Rare co-founder shows off cancelled N64 game
The co-founder of Rare has revealed a swashbuckling RPG they started to make for the N64, but why did Dream never see the light of day?
12th Apr 2023 09:03
Rare | Twitter - InTimsWorld
Rare co-founder shows off cancelled N64 game
The co-founder of Rare has revealed a swashbuckling RPG they started to make for the N64, but why did Dream never see the light of day?
12th Apr 2023 09:03
Rare | Twitter - InTimsWorld
Rare is a development team that is sorely missed in the gaming community. Its development of Sea of Thieves is adored by dedicated seafarers worldwide, but there's an era of Rare that defined gaming of the era entirely.
Turning out bangers like Banjo-Kazooie, Donkey Kong Country, and Conker's Bad Fur Day, the company made one hell of a name for itself before it was absorbed into Xbox and changed its output forever. That's before we remember the fact it developed GoldenEye 007 and defined the FPS genre.
The history of Rare is a complicated one that we're not sure will ever lead back to the highs of the '90s. Now, one of the studio's co-founders has shown us a new peek at what could have been with a cancelled title for the Nintendo 64.
Rare co-founder shares look at cancelled N64 game
After digging around in his old tapes and archives (thanks Eurogamer), Rare Co-Founder Tim Stamper has shared a look at a game that the company nearly published for the Nintendo 64. The story would follow a young boy called Edson, who battled the infamous Captain Blackeye and his pirates.
Stamper has shared that back in 1995, Rare was working on a game called Dream. It's got the same signature style of Rare from the '90s but was its attempt to crack the RPG genre. Although Dream was initially planned for the SNES, it was reprogrammed for the N64 to make the most of its 3D capabilities.
The first look at the game was shared on Stamper's Twitter account, where he gave a glimpse of a maniacal pirate, looking to the sky and cackling. It certainly looks like it has the charm of other Rare games, so it's a massive shame that we didn't get to experience the RPG for ourselves.
What Happened to Dream?
Technical issues and big changes in creative direction ultimately led to Dream being pulled apart, and as the team considered its options, left the idea behind to develop a new game. That project would eventually evolve to become Banjo-Kazooie...we assume you've heard of it.
It's a shame Dream didn't live up to its potential as another icon of Rare's heyday because we imagine it could've been something truly special. Nothing against Banjo-Kazooie, but as another platformer instead of an RPG, we feel we've missed a trick. At least Rare came around to its pirate idea later on, eh?
About The Author
Joseph Kime
Joseph Kime is the Senior Trending News Journalist for GGRecon from Devon, UK. Before graduating from MarJon University with a degree in Journalism, he started writing music reviews for his own website before writing for the likes of FANDOM, Zavvi and The Digital Fix. He is host of the Big Screen Book Club podcast, and author of Building A Universe, a book that chronicles the history of superhero movies. His favourite games include DOOM (2016), Celeste and Pokemon Emerald.
