Project Dream

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Project Dream
platform
Mode(s)Single-player

Project Dream was the

platform game in the vein of Donkey Kong Country
(1994) that starred Banjo the bear, who became the protagonist of Banjo-Kazooie.

The game was developed by Rare's Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) team over 16 months. It was inspired by Japanese RPGs and LucasArts adventure games, and the name Dream emphasized its fantastical themes. Dream was not completed because Rare believed it was too ambitious and different from their previous games. The game that became Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001) led them to retool it into a platformer inspired by Nintendo's Super Mario 64. The Dream concepts were re-integrated into Banjo-Kazooie, which released to critical and commercial success.

Premise

A screenshot of gameplay from the Nintendo 64 version

During most of its development period, Project Dream was a

isometric perspective and had a fairy tale theme.[6] Edson used a wooden sword to fight trolls and Dinger performed actions to assist him, such as going ahead and digging holes to find items. Occasionally, a dinosaur would appear and attempt to crush Edson by stepping on him; falling leaves and the virtual camera system shaking warned the player when it was approaching.[3][7]

When development transitioned to the Nintendo 64 (N64), Dream became a larger RPG rendered in 3D computer graphics.[8] The pirate theme became more dominant than the fairy tale one.[7] As development progressed on the N64, the game went through radical changes. Edson was replaced twice, first by a rabbit and later by Banjo the bear, who became the main character of Banjo-Kazooie.[6] The final version of the game was a linear platformer in the vein of Rare's Donkey Kong Country games, and bore little resemblance to the earlier versions.[7]

Development

After

Japanese RPGs and LucasArts adventure games; the team wanted to combine those games to create one with a "Rare flavour".[7] Dream was developed by Rare's Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (1995) team and was announced in 1995.[3][8]

As development progressed, the team felt it was too large for an SNES

Tim Stamper.[8] Banjo was designed to have human qualities and was given a backpack to put items in.[7]

Some time passed, and the team began to believe the game was too ambitious and different from their previous games. They also could not find how it would be enjoyable to play.[6][4] Composer Grant Kirkhope noted Rare struggled to get the game running at a decent frame rate.[8] Meanwhile, another Rare team was working on what would become Conker's Bad Fur Day (2001), a platformer. Impressed by how this game was looking, the Dream team retooled their game into a Donkey Kong Country-esque platformer, something they felt more comfortable with. At this point, few elements from earlier incarnations remained.[8][7] Overall, Dream was in development for sixteen months and development restarted four times.[6][7] The soundtrack was primarily composed by Kirkhope; David Wise also contributed but left partway through development to compose Diddy Kong Racing (1997). Kirkhope wrote 107 tracks with "strong" themes. Some were reused in later games Kirkhope scored.[10]

Aftermath and legacy

When Dream staff saw Nintendo's Super Mario 64 (1996), they realized it was going to set the standard for 3D games and ruin their project. They scrapped their work on Dream and began developing a new game inspired by Super Mario 64. Banjo was kept because the team liked the character. The fantasy theme was restored, and within another 16 months, Rare had finished Banjo-Kazooie.[7] The game was released in 1998 and was a commercial success, topping the United Kingdom all-format charts—a feat a Rare game did not accomplish again until its 30th anniversary game Rare Replay in 2015—and attracted critical acclaim.[11][12] The antagonist of Dream, Captain Blackeye, has cameo appearances in Banjo-Kazooie and its sequel Banjo-Tooie (2000); in Tooie, he gripes about how a bear stole his glory, referencing the development of Dream.[8] Numerous assets from Dream were also reused in Banjo-Kazooie.[13] Dream's pirate theme was eventually recycled in Rare's 2018 game Sea of Thieves.[6] GamesRadar+ expressed relief Dream became Banjo-Kazooie, believing it would have been a "snoozefest" if it had not been retooled.[5]

For many years, little was known about Dream.

documentary about the making of Dream, on their YouTube channel to promote the release of Rare Replay. The video features developer commentary from Rare staff that worked on the game, as well as previously unreleased gameplay footage.[15]

References

  1. ^ Lindbergh, Ben (19 June 2018). "How 'Banjo-Kazooie' Became a Bridge Between Marios". The Ringer. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 24 December 2022.
  2. ^ @RareLtd (March 20, 2015). "Not sure if that's news, but the boy hero of Project Dream (pre-Banjo) was called Edson, not Edison. #bombshell #probablynotabombshell" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ^ a b c d e "The Making of Banjo-Kazooie". Retro Gamer. No. 36. Imagine Publishing. March 2007. pp. 18–25.
  4. ^ a b Mattews, Anthony (22 December 2015). "Rare Releases Footage of Cancelled SNES Game 'Project Dream'". Hardcore Gamer. Archived from the original on 2016-10-26. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  5. ^ a b Reed, Ashley (9 May 2014). "9 Games You Wouldn't Recognize At All in Their Original Form". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 2015-04-22. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g McWhertor, Michael (22 December 2018). "Get a Glimpse at Rare's Canceled Role-Playing Game Dream". Polygon. Archived from the original on 2017-04-17. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Gregg Mayles; Ed Bryan; Paul Machacek (22 December 2015). Rare Revealed: A Rare Look at Dream. Rare. Archived from the original on 2017-10-18. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Reeves, Ben (22 October 2012). "Dream Project: The Secret History of Banjo-Kazooie". Game Informer. Archived from the original on 2016-01-13. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  9. ^ McLaughlin, Rus (28 July 2008). "IGN Presents: The History of Rare". IGN. Archived from the original on 8 December 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
  10. ^ Kirkhope, Grant. "Dream: The Game that Never Was". Grant Kirkhope. Archived from the original on 27 July 2013. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  11. ^ "Banjo-Kazooie for Nintendo 64 Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2018-08-20. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  12. MCV. Archived from the original
    on 13 August 2015. Retrieved 22 August 2015.
  13. ^ Wood, Austin (19 March 2016). "Rare Reveals 5 Banjo-Kazooie Secrets". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2016-09-13. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  14. Nintendo Life. Archived
    from the original on 2016-02-14. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  15. Gamasutra. Archived
    from the original on 2017-07-09. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
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