A Superman video game that was never officially announced and was canceled before release has been revealed to the world for the first time through a leaked prototype.
The Superman license hasn't been particularly successful in the video game world, barring crossover DC fighting games (like the Injustice series). The problem with making a Superman game is that he's just too powerful in a variety of different ways to come up with interesting challenges without going full Dragon Ball Z and losing the essence of the character. This is why many Superman games either drastically weaken his powers and pit him against regular foes or go the Superman 64 route and have him flying through hoops for most of the game.
There was once going to be a Superman video game for the Nintendo Game Boy Color, but it was canceled before release due to a number of issues. The game in question is Superman: Battle for Metropolis, which has been revealed by Hidden Palace as part of its holiday celebrations.
Superman: Battle for Metropolis was originally developed by Neon Studios and was going to be published by Infogrames, but the development was restricted by rules imposed by the license holders of Superman. The prototype failed to impress the license holders and the project was shelved. Superman: Battle for Metropolis was never formally announced and this leaked prototype that was donated to The Hidden Palace is the first time that the public has been made aware of the game.
Superman: Battle for Metropolis is a mixture between an action-platformer and an overhead shooter. There are levels where Superman can fly around the stage and fight enemies and others that have side-scrolling stages with a top-down view that follow Superman as he is flying. The game is in an incomplete state and the leaked ROM is prone to crashing at random moments, but the Hidden Palace YouTube channel has a full gameplay video that fans can check out.
It's amazing to think that there are still hidden video games in the Internet era, where so much information about the industry has been chronicled. Superman: Battle for Metropolis was canned back in 2001, but it turns out that the Man of Tomorrow won't stay defeated for long.
Source: The Hidden Palace/Twitter, Hidden Palace/YouTube, Hidden Palace