Rare Releases Footage of Cancelled Project Dream Game
By Riley Little 26 December 2015
After years of speculation amongst fans, gamers have finally been given a more in-depth look at Project Dream – the game that lead to the creation of Banjo-Kazooie.
Like any studio, the UK-based developer Rare has a number of scrapped projects in its archives. While a majority these titles were given plenty of insight during video segments featured in Rare Replay, one of the more prolific, scrapped titles was known only as Project Dream. Opting to continue this video series through YouTube, Rare has now given its followers a true look at what it had intended for the canned project.
As many longtime fans of the company know, the game went through development hell before eventually evolving into the beloved Banjo-Kazooie. Consumers would be sure to argue that this path was a worthwhile one given the end result, but the initial gameplay for the ‘boy and his dog’ adventure title is still an incredibly intriguing one that makes this latest video from Rare all the more interesting.
The original Super Nintendo title, which Rare staffers acknowledge as a followup project to their incredibly successful Donkey Kong Country series, looks to draw inspiration from The Legend of Zelda – albeit utilizing the same engine that made the aforementioned Donkey Kong games such standouts to begin with. Add in the planned doggie companion, and it looks like the title could have been something truly special had Rare gotten around to nailing down Project Dream‘s gameplay structure.
Still, despite how great the initial premise looked, it’s hard to be even remotely disappointed by what gamers have ended up with. Even years later, consumers and critics alike still praise Banjo-Kazooie as one of the greatest platforming titles ever created, which says a lot about the individuals that made it and the process that lead to its creation. To this day, it’s still held as one of the best properties at Rare’s disposal, so it’s not at all surprising to see fans backing a spiritual successor to the critically and commercially adored franchise in the form of Yooka-Laylee.
It’s nice to see a company that’s been dedicating the bulk of its resources in recent years to Kinect titles starting to make a resurgence. Nostalgia has certainly played a role in seeing the likes of Killer Instinct and Rare Replay surface, but the studio has also once again began dedicating resources to core Xbox One titles – the first of which will be Sea of Thieves in 2016. With a return to form seeming imminent, it’s impossible to say what will come next from the firm, so stay tuned to Game Rant for any and all updates on Rare’s plans.
