10 Canceled Nintendo Games We'll NEVER Get to Play
“Super Mario Spikers”
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Mario has starred in a lot of sports spin-offs, but not all of them made it through production. “Super Mario Spikers” was in development for the Wii at Next Level Games in 2007 and would’ve blended wrestling with volleyball. The team had already proven itself with the “Mario Strikers” series, though Nintendo had some issues. While “Super Smash Bros.” took a more stylized and fantastical approach to combat, Nintendo felt what it saw from “Spikers” was a bit too realistically violent for Mario’s family friendly image. And so the pitch was rejected, with only some concept art and brief footage showcasing some animations remaining.
“Icarus”
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Prior to receiving an underrated gem of a reboot in the 3DS’ “Uprising,” the “Kid Icarus” series was considered to make a return on the Wii. Tentatively titled “Icarus,” it was being worked on by Factor 5, the same studio behind the “Star Wars: Rogue Squadron” series. The team was taking a grittier approach, aging Pit up and having him defend Earth against an invasion following his banishment from his home. Through the use of the Wiimote’s sensor and a focus on aerial combat, which Factor 5 had perfected in previous games, “Icarus” could’ve been a solid return. However, Nintendo chose to end funding once they saw a playable prototype, thinking the mature approach was too different from the rest of the series.
“EarthBound 64”
Fans of the “Mother” series have known their fair share of disappointment. In the mid-90s, a new game was in development for the Nintendo 64DD, a disc-based peripheral. When that bombed in Japan and was discontinued, development on “EarthBound 64” switched to the regular console. Sadly, it wasn’t meant to be. The team had a lot of grand ideas, and higher-ups at Nintendo were concerned it would take too many resources while they were preparing for the launch of the GameCube. Shigeru Miyamoto once estimated that around 60% of the game was completed at the time of cancellation. While it would later be reworked into “Mother 3” for the Game Boy Advance, that’s clearly very different from what it started as.
“Super Mario’s Wacky Worlds”
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“Super Mario World” is still considered by some to be the best 2D Mario, and it almost got a sequel not even made by Nintendo. “Wacky Worlds” was a spiritual successor to the SNES classic in development for the Philips CD-i, a platform most famous for awful “Zelda” and “Mario” games that were the result of a failed deal between the two companies. However, everything we’ve seen from it looks solid. Developer NovaLogic kept the same style, but the game would’ve taken Mario to some real-world locations, like Ancient Greece, as well as completely unique ones. Although Nintendo was impressed with the prototype, the terrible sales of the CD-i caused them not to go through with it.
“Project H.A.M.M.E.R.”
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The Wii was Nintendo at its family friendliest, but it still got a handful of darker titles, mostly from third party developers. However, one that never saw the light of day and would’ve come from Nintendo itself was “Project H.A.M.M.E.R.” Nothing is known of the story, but it would’ve used beat ‘em up mechanics with a musou style similar to “Dynasty Warriors.” Unfortunately, there were a lot of issues behind the scenes. Senior leads reportedly ignored input from American developers, resulting in a change to a cuter art style despite the game initially being made with Western players in mind. When Nintendo looked into it, the team’s low morale and lack of direction caused them to cancel it.
“Super Donkey”
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Here’s an odd one. “Super Donkey” is a canceled platformer that was in development for the Super Nintendo during the early 90s. Anyone familiar with “Yoshi’s Island” can immediately tell that this is where it got its gorgeous art direction from. And footage shows a Rayman-like figure, before that character’s actual debut, with limited flight capabilities. But there’s still a great deal that remains a mystery. Most of us didn’t even know it existed until the massive Nintendo leak in 2020. We’re also not sure why it was canceled. Some believe it would’ve been a “Donkey Kong” spin-off given the name, theorizing that the protagonist was that of “Sky Skipper,” an arcade game that used Donkey Kong as an enemy.
“Donkey Kong Racing”
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Speaking of Donkey Kong, the great ape nearly got his own racing game on the GameCube. Following the success of “Diddy Kong Racing” on the N64, Rare began work on a successor. It was announced at E3 2001 and would’ve featured most members of the Kong family. The pre-rendered trailer also made it seem we’d be racing on the backs of animal companions from the DK series rather than karts, planes, and boats. Sadly, that trailer was all we ever saw of it. Rare was purchased by Microsoft not long after, causing the cancellation of “Donkey Kong Racing.”
“Kid Kirby”
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Kirby has starred in a lot of games, and he’s had a lot of games canceled. But one of the more interesting ‘what ifs’ is the Super Nintendo’s “Kid Kirby.” As a prequel to the overall series, it would’ve followed a younger Kirby and featured a Prince Dedede, among other original characters and enemies. Interestingly, the game was set to release in late 1995 and was being developed by DMA Design, which would later evolve into Rockstar North of “GTA” fame. According to designer Mike Dailly, players would’ve used the Super Nintendo’s mouse peripheral to stretch Kirby and fling him across levels. Low sales of the mouse are thought to have been the biggest contributing factor in its cancellation.
Retro Studios’ Boo Game
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Retro Studios is known for its incredible work on the “Metroid” and “Donkey Kong” franchises. But the team has tried to branch out to other Nintendo IPs in the past. During the DS era, the studio planned a pitch to Nintendo on a spin-off idea focusing on a Boo from the “Mario” series. It would’ve followed the ghost after graduating from Haunt University, featured a signature possession mechanic, and would’ve had players go up against villainous witches. The concept honestly sounds great, but it sadly didn’t get very far. The idea came from leads at the company, and it was canceled after they left to form a new studio. All that remains is some fantastic concept art.
“Heroes of Hyrule”
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In addition to the world of Mario, Retro also tried to get some “Zelda” spin-offs off the ground. One was a Sheik-centric Wii game with some truly incredible concept art, but with gameplay that didn’t sound that enticing. However, everything we’ve heard about “Heroes of Hyrule” makes us wish we could’ve played it. It would have been a strategic spin on the franchise, borrowing elements from games like “Final Fantasy Tactics.” Players could have jumped between two time periods: a present day one of a new character named Kori, and the past that focused on a Goron, Zora, and Rito warrior. According to engineer Paul Tozour, the pitch was immediately rejected by Nintendo, with no clear explanation as to why except that it just wasn’t interested. Which of these cancellations do you wish had been released? Let us know in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great gaming videos!
