Beta + Cancelled Others Video Games - Page 22 of 171

Atma: The Mythic Light of India is a cancelled adventure game that was in development by Vinayak 4D Games around 2000 / 2001, planned to be released on PC. Gameplay would have been similar to Myst, but set in India and you would play the role of Indrani (the queen of the gods in Hinduism) following a mystical storyline for personal enlightenment. Players would move through different Asian locations and mesmerizing landscapes (Atma was one of the early games built on the Unreal engine), resolving mind-bending puzzles.

As we can read from an old press-release:

“Together with her husband Indrani ruled the extraterrestrial city of Amaravati until the demon, Prince Venadatte, dressed up as a royal guest, gave the royal couple a false nectar of gods. After drinking it, Indra lost his divine power and was imprisoned by Venadatte in a crystal cell. Indrani managed to escape to Earth. There appeared the Valley of Saints located on the slopes of the Himalayas. Now he must do everything he can to return, free his husband and defeat the demon. The plot of the game is full of Indian culture and customs. At every step you can see the fascination of the artists with the Far East manifesting itself in the form of known concepts such as Karma, meditation, Shakti, Yoga, etc.”

We don’t know what happened to the game but after a while it just vanished along with the team. As it happens often with these lost games we speculate they were not able to find a publisher interested in the project and without money they had to close down the studio.

Thanks to Josef for the contribution!

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N-Gage, Others

Hinter Wars: The Aterian Invasion [N-Gage, PC – Cancelled]

monokoma

10-02-2022

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Hinter Wars: The Aterian Invasion is a cancelled online RPG that was in development around 2005 / 2006 by Activate Interactive, planned to be published by Nokia for N-Gage and PC. As in other MMORPG players would choose between different characters, each one with their own skills and appearances, then log online to explore the game world, fight enemies and chat with their friends.

A playable beta was available for free on their official website, and people could help the team testing their server for online multiplayer. Players could then play on their PC while at home, then continue their adventure outside using the same profile on N-Gage. Some more details on Hinter Wars’ settings and gameplay were also shared at the time:

“HinterWars: The Aterian Invasion’ was derived from an original storyline that revolves around a group of space-faring races that face the possibility of being invaded by the Aterians. The game features four broad character types – the Humans, Firans, Brucians and Taikuus – whose costumes, appearances and armour can be customized according to each player’s specifications. The game also allows interaction between players such as broadcast and private chat, trading of items and teaming up for conquests. Successes are rewarded by new downloads, rare items, additional power and experience, virtual cash rewards – and ultimately, fame within the HinterWars gaming community.”

Possibly because of the N-Gage failure on the market, Nokia and Activate canned the project and Hinter Wars was never completed.

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Others, PC / MAC

Sabotage (Insane Logics) [PC – Cancelled]

monokoma

05-02-2022

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Sabotage (not to be confused with “Sabotage 1943” by Replay Studios, which later became Velvet Assassin) is a cancelled stealth FPS that was in development by Insane Logics between 2001 and 2003, planned to be released on PC. The game was set in a sci-fi world dominated by large corporations and players would be hired to sabotage these groups by infiltrating their buildings. It seems the Lead Game Designer for this lost game was Marc-André De Blois, who later worked as Lead Game Designer for Prince of Persia – The Sands of Time.

A playable demo was released online in 2003 and you can still download it on FilePlanet:

“This Demo version of Sabotage by Insane Logics contains 2 playable levels (level 1 & 5). Level 1 is at 80% of completion (lighting and textures are not complete). This first level takes place in the old sewers system of a gigantic complex owned by a bio-genetic corporation. This is the only way to infiltrate the complex. Level 5 is at 50% of completion (game play balance, lighting & textures are not complete). This level gives you a better vision of what the game will look like, a modern setting of a multinational bio-genetic corporation.”

We don’t know why Sabotage was never completed, but as it often happens with these projects we speculate the team was not able to find a publisher interested in supporting their project. As far as we know Replay Studios never released any other game and vanished after the cancellation of Sabotage.

Some screenshots saved from Old-Games and FactorNews.

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Others, PC / MAC

Cheeky Monkey (Rage Games) [PC – Cancelled]

monokoma

21-01-2022

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Cheeky Monkey is a cancelled action adventure that was in development by Rage Games around 2000 / 2001, planned to be released on PC by Epic Games. From the remaining concept art and 3D model it looks like the game was set in some kind of “Asian dark fantasy” world, with japanese / chinese buildings, demon monkeys and flying islands.

As far as we know Cheeky Monkey was never officially announced by Rage nor Epic and we were not able to gather any more details about the project. If you know someone who worked on this lost game, please let us know!

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Arcade, Others

Punky Doodle (Sunsoft) [Cancelled – Arcade]

monokoma

20-01-2022

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Punky Doodle is a cancelled action / tower defense game that was in development by Hudson around 1993, planned to be available on coin-op arcades to “lead the industry back to the era of PacMan”. Players would have to protect pumpkins against monsters in “31 levels with more than 150 rounds”, possibly with the help of a friend in coop-mode. Its main gameplay mechanic was to draw doodles on the screen (probably with the joystick), then link a pumpkin to the line so it could move and attack enemies.

A preview of the game was published in Electronic Gaming Monthly magazine (issue 55, February 1994):

“If you’re tired of blood, shooting, fighting and all that other gore, give Punky Doodle by Sunsoft a couple of quarters. Odds are you’ll be instantly hooked by this brain teaser! Punky uses his magic crayons to stop the different meanies who attack him. Help Punky save the world’s pumpkin patches from the bad guys of the night. No shooting? No fighting? No fatalities? What kind of game is this?
It’s Punky Doodle by Sunsoft and it is as addictive as any game out there! Punky and her pal Curly are in charge of protecting Farmer Jones’ pumpkin patch. The pumpkins are under attack by the creatures of the night, and it’s up to Punky and Curly to save the pumpkin patch and the rest of the world’s pumpkin crops.
Our awesome twosome uses the Doodle Defense System by leaving a trail of doodles with their magical crayons. When a pumpkin is attached to a trail, it searches out an enemy along the trail and clobbers the enemy with a Pumpkin Power Punch! Kabam!
Even though Punky Doodle is easy to learn, it is not easy to master. There are 31 levels with more than 150 rounds. Whew, that’s a lot of playing time! Punky Doodle will definitely appeal to a broad range of age groups. The graphics, while not too complex, are clean and colorful. The sounds are also above average. All of the playing elements, including the 50 or so enemy characters, come together. Punky Doodle may look easy, but it requires a good deal of skill to play. With over 30 levels, Punky Doodle should keep you busy for a long time!

As wrote by the Los Angeles Time in 1993, a playable demo of Punky Doodle could have been featured at the Amusement and Music Operators Expo ’93:

“SunSoft of America Inc., which left the competitive arcade business to focus on home video games, is making another stab at arcades with a new game aimed at leading the industry back to the “era of PacMan.”
Though the arcade game, called “Punky Doodle,” isn’t totally nonviolent, SunSoft has high hopes that simple, back-to-basics action will make the game successful in arcades. In “Punky Doodle,” the heroes guard a pumpkin patch from alien invaders intent on destroying crops. The heroes zap the invaders into oblivion, but not in a graphically violent way, Siller said.
The game will be featured at the Amusement and Music Operators Expo ’93 at the Anaheim Convention Center later this month and is scheduled for release in December.”

In the end the game was never released in arcades, but a prototype could still be somewhere out there.

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