Project Dream ROM, the prototype that became Banjo-Kazooie, has appeared online for preservation

Personally, I love it when prototypes of games work their way online. Even if it’s borderline unplayable, seeing the building blocks of what could have been, or what it would eventually be, is always fascinating to me. As such, when I heard that someone had dumped the ROM for a cancelled Rare game that would eventually spin off into Banjo-Kazooie, I knew I had to check it out; however, as it turns out, this move was more than just someone letting people play a cool beta.

The ROM for Project Dream has appeared online in a call for preservation

Back in the 90s, Rare wanted to make a game that played like an RPG but used its Donkey Kong Country tech to render the graphics. The result was Project Dream, which went through a troubled development process as Rare attempted to turn its idea into a fun title. A side character called Banjo the Bear was added, who would go on to replace the main character to become the star of the show.

It seems that the ROM that was dumped online was from before this change, as it keeps the original human protagonist. However, as the leaker describes in their Internet Archive page for the game, their actions are meant to be more than just a cool insight into an early version of Banjo-Kazooie:

“But with the current state of the industry and Microsoft’s current heartless gutting and mismanagement of Rare and other companies it controls, plus with how long it’s been, I feel it’s more important to make sure this is properly preserved, and the ROM dissected by people with far more knowledge on how to do such things. I hope by releasing this, that it also inspires other people to release what they have as well. I know the Twelve Tales Conker 64 prototype is out there somewhere, but sadly, this is the only thing that I have.”

It’s a build from before Banjo became the main character

As Rare developed Project Dream, they saw Nintendo working on its own title: the now-famous Super Mario 64. Rare knew that the game’s 3D graphics would outshine Project Dream’s, so it canned the game and remade it for the N64 while keeping Banjo as the main character. And just like that, you’ve got Banjo-Kazooie.

We may never know what Project Dream may have looked like if it had been released, but given how well Banjo-Kazooie was received, scrapping the dated-looking prototype and moving to full 3D likely saved the company from a bad launch.