Sunman (video game)
{{More citations needed | date = June 2011}}
{{Infobox video game
| title = Sunman
| image = Sunman Title.png
| caption = Sunman title screen
| developer = EIM
| publisher = Sunsoft
| platforms = Nintendo Entertainment System
| released = Canceled (intended for 1992)
| genre = Action
| modes = Single-player
| director = Kenji Eno
| producer = Chou Musou
Ikko Okumura
| programmer = Hideki Miura
Takaya Nakamura
| artist = Shingo Aoyama
Yoshiaki Kadowaki
| composer = Hirohiko Takayama
}}
Sunman is an unreleased action video game developed by EIM and planned to be published by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992. Despite being mostly complete, it was never commercially released.
Gameplay
The gameplay is similar to Sunsoft's Batman games, Batman and Batman: Return of the Joker, in that the character can run, jump, punch, and duck, although in this game the player can also fly simply by pushing up. There are also some side scrolling flying levels where the player can shoot laser/heat vision from Sunman's eyes. The game is divided into five stages, each made up of one to four areas, with a boss at the end of each stage.{{cite web|url=http://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/929003-sunman/faqs/37666|title=GameFAQs: Sunman (NES) FAQ/Walkthrough by teflon|last1=M.|first1=Jacob|date=2005-07-01|website=GameFAQs|publisher=GameFAQs|access-date=July 28, 2014}}
History
File:Sunman and Superman NES gameplay screenshot comparison.gif
The game features a superhero, named Sunman. He is reminiscent of Superman with his cape, and flying abilities - furthermore, the game's title screen is similar to the Superman logo. Sunsoft's involvement with other DC Comics character licenses lead some to speculate that Sunman was intended to be a Superman game, but DC for whatever reason decided not to go along and the game had some changes made to lose the likeness. In an interview with planner/director Kenji Eno, it was confirmed that this was originally intended to be a Superman game.{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/features/kenji-eno-breaks-silence|title=Kenji Eno: Reclusive Japanese Game Creator Breaks His Silence from 1UP.com|last1=Bettenhausen|first1=Shane|last2=Mielke|first2=James|date=2008-08-07|website=1UP.com|publisher=1UP.com|access-date=July 28, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729071816/http://www.1up.com/features/kenji-eno-breaks-silence|archive-date=July 29, 2014}}
The game was obtained by The Lost Levels, a website that specializes in unreleased and prototype video games, from a European collector without any information on what it was. It was to much surprise that the game could be functionally played through from start to finish.{{cite web|url=http://lostlevels.org/200311/200311-sunman.shtml|title=Lost Levels - A website about unreleased video games.|last1=Cowan|first1=Danny|date=November 2003|website=The Lost Levels|access-date=July 28, 2014}} The game was made available for play as a ROM for use with an NES emulator. The early, rough prototype of the ROM was also made for release on The Lost Levels, and it indeed had sprites of Superman as the original sprites for the main character, and the background music played in-game replaced with John Williams's Superman Theme.{{cite web|url=http://forums.lostlevels.org/viewtopic.php?t=2015|title=Lost Levels :: View topic - 24 new dumps, including 2 unreleased games|last1=Skrybe|date=2009-04-26|website=The Lost Levels|access-date=July 28, 2014}}{{cite web|url=http://www.siliconera.com/2009/04/27/unreleased-superman-game-for-nes-finds-life-on-the-internet/|title=Unreleased Superman Game For NES Finds Life On The Internet - Siliconera|last1=Spencer|date=2009-04-27|website=Siliconera|access-date=July 28, 2014}} Another unreleased Sunsoft cart in the US can be made to confirm that this was indeed Superman originally, as the levels are identical to Sunman, but they are in a less finished form, and the player is able to skip levels by pausing and pressing the select button.
In February 2014, a ROM hack was released by a user with the pseudonym Pacnsacdave of a full Sunman to Superman NES conversion. The hack changes the title screen, cutscenes, and sprites to those of the actual Superman prototype ROM.{{cite web|url=http://retrogamingmagazine.com/2014/02/19/game-hack-sunman-converted-back-superman-title/|title=Game Hack: Sunman Converted Back to Superman title - Retro Gaming Magazine|last1=Williams|first1=Carl|date=2014-02-19|website=Retro Gaming Mag|access-date=July 28, 2014}} It is unlicensed by Nintendo despite being marked as "Licensed by Nintendo" on the title screen.
See also
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://lostlevels.org/200311/200311-sunman.shtml Sunman] at The Lost Levels
{{Superman in popular media | state = collapsed}}
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Category:Cancelled Nintendo Entertainment System games
Category:Nintendo Entertainment System-only games
Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games
Category:Video games developed in Japan