Dragon King: The Fighting Game (lost early prototype of "Super Smash Bros." crossover fighting game; 1990s)

Screenshots of the prototype.

Status: Lost

The immensely popular 1999 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. originally began development without any ties to established Nintendo franchises under the title Kakuto-Geemu Ryuoh, which translates to Dragon King: The Fighting Game. Very little is known about the game, and the only pieces of evidence that prove it exists are in the form of 3 screenshots that were released in an "Iwata Asks" interview with series director Masahiro Sakurai.^[1]

Based on the screenshots, the game would have played very similarly to the game it eventually became.^[2] It is also speculated that the nameless fighter in the game became Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros., as the Dragon King character appears to use some of Falcon's attacks and shares a similar looking model and pose. This theory has since been greatly elaborated on in a Smash Compendium piece.^[3]