Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2/Roll-o-Rama (lost builds of cancelled GameCube action puzzle games; 2001-2002)

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2's title screen.

Status: Lost

Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble 2 is the cancelled sequel to the Game Boy Color game Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble for the GameCube. Announced back in 2001, it was one of the few games that would've taken advantage of the Game Boy Advance to GameCube link cable, using the GameCube as a display for the game, and the GBA itself as a motion-sensor controller.^[1]^[2]

But once 2002 arrived, the game had drastically changed. While the controls and setup were still the same, all traces of the Kirby theming that the game initially had was seemingly dropped, with Kirby now being replaced by generic abstract shapes, all the Kirby-themed areas and set-ups being replaced with different styled set-ups, and the title of the game being renamed to Roll-o-Rama.^[3]

Then after all of that, the game was seemingly cancelled. And nothing of the game had been seen ever since.

Gameplay

As mentioned earlier, the game would've used the Game Boy Advance and GameCube link cable to function, possibly needing a disc and a cart to play, with the cart having its own built-in motion sensor to control Kirby. Players would have to navigate Kirby around an obstacle course up to the finish. And if Kirby were to fall off the stage, he would appear on the GBA screen itself, where either King Dedede will appear to toss Kirby back up, or Kirby will enter some sort of mini-level in the style of the first Tilt 'n' Tumble game's levels.

Not much is known about how Roll-o-Rama would've played, but it's widely believed to be similar to Tilt 'n' Tumble 2 as mentioned above. Albeit with all of the Kirby-themed elements removed.

Cancellation

Not much is known about why the game was canned. Though some fans speculate it to be how convoluted and complicated the setup for the game was. For starters, it needed a GameCube, a GBA, a GameCube Disc, a Game Boy Advance cart with motion sensor detection, a GameCube to GBA link cable, potentially more GBA's and link-up cables if multiplayer was to ever be considered, and probably more things on top of that. Overall, the setup was probably deemed too much for what's supposed to be a simple game because of all of this, and it likely would've cost a lot of recourses to produce and sell out in its playable form as a result.

Availability

Considering how old the games are, it's highly unlikely anyone at Nintendo or HAL may still retain a copy of them after all these years. And adding Nintendo's very protective nature over their unreleased roms and builds on top of that, it's highly unlikely these games will resurface.

Eventually, though, a follow-up to Tilt 'n' Tumble would later arrive in the form of Kirby's Dream Buffet 20 years later on the Nintendo Switch. But even then, that game doesn't seem to borrow any ideas or assets seen in Tilt 'n' Tumble 2, outside of it being a follow-up to the original Tilt 'n' Tumble and the Rolling-ball gameplay minus the motion controls of course.