The California Raisins: The Grape Escape (found build of unreleased Capcom NES game; 1990)

Cover of the game.

Status: Found

Date found: 21 Jan 2003

Found by: Brandon Murphy

The California Raisins: The Grape Escape is an unreleased 1990 NES video game produced by Capcom that was scheduled for release in 1991.

The game starred the California Raisins anthropomorphic raisin mascots, who were popularized by a series of stop-motion animated TV ads for the dried fruit treats in the 1980s.

It was cancelled due to their dwindling popularity in the 1990s, and the game wouldn't resurface online for another 13 years until a prototype of the game was found in Florida in 2003 by Brandon Murphy.

Premise

The player would control one of the California Raisins in an effort to save his fellow Raisins and their musical notes from the Wild Bunch.

Cartridge

On January 21st, 2003, a prototype cartridge was found in Florida by Brandon Murphy.

After an article was published, game collectors began haggling with Brandon to sell the game and release the ROM image, and so the cart was sold to a collector, followed by a ROM image being released on August 1st, 2003.

Gallery

Full game walkthrough.

Title screen.