Crash Bandicoot: Warped (Jul 17, 1998 prototype)

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Crash Bandicoot: Warped (Jul 17, 1998 prototype)
Crash Bandicoot: Warped (Jul 17, 1998 prototype)
Build date	July 17, 1998
Build name	Alpha Demonstration
Dump status	Released
Dumped by	psx-collector
Released by	Darkaiser, psx-collector
File release date	December 25, 2023
Origin	CD-R
Labels	CRASH BANDICOOT 3 PREVIEW VERSION NTSC
Dump method	Redumper (Plextor PX-W5224TA)
Ownership	psx-collector
Game	Crash Bandicoot: Warped
System	PlayStation
Genre	Platform
Final build	US Oct 11, 1998; EU Oct 28, 1998; JP Nov 19, 1998;
Release date	US Nov 4, 1998; EU Dec 5, 1998; JP Dec 17, 1998;
Article	A Very Bandicoot Christmas - Crash Bandicoot: Warped Prototype

A prototype of Crash Bandicoot: Warped for the PlayStation.

Notes

The Cutting Room Floor research

This prototype has a research article on TCRF.

A dongle protection is present in this build, which is a memory card containing specific data that needs to be read in order to boot the game. The game will reach the Universal logo screen before halting.
- To boot the game, you can either download the memory card dongle file in mcd format here (it must be inserted into memory card slot 1), or patch the disc image file using this xdelta patch.
Starts with a screen warning the user that the disc is an "Alpha Demonstration Disc".
The startup sequence is barebones and the title screen has no background.
A music track not used in the final version of the game - which was a demo track for the underwater levels - plays at the startup screens and as the theme for the warp room.
The intermission vortex cutscenes, opening cutscene and ending cutscenes are all missing throughout the game.
Most of the music tracks is incomplete, usually with different melodies or rhythm.
- All tracks are in mono, regardless of the output option.
The load/save screen doesn't have the "LOAD-SAVE" text imprinted on it, and has a much more basic design, with a blue border around it. Coco also stands in place on the right side of the screen.
A lot of elements present are incomplete and use Crash 2 placeholders, including Crash's idle animations, loading screens, save file icons, game over screen, etc.
The characters have earlier icons - the returning characters re-use the portrait from Crash 2, while the newcomers are seemingly styled after Crash 2 in terms of size and shading.
Sapphire relics are known as Silver relics instead.
Stopwatches were originally iron crates with a clock graphic on them, taking the form of an outline crate before retrieving the level's crystal.
Time Trial mode is in a primitive state - there are no time crates, fruits are not removed from the level, and none of the original crates are replaced aside from the checkpoints.
- Relics have placeholder times of 2:00:00 for Silver, 1:40:00 for Gold, and 1:15:00 for Platinum.
- Bonus rounds can still be accessed.
There are no specific music tracks for bonus rounds and alternate routes.
Bounce crates can be bounced up to six times, and you get one Wumpa fruit on the sixth bounce.
The box tally does not show the total in bonus rounds.
Aku Aku's nose is colored red in his default state.
The Fruit Bazooka controls are very clunky at this point.
- You can pull out the Fruit Bazooka anywhere - warp room, boss fight, etc.
In some of the levels it's not possible to break all crates, making it impossible to collect gems from them.
- Gee Wiz's unreachable crates, in particular, are leftovers from an earlier version of its bonus stage, hidden far outside the level.
Most colored gems are swapped around - Toad Village holds the blue gem, Dino Might! holds the red gem, and Tomb Wader holds the purple gem.
Some of the levels have early names - Bone Yard and Dino Might! names are swapped, Makin' Waves is called "Aye Matey", Road Crash is called "Roadkill", Sphynxinator is called "Tomb Too", and Future Frenzy is called "Future 1" (or "Fast Forward" in the pause menu).
In the Prehistoric levels, the triceratops that chases Crash is ridden by a caveman lab assistant.
Wizard lab assistants take two hits to defeat. The first hit destroys their wizard costume, exposing their underwear. This still occurs in the final NTSC-U version if you hit them with the bazooka, but otherwise they go down in one hit.
Dino Might! and Future Frenzy's alternate paths are death routes in this version, featuring the unused death route graphics for the Prehistoric and Future levels found in the final game.
The secret chamber can be accessed through a secret exit portal found at the end of the death route in Dino Might!. The room re-uses the level entrances from the first chamber as a placeholder.
Future Frenzy features very different enemy designs, more akin to their internal names:
- A bipedal enemy that leaps from one side to another was replaced with the force field robot.
- The UFO features a totally different design.
- Spiked shells were originally a metallic shell with large red eyes that dropped spikes around the body.
Mad Bombers features small flying bombs that are dropped by the airplanes when the player is behind them.
Many levels are missing from the disc - there are no boss fights other than Tiny Tiger, and all levels from the fifth chamber onwards are missing (apart from Mad Bombers).
A number of death animations are missing throughout the game.
Two cheat features can be enabled by pressing a single button:
- Press Triangle in the warp room to open all areas.
- Press L2 in the pause menu to get all colored gems and abilities.