Pandemonium! (Jun 5, 1996 prototype)

Pandemonium! (Jun 5, 1996 prototype)
Build date Jun 5, 1996 19:37:06 Build name Beta Dump status Released, redump needed Released by Hidden Palace File release date April 17, 2021 Origin CD-R Lot Project Deluge Labels Pandemonium very beta Dump method PLEXTOR DVDR PX-716UF 1.11 03/23/07 15:10 (CloneCD) Game Pandemonium! System PlayStation Genre Platformer Final build JP Dec 19, 1996 EU Oct 9, 1996 US Oct 2, 1996 Release date JP Feb 28, 1997 EU Oct 9, 1996 US Oct 31, 1996

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A prototype of Pandemonium! for the PlayStation.

Notes

• Very early, with no startup disclaimers, logos, sequences etc.
• Opens to a simple title card, then goes straight into the game.
• Game begins in an interesting level select menu, in the form of a playable "level".
  • Different angle of view, zoomed out
  • Walk over a square and press Triangle, then X, to select a level.
• No loading screen before the level
• Different HUD/status display
• Noticeably different first level, less detailed
• Different music for the level, also
• Miscellaneous Notes:
  • Game is emulatable: Yes (as of April 17, 2021).
  • Game contains dongle protection: No.
  • Game contains debugging symbols: N/A
  • Dump was originally scrambled: No

Differences (from final)

• No map-screen yet, only a rudimentary "flat" level-select is offered, and of the 18 slots, only levels 1-7 and 9-12 work. Level 8 makes the game lock-up; levels 13-18 just return you to the left of the Level 1 square
• Different controls: TRIANGLE, not X, is used to jump and enter levels; and R1 and R2 can be used to zoom the camera in and out, a mechanic removed in the final
• Change characters during levels: during a level, press SELECT to switch-character. In the final game, this is only possible on the MAP screen, not during a level (unless the "BODYSWAP" cheat is used, then TRIANGLE is used to switch). Not that this ability offers anything in this beta, because (see next point...)
• Nikki and Fargus lack their final unique abilities: Nikki lacks her double-jump, and Fargus does not have his roll-attack, meaning both characters play exactly the same

Collectables:

• Red-diamonds are the main collectable, instead of coins in the final; most are worth 1, but the larger-ones can be worth 5 or 10. As LIVES don't exist in this beta, collecting them appears to do nothing (whereas in the final, every 300 value collected in coins awards a new life)
• Gold-stars give three-shots of pink-plasma balls each time they are collected (which is the only "weapon" in this beta). The shots reset to 0 between levels.
• Keys exist, but are much-smaller than in the final, so harder-to-see.
• Hearts exist in two-forms: small, which function the same as in the final, restoring one hit-point; and large, which add an extra hit-point, up-to a maximum of 8 within a level. These last only for that level, and you start each level with 3 hit-points. (Unlike in the final where hit-points are found through secrets within certain levels, but are then permanently-kept between levels).
• Green "clubs": similar to the "club" or "clover" symbol in a pack of playing-cards, these can be found a handful of times within each stage, though seem to have no purpose

Controls

• TRIANGLE to jump, and to enter levels (stand in the middle of a white square on the "map" screen, then jump). In the final game, X is used. When held-down on a trampoline, or while landing on an enemy, allows a higher jump-off to be performed
• SQUARE to fire a shot (after a gold-star has been collected; each star grants three shots. Right-most on-screen counter shows shots remaining, which always resets to 0 between levels)
• D-Pad Left and D-Pad Right to move left or right
• D-Pad Down to duck. When transformed to the TURTLE, makes you invincible while held-down, required for getting-past some circular-saws
• R1 to zoom camera in (removed from final game)
• R2 to zoom camera out (removed from final game)
• START to pause; press SELECT while paused to return to the MAP
• SELECT to change between Nikki and Fargus at any-time! (In the final-game, this is only possible via the "BODYSWAP" cheat, where TRIANGLE is then used. Otherwise, you can only change characters while on the MAP, between-levels)

Screenshots

• 

  Title card for this beta

• 

  The MAP SCREEN. Stand on a square and jump (TRIANGLE) to enter...

• 

  ...note that levels 8, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 18 do not work.

• 

  No power-up is offered when toppling this statue, unlike in the final

• 

  Press SELECT at any-time during a level...

• 

  ...to switch character!

• 

  Hold R2 to zoom-out (to the maximum shown)...

• 

  ...or R1 to zoom-in (to the maximum shown)

• 

  Expect many untextured areas

• 

  The "cliff-skull" as of this beta

• 

  A "green club" collectible, this one seemingly unreachable

• 

  Beta end-of-level effect

• 

  Beta walking-enemy

• 

  Beta lava

• 

  Beta glass-roof

• 

  A trap which fires a triangular bolt when you step on the arrows...

• 

  ...which is the head of one of the purple enemies

• 

  You cannot jump onto this roof...

• 

  ...however, enter this door...

• 

  ...then exit back out...

• 

  ...and then you'll appear atop it!

• 

  Another of the beta "green clubs"

• 

  The front-view of the beta Invulnerability Shield looks similar...

• 

  ...but the final doesn't feature this reverse-view

• 

  A very untextured area, where the game usually crashes near the end...

• 

  ...however, jump at the right spot and you can get past it...

• 

  ...though you cannot finish this level!

• 

  You complete this slide-section as the frog, unlike in the final

• 

  It would seem in this level, you cannot get further than this point

• 

  Closest view of one of the beta "green club" collectibles

• 

  Possibly the only level in this beta that ends with this platform

• 

  The (untextured) rolling-logs don't hurt you in the beta, but do push you backwards a lot more

• 

  You can ride this hot-air balloon into the trees...

• 

  ...once it goes behind them, jump and move left or right to return to the previous area

• 

  A level-background I don't think is used in the final

• 

  A view of the waterfalls in this beta

• 

  After you get the key here, go right in the area below to make the wall open...

• 

  ...though the game crashes once you enter the area to the right, anyway!

Origin

• 

  Disc front.

Files

File	Type	Date	Size	SHA-1
PSX - Pandemonium very beta.img	File	2020-12-14 04:09:15	43.27 MB	29390253daaac752e7eeea087114242b77fac2f1
PSX - Pandemonium very beta.cue	File	2020-12-14 04:08:33	91 bytes	3452a921b0c244c0562aad8ed53685f4db669bef
PSX - Pandemonium very beta.ccd	File	2020-12-14 04:08:33	771 bytes	ea6bf60d8c4768ed6135cb7514d741a1670b729e
PSX - Pandemonium very beta.sub	File	2020-12-14 04:09:19	1.77 MB	07be960e047d8c0643f70dff257f0ac102fe9d81
PSX - Pandemonium very beta.jpeg	File	2021-03-14 12:15:02	970.9 KB	fcf52c17696c4993b37147bf840a4e3dead07772

Acknowledgments

A huge thanks to Iniche for doing the initial research on this prototype!

See also

• Project Deluge: PlayStation 1, Saturn, and CD-i (April 17, 2021)
• Cutting Room Floor (TCRF)
• Internet Archive (IA)