Akira is a canceled video game based off of the film and manga series of the same name. The game, published by THQ, was intended for release sometime in 1994 and was planned for multiple consoles, including the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega CD, Game Boy and Game Gear.
Video and screenshots of the game have circulated on the Internet, though a ROM of the game has yet to surface.
History
Developer Jim Gregory, in an interview with video game website Hardcore Gaming 101, shared details regarding his experiences working on Akira. According to Gregory, the original developer Black Pearl had transferred the rights to the game during development to THQ. THQ made demands of the project that were not possible to perform due to the technical limitations of the consoles. The lead programmer of the game left the project which further compromised the development process. These factors played a large role in the game's cancellation.
Gregory stated in the interview with Hardcore Gaming 101 that a physical copy of Akira was never produced. The only playable builds were sent via modem to THQ. Despite this, THQ does not have a copy of the master in its archive. THQ mastering lab tech Ryan Arnold hypothesized that the master copy is currently in the possession of Akira's license holder.
In December 2013, video of Akira's gameplay was discovered in a video of the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show uploaded by YouTube user pookninja3. The footage of the gameplay was taken from the Sega Genesis version of the game.
Gameplay
Video game journalist Phil Theobald shared his experiences playing the Sega Genesis version of Akira at the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show. According to Theobald, each level of the game played differently. A motorcycle racing level, a first person shooter level, an isometric perspective level, a beat-em-up level and a side-scrolling platformer level were all included in the game. Screenshots and the video of the game confirm much of his account.