Shinkai (lost build of cancelled simulation/action game for Famicom; 1989)

Promotional flyer for the game.

Status: Lost

Shinkai (神界, lit: God World) was a life simulation/action game for the Nintendo Famicom developed by Shōei System (Shouei System) and Toei Animation, with character designs by the manga author/artist Kenji Wakabayashi. At first, the game plays as a standard life simulation. However, when the player character dies, you'll be judged for all of your past actions. Depending on whether or not you were a good person, you'll either be sent to Heaven or Hell. The game was very ambitious for its time; It contained two distinct types of gameplay, and multiple branching scenarios depending on the players actions. However, it seems development was troublesome, as although early reviews were fairly positive, no one could give an exact estimate on when the game would be released. In the end, Shinkai was never released to the public, and it now remains lost.

Review from the April 14th, 1989 issue of Famitsu translated into English.

Gameplay

In Shinaki, the player is tasked with completing different deeds/events in the world of the living.^[1] When the player dies, King Enma, the Buddhist King of Hell, will decide their fate. If the player was good and helped others while alive, they'll be sent to Heaven. If the player was bad, they'll be sent to Hell. In Hell, the game shifts from a life simulation to an action game, and consists of four stages: Flames (火炎), Needles (針), Water (水), and Stone (岩).^[2]

Availability

Reviews for the game began to appear in gaming magazines between the months of April-May of 1989, including publications like Famitsu and Famimaga. These reviews either provide no release date for the game, or state that the release date is "未定" or "Undecided".

The image posted by Twitter user @EndymionProgram contained a brief section on Shinkai and its current state of development.

On February 10th, 2022, Twitter user @EndymionProgram posted an image from an unknown publication, simply stating it was from an "old famicom magazine".^[3] However, this image was noteworthy, as it contained information on various cancelled games, including Shinkai. The text reads as such:

「神界」のタイトルと画面が発表されたのは89年のNO.8じゃが、発売日は未定のまま。「諸般の事情により、発売日をみあわせています。でも、開発はほぼ終了していますよ。 (映像事業部・池田さん)」

When translated into English, it reads:

The title "Shinkai" along with screenshots were announced in our No.8 1989 issue, but its release date is currently undecided. "Due to several circumstances, the release date has been postponed. However, development is almost complete." (Imaging Division; Mr. Ikeda)

It's heavily implied by Mr. Ikeda that Shinkai was far into development when it was cancelled. It's unknown what caused Shinkai to be delayed, or why it was never released. The game is currently unavailable to the public, and its whereabouts are unknown.

Gallery

Review from Famitsu Apr 14, 1989
Review from Famitsu May 12-24, 1989
Review from Famimaga 1989 (Volume number unknown)
Title screen and other screenshots from Toei Animation's 1989 corporate brochure^[4].