Dark Empires (prototype)
| ||||||||||||||
| Dark Empires (prototype) | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| Download Dark Empires (prototype) (info) |
Dark Empires was one of Sega Technical Institute's earliest original projects, beginning development in 1990 alongside Kid Chameleon. A fantasy strategy Mega Drive game inspired by the likes of Herzog Zwei, it was an experiment in bringing tactical strategy gameplay to the early 16-bit market. Development progressed to December 1991, when management permanently shelved the project, reportedly due to the game's already-niche market appeal clashing with Mark Cerny's desire to see STI focus on more character-driven blockbuster titles.
The project's dumped build, a first-playable prototype, contains a ROM header dated 1991 SEP, three months before the game's official cancellation.
Screenshots
Videos
Acknowledgments
Special thanks go to Craig Stitt, for both sharing the ROM and for graciously agreeing to a nearly four-hour interview, MDTravis for his extensive technical assistance and for his detailed ROM analysis, and Armadylo for editing and proofreading the game's announcement article.