Dune History, Part Seven -apkrig

In the previous part of our series, we tasted the topic of canceled games for the first time. However, the well-known MMO Dune Generations was not the only title that did not make it to the shelves. Another was an event called Dune: Ornithopter Assault for Nintendo’s Handheld Game Boy Advance. And coincidentally, it was re-established under the wings of the French company Cryo Interactive.

The full name of the game was Frank Herbert’s Dune: Ornithopter Assault and was developed by the Hungarian studio Soft Brigade. The authors were enticed by the story of an ornithopter pilot trained by Gurney Alleck, who served the Atreides. At least that’s what the official label says, but the reality is even more interesting. The main character is Duncan Idaho. The players would help Paul and the Fremen in their fight for the planet Arrakis. The team promised a stunning 3D world that we will watch from the cockpit. We were to subdue more than twenty missions with various tasks in which we would fight, accompany, defend or capture enemy machines. There would even be a search for spices and water.

In addition to single player modes, Dune: Ornithopter Assault was also able to offer multiplayer by connecting two GBAs via cable. There would be missions of varying difficulty and a classic deathmatch to choose from. The authors themselves were proud to create the first video game adaptation of Dune for a travel console. You may also be struck by the fact that they have chosen a relatively challenging task. As if the fabric of the master itself was not difficult enough, a three-dimensional world in the first person The “simulator” on the Game Boy Advance was a pretty big bite.

But the result worked surprisingly well, and thanks to a different genre, the game was able to distinguish itself pleasantly from Frank Herbert’s host of strategies and adventures from space. The unusual perspective suggests how many other potentially interesting topics from this universe could be told through games. Not every Dune necessarily revolves around Arrakis and Spices.

One of the authors later said that a really small team of developers from Budapest was working on the game. According to him, the entire title built on the voxel engine had to fit on a 4 MB cartridge, because Cryo insisted on the cheapest variant. The developers therefore had to apply a number of tricks to achieve this. The studio reportedly wanted to choose a different style than the original film, literally less baroque.

The game was to be created in about half a year. Development began in 2001 and could come out in September 2002, but the publisher went bankrupt in the same year. Sometime in the summer, the project was suspended, although it was essentially complete. At that moment, all the missions were already working and it was possible to complete them. Only the announced multiplayer was missing. However, due to the crash of Cry, the game could not be completed, sent to Nintendo for approval and released. Cryo stopped paying the authors monthly milestones, and the American publisher Dreamcatcher lost interest in the project because the title would not be able to enter the market in 2001 due to paperwork.

However, you can see for yourself how far the authors have come. The unfinished version of Dune: Ornithopter Assault has leaked to the Internet, it can be downloaded and run in the emulator.

But for the next year, she had already paid for her Dun license and would have to renew it. And that should be too expensive for such a small game. The authors tried to find another publisher and worked on prototypes on the same technology. It could allegedly be a variation on the Comanche helicopter series. But time did not wish to study and this small company eventually ended.

However, you can see for yourself how far the authors have come. The unfinished version of Dune: Ornithopter Assault has leaked to the Internet, it can be downloaded and run in the emulator. In addition to the game itself, the fingerprint of the original official website was also preserved in the internet archive.

Surprisingly, this exciting story does not end here either. Dune: Ornithopter Assault may join other canceled retro games that have been given a second chance. The title is set to return and come out in full under the new name Elland: The Crystal Wars. The game, developed 20 years ago, will compete for Kickstarter players from November 16, but it will get rid of Dune’s license. However, almost nothing will change in the content and form itself.

The Retro Room Games, which acquired the rights to the title itself, wants to take care of the release and promises 23 missions. The Crowdfunding campaign is already attracting the possibility of further localizations, souvenirs and the possibility of issuing a physical version, including a box and a manual. Even if the title loses references to Dun, it is supposed to retain its original character, which is evident from the videos. The game will still be set in the harsh desert world where it will be mined. But the planet is called Elland and instead of spices we find minerals and crystals, as the name suggests. Even if the names, some characters and part of the dialogues change, it probably won’t be too hard to live in the illusion that it’s really Dune. And if you don’t like the reincarnated Dune in this form, you can still play the original one.

Our series seems to be coming to an end. However, it does not end here. Even though I no longer have an official released or canceled game in my hat, I still have one surprise for you.