Highlights
- An avid Nintendo collector has found a prototype for an unreleased GameCube game, which is generating a lot of attention in the gaming community.
- The prototype is for a platformer/adventure game called Pickles, developed by Santa Cruz Games in 2005 and 2006. It features 12 levels split across two worlds.
- The collector plans to dump the ROM online for preservation purposes. The prototype, however, is unstable and only boots up once in every 10 tries. They will document their findings on YouTube.
A prototype for an unreleased game for the GameCube console has been found by an avid Nintendo collector. Some lucky finds of rare games for the sixth-generation console have been making headlines recently, including one considered as a "holy grail" by GameCube fans. However, this one seems to be topping them all, being that it had never seen the light of day.
Unreleased video games are among the rarest finds that collectors can get these days and can sometimes cost thousands of dollars. Combine that with the certitude of GameCube having one of the best game libraries, such a big discovery is surely going to garner much attention. While it's true that the GameCube never managed to outpace both PlayStation 2 and Xbox in terms of sales during its time, some of its games were seen as the pinnacle in the history of video games.
In an attempt to preserve the GameCube's library, a Nintendo collector and YouTuber, cake_hoarder, has discovered that a development GameCube they recently bought contained the disc of an unreleased game. While testing out the prototype, they found out that it was for Pickles, a platformer/adventure game starring a unicycle-riding monkey. A quick Google search suggested that Pickles was developed by the now-defunct Santa Cruz Games in 2005 and 2006.
Via a short Twitter video, cake_hoarder notes that the game disc in their possession has 12 levels that are split between two different worlds. Unfortunately, the footage only manages to show the first level of Pickles. Further tinkering is desperately needed as the prototype is proving to be a bit unstable, managing to boot up only once in about every 10 tries. The collector also plans to dump the ROM of the game online for preservation purposes.
While there's no confirmation from either Nintendo or some ex members of Santa Cruz Games, Frank Cifaldi of the Video Game History Foundation commented on the Twitter post that the footage is of the same demo shown to him during the 2006's Game Connection event. Back then, the prototype only served as a tech demo when Santa Cruz Games was looking for a potential publisher. Interestingly, this wasn't the first time an unreleased tech demo for a Nintendo console made waves on the internet.
Preserving video games is no easy feat, especially when dealing with unreleased ones, as there are sure to be some hurdles in the way, even when just trying to boot up the games. Given the big challenge, cake_hoarder is planning to document and reveal all they can get from Pickles through YouTube.