Earlier this month, the Nintendo game preservationist group Forest of Illusion released a build of a cancelled N64 game that was being developed by Terraglyph Interactive Studios in 1999 – Carnivalé: Cenzo’s Adventure.
Based on the Tim Burton-inspired film Carnivalé, directed by Deane Taylor (Burton’s Art Director), the incomplete but functional version of the game was apparently leaked by one of the original developers, then made available to the public on the Forests of Illusion website. The game follows the events of the film, with Cenzo and his group of friends making their way around an amusement park, all depicted in typical, twisted Tim Burton style.
I spent some time playing Carnivalé this past weekend, and as expected for a game that was still in development, there are plenty of glitches, and confusion about what your objective is. From what I can discern, the gameplay involves attacking enemies to earn coins, which you in turn use to access new areas, or play mini-games that are located in tents around the carnival. There is a shooting game and a hilarious racing game. What the point of all this is, remains a mystery, and it seems like developers Terraglyph’ were figuring out the gameplay when Carnivalé was abruptly cancelled due to financial difficulties.
Kudos to the preservation team at Forest of Illusion for helping us all take a look at a game that could have been. You can check out Carnivalé for yourself via the link below.
https://illusion.64history.net/2022/carnivale-cenzos-adventure-usa-prototype
