A formerly canceled Dune game was released 20 years after its conception. Meet Dune: Ornithopter.
So... I'm getting this right, yes? Dune: Ornithopter Assault? That's the name they went with? Ornithopter? I feel like I'm getting a lisp and a stroke just trying to say that. Who came up with that? Oh, yeah... some dude 20 years ago, because Dune Ornithopter Assault was supposed to be a GBA game. Remember what that stands for? Game Boy Advance. That's right, folks, this one goes way back.
Dune: Ornithopter Assault Released After 20 Years
Elland: The Crystal Wars \/ will be released today on Steam.This Game Boy Advance game was developed by Hungarian studio Soft Brigade 2 decades ago as Dune: Ornithopter Assault /\, before being canceled by Cryo Interactive in 2002. This is an unexpected return! pic.twitter.com/w9ap9Kfnxo
— The Spaceshipper (@TheSpaceshipper) October 3, 2022
Of course, Twitter saw it first, and as you can tell from the Tweet above, the game will be released under a new title: Elland The Crystal Wars. Probably because the Dune IP just got a massive price-hike after Timothy and co did their thing. Ironically the Dune hype is arguably the only reason this game was released now... it's the best window of opportunity the devs will get to productively unload a 20-year old game.
Maybe you expected a different type of Dune game when clicking on this article, but hey... I'm just a clever messenger. Still, you can get this retro goodness on Steam, and if the following description ain't doing it for you, nothing will:
You are Ethan Lancashire, one of the finest of Elland Inc.'s fighter pilots. Across more than 20 dangerous missions you will pilot advanced flying machines that can move, turn and hover, and come equipped with a variety of weapons and utilities, fitted as the mission requires. Weapons can be set to lock-on or aimed manually.