 The game was the first 2D side @-@ scrolling game for the Nintendo 64 , and Treasure 's first release for a Nintendo console . The company began Mischief Makers 's development in mid @-@ 1995 with little knowledge of the console 's features . The 12 @-@ person team wanted to make a novel gameplay mechanic , and implementing the resultant " catching " technique became their most difficult task . The game appeared at the 1997 Electronic Entertainment Expo and was first released in Japan on June 27 , 1997 , and later in the United States , the United Kingdom , and Australia . 
