Jibaku-kun: Zero no Ki no Kajitsu (ジバクくん 零の樹の果実 ワールド) is a cancelled Action RPG that was in development by Enterbrain and Media Factory for Game Boy Color. The game is based on a manga / anime series by Ami Shibata and gameplay is kinda similar to the Tales Of series: players can explore the world and its cities, talking to NPCs and resolving quests, while fighting monsters in side-scrolling combat.
This is one of the playable GBC prototypes that was found in the Nintendo Gigaleak in September 2020, so luckily it was preserved: a few screenshots and gameplay footage are available online.
Teebo & Kai was to be an online cooperative, Sci-Fi, 3D platformer developed by Escape Factory and commissioned by Valve. Escape Factory is not a studio many have heard of, and for good reason. The company never released any major games on consoles, just a few casual games like Overball and STX for the PC. Founded in 2000 by Ed Allard and James Gwertzman, the company only lasted 3 years before the company was shut down. Throughout their short existence, the company worked on only 2 major projects, Teebo & Kai and a cancelled entry in the Space Quest franchise.
Very little is known about Teebo and Kai, and the information available contradicts one another. A now delisted video by Tyler McVicker claims that the project was in development for the original Xbox and explains his story for how the project came about’:
“Microsoft approached Valve Software around the year 2000 in order for Valve to create an exclusive title for the then upcoming Xbox. Quickly following the first couple of meetings and contract signings between Microsoft and Valve, Valve put together a team.”
This claim contradicts various sources such as James Gwertzman’s LinkedIn profile and the Escape Factory website (which was updated multiple times during the early 2000s), the latter of which provides a timeline of the entire company’s life and claims that the studio was in fact an independent developer doing contract work for Valve. Not only do the sources claim that they were independent, these sources claim that Teebo and Kai was in development for the PC and was actually a “cooperative platform game prototype” and not a full game.
Another illusive aspect of Teebo & Kai is the gameplay. It was to be an action platformer with online components running on the GoldSrc engine, but very little is known about the moment-to-moment gameplay beyond that. The project would have taken place on an alien planet, with many strange and unique locals that players can visit. Temples, towns, and strange rocky areas are a small fraction of what the supposed game could have had players visit.
Teebo & Kai also would have featured very unique enemy designs for the time. 3-eyed monsters with mouths on their stomach, giant frog creatures with cameras, and gummy bear-like aliens would have filled out the project’s lush planet. Another piece of concept art for the game features flying machines that seem to be enemies, which could be evident of other enemy types in the project.
Another major deviation between the Tyler McVicker video and other sources is the outcome of the project. The previously stated claim that the project was only a prototype and was worked on for a year is further supported by a Powerpoint presentation given by Gwertzman called What to do When it All Goes to Hell: Escape Factory Post-Mortem which gives a detailed timeline of Escape Factory.
While the timeline states that the project was only worked on for 8 months, and was the project only ended because the demo was completed, the Tyler McVicker video also went on to explain their version nature of the project’s cancelation:
“About 2 years in Gabe Newell walked into the office at Valve headquarters that this team was working in, cancelled the project, fired the entire team, and decided that porting Team Fortress to the Xbox was the better option.”
Despite these contradictions, all information on the project confirms that Escape factory then went on to use the tech and progress made on Teebo & Kai to work on a revival of Sierra’s Space Quest franchise. This project was also cancelled later on, after a series of developmental problems.
We dont have many informations on DT 64 (also known as “Bloodmaster”): the game was supposed to be an Card RPG with an interesting connection-mode between the 64DD and the Game Boy. The game was in development by Marigul and Media Factory and probably it would have been published by Nintendo. The player had to collect a series of cards to use them in combat as in Magic The Gatering.
DT 64 was shown at the Space World 1999 in a non-playable form: there was just a logo and some text , with the GameBoy Link Cable, that would have been used to connect the two Nintendo consoles. The GameBoy could have been used as a controller for the 64DD game, to check the card statistics and share data with a presumed Bloodmaster GB version. The two games, one for the 64DD and one for the GB, would had exchanged data to integrate parts of the story and unlock new levels / cards. Players would have been able to play online with the 64DD Randnet Network, to trade cards and complete their collection.
In a scan from a Japanese magazine, we can read (thanks to Ultrama82 for the translation!): “A controller with a brain.” Even if the translation is not accurate because an ideogram is hide by the reflection of the light, making it unrecognizable, the concept is certainly intriguing. Sadly DT64 was cancelled and it vanished without any more screens or info.
[spoiler /Clicca qui per la versione in Italiano/ /Nascondi la versione in Italiano/]Non si hanno molte informazioni su questo DT 64 (conosciuto anche con il sottotitolo di “Bloodmaster”): il gioco avrebbe dovuto essere un CARD RPG con interazione fra 64DD e GameBoy, sviluppato da Marigul e Media Factory. Il giocatore avrebbe dovuto collezionare una serie di carte ed utilizzarle nei combattimenti, un po’ come succede in Magic The Gatering.
DT 64 è stato presentato allo Space World del 1999 in forma non giocabile, attraverso una vetrina che mostrava il Link Cable, capace di unire le due console Nintendo. La console portatile avrebbe potuto essere utilizzata come controller del gioco, per osservare sul piccolo schermo le statistiche raccolte ed interagire con una presunta versione GB di Bloodmaster. Le due versioni, quella per 64DD e quella per GB, scambiavano fra loro i dati, per integrare parti della storia e nuove situazioni. Gli utenti sarebbero stati in grado di estrarre i dati della propria partita, collegarsi online con la rete Randnet del 64DD e scambiare le carte raccolte in DT 64 con gli altri giocatori in rete, per completare la collezione.
Nella terza immagine, dalle scritte in giapponese si legge: “Un controller con un cervello”. La traduzione è probabilmente errata perchè in un ideogramma c’è il riflesso della luce, che lo rende irriconoscibile, ma il concetto è sicuramente intrigante: quali idee avevano in mente per il gioco? Quali funzioni avrebbe permesso di realizzare il GameBoy come “controller intelligente”?
Traduzione dal giapponese di Ultraman82 [/spoiler]
Images:
This website uses cookies to improve your experience, by continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to the use of cookies. Find out more about cookies.Hide
Privacy & Cookies Policy
Privacy Overview
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.