The canceled Dune was financed on Kickstarter in three days -apkrig

As part of our series on the history of games from the Dune universe, we also wrote about canceled titles. In the seventh part, we introduced the game Frank Herbert’s Dune: Ornithopter Assault for Game Boy Advance from the Hungarian studio Soft Brigade, which never received an official release, even though it was almost finished. The French company Cryo, as its publisher, went bankrupt. Although the unfinished version leaked to the Internet a long time ago and anyone could play it, the game has now also attempted a commercial comeback after 20 years. In mid-November, a crowdfunding campaign launched at Kickstarter, where the title is running out for fans’ favor under the name Elland: The Crystal Wars.

But the planet is called Elland and instead of spices we find minerals and crystals.

Although the game had to get rid of the license and references to Dun, its form and content would not otherwise change. And the fact that it wasn’t from The Retro Room Games, which acquired the rights to the game and publishes it, is a bad intention, the current numbers prove it best. Although 51 days remain until the end of the campaign, the project has already been funded. A total of 155 people contributed over $ 8,000 to the game, while the campaign authors asked for only $ 7,563. The campaign could be declared successful after only three days, which is undoubtedly a success given the title and the fact that the unfinished version is available for free on the Internet.

The first person “simulator” promises 23 missions and the campaign attracts possible locations, souvenirs and the release of a physical version, including a box and 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.

The Retro Room Games believes that even without a license that they failed to secure, this is an amazing game that is ahead of time and will be enjoyed by fans. If the authors manage to achieve the support of players for other stretch goals, a short documentary with the original developers, additional merch, bonus cheats, a PC port, additional features or even two additional missions could be made. However, developers are still a long way from this hypothetical goal.

The project can be supported with an amount of 10 to 175 dollars. But for $ 10, you don’t get anything but feeling good. For 15 you can already look forward to the digital version, manual and other information. A special digital version with soundtrack and extra artwork is available for $ 25. The standard physical version comes in at $ 55 and includes a digital version. The highest bid of $ 175 promises on top of a badge, soundtrack on CD, name in the manual, name in the headlines and early access to the digital version for testers.

For more details on the original Frank Herbert’s Dune: Ornithopter Assault game and its fate, see our recent topic.