publication by Virgin Interactive in October 1998, but published in 2021 by Mad Man Ninja Studios after its original cancellation. It is the first original fighting game under the umbrella of MMN Studios (their previous entries are intelectually owned by third-party companies, or came from different medias).

The game's plot involves sixteen people, all of whom get sent to Hell after dying, being made to fight to the death by Marukka, the Goddess of Secrets, for a chance at being reincarnated. It was originally marketed as a four-player 3D fighting game, as up to four players were able to play at once using the PlayStation Multitap. However, after it was rebranded, became a a 2.5D fighting game, focusing on "Thrill Kills"—gory finishing moves which players perform after filling their kill meter - during rounds, instead of the standard health bar, each player is given a "kill meter" that increases with each successful attack.

Thrill Kill began development as developers were repeatedly pushed by publisher Virgin Interactive to make a fighting game violent, adult, BDSM-themed. It gained a large following prior to its release for its overtly sexual and gory content, and received one of the first-ever "Adults Only" (AO) ratings from the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), also becoming the first game to receive the rating for its violence. In mid-1998, Electronic Arts gained the publishing rights to Thrill Kill after purchasing Westwood Studios, and chose not to publish it or sell it to other publishers due to its graphic imagery.

Only recently, Mad Man Ninja Studios bought the rights and reworked the game, keeping its original theme and premisse, but polishing the graphics, adding new features, changing the engine and toning its content down in order to be rerated. Sucessfully, it was labeled for a "Mature" public (M).

Thrill Kill was released in 2021 for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows and Samsung Zeo.

Characters
In the story of Thrill Kill, Marukka decides out of boredom to gather sixteen people who have been sent to Hell for their sins to fight for a chance at being reincarnated.


 * Belladonna: A librarian who became a dominatrix and killed both her husband and sister after discovering that they were having an affair. She died after electrocuting herself with a prod. She uses this prod to fight and uses sexually suggestive moves.
 * Cain: An arsonist who got trapped inside a building he set on fire and got burned alive. His attacks have the widest reach in the game and he can also shoot fire out of his backside.
 * Charlie: a mimic clown who terrified a small city in the interior of France for killing children. He was dead after being ran over by an oil-truck. He is based on Art, The Clown, a fictional character in the Terrifier slasher franchise created by Damien Leone.
 * Cleetus: A cannibal who sold "homestyle" sausages made from human remains and died from eating infected flesh. He fights using a bloody, detached leg, and can also bite his opponents.
 * Dr. Faustus: A plastic surgeon who killed and purposely disfigured his patients and died after affixing a bear trap to his face. His weapon is a scalpel and he also attacks using his metal mouth.
 * Eddy: an undertaker who would unearth the bodies of recently-deceased women, steal them and fashion them into various household items. He was dead after falling on a grave and breaking his neck.
 * The Imp: A dwarf "leather daddy" with a hatred for tall people, who died after sticking stilts into his legs. Unlike the rest of the characters (excluding Judas), The Imp is not revealed to have killed anyone during his time on Earth. He uses his stilts as weapons.
 * Jeezabel: a professional con woman, who lured wealthy men by charm and deceit, into a warehouse where she shot them. Later she would dissolve their bodies in sulphuric acid then forge papers to sell their possessions and collect their life savings.
 * Judas: A pair of conjoined twins connected at the torso who killed their parents in dispise of their form. While one twin acts as the upper half, the other twin acts as the lower half, using their arms to hold them up.
 * Mammoth: A postal worker who "went postal" after getting fired. He resembles a large, skinless gorilla and fights with his fists.
 * Marukka: A demon and the Goddess of Secrets, who, out of boredom, gathers the other fighters to fight to the death for a chance at being reincarnated. While fighting, she can teleport.
 * Oddball: An FBI behavioral analyst who became a serial killer. Due to his lack of arms, he primarily uses kicks and headbutts to attack, and can also use breakdancing to fight.
 * Poncius: A small-time burglar, he wreaked havoc on local drug dealers, in revenge for his girlfriend's killing. Consumed by grief and remorse, he comitted suicidade afterwards.
 * Mr. Dime: a corrupt congressman who was killed in jail after menacing other congressmen.
 * Tormentor: A judge (real name William Whitefield) who would acquit criminals in order to kidnap and torture them later, and died by execution. His outfit is bondage-themed, and he fights using a heated whip.
 * Violet: A circus contortionist who developed a strong hatred for men after being raped by one who broke into her dressing room, whom she killed. She died of a spinal cord rupture. She uses her contortion skills to fight opponents.