Pandemonium! (Jul 19, 1996 prototype)
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| Download Pandemonium! (Jul 19, 1996 prototype) (info) |
A prototype of Pandemonium! for the Sony PlayStation.
Origin
Disc front.
_(Preproduction)_-_Disc_Label.jpg)
Differences
From the previous beta (5 June 1996)
- 18 levels on the MAP are now playable; the white-dot between levels 6 and 7, and the one after 18, don't do anything
- Nikki now has her double-jump (but Fargus is still lacking his roll-attack)
- Most of the earlier levels (the ones featured in the previous beta) are more-refined and matching the final game, with many-more textures now in-place
- Gold stars now give you unlimited shots (not 3 per-star, as was the previous beta), but the powerup only lasts for about 15 seconds, with the countdown resetting (not accumulating) if you collect multiple stars in-a-row. Due to this change, there is no-longer a "shots-remaining" counter in the on-screen display
- Some of the red diamond collectables are now-worth up-to 25 points -- though, as with the previous beta, this one still doesn't feature LIVES, so collecting them doesn't seem to do anything
- A strange voice can be heard at various points throughout the game, saying something to the effect of "bring back the filename". This is first-encountered in the very first level, upon dropping-down into the second section. It seems to occur at the same time as on-screen graphical errors, so might indicate when a script has either failed, or some sort of object or texture referenced doesn't exist. You can avoid some instances by zooming-in (R1), which will reduce the polygon-count
- The slide found in the first level now works; in the previous beta, you just run-down it like a normal path
- The biting-plant enemies are now fully-textured
- The golden keys are now larger in-size, though still not as-large as those in the final game
- There are a number of times when you can randomly float up into the air, such as in the first level, once inside the skull
- Some of the bonus-rooms found in the final game have been added
- The shooting-head traps found in the first level now shoot on a timed basis (one shot about every 3 seconds), rather than only when you move-over the arrows; the arrows texture has been removed as a result
- The third-level has changed direction since the previous beta; in this version, you start-out running to the right, and when you reach the circular section, you also move right (counter-clockwise) around it; in the previous beta, this was the only level where you start-out going left, and move clockwise around the circular section. The final game matches the change in direction found in this beta
- The poison-plants, with the magenta tops, now spit-out their pink, acid-bubbles; in the previous beta, they were fairly-harmless as they didn't do this attack
- Two new transformations are now available in the later-levels: the dinosaur, which features the horn-charge attack; and the "dragon", though while in this transformation your character is grey and untextured, and looks more like a witch: you can still fly in all-directions, but there is no attack (unlike the flame-breath in the final game).
- An unused vehicle also exists: in the same level as the "dragon" transformation is a wooden contraption which you can stand in the middle of, and then have to hold JUMP to make it ascend, and run left or right to move in that direction. As it is essentially a more-awkward-to-control version of the dragon, this is likely why it was dropped. You also cannot get-off the vehicle once on it, until you come to the next part of the level defined as "on-foot", at which point your character automatically jumps-out
Screenshots
"Map" screen, in this beta
Once you drop-down here, a strange voice is heard
The area past the waterfall in LEVEL01 is still untextured in this beta also
The slide in the first level now works
A small heart, which like in the final game...
...restores one hit-point
A large heart, which in this beta and the previous one...
...awards an extra hit-point! You won't get them so-easily in the final!
The green pickup here can be collected in this beta
The star pickups now give you unlimited plasma shots, but only for 15 seconds
In some areas, you randomly fly-off up into the air!
This heart cannot be collected
Doors that open now added at the end of LEVEL01
Though they are untextured at the start of LEVEL02!
The gold-keys are now bigger
The glass-roof here now matches the final more-closely
The biting-plant enemies now have their textures
This switch is red, compared to the grey in the previous beta
Many of the levels now feature this architecture to mark the exit
Unlike in the previous beta, LEVEL03 sees you go right (as with the final), not left, at the start...
...and right (counter-clockwise) at the circular section too, again, the same as in the final
One of the new bonus-areas now added
Where the bonus leads to; five gold stars are available in the bottom-right area
The "shooting-head" traps now fire about once every 3-4 seconds
Unlike in the previous beta, you can jump atop this roof
The poison-plant enemies actually release their harmful bubbles as of this beta
An example of a large diamond pickup...
...which is worth 25 points!
Some very-pixelated sprite assets
The falling-rock area is now fully-textured...
...and is another place a newly-added bonus area can be found!
You still cannot finish this level though!
Some oddly-textured assets in the background
Some sprites which have not had their transparency set correctly
You can actually get past the point you couldn't in the previous beta, on this level!
Though you cannot complete the level, as this floating mushroom-head doesn't move
Not sure if this sign exists in the final game?
In this beta, the dinosaur transformation is available
The game crashes beyond this point in this level
The rolling-logs are now textured... and harm you!
In this area, the large black ball was added
Unlike in the previous beta, you can enter this area
A vehicle removed from the final game...
...hold JUMP to go up, and run left or right to move in that direction
The darts are untextured
You encounter the removed vehicle here also...
...but as you approach it, the door behind you becomes a solid wall...
...and instead the transformation-gates appear and you become the dragon... sort of!
Not sure if this background was used in the final?
The letters "AFP" spelt-out using diamonds
See also
Original release page on Archive.org. (Archive)