In-game city view
The unnamed Strider project was a game proposal for a tentative Strider remake/reboot worked on by Swedish studio GRiN during 2009. Never officially announced, its existence came to light in 2012 when the project and surviving assets were revealed by the Spanish website AnaitGames.[1][2]
About[]
According to an anonymous source speaking to Retro Gamer, GRiN got the deal for Strider while working on Bionic Commando and before anyone knew how the game would be received, possibly believing it'd be a hit[3]. Gameplay concepts took many different turns, with the first take being a "super abstract design" that was unique. Some time later, the project landed in the hands of GRiN Barcelona.[3]
Game material was being worked on by GRiN's Barcelona branch for a short time before its cancelation. The game was to be a remake of the original in full 3D environments, meant to have "restored the franchise, adapting it to current times" in a similar way Bionic Commando: Rearmed did to the Bionic Commando franchise[1]. The known pre-production material is mostly of a generic nature, showing concept art and 3D renders of several locations, stages and characters. The group also worked on a short teaser alongside animation studio 23Lunes, which was originally found in their website under the title "Snow Teaser"[1][2]. The teaser shows a russian soldier wandering around an icy wasteland (Siberia?), before being killed by an unseen figure.
The game was reportedly cancelled a few months after the May release of Bionic Commando. Trying to salvage the work already done, the team attempted to create a prototype with new mechanics while recycling what they already had. It's said GRiN approached UbiSoft attempting to pitch the new game, but negotiations fell through. Soon afterwards, GRiN went bankrupt and the project gone with them.[1][2]
GRiN's "Ninja Game"[]
Before GRiN's Strider project was revealed to the public, a group of sketches for an unfinished "ninja game" were discovered in the online portfolio of a former GRiN artist[4]. Since there's nothing indicating they were part of the same project, whether these images are related to Strider or not is currently unknown.
These sketches are mostly focused on gameplay features, most notably a "ninja energy" meter that'd have been used for several different offensive and defensive techniques, from basic moves such as super jumping, dashing or deflecting bullets to more advanced techniques like bullet-dodging and special energy attacks. Another feature showed the ability to hijack enemies, including dinosaur-like beasts, 4-legged spider tanks and attack helicopters.
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 chiconuclear (February 21, 2012). GRIN: Los Juegos Perdidos (Spanish). AnaitGames.com. Retrieved October 4, 2012
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Wesley Yin-Poole (February 21, 2012). Bionic Commando Dev Grin worked on Strider Reboot, Streets of Rage Remake (English). Eurogamer.net. Retrieved October 4, 2012
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Jones, Darran (March 2014). "The Story of Strider", section "The Missing Strider - The game that Grin was making". Retro Gamer (126). Pg. 36
- ↑ Ishaan (January 10, 2010). Another Undisclosed Grin Project, This One's For A Ninja Game (English). Siliconera.com. Retrieved October 4, 2012
| The Development of Strider | |
|---|---|
| Development sub-pages | Strider (CPS-1) • Strider (NES) • Strider (Mega Drive) • Strider II Strider (PC Engine) • Strider 2 • Strider (2014) |
| Prerelease content | Strider (CPS-1) • Strider (NES) • Strider (Mega Drive) • Strider 2 • Strider (2014) |
| Unused content | Strider (CPS-1) • Strider (PC Engine) • Strider (NES) • Strider 2 • Strider (2014) Unused enemies • Unused stages |
| Cancelled games | Strider Hiryu (Famicom prototype) • Untitled game projects • Untitled GRiN Project |
| Related | Cannon Dancer (Prerelease content • Unused content) Isuke's scenario draft |