{"product_id":"akira-unreleased-prototype","title":"AKIRA (Unreleased Prototype)","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: center;\"\u003e\n\u003ch1\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAKIRA (Unreleased Prototype)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: start;\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eGame with case.  This game never originally came to market, despite being close to finished by the developer. Please note the game does have known bugs and crashes due to its prototype status.  \u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eFully tested at factory and work perfectly on American and European consoles.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eReleased by Hidden Palace, a protoype of an unreleased Akira game, worked on by Black Pearl Software. \"Presenting, a prototype of the unreleased video game adaptation of Akira for the Sega Mega Drive! Courtesy of Matsuda and an anonymous donor!\"\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eAkira is quite possibly one of the most culturally significant Japanese films ever made. Akira revitalized the Japanese animation industry by inspiring many artists who would go on to create some of the most iconic anime of all time.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eDespite having a somewhat “underground” western release on home video in the late 80s, the film quickly spread and became a talking point about the significance of Japanese animation. Thus, it was inevitable that other companies would begin looking to capitalize on the film’s growing popularity.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eInterestingly enough, the origin of the Akira video games also began within the home video scene. In 1993, Lawrence Siegel, CEO of Black Pearl Software, was given a VHS of Akira by friend and Electronic Gaming Monthly founder, Steve Harris. After seeing the movie himself, Mr. Siegel knew that the film’s gripping story and possibilities for gameplay would make for a smash hit on consoles. He set out for Japan to acquire the rights from Kodansha, and met Mr. Otomo as well, who gifted him with 50 animation cels from the film and wished him the best of luck.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eDevelopment began in mid to late 1993 at Black Pearl Software. The team were very passionate about Akira, and decided on a multi-engine approach to represent the great ambition of the film. As the game was beginning to be made, Mr. Siegel had finished a deal with THQ about merging the two companies. This approach was believed to secure more artists and financial support for Akira, but would unfortunately result in the demise of the project. For a time there was additional support from THQ on Akira’s creation, and the merger allowed for new development on additional platforms as well. Some of these platforms would only be discussed, such as the rumored Atari Jaguar and PC ports, while others like the Game Gear, Game Boy, Super Nintendo, and Sega CD would all be confirmed for the future.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eHandmade Software in the UK was contacted at this time to create the Game Boy version, and if progress was up to standards, the green light to work on a Super Nintendo version would be given as well. These standards were not met, but despite the lack of permission, Akira SNES went forward. The Gameboy version would end up in the hands of ICE Software at some point, though how the game arrived there is not fully known. From the beginning, Akira for Super Nintendo faced a very troubled development. The team was quite capable, but CEO of Handmade Software, Jim Gregory, failed to convey what he wanted to see in the game. The team created several different builds of the game, including an isometric version (Think Shadowrun SNES). After months of working, Jim lost interest in the project and new management took over. For a short few weeks the project advanced rapidly, but it was too late. The financial state of HMS was in dire straits, and ultimately the project came to a close by early 1995.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eBack at THQ, the situation had turned for the worse. The heads of THQ were not interested in Akira in the slightest, and pushed other projects onto Larry. Mr. Siegel would try his best in nearly every meeting to get more attention for Akira, but was dismissed every time. By mid-November 1994, the project came to a close. Larry left THQ in 1995, fed up with the way they had treated him and his team.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eA prototype of the Mega Drive version of Akira was showcased at the Summer Consumer Electronic Show (SCES) in 1994 from June 23rd to June 25th. The prototype showcased all the stages one could play in the final game in various stages of completion. The bicycle battle, first person, and platforming segments are all implemented at this point along with various cut scene sequences. However, it appears that even the build that was present at the show was prone to bugs and crashes, as evident toward the end of the video on the sixth stage.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eEventually, all references to the game would vanish as the game was presumably canceled when no further information about the game itself was provided. The game’s existence became a distant memory limited to the few people who had an opportunity to work and play the game while it was still in production. Even key personnel who have worked on the game and were very passionate about the project no longer had access to a playable copy of the game, despite wanting others to play it. Aside from the video that was recorded at SCES 94 and the few screenshots provided to the media at the time, it was looking like no prototypes were known to have survived.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eThis prototype predates the one featured at SCES 94, as it includes several notable differences that would eventually be remedied in time for the public showcasing. For instance, the bicycle battle sequences lack enemies or music, whereas the demo featured at SCES 94 contained both. Many of the other stages contain significant changes in comparison to the public demo. The prototype also contains several bugs and crashes of its own, including a mysterious crash that occurs right at the beginning of stage 6 as well as some vertical background scrolling bugs. For some odd reason, the prototype contains a background graphic for the storage facility that contains Akira’s preserved organs, whereas it was completely removed from the demo shown at SCES 94.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003eThe game would continue to be featured in various gaming magazines throughout 1994 in very limited showings, often as simple one or two paragraph blurbs with a screenshot or two.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDeveloped by Black Pearl Software in 1993 with an intended release for 1995.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEarlier than the demo present at the Summer Consumer Electronic Show of 1994 (SCES 1994).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eA lot of music cues are present in the sound test but are unused by the game itself.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNone of the levels can be completed in this prototype.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eYou can go back to the level select at any time by pressing start.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLevel 1K\/1T lack enemies.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe game is prone to crashing around the starting area on level 2T.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe cutscene that plays before 1K\/1T are the same.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThere is no cutscene before 4K.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe game freezes upon loading into the fifth stage.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"RetroFixations","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48217521062100,"sku":null,"price":30.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0723\/5416\/9044\/files\/2025-03-2211.27.50.jpg?v=1783349908","url":"https:\/\/retrofixations.myshopify.com\/products\/akira-unreleased-prototype","provider":"RetroFixations","version":"1.0","type":"link"}