A near-complete prototype of Resident Evil for Game Boy Color has been preserved by Games That Weren’t, thanks to a generous donation from one developer, Pete Frith. As shared in a blog post, the build obtained is estimated to be 98% complete, and might actually be fully playable (although full testing has not been completed).
While two previous builds of the game were preserved in 2011, neither were completable. The new version contains more content and more polish, as it represents the final version of the game that was made just prior to its cancellation.
The build represents a fascinating slice of gaming history.
Resident Evil for GBC preserved – quick links
HotGen attempted to translate the entirety of Resident Evil for Game Boy Color
As shown off in screenshots, and shared by Games That Weren’t, a developer known as HotGen was tasked with translating the original Resident Evil for Game Boy Colour around 1999. Using innovative techniques, the studio aimed to make the game ‘as close as possible’ to the source material, using 3D perspectives, scaled sprites, and pre-rendered backgrounds to squeeze the game onto 8-bit hardware.
They also attempted to translate the game’s original locations and puzzles into the Game Boy Color version, which reportedly required ‘restrictions’ and ‘compromises’ along the way.
Per developer Nigel Speight, speaking to Games That Weren’t, the game was nearly complete before the cancellation order came through. Reportedly, Capcom wasn’t happy with the game, and the decision to cancel it might actually have been handed down by the ‘original creator’ of Resident Evil, likely Shinji Mikami or Tokuro Fujiwara.
Despite this determination, Resident Evil on Game Boy Color looks like a fascinating, layered experiment. There’s excellent spritework in screenshots shown off, even with the Game Boy Color palette limiting what was possible.
The artful use of perspective is particularly novel, with the console’s limitations requiring clever background art and spritework to suggest scale and place.
Resident Evil for Game Boy Color is now playable
Those keen to check out this version of Resident Evil for themselves can now do so via Games That Weren’t, with several preview builds available for download.
While still unfinished, the newer build of this title presents a unique, fairly well-rounded glimpse at what Resident Evil for Game Boy Color could’ve looked like, and how it would’ve introduced an entirely new generation to all the jump scares and frights of the franchise.
Beyond being a novelty, this build is an important reminder of all the unique, intriguing video games we never got, and how they could’ve changed gaming history.
Also on ScreenHub: Terminator: Survivors delayed, will now be single player only
Terminator: Survivors, the upcoming adventure game from Nacon Studio Milan, has officially been delayed for a significant overhaul. Initially, this game had been slated for launch in 2025 as an early access title, with support for single player and multiplayer co-op modes.
The Nacon Studio Milan team aimed to create an ‘authentic and immersive open world Terminator experience’ that followed the rise of the evil Skynet corporation and the ‘resilience of humanity in spite of it’. However, the development process, including internal testing and discussions with players, has determined the best way to achieve this is to shed the game’s co-op multiplayer modes and to instead make it a single player experience.
‘We know this may come as a disappointment but we believe it is the right creative direction for an uncompromising vision of the world after Judgment Day,’ Marco Pointe, Creative Director on Terminator: Survivors posted to Steam.
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