These days, UK-based developer Rare is best known for titles like Sea of Thieves and Battletoads. But they’re particularly well remembered for their Nintendo days of the ’90s, with hits like Goldeneye, Banjo-Kazooie, and the original Donkey Kong Country series. They’re perhaps most associated with their efforts on the N64, and there was no shortage of memorable games on that front.
But among this vast lineup of hits lies a canceled N64 project that seems to have been lost to the pages of gaming history — until now. This colorful adventure romp, known as Dinosaur Planet, eventually transformed into Star Fox Adventures on the GameCube, and can be pointed to as the reason for the vast departure from Fox‘s roots.
While the game was largely well-received, many pondered what could have been. After all, the N64 originator seemed to have as many similarities to the Star Fox revamp as it had differences. Thanks to an unveiling by a video game preservation group, this relic of gaming’s past has been unearthed and given new life, reigniting the interest of gamers old and young.
Given how little was known about this N64 game-that-never-was, revisiting Dinosaur Planet decades later reveals a wealth of interesting details surrounding it.
10 Would Have Been One Of The Largest N64 Games Ever
While it may look rather dated now, the original Dinosaur Planet was set to be quite an epic, ambitious project by N64 standards. The slew of cinematics, voice tracks, and vast environments required quite a bit of space. Of course, this wasn’t exactly ideal with the N64’s limited carts.
Thus, the game would have been one of a select few to utilize both the N64’s Expansion Pak as well as the larger, more expensive 64 MB cart. This would have made the game one of just three to use all this added space, with the other two being Conker’s Bad Fur Day and Resident Evil 2. By comparison, most of the N64’s library ranged from 4 to 32 MB.
9 Inspired By A Zelda Classic
Fans of the renowned Ocarina of Time may recognize some similarities between that Zelda classic and what became Star Fox Adventures on GameCube, especially in terms of exploration and combat. This Zelda feel is not by coincidence, as Rare was said to have drawn inspiration from Nintendo’s game when developing their adventure.
It turns out the similarities are even more prominent with the original project. This is because the studio had built Dinosaur Planet using Ocarina of Time‘s game engine before undergoing its Star Fox facelift on the Cube.
8 General Scales Boss Fight Scrapped Because Of Time Constraints
Players of Star Fox Adventures may find it odd that prominent villain General Scales never clashes with Fox in a full-fledged boss fight. Instead, the final confrontation with Scales gives way to the Star Fox series’ staple antagonist, Andross.
As it happens, the reptilian warrior was going to be a major boss battle, though time constraints from the GameCube transition and Microsoft buyout set the studio back. Coupled with a relatively small development team, these conditions forced them to cut the General Scales showdown.
7 Was Going To Be Fully Voice Acted In English
While there’s a great deal of voice acting in Star Fox Adventures, some of it comes in the form of the undecipherable language of Dino Talk. Initially though, Dinosaur Planet was going to feature full English voice acting for every character.
This can be seen in certain moments of the surviving build and various footage. An example includes the protagonist Krystal speaking of a “mountain hidden within a storm.” But in what became Star Fox Adventures, the only inhabitants of the planet speaking English are the WarpStone and ShopKeeper.
6 Fox Was Originally Meant To Be The Rare-Created Hero Sabre
Naturally, the Star Fox branding that took over Dinosaur Planet meant that alterations of the original project had to occur. While some remnants remained, many aspects were changed, and this extends to the main protagonist himself.
The original hero of the story was to be a Royal Knight named Sabre, a character who happens to resemble Fox quite a bit. The inspiration of Dinosaur Planet‘s transition to Star Fox Adventures can be traced right here. Supposedly, Shigeru Miyamoto had seen the design and likened him to his own creation, prompting the transformation.
Fox replaced Sabre and was given the staff that was to be wielded by the other playable character, Krystal, while Sabre was seemingly going to use a sword.
5 Almost Featured A Diddy Kong Racing Character
Timber the Tiger is a Rare-created character who tends to be little known outside the circle of Diddy Kong Racing players. Apparently, this tiger cub was going to have a showing beyond this N64 kart racer.
Even before the concept of Sabre, Timber was going to take on the lead role in Dinosaur Planet as a time-traveling tiger with a rucksack. But alas, this character never saw the light of day beyond DKR and its ’07 remake on Nintendo DS.
4 Historically Significant For Rare And Nintendo
There’s a certain significance regarding Dinosaur Planet and the relationship between Rare and Nintendo. Dinosaur Planet was going to be a sort of swan song for the N64; a console which was home to several of Rare’s most renowned games.
Interestingly, the title also ended up being the last home console game Rare would develop for Nintendo in the form of Star Fox Adventures. It was announced that Microsoft would buy the studio just one day after the game’s debut in North America.
3 Leftovers From Dinosaur Planet In Star Fox Adventures
As mentioned, the transition from Dinosaur Planet to Star Fox Adventures brought many changes, though there were some leftovers that some fans might recognize.
Much of the cast, including Krystal, General Scales, and Fox’s dino friend Tricky, all originated from the initial N64 project. On top of this, the dino-inhabited planet, which became known as Sauria, can also be traced back to the original game in some form. Early renditions of ThornTail Hollow, SnowHorn Wastes, and Ice Mountain can also be recognized in early builds of the game.
2 Would Have Featured Two Intertwining Stories With Swappable Characters
While the bulk of Dinosaur Planet largely remained in the GameCube revamp, there was one major change that came with the inclusion of Fox. As mentioned, Sabre was going to be the hero, though he was also going to share the spotlight with Krystal, who was set to play a more major role.
In fact, the original build of the game was going to have players take on the role of both heroes at different points. The characters would feature intertwining stories, and players would explore different locales at different points. Throughout the game, Sabre and Krystal could be swapped out with the help of the SwapStone Twins. These figures actually survived in Star Fox Adventures in the form of the humanoid WarpStone.
1 Leaked Online In Its Original Form For The First Time
To the delight of Rare fans and N64 diehards, this seemingly forgotten project was given new life with the announcement of a playable ROM of Dinosaur Planet. This was revealed and released by a video game preservation group called Forest of Illusion via a Twitter post in February 2021.
The ROM contains the latest known build of Dinosaur Planet from late-2000, shortly before the game was given the Star Fox overhaul for GameCube. For convenience’s sake, the first hour of gameplay can also be viewed here.
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