Cancelled Quake GBA port found on developer’s 256MB Flash Card

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This is a blast from the past

Quake
(Image credit: id Software)

Since its release in 1996, Quake has had many ports, allowing FPS fans across a huge variety of platforms from Sega Saturn to Nintendo Switch to enjoy its high-speed action. It turns out that the game also had Game Boy Advance port that, until now, has never seen the light of day. 

Forest of Illusion, a group dedicated to preserving Nintendo's history, revealed the unreleased version of Quake for GBA on Twitter. The port was worked on in 2002 by seasoned game developer Randy Linden, whose other projects include the SNES port of Doom. Lindin reached out to Forest of Illusion when he discovered a prototype for the game on a 256MB Flash Card in his storage.

The game looks hugely impressive for a handheld title, surpassing almost any other 3D game available on the Game Boy Advance at the time. "I've seen some impressive 3D games on the GBA, but nothing like this. I can't imagine how it would've looked like had it been released in a finished state," says one Twitter user. You can see the game for yourself in the video below.

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According to a blog post detailing the discovery, Forest of Illusion says that the game doesn't contain any assets from Quake and that Lindin hasn't contacted developer id Software about potentially using them. When asked by Twitter user schbirid if this meant the project was "unauthorized and unofficial", Lindin confirmed that it was. 

The decline in popularity for the GBA eventually led to Lindin repurposing the data to use in his own game, Cyboid. "Initially starting out titled as "Meat", Cyboid was created to be a small and fast-paced game that you could come back to over and over again. Definitely be sure to check it out!" says Forest of Illusion. You can do just that by visiting Lindin's website. 

While you're here, why not also check out our pick of the best FPS games you can play right now. 

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.