A never released curiosity
Sadly, Vanished Powers is not actually available anywhere to play as it was never actually finished. Just a handful of screenshots, a short video and some intriguing sketches seem to be available and hint at what could have been a fascinating action RPG. The game was being developed by NEON Software, a German company responsible for Tunnel B1 and Mr. Nutz: Hoppin' Mad, and was due for release by mega publisher Ocean, home to classics from Robocop to Operation Wolf and New Zealand Story. Regarding Vanished Powers itself, little is really known, other than what can be gleaned from the few screenshots, while the reasons behind its lack of progress and release are largely unknown, although it is likely due to the purchase of Ocean by Infogrammes. The screenshots reveal an isometric approach with a fantasy style, with prerendered backgrounds and plenty of FMV sequences promised. Over 70 weird monsters were also teased as well as what appears to be a fairly open world to explore. There are no real details on what the story would have been about, but the video and screenshots show a fairly typical fantasy hero wandering around with a big sword, while background characters are impressively dressed in some lovely costumes. The environments appear quite lush, with plenty of detail, although in terms of gameplay little can really be gleaned as to what might have been. However, the few tantalizing glimpses of Vanished Powers suggest that the game could have been an interesting take on the action/RPG genre and it's just a little sad that we'll never know how it might have turned out.
