1990 Titus
Platforms: Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64
Ninjanimal was one of the more curious titles listed in Titus’ 1990 release schedules. Planned for the Commodore 64 on tape and disk, the game never surfaced on any platform commercially, leaving many to wonder just what it was meant to be.
Thankfully, unlike many unreleased projects, we do at least have a glimpse of what was planned. Prototype builds of the Atari ST version have surfaced over the years, whilst screenshots from the Amiga edition also survive. They reveal a colourful side-scrolling beat-em-up with some similarities to Ninja Rabbits, though with a rather unique twist.
Development actually began much earlier, in late 1988, at Legend Software. According to one of the original developers, the initial concept came from the studio’s art director Didier and took inspiration from Sega’s Altered Beast, with players controlling a ninja who had the ability to transform.
Several backgrounds were produced and a prototype was programmed to demonstrate the project to potential publishers including Titus and Ubisoft. The developer even added a few demo scene inspired flourishes, including colour raster effects and low overscan graphics, purely to help make the presentation stand out.
Unfortunately, although the prototype impressed, Legend Software’s financial situation rapidly deteriorated. An unpaid debt from one of the company’s distributors, particularly relating to sales of Les Portes du Temps, left the studio without enough funds to continue development and it was ultimately forced to close its doors before the game could be completed.
Although the Atari ST and Amiga prototypes suggest the game had reached a respectable stage of development, it seems likely that the planned 8-bit conversions, including the Commodore 64 edition listed by Titus, had yet to properly begin. With the 16-bit versions cancelled before completion, there was little reason for work on the C64 version to progress.
As a result, it seems very likely that there is nothing of a Commodore 64 conversion to recover. Unless evidence ever surfaces that work had quietly started elsewhere, this is probably one that can sadly be considered a case closed.
With thanks to Fabrizio Bartoloni for highlighting the surviving prototypes and history, Crashdisk for saving part of the Amiga version, AtariMania for the ST download and Abandonware Magazines France for the magazine scans.
Downloads
Video
Gallery
