‘Nearly complete’ prototype of cancelled Animaniacs GBA game surfaces online after nearly two decades
If you grew up watching Animaniacs or loved spending time with your Game Boy Advance, this one’s for you: a prototype build of the cancelled Animaniacs Game Boy Advance title has finally turned up online, almost two decades after it was scrapped.
The prototype, discovered by MrPinball64 and posted on the game preservation site Hidden Palace, is described as “nearly complete,” with most of the game’s levels, character animations, and mechanics intact. The game was originally developed by Warthog Games and was supposed to launch in 2005, but like so many licensed tie-ins from that era, it ended up getting the axe before it could reach the shelves.
“We’re thrilled to unveil a nearly complete prototype of Animaniacs for the Game Boy Advance,” Hidden Palace writes in their announcement. “It’s exciting to bring such a polished piece of lost gaming history back to fans and preservationists alike.”
After giving it a spin, players will notice that it feels remarkably finished for something that never saw public release. All three of the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko and Dot, are playable, and the whole thing is packed with nods to the original cartoon, from slapstick nods to the unmistakable animation style.
This isn’t the first time a lost Animaniacs game has resurfaced, but what makes this find especially cool is just how close it is to being done. There’s always something bittersweet about playing what could have been, but at least now, after years locked away, this piece of Animaniacs history has a chance to be enjoyed.
Hidden Palace has made the prototype available for download, so if you’re up for a bit of old skool cartoon chaos and handheld nostalgia, you can finally check it out for yourself. It’s good to know there are people out there who are helping give lost games a second chance. So, that being said, Hidden Palace, where is my Fable Legends prototype?
After 33 years, Advance Wars’ first appearance on Game Boy has finally been translated.
