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Trickle (Metem) [Game Boy – Cancelled]

Trickle (トリックル) is a cancelled maze game that was planned by Metem for Game Boy. Single player gameplay was similar to Pac Man, with players moving around a maze in a top-down view, collecting bonuses and using power ups against enemies. When playing in VS mode (against bots or other players?) the game would change its perspective in a first-person view and you could explore the maze like in Doom, trying to find and eliminate (?) your enemies.

Previews of Trickle were published in japanese gaming magazines such as Game Boy Magazine (Vol.6) and Famitsu News (August 1990), but in the end the game seems to have vanished. For sure it was an original idea for Game Boy: if you can read Japanese and see more information in the scans below, please let us know!

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Eliane l’Eliatrope (Wakfu) [Nintendo DS – Cancelled]

Eliane l’Eliatrope is a cancelled side-scrolling action platformer set in the cult-following Wakfu universe, that was in development around 2007 by Ankama and Magic Pockets for Nintendo DS. Gameplay was centered around the protagonist’s teleportation ability, with a portal-based fighting system and levels which would change following the character’s mood. Some details about this lost DS game were shared online by former Ankama developers, such as Sachka and Stephane.

A different Wakfu DS game was also announced by Ankama (a strategy isometric dungeon RPG with coop multiplayer), but in the end neither were ever released. Ankama and Magic Pockets were also working on the cancelled “Joris le Sans-Pouvoir” (set in Ankama’s DOFUS IP) for Nintendo DS.

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Flying (Sora Tobu) Henry [Virtual Boy – Cancelled]

Flying Henry (Sora Tobu Henry /  空とぶヘンリー) is a cancelled action game / on-rails shooter that was in development around 19941995 by Human Entertainment, planned to be released on Nintendo Virtual Boy. Gameplay could have been similar to Kirby + Star Fox, with a quirky flying protagonist exploring side-scrolling levels and flying on-rails sections. While the game is quite obscure it was shown at the time on Japanese magazines and VB fans translated the available details:

“It’s an action game of the hero Henry, a fluffy, floating, downright strange creature! Strive to clear each stage as you go around collecting items and defeating enemies, such as small devils, by crushing them underfoot or blasting them away. Fly around freely in a field with depth!”

Thanks to Celine for the contribution!

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Psychic Warriors [PC – Cancelled]

Psychic Warriors is a cancelled squad-based, cooperative multiplayer action game that was in development around 1998 by Black Ops Entertainment and would have been published on PC by Electronic Arts. Players would have taken the role of DEA agents with special psychic powers, fighting against a supernatural group of drug lords who are selling a strange new drug on the market. It seems the team was able to create an early playable prototype before the project was canned by EA for unknown reasons.

While the plot sounds like from a low-budget movie, it could have been a fun adventure to play with friends. Psychic Warriors was never officially announced, but a former EA designer shared some memories about working on this lost game and two (tiny) screenshots. If you know someone who worked on Psychic Warriors, please let us know!

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Battle Jungler (Konami) [PC Engine – Cancelled]

Battle Jungler is a cancelled sequel / reboot of Konami’s 1981 Jungler, planned to be released on PC Engine around 1992. In the original game players move a long creature inside a maze, trying to eliminate three similar enemy creatures, so we can assume Battle Jungler would follow a similar gameplay (but with anime-style protagonists). This PC Engine version was showed in PCE Fan magazine, but then vanished forever and is mostly forgotten even by hardcore PCE players.

We can’t find much more information about this canned Konami game, but if you can read Japanese let us know if there are any interesting details in the scan below!

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