Tetsu Tenrec: A Retrospective.
Do you remember what it was like playing your first video game?
I asked around, folks my age usually say something like Duck Hunt, Tecmo Bowl, the original Prince of Persia, Sonic, or Pong. Yeah, I'm sure you get it, I'm old. I'm brittle. I'm bones. Back then, most people didn't use their computers for gaming, it was an arcade and console thing.
Mostly.
Commodore International Corporation and Pilot Light Computing (PLC) were at the front lines of computer gaming, long before the current age of PC gaming dominance. Commodore was known for the Commodore 64 and its main rival, Pilot Light's Vx90. Both being 8-bit home computers and were introduced in 1982.
For me, it wasn't Sonic or Mario that captured my heart. It was Tetsu Tenrec. Back in the 80's, I would mess with my dad's Vx90 and I stumbled across a copy of Tetsu Tenrec. This was my introduction to video games, and I quickly became enamored with it.
Tetsu Tenrec was an important game to me, as I'm sure many other people my age, and I want to talk about that.
Today, I want to discuss that game and its creator, Payton Ellsworth.
Payton Ellsworth was born on August 3, 1966, in the small town of Foster, Wisconsin. Raised by her single mother, Elizabeth Ellsworth, a librarian, Payton grew up surrounded by books. After school, Payton would spend hours in the library, reading whatever she could get her hands on. She developed a deep love for Walt Disney Showcase comic books, the IBM 1401 (a computer used in the library for cataloging), and zoology. On days when she wasn’t reading, she was tracing comics starring Mickey Mouse and creating her own characters.
“This was the birth of Tetsu Tenrec,” Payton said in an interview with COMPUTE! Magazine. “I just scribbled whatever animal I could find info on, and shabam—there he was.”
Named after the Japanese word for “iron,” Tetsu Tenrec first appeared in Payton’s homemade comics, zines, and illustrations, which she shared amongst peers. But everything changed in 1982 when Payton turned 16 and received a personal computer for her birthday: the PLC Vx90. While computer gaming was already a thing—especially among the Commodore crowd—the Vx90 wasn’t known for it. It was primarily used for word processing, graphic design, music production, and data management. But Payton saw potential where others didn’t.
Payton began tinkering with programming, often reading front to back on whatever programming books she could find, walking to nearby towns to seek advice from local programmers at their congregations. The game, simple nowadays, was revolutionary of its time.
The player controlled Tetsu, navigating various levels, smashing boxes for power-ups, finding hidden level skips, and collecting hidden golden gears. His nemesis, Rex Rinkhals, was an evil snake that sought to steal the golden gears for his own nefarious purposes.
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| Early concepts of Testu Tenrec |
Officially released in 1984 to a profitable success, Tetsu Tenrec boosted the sales of the Vx90, establishing PLC as a contender in the gaming market. The game introduced several mechanics that would become staples of the platformer genre. The game was later cited as an inspiration for industry giants such as Shigeru Miyamoto and Naoto Ohshima. Years before his arrest, Yuji Naka stated that Tetsu was one of his most played games of the 1980s.
In 1986, PLC released the PiLi, a dedicated gaming console, with a remake of Tetsu Tenrec as its flagship title. The PiLi was a commercial success, briefly outselling the Nintendo Entertainment System in North America. The remake featured improved graphics, now including Tetsu's iconic fanged smile on the title screen. For a time, Tetsu Tenrec was considered one of the coolest mascots in gaming, adorning lunchboxes, T-shirts, comics, and a (1995) Saturday morning cartoon. For the cartoon and comic specifically, Payton made sure to oversee it, refusing anyone else to take the reins of Tetsu's likeness. (AUTHOR'S NOTE: My personal favorite episode is the cross-over with the Earthworm Jim cartoon.)
With the release of the PiLi Quest-Master in 1991 marked the peak of Tetsu Tenrec's popularity. Tetsu Tenrec 2, a launch title for the 16-bit console, was a critical and commercial success. The game expanded on the original formula, introducing ranged attacks for Tetsu to use, a very rudimentary RPG leveling system, larger multi-stage levels, and a more fleshed-out story. Though some criticized the game for its story, saying that it was unneeded in a world like Tetsu's, it didn't hurt the sales at all. The game was still reviewed extremely well, having the Quest-Master become a legitimate rival to Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System.
"GENESIS DOES WHAT NINTENDON'T" and "PEE LEE QUEST-MASTER, WHERE THE ONLY TREASURE IS DISAPPOINTMENT" covered gaming magazines. Sega drafted up aggressive marketing campaigns, only ever describing the PiLi as the Pee Lee. Commercials would show footage of Sonic The Hedgehog, appearing beside footage of SNES's Super Mario World and PiLi Quest-Master's Tetsu Tenrec 2, mocking the price and speed of its rivals. Despite Sonic’s design and attitude being directly inspired by Tetsu, he was a much more appealing mascot for the next generation of gamers.
1994 marked the release of Tetsu Tenrec 3. PLC reportedly pressured Payton into completing the game in time to compete with Sonic the Hedgehog 3. The result was what most publications described as an uninspired game that tried to mimic Sonic. The gameplay focused on sliding down hills, using momentum to launch yourself in the air and over obstacles. Tetsu could no longer punch, only jump. All of this to rival Sonic. All for nothing.
Several spin-offs were made, as previously stated. Most noteworthy are the comic series, which focused on the characters introduced in Tetsu Tenrec 2, and as well as the animated series. While PLC was developing new technology for a 3d console, Payton took time off from game development to write for both the comics and animated series. Then 1998 happened.
Tetsu Tenrec 3D began development. Payton was asked to leave the animated series and comic's crew. She declined, wanting to keep control of her character. Payton began to work constantly. Her peers rarely saw her during the development of the game. She would work on the game, in a new engine, in a new third dimension, and spend her breaks writing for the third season of the animated series. Payton was known for sleeping two hours in her office a dat before continuing work on the game.
“I would wake up. Work. Drink coffee. Work. Take my break, which was writing down pages of scripts in just thirty minutes,” Payton wrote in a 2014 letter to Nuts & Bolts Gaming. “Half of my body-weight was coffee. My office reeked of tiger balm as my wrist was giving in but I just kept working. I would work and work and work and and and and and and and and and work and fucking work and work."
Payton eventually stopped working. In a fugue state, she stood up, climbed the stairs to the rooftop of the PLC central office, stood their for several minutes, and stepped off the edge. Sustaining multiple fractures and having moderate brain trauma, she was quickly rushed to the hospital, miraculously surviving her injuries. She awoke in her hospital bed, now lucid with a cast on each leg. It was there she received the devastating news: the game she had poured herself into would continue development without her. From her hospital bed, she watched the world move on, haunted by the knowledge that the project she had sacrificed so much for was now moving forward without her.
The release of the PiLi X-Calibur was a commercial failure, as well as Tetsu Tenrec 3D. It was universally panned, and hated by fans and critics alike. The game was janky, glitchy, and frankly, annoying. Tetsu had a voice for the first time (not counting the animated series) and was hated for it. Constantly cracking unfunny one-liners after every enemy is defeated. That would only be slightly grating if it came up every once in a while but the game's levels were flooded with constantly spawning enemies. Hearing him say the same quips over and over, often interrupting the previous one, was universally disliked by players. The PiLi X-Calibur stopped producing games the year after. The animated series had no season 4 announced. The comics, though sustained for a few years longer due to a cult following, were quietly discontinued.
Payton had no comment on the attempt on her own life, only on the quality of Tetsu Tenrec 3D.
“They took him from me,” Payton said in a 1999 interview with Electronic Gaming Monthly. “They made him wrong."
“I couldn't watch what they did to him.” Payton said in a 2000 interview with GameFan Magazine.
By the early 2000s, PLC had gone fully bankrupt, the rights of Tetsu Tenrec being tossed between companies. Several attempts were made for a comeback reboot but all were cancelled shortly after development started. Most notable was the 2007 remake by THQ Studio Australia. It got far enough in development to have a teaser trailer, with Tetsu in a brand new outfit and a much more toothy grin. The game was quietly canceled shortly after its announcement.
Payton Ellsworth would begin a blog shortly after the teaser trailer dropped.
“What have they done to him? They killed him... What I just watched were puppet strings, wrapping themselves around the neck of my character, parading him around like everything's fine.”
Payton began to update often on her blog. Revealing insight into her creative process, writings, and design work that had never been shown before. The few Tetsu fans who fondly remember the good old days began to comment on her posts, often showing support. If a question was asked, she was quick to respond, often seeming friendly. The few times the new Tetsu trailer was mentioned, she would ramble for paragraphs about how they killed Tetsu and that it wasn't her Tetsu before deleting the question and her comment. Only a few screenshots remain of it.
A few years passed as no Tetsu news would come up. Payton would keep updating her blog, showing new art, new characters, and new ideas. She began to record music and share it with her audience. If sent a fan letter to her address, she would write back, usually giving back drawings as well.
A few short films were released on her YouTube channel, as well as retrospectives on her previous work. The short films were made in any medium she could work with, puppetry, 3d & 2d animation, live action, and even shadow plays. Any mention of Tetsu Tenrec 3D and after was very much not mentioned on her channel. Things became normal for Payton, she seemed to be like her old self again, doing fan letter segments and fan art showcases on her channel. She was happy.
Things changed with the release of the trailer for Insomniac's Tetsu Tenrec. A soft reboot of the franchise. She did not comment on it, her channel becoming dormant shortly after. The game was released in 2013, to critical acclaim. It became a franchise again. This one focused on an open world for Tetsu to explore, solving other critters' problems through side-quests, and taking down Rex Rinkhals through tight platforming, dodging, and punching.
Payton Ellsworth was not credited for the 2013 reboot.
After this moment, researching Payton becomes a bit of a stub. Her blog laid with no new posts. Her YouTube channel was abandoned.
When the sequel (Tetsu Tenrec: Gorilla Warfare) was released in 2016, she had no comment.
Then, 2020 rolled out. Shortly after the release of the Sonic: The Hedgehog film, a Tetsu Tenrec film was announced and teased. Tetsu Tenrec was revealed to be voice acted by famous character actor, John C. Reilly.
Payton made a blog post that day, stating,
“That's not him thats not him that is not him that isnt tetsu it isnt it isnt"
“They made him wrong. They made him wrong they made him wrong worng wrong wrong worng wrong wrong wrong its not him its not."
The post rambles like that for twenty paragraphs.
“I want out I want otu i want out, i made him hes mine hES FUCKING MINE HES MINE”
“I couldn't watch what they did to him."
“I couldn't watch what they did to him."
“I couldn't watch what they did to him."
“I couldn't watch what they did to him."
The film was released in 2022, to above-average reviews alongside a well-reviewed third game in the rebooted franchise. On the same day as the film's release, Payton released a one-hour film on her YouTube channel. Simply titled, Tetsu Tenrec.
The film is a blend of 2d animation, 3d animation, puppetry, and live-action footage centered around Tetsu and a self insert of Payton. Together, they embark on a mission to hunt down and confront an imposter—a doppelganger of Tetsu, one made of string. This villain wreaks havoc upon innocent civilians, framing Tetsu for all of his misdeeds.
While I wish I could elaborate further on the plot, the film is largely incoherent, making it difficult to piece together a clear narrative. The voice acting, presumably recorded through a laptop microphone, is entirely performed by Payton, voicing every character. Characters constantly talk over each other and I would often forget that a narrator even existed after long spells of them not being in the film. At one point, the trailer for the Tetsu Tenrec theatrical film plays in full, accompanied by Payton’s screams into the mic, distorting the audio and peaking it to its limits.
The climax sees Payton and Tetsu defeating the imposter, it falling lifelessly to the ground. Then the audience begins to applaud Tetsu. Asking for more. Demanding for more. The imposter, a tangled mass of string, reanimates and begins to rise, ensnaring Payton and Tetsu. Payton is forced to watch helplessly as the strings strangle Tetsu, leaving his body limp. The strings then manipulate Tetsu’s lifeless form, puppeteering him to perform for the audience.
The final scene of the film is of Payton sitting down in her home, placing a shotgun in her mouth, and pulling the trigger. Her blood splatters across the wall behind her, the blood forming a silhouette of Tetsu Tenrec.
Payton has not posted on her blog or YouTube since. She has not responded to my, nor any other publication's letters.
Tetsu Tenrec 2 will be out in theaters on December 12th, 2025.
This happened to my buddy Eric
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