Dragon King: The Fighting Game (lost early prototype of "Super Smash Bros." crossover fighting game; 1990s)

Screenshots of the prototype.

Status: Lost

The immensely popular 1999 crossover fighting game Super Smash Bros. originally began development without any ties to established Nintendo franchises under the title Kakuto-Geemu Ryuoh, which translates to Dragon King: The Fighting Game. Very little is known about the game, and the only pieces of evidence that prove it exists are in the form of 3 screenshots that were released in an "Iwata Asks" interview with series director Masahiro Sakurai.^[1]

Based on the screenshots, the game would have played very similarly to the game it eventually became. It is also speculated that the nameless fighter in the game became Captain Falcon in Super Smash Bros., as the Dragon King character appears to use some of Falcon's attacks and shares a similar-looking model and pose. This theory has since been greatly elaborated on in a Smash Compendium piece.