The classic anime film Akira was set to receive a game adaptation for the Sega Mega Drive, all the way back in 1995.

Developed by Black Pearl Software, it was shown at trade shows and in magazines, but was ultimately never released. It was thought to be lost to the void forever, until a prototype of the game finally saw the light of day thanks to the folks over at Hidden Palace.

The brief description of the video reads as follows:

Developed by Black Pearl Software sometime in late 1993 for a planned released in 1995, this game attempted to do a faithful adaptation of the original film by presenting various key scenes from the film in unique ways. The game features first person shooting, racing, platforming, and beat-em up segments to help illustrate the various points in the movie’s story. Thought to have been lost since its initial debut in various media as well as the Summer Consumer Electronic Show (SCES 94) in 1994, an early prototype has been discovered and is presented for the first time in full! A huge thank you goes to Matsuda and an anonymous donor for giving us an opportunity to preserve and share this wonderful gem! Enjoy!

More information can be gleaned via The Hidden Palace’s website. It seems the game cannot be played from start to finish, and is an earlier build than the one shown at SCES ’94.

There are also numerous bugs, as well as missing enemies and frequent crashes. It’s still pretty cool to be able to finally get a glimpse at a piece of gaming history, however–especially with an IP as influential as Akira.