The Canceled Castlevania You Never Knew Existed
The Dreamcast was an ambitious console that ultimately ended in failure, largely due to several mistakes made by Sega. One of the biggest complaints was that the console simply didn't have enough games. It seems that there might have been one in the works many fans didn't know about though.
Someone has supposedly discovered a Sega branded disc labeled "Castlevania Resurrection" and dated Nov. 5, 1999. This individual posted a video titled "Castlevania Resurrection Exists!" on YouTube which shows them placing the disc into a Sega Dreamcast and playing what appears to be a prototype of the game.
The gameplay displayed in the video shows the Konami logo, followed by the Castlevania Resurrection title card. The game loads in showing the name "Sonia" under a health bar and what appears to be a female protagonist running through various gothic settings which are typical of Castlevania games. You also see her dodging spectral enemies that launch fiery attacks. The person controlling the game uses a rudimentary menu system to skip around different levels. There are seven options on this "Section Selection Menu" — logo, title, courtyard, stairs, hall, corridor and chapel.
Castlevania has a long and confusing timeline, so lost games like this can be difficult to place. During an interview with The Castlevania Dungeon, Resurrection art director Greg Orduyan said the project was pretty far along when Konami pulled the plug. "We had a working version of the game that still needed to be optimized, physics to be finalized, and additional art designs. When the game was cancelled, it was eventually sent back to Japan so they could look at it for reference for future 3D Castlevanias," said Orduyan. "The game was cancelled the same day that Sony announced the PS2."
The inclusion of the name "Sonia" could be an indicator of the legitimacy of this prototype. Sonia Belmont was the first female lead in the series. She is largely thought of as a character who fell short of her potential, however, as her epic backstory was confined in one of the worst games in the series — Castlevania Legends. Resurrection was intended to be her second appearance before the game's cancelation.
Several of the commenters on the YouTube video are calling for the uploader to make an ISO available online to preserve the abandoned game and allow others to experience it on their own Dreamcasts. However, the unapproved publication of copyrighted content is generally illegal.