It was supposed to be an official game dune The eventually cancelled adaptation was released 20 years later under a new name.
You’ve probably heard of the upcoming open-world survival MMO based on the Dune series, which is slated for PC and current-gen consoles, but frankly, it’s nothing in the unreleased GBA game Elland: The Crystal Wars. Oh, you haven’t heard of Alan? Well, you may have heard of it by its original name, Dune: Thopter Assault (thanks PCGamer).
As we all know, Elland was originally slated to launch in 2002 from Hungarian-developed Soft Brigade, which was supposed to be in partnership with Cryo Interactive. question? Cryo Interactive declared bankruptcy, which meant Ornithopter Assault was unfortunately cancelled, even though it was largely done.
In the game, you play the Atreides pilot on the Arrakis, where you’ll protect the spice harvester from the Harkonnen (I don’t know what that means other than the pilot. Sci-fi!)
Now, the game is back as Elland, which recently completed a successful Kickstarter raise of $21,222, albeit apparently without a Dune license. The new setting is the titular Elam, also apparently a desert planet filled with Brem-Nar crystals (still the same sci-fi term) that many seek to make their fortunes from.
The graphics are really impressive, opting for a first-person view with 3D that makes you think “how the hell did they do this on the GBA?” The physical version of the game on actual cartridges in GBA-style packaging is Kickstarter One of the bonuses (now done), it’s a really nice touch and something for the avid collectors out there.
You’ll already be able to get the game on Steam starting today (October 3), but if you want to use it on original hardware, you’d better keep an eye out.
