Trivia Browser
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When Astro Bot released, many players noted how there was no reference to Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII despite how important that game was to the original PlayStation, or any sort of Square Enix content in the game for that matter. During an interview with Game File, Nicolas Doucet (studio head of Team Asobi) hinted that the team had considered adding a cameo from Cloud, but were unable to get permission from Square Enix, stating it was "difficult to comment on that".
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Among the files uncovered in the 2020 Gigaleak, a massive breach of internal server data from Nintendo, are early assets for characters who do not appear in the final game:
• Early textures for Wisp and Blathers. Given that both characters would later debut in Animal Crossing and Doubutsu no Mori e+, the presence of these assets reveals that they were originally planned for the N64 game before being held off and redesigned for the GameCube ports. Both early models feature different faces for the characters, with Blathers in particular resembling Celeste, who would debut in Animal Crossing: Wild World (implying that her design likely drew inspiration from Blathers' scrapped N64 model).
• Textures for a scrapped female cat villager with the internal ID CAT13. As villagers were not originally intended to change clothes, her default outfit, a Beatnik shirt, is included in her texture pack. However, no other data for her is present, leaving it unclear what her personality was going to be. The CAT13 ID (also written as CATD in hexadecimal) was ultimately given to Ankha in Animal Crossing; it is unknown if the original CAT13 evolved into Ankha during development or if she was simply assigned the ID for the sake of convenience. In Wild World onward, which uses a new ID system, the cat13 ID (spelled in lowercase this time) is instead given to Stinky (whose ID was CAT8 in the N64 and GameCube installments).
• An ID for a scrapped bear villager, BEA3. No additional data is present in the leaked files, with their associated folder being completely absent, and no villagers in Animal Crossing reuse their ID.
• Early textures for Wisp and Blathers. Given that both characters would later debut in Animal Crossing and Doubutsu no Mori e+, the presence of these assets reveals that they were originally planned for the N64 game before being held off and redesigned for the GameCube ports. Both early models feature different faces for the characters, with Blathers in particular resembling Celeste, who would debut in Animal Crossing: Wild World (implying that her design likely drew inspiration from Blathers' scrapped N64 model).
• Textures for a scrapped female cat villager with the internal ID CAT13. As villagers were not originally intended to change clothes, her default outfit, a Beatnik shirt, is included in her texture pack. However, no other data for her is present, leaving it unclear what her personality was going to be. The CAT13 ID (also written as CATD in hexadecimal) was ultimately given to Ankha in Animal Crossing; it is unknown if the original CAT13 evolved into Ankha during development or if she was simply assigned the ID for the sake of convenience. In Wild World onward, which uses a new ID system, the cat13 ID (spelled in lowercase this time) is instead given to Stinky (whose ID was CAT8 in the N64 and GameCube installments).
• An ID for a scrapped bear villager, BEA3. No additional data is present in the leaked files, with their associated folder being completely absent, and no villagers in Animal Crossing reuse their ID.
subdirectory_arrow_right Antonball Deluxe (Game)
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Pizza Tower first saw attention with the demo released in the fan-run Sonic Amateur Game Expo (SAGE) 2018. To coincide with the expo being themed around Sonic the Hedgehog, a temporary joke character named "Snick the Porcupine" was added, with a backstory detailing how Peppino (dressed in blue like Sonic) had intended to go to SAGE, but ended up at the "Snick Amateur Games Expo" and instead made do with Snick's games (Pizza Tower levels). Upon clearing the SAGE demo, Snick will then turn into "Snick.EXE", a parody of the Sonic.exe creepypasta, starting an exclusive mode called "The Snick Challenge" where Peppino must evade Snick.EXE while playing through all 3 stages in the demo in order. The completion reward is a fully playable Snick with a unique moveset and animations, with taunts referencing a set of YouTube Poop music videos by user iteachvader that were based on the animated series Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Snick would later make a cameo in the SAGE 2020 demo for Antonball Deluxe - a game with connections to Pizza Tower - bringing back the same setting, playable Snick, and The Snick Challenge, but with Snick.EXE instead chasing the player through the regular demo playthrough and the requirement to collect "Ruckus Rubies" to unlock Snick. Since Snick was also not meant to appear in the final release, the Ruckus Rubies use directly-ripped sound effects from the Sonic series.
Despite his removal, Snick still makes many cameos in the final version of Pizza Tower. The tiles for the Slum hub area feature a Missing poster inquiring about Snick's whereabouts, the Refridgerator-Refridgerator-Freezerator stage features a similar Wanted poster on the side of a milk carton, one of Gustavo and Brick's taunts has Brick turn into Snick, and the Pizzaboy's Wash N' Clean area has Snick covered in a freshly-washed blanket, making him appear like a ghost. Peppino's blue outfit also returned under the name "Sage Blue", which can be unlocked by clearing Floor 1 in less than an hour.
Snick would later make a cameo in the SAGE 2020 demo for Antonball Deluxe - a game with connections to Pizza Tower - bringing back the same setting, playable Snick, and The Snick Challenge, but with Snick.EXE instead chasing the player through the regular demo playthrough and the requirement to collect "Ruckus Rubies" to unlock Snick. Since Snick was also not meant to appear in the final release, the Ruckus Rubies use directly-ripped sound effects from the Sonic series.
Despite his removal, Snick still makes many cameos in the final version of Pizza Tower. The tiles for the Slum hub area feature a Missing poster inquiring about Snick's whereabouts, the Refridgerator-Refridgerator-Freezerator stage features a similar Wanted poster on the side of a milk carton, one of Gustavo and Brick's taunts has Brick turn into Snick, and the Pizzaboy's Wash N' Clean area has Snick covered in a freshly-washed blanket, making him appear like a ghost. Peppino's blue outfit also returned under the name "Sage Blue", which can be unlocked by clearing Floor 1 in less than an hour.
PT SAGE Demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpJbtbKypx8
Snick's taunts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0iI0fZPtO0#t=844s
Notable timestamps:
Manual with backstory: 0:09
The Snick Challenge: 22:58
Playable Snick: 28:44
AB SAGE demo Part #1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL6y4QgCeiw
AB SAGE demo: unlocking Snick as Paul in the Snick Challenge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68UY9u4r770
AB SAGE demo: Snick in the Snick Challenge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9_vCs77pbI
All secrets in Pizza Tower final:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6g2eED-pZU
Notable timestamps:
Snick missing poster: 2:34
Wash N' Clean: 4:19
Gustavo & Brick's Snick taunt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIRGBlwn5W0#t=75s
Snick's missing carton on Freezerator:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsDr0-qaASg#t=243s
Sage Blue Outfit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isHLf-PWrFA#t=28s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpJbtbKypx8
Snick's taunts:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0iI0fZPtO0#t=844s
Notable timestamps:
Manual with backstory: 0:09
The Snick Challenge: 22:58
Playable Snick: 28:44
AB SAGE demo Part #1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dL6y4QgCeiw
AB SAGE demo: unlocking Snick as Paul in the Snick Challenge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68UY9u4r770
AB SAGE demo: Snick in the Snick Challenge:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9_vCs77pbI
All secrets in Pizza Tower final:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6g2eED-pZU
Notable timestamps:
Snick missing poster: 2:34
Wash N' Clean: 4:19
Gustavo & Brick's Snick taunt:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIRGBlwn5W0#t=75s
Snick's missing carton on Freezerator:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsDr0-qaASg#t=243s
Sage Blue Outfit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isHLf-PWrFA#t=28s
subdirectory_arrow_right Moon (Game)
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Yoshiro Kimura videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLgU3hMVkLA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGBRgqlxjwo
Yoshiro Kimura and Kazuyuki Kurashima Famitsu interview:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200814014007/http:/vgperson.com/posts.php?p=moonswitchfamitsu
Article about cut ending:
https://vidyasaur.medium.com/lost-moon-on-the-unused-ending-of-moon-remix-rpg-adventure-155af430eae2
Original upload of the cut area:
https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm25266675
English fan translation of the cut area:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCNNXKtL01c
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Moon:_Remix_RPG_Adventure_(PlayStation)#The_Dragon.27s_Room
Bilby White-Feathered Arrow interaction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Up3i91KZ-0#t=8607s
Minister documents:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Up3i91KZ-0#t=5879s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLgU3hMVkLA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGBRgqlxjwo
Yoshiro Kimura and Kazuyuki Kurashima Famitsu interview:
https://web.archive.org/web/20200814014007/http:/vgperson.com/posts.php?p=moonswitchfamitsu
Article about cut ending:
https://vidyasaur.medium.com/lost-moon-on-the-unused-ending-of-moon-remix-rpg-adventure-155af430eae2
Original upload of the cut area:
https://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm25266675
English fan translation of the cut area:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCNNXKtL01c
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Moon:_Remix_RPG_Adventure_(PlayStation)#The_Dragon.27s_Room
Bilby White-Feathered Arrow interaction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Up3i91KZ-0#t=8607s
Minister documents:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Up3i91KZ-0#t=5879s
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To avoid loading everything in memory when the player visits the HQ, recruitable agents are given separate archives for their models. Several Sims who are not recruitable have separately stored models in addition to their regular map models, suggesting they were intended to be recruitable at some point. The Sims in question are Chef Gino, Ol' Gabby, Barney Cull, Dr. F, DJ Candy, Alexa Lexington, Chaz McFreely, Chef Watanabe, Justice, Tim (whose files were used in an earlier build of the game), and Proto-Makoto (a character who was scrapped from the game entirely).
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Faith Connors from Mirror's Edge and Natasha Volkova from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 were planned to appear in the game as guest characters, but were both scrapped for unknown reasons. Despite this, Faith makes a cameo as a picture on the wall of Gal Force 4's base, and Natasha has leftover files in the game, suggesting that she was cut late in development. Additionally, artwork exists of an old man character who would have appeared in the game as a member of Crescent Moon, but was also scrapped.
Unused characters:
https://tcrf.net/MySims_SkyHeroes_(PlayStation_3,_Xbox_360,_Wii)
Faith cameo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPu7igeTrXM#t=27s
https://tcrf.net/MySims_SkyHeroes_(PlayStation_3,_Xbox_360,_Wii)
Faith cameo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPu7igeTrXM#t=27s
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The game's data contains an unused red version of the Squeaker enemy, which acts as a more mobile variant of the green Squeaker. These red Squeakers are present not only in isolation, but also in some of the game's similarly inaccessible debug rooms. Given that they are fully coded and that red Squeakers are only normally visible in the Squeak Squad's introductory cutscene and in the Smash Ride sub-game, this implies that they were removed from the main game's levels relatively late into development.
The Cutting Room Floor articles:
https://tcrf.net/Kirby_Squeak_Squad#Unused_Enemy
https://tcrf.net/Kirby_Squeak_Squad/Debug_Rooms
Compilation of the game's cutscenes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4aHXnjPEHc
Gameplay footage of Smash Ride:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3q4B9D18qM
https://tcrf.net/Kirby_Squeak_Squad#Unused_Enemy
https://tcrf.net/Kirby_Squeak_Squad/Debug_Rooms
Compilation of the game's cutscenes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4aHXnjPEHc
Gameplay footage of Smash Ride:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3q4B9D18qM
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Originally, an island known as Shipwreck Cove (designed by producer Jason Kim) was going to appear in the game, with much of its data remaining in the game files. Despite how finished the remaining materials look, designer Brian Kaiser claimed that the developers did not get very far into production on it. The full level layout can be found in the unused data, meaning that the island can be stitched together using several models. Four NPCs were intended to appear on the island, those being Vice Admiral Morgan, Neema, Theodore, and Mira (who would later be reworked into Mira Cull, the daughter of series regular Barney Cull in MySims SkyHeroes; it's unknown if she was intended to be related to him in this game). Additionally, five music tracks related to the island are also in the game files, the names of which suggest that planned landmarks for the island include a Pirate Lighthouse, Mira's House, and Neema's Shack.
The Cutting Room Floor:
https://tcrf.net/MySims_Kingdom_(Wii)
Brian Kaiser tweet:
https://x.com/VonKaiser/status/1827733897096151245
https://tcrf.net/MySims_Kingdom_(Wii)
Brian Kaiser tweet:
https://x.com/VonKaiser/status/1827733897096151245
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In 2018, Donkey Kong Country designer Gregg Mayles posted a tweet off the heels of King K. Rool's reveal as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate featuring a naming sheet from the former game's development dated to March 8, 1994. This document contains several proposed names for various characters and the game itself, with Monkey Mayhem being listed as a working title. Other differences include the following:
• The names "Blonde Kong" and "Honey Kong" were suggested as alternate names for Candy Kong.
• King K. Rool was originally named "Kommander K. Rool".
• Rock Krock was originally named "Krocrock".
• Slippa was originally going to be called "Mr. Hister". This particular name appeared to be changed late in development, as an unused hint from Cranky Kong mentions Mr. Hister.
• Squidge was originally named "Mr. Squidge".
• Clambo was originally named "Ms. Clamity".
• Cranky Kong and Funky Kong's names were originally spelled "Crankey Kong" and "Funkey Kong".
Additionally, the naming sheet lists several proposed characters absent from the final game:
• An owl Animal Buddy named Hooter. In the replies to his tweet, Mayles stated that Hooter "was going to light the way with its night vision", and that it was eventually replaced by Squawks the parrot.
• A mole Animal Buddy named Miney, likely playing off of the counting rhyme "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe".
• A "Kremling Magician" named Kloak, who would later appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
• A "Statue Kremling" named Krumble.
• A "Green Kremling" named Klanger.
• A "Robot Kremling" named Krocbot.
• A Moray eel enemy named Mobo.
• A fireball enemy named Fizzle.
• A yeti/"Iceman" enemy named Frozone. In the replies to his tweet, Mayles expressed amusement at "Frozone" also being the name of a character from the 2004 American animated film The Incredibles, stating that "We never used or copyrighted the name, so anyone could have used it." Indeed, "Frozone" is one of several entries on the naming sheet that doesn't have a trademark symbol attached to it. Coincidentally, the Donkey Kong Country television series would feature a yeti character of its own, Eddie the Mean Old Yeti.
• Two fish enemies named Bloop and Gloop; the latter would later appear as an enemy in Donkey Kong Land.
• A "nasty beetle" enemy named Veedub, who would later appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest under the name Click-Clack.
• The names "Blonde Kong" and "Honey Kong" were suggested as alternate names for Candy Kong.
• King K. Rool was originally named "Kommander K. Rool".
• Rock Krock was originally named "Krocrock".
• Slippa was originally going to be called "Mr. Hister". This particular name appeared to be changed late in development, as an unused hint from Cranky Kong mentions Mr. Hister.
• Squidge was originally named "Mr. Squidge".
• Clambo was originally named "Ms. Clamity".
• Cranky Kong and Funky Kong's names were originally spelled "Crankey Kong" and "Funkey Kong".
Additionally, the naming sheet lists several proposed characters absent from the final game:
• An owl Animal Buddy named Hooter. In the replies to his tweet, Mayles stated that Hooter "was going to light the way with its night vision", and that it was eventually replaced by Squawks the parrot.
• A mole Animal Buddy named Miney, likely playing off of the counting rhyme "Eeny, meeny, miny, moe".
• A "Kremling Magician" named Kloak, who would later appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest.
• A "Statue Kremling" named Krumble.
• A "Green Kremling" named Klanger.
• A "Robot Kremling" named Krocbot.
• A Moray eel enemy named Mobo.
• A fireball enemy named Fizzle.
• A yeti/"Iceman" enemy named Frozone. In the replies to his tweet, Mayles expressed amusement at "Frozone" also being the name of a character from the 2004 American animated film The Incredibles, stating that "We never used or copyrighted the name, so anyone could have used it." Indeed, "Frozone" is one of several entries on the naming sheet that doesn't have a trademark symbol attached to it. Coincidentally, the Donkey Kong Country television series would feature a yeti character of its own, Eddie the Mean Old Yeti.
• Two fish enemies named Bloop and Gloop; the latter would later appear as an enemy in Donkey Kong Land.
• A "nasty beetle" enemy named Veedub, who would later appear in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest under the name Click-Clack.
Gregg Mayles' original tweet:
https://x.com/Ghoulyboy/status/1027946702270021638
Mayles' confirmation that Squawks replaced Hooter:
https://x.com/Ghoulyboy/status/1028581505566748674
Mayles' remark on the shared name "Frozone":
https://x.com/Ghoulyboy/status/1028884538381004802
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Donkey_Kong_Country_(SNES)#Early_Naming_Sheet
https://x.com/Ghoulyboy/status/1027946702270021638
Mayles' confirmation that Squawks replaced Hooter:
https://x.com/Ghoulyboy/status/1028581505566748674
Mayles' remark on the shared name "Frozone":
https://x.com/Ghoulyboy/status/1028884538381004802
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Prerelease:Donkey_Kong_Country_(SNES)#Early_Naming_Sheet
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Several additional characters were planned to appear in the game, but were scrapped in order to keep the game's plot easier to understand. This includes the presence of a "Space Broadcasting Censorship Bureau", who would interrupt broadcasts that were deemed unsuitable (and whom Pine was originally going to be a member of alongside her backups Sexy 1 and 2, taking issue with Ulala's exposing outfit), a narcissistic reporter from Channel 777 named "Gold Kinpicano", and a different main antagonist tentatively referred to as the "Dark Dancing Demon Lord", whose goal was to invade the entire universe with dance.
subdirectory_arrow_right Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls (Game)
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Cid, a recurring character in the series who is usually a mechanic with some relation to airships, first appeared in Final Fantasy II and did not appear in the first Final Fantasy game. For the Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls re-release however, the original game's plot was retroactively changed to make "Cid of the Lufaine" the ancient creator of the airship that the protagonists used.
Final Fantasy I & II: Dawn of Souls - Cid backstory in Lufenia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuJzaYSa4AU#t=147
Cid in the first two Final Fantasy games blog post:
http://home.eyesonff.com/content.php/2631-The-Iterations-of-Cid-Part-1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuJzaYSa4AU#t=147
Cid in the first two Final Fantasy games blog post:
http://home.eyesonff.com/content.php/2631-The-Iterations-of-Cid-Part-1
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Google collaborated with Japanese animation studio Studio 4°C to make the game, because they wanted its artwork and character designs to be done by Japanese artists. The studio started by researching folk tales and designing characters to appeal to audiences of all ages. While the main game was inspired by 16-bit JRPGs, the seven sports minigames Google proposed were inspired by other game genres including shooting gallery, rhythm, and skateboarding games. To connect the champions to each sport, Studio 4°C settled on using historical and mythological figures who used items that complimented the sports. Google originally proposed a fox as the game's protagonist, but Studio 4°C rejected this due to the fox's reputation as a trickster archetype in Japanese culture, and they opted to design a cat named Lucky as a heroic figure instead. Lucky was made a female calico cat both to break away from depictions of women as "scary characters" in Japanese folklore, and because of the traditional prominence of calico cats in the country through items like Maneki-neko ("Beckoning cat") figurines.
Behind-the-scenes video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy7tHQUR3TM
Washington Post article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/08/13/olympics-google-doodle-game/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hy7tHQUR3TM
Washington Post article:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/2021/08/13/olympics-google-doodle-game/
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In the prototype of Hotel Mario, walking Toads are used as Super Mushrooms and 1-Up collectables. The final game changes these Toad sprites to bouncing mushrooms, but the manual still refers to them as Toads.
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Proto:Hotel_Mario#Super_Mushroom
Hotel Mario manual (page 14 in manual):
https://archive.org/details/HotelMarioUSAManual/page/n6/mode/1up
https://tcrf.net/Proto:Hotel_Mario#Super_Mushroom
Hotel Mario manual (page 14 in manual):
https://archive.org/details/HotelMarioUSAManual/page/n6/mode/1up
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In Version 0.04, Dense Woods A contained two jellyfish instead of just one, with the second being located by a lamppost near the center of the map; interacting with it only causes it to ring, without any additional results. In all recovered later builds, this jellyfish is moved out of bounds, well out of the camera's view; however, it can still be interacted with if the player uses cheats or glitches to access it. In Version 0.10, interacting with this jellyfish crashes the game due to its associated files being renamed: the jellyfish is programmed to call a file called イベント5, which was renamed to イベント_005 in Version 0.10.
Additionally, Dense Woods A's layout was redesigned in Version 0.07 to remove a gate that originally led to Mural World. Instead, the upper path is expanded to loop over to the western portion of the main road in Dense Woods A, and the remaining gate leading to Puddle World was redesigned.
Additionally, Dense Woods A's layout was redesigned in Version 0.07 to remove a gate that originally led to Mural World. Instead, the upper path is expanded to loop over to the western portion of the main road in Dense Woods A, and the remaining gate leading to Puddle World was redesigned.
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Proto:Yume_Nikki/Map_and_Event_Differences/Minor_Maps#Dense_Woods_A
YouTube video showing the use of a noclip glitch to access the offscreen jellyfish in Version 0.10:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9gNNPmZxd8
https://tcrf.net/Proto:Yume_Nikki/Map_and_Event_Differences/Minor_Maps#Dense_Woods_A
YouTube video showing the use of a noclip glitch to access the offscreen jellyfish in Version 0.10:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9gNNPmZxd8
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Before settling on Pac-Man's family, the friends Pac-Man rescued in Pac-Man World were going to be characters from other 1980s Namco games:
• Dig Dug (also known as Taizo Hori) from Dig Dug, who Chomp-Chomp took the place of. A remnant of this choice can be seen in the opening cutscene where Chomp-Chomp is kidnapped by being dragged underground, where Dig Dug's gameplay takes place.
• Valkyrie and Whirlo from the Valkyrie series, who were replaced with Pac-Baby and Pooka. There is also a thematic remnant of this choice in Pac-Baby and Pooka's kidnapping, where they are anchored into the sky, as Valkyrie lives in the heavens.
• Mappy from Mappy, who was replaced by Jr. Pac-Man.
Gil from The Tower of Druaga and Miru from Pac & Pal were also intended to appear, while Professor Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man were part of the original concept and remained.
It was ultimately decided to focus on Pac-Man characters instead of crossover characters, but when it was discovered that there weren't enough "pac-people" to make rescuable for each world, Pooka from Dig Dug was added to fill out the cast, being the same spherical shape as Pac-Man's family and a favorite of the development team. It is unknown why Miru, who was already a Pac-Man character, went unused.
• Dig Dug (also known as Taizo Hori) from Dig Dug, who Chomp-Chomp took the place of. A remnant of this choice can be seen in the opening cutscene where Chomp-Chomp is kidnapped by being dragged underground, where Dig Dug's gameplay takes place.
• Valkyrie and Whirlo from the Valkyrie series, who were replaced with Pac-Baby and Pooka. There is also a thematic remnant of this choice in Pac-Baby and Pooka's kidnapping, where they are anchored into the sky, as Valkyrie lives in the heavens.
• Mappy from Mappy, who was replaced by Jr. Pac-Man.
Gil from The Tower of Druaga and Miru from Pac & Pal were also intended to appear, while Professor Pac-Man and Ms. Pac-Man were part of the original concept and remained.
It was ultimately decided to focus on Pac-Man characters instead of crossover characters, but when it was discovered that there weren't enough "pac-people" to make rescuable for each world, Pooka from Dig Dug was added to fill out the cast, being the same spherical shape as Pac-Man's family and a favorite of the development team. It is unknown why Miru, who was already a Pac-Man character, went unused.
Twitter thread interview with game designer Scott Rogers:
https://twitter.com/DailyPacMan/status/1548044377733210112
Pac-Man World cutscenes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I8bA-6QNh4
Pac-Man World concept storyboards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldn9GXF5ZkI
https://twitter.com/DailyPacMan/status/1548044377733210112
Pac-Man World cutscenes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I8bA-6QNh4
Pac-Man World concept storyboards:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ldn9GXF5ZkI
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Prior to the game's shutdown, several villains from across the Skylanders franchise were intended to be added to the game as enemies. These include:
• Evil Glumshanks from Skylanders: Swap Force
• Super Kaos from Skylanders: Imaginators
• A version of Kaos wearing his Emperor outfit from Skylanders: SuperChargers
• Bobbin Rood, Olaf Crushersson, and Runys Pointyboots from the Nintendo 3DS version of Skylanders: Trap Team
• A Goliath Drow, likely meant to be Brock from Skylanders: Giants
• Malefor, the main antagonist of the The Legend of Spyro games
Had these plans gone through, it would have marked Malefor's first physical appearance in a Skylanders game, with his previous appearances being in the IDW comics, the spinoff TV series "Skylanders Academy", and as a Skystone in Skylanders: SuperChargers.
• Evil Glumshanks from Skylanders: Swap Force
• Super Kaos from Skylanders: Imaginators
• A version of Kaos wearing his Emperor outfit from Skylanders: SuperChargers
• Bobbin Rood, Olaf Crushersson, and Runys Pointyboots from the Nintendo 3DS version of Skylanders: Trap Team
• A Goliath Drow, likely meant to be Brock from Skylanders: Giants
• Malefor, the main antagonist of the The Legend of Spyro games
Had these plans gone through, it would have marked Malefor's first physical appearance in a Skylanders game, with his previous appearances being in the IDW comics, the spinoff TV series "Skylanders Academy", and as a Skystone in Skylanders: SuperChargers.
Unused enemies:
https://tcrf.net/Skylanders_Ring_of_Heroes/Planned_Content#Planned_Bosses
Skylanders Issue 7 (Malefor's IDW debut):
https://readallcomics.com/skylanders-007-2015/
Skylanders Academy - "Return to Cynder" (Malefor's TV series debut):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flsDGMnDXF4
Skylanders: SuperChargers - Malefor Skystone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-iU2H3BodY
https://tcrf.net/Skylanders_Ring_of_Heroes/Planned_Content#Planned_Bosses
Skylanders Issue 7 (Malefor's IDW debut):
https://readallcomics.com/skylanders-007-2015/
Skylanders Academy - "Return to Cynder" (Malefor's TV series debut):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flsDGMnDXF4
Skylanders: SuperChargers - Malefor Skystone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-iU2H3BodY
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In all earlier builds of the game, Neon World featured a radically different layout, matching the open-world structure of the other "main" locations accessible from the Nexus. The sole relic of this in Version 0.10's segmented design is the room that Madotsuki starts in, which is much bigger and features a more spread-out tile pattern compared to the other rooms in Neon World.
One noteworthy casualty from the layout change is the removal of various head-like figures scattered across Neon World in Version 0.09. These figures are not seen anywhere in Version 0.10, making them the only documented "characters" that were outright removed (rather than relocated) in a later update.
One noteworthy casualty from the layout change is the removal of various head-like figures scattered across Neon World in Version 0.09. These figures are not seen anywhere in Version 0.10, making them the only documented "characters" that were outright removed (rather than relocated) in a later update.
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The game contains data for a second party member, despite the fact that Madotsuki is alone in standard gameplay. Using RPG Maker 2003's debugging tools to add this figure to Madotsuki's party shows that it does not have any sprites or even a name. However, various changes occur to the game's world, indicating that Kikiyama most likely used this for testing purposes:
• Almost all Toriningen are despawned; the only exceptions are the one in the Mall who changes the menu's palette when spoken to and the group throwing a party in the wilderness.
• The top-left cupboard in both versions of the Guillotine Room disappears. However, it can still be interacted with: pressing Z or Enter when standing where it normally would be transports Madotsuki to a random cupboard in the Number World, as if she had used one of the randomly generated exit cupboards. Returning to the Guillotine Room restores the top-left cupboard to its normal position.
• Movement is disabled upon waking up.
• The Witch's Flight event can be accessed by walking off the top-right corner of the Mall's rooftop, regardless of whether or not Madotsuki has the Witch effect equipped and active.
• An unused parallax background (named ネオン背景.xyz in the game's files) is enabled in Neon World, which normally has a solid black backdrop in Version 0.10 and all available early builds. This background, which depicts a series of ripples distorting a group of red, blue, and green lights, does not scroll correctly, only showing the top-left corner of it. Notably, this is the only unused background in the final game.
The notion that this invisible party member was used as a debugging tool is further bolstered by the presence of three similar extra party members (which also have no graphics or names) in Version 0.06. In that earlier build, Madotsuki is internally listed as the fourth party member; enabling the first one adds NASU to the game's debug map, though both that version and the one in Madotsuki's room will not progress past the title screen.
• Almost all Toriningen are despawned; the only exceptions are the one in the Mall who changes the menu's palette when spoken to and the group throwing a party in the wilderness.
• The top-left cupboard in both versions of the Guillotine Room disappears. However, it can still be interacted with: pressing Z or Enter when standing where it normally would be transports Madotsuki to a random cupboard in the Number World, as if she had used one of the randomly generated exit cupboards. Returning to the Guillotine Room restores the top-left cupboard to its normal position.
• Movement is disabled upon waking up.
• The Witch's Flight event can be accessed by walking off the top-right corner of the Mall's rooftop, regardless of whether or not Madotsuki has the Witch effect equipped and active.
• An unused parallax background (named ネオン背景.xyz in the game's files) is enabled in Neon World, which normally has a solid black backdrop in Version 0.10 and all available early builds. This background, which depicts a series of ripples distorting a group of red, blue, and green lights, does not scroll correctly, only showing the top-left corner of it. Notably, this is the only unused background in the final game.
The notion that this invisible party member was used as a debugging tool is further bolstered by the presence of three similar extra party members (which also have no graphics or names) in Version 0.06. In that earlier build, Madotsuki is internally listed as the fourth party member; enabling the first one adds NASU to the game's debug map, though both that version and the one in Madotsuki's room will not progress past the title screen.