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Proto:C: The Contra Adventure/April 22nd, 1998 build

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This is a sub-page of Proto:C: The Contra Adventure.

Prototype build whose disc is labeled 0.8.

Careful, you'll lose an eye.
This page or section needs more images.
There's a whole lotta words here, but not enough pictures. Please fix this.
Hmmm...
To do:
  • Rip audio files
  • Find out what else is different, play the rest of the game

General Differences

  • Loading bars increment differently.
  • Different copyright screen text
  • Appaloosa logo: unique tune/jingle not heard in the final, and the logo is presented as an animation
  • You can skip the Konami and Appaloosa logo sequences.
  • First title screen sequence/screen: Different fiery style to the "C", different design for the subtitle and the "Press Start" blinks blue-red (whereas it is just blue in the final)
  • Pressing select in the main menu brings up a debug menu, which includes level select.
    • The debug menu screen is unstable, blinking a lot
    • Pressing x changes the menu text font and stops the blinking. Then, pressing the shoulder buttons warps the display.
    • Levels are not ordered correctly. You can't play the city level directly; you need to select and complete the training stage (at which point, why not just start with New Game)
      • The "Drillcamp" option is how to access both Training (direct) and City (indirect). The "City" option takes you to level 2.
    • You also can't access the final level (9) directly; complete the 8th stage to get to it.
    • Has a non-functional "filemenue" option that freezes the game on a loading screen
    • Several blank options also freeze the game on a loading screen
    • Spotlight option (unknown function)
    • Can also turn music and auto-aim on/off.
    • SS1 to SS3 are cut scenes.
    • The bottom lists type of controller for player 1 and 2. It always shows standard pad.
  • Main menu text font is different.
  • Cheat codes aren't yet implemented (or at least aren't the same as final).
  • Saving/loading your progress works.
  • The controller config randomly changes to Analog 1 when starting the game (new game or debug menu) from the main menu after turning on the analog button on the controller.
  • From the in-game pause menu, pressing select accesses another debug menu of sorts.
    • Has an option to exit the stage (redundant to pause menu's same option), as well as several player coordinates.
    • Also has a sound test for all sounds and music.
  • The pause menu itself lists some coordinates.
  • Player life bar decrementing isn't coded properly yet. In the side-view stages, small/weak enemies can 1-hit kill the player instead of doing minor damage, for example.
  • The game over screen usually pops up after every life lost (most likely an error).
  • Unlike the final (and several other Contra games), continuing after a game over places the player where they left off, instead of at the start or a checkpoint. This is like the original arcade Contra and Super Contra
  • Weapon powerups aren't lost after dying.
  • You get 3 continues when you just play a new game; 50 continues when stages are accessed through the debug menu.
  • Also, there are lives, and they decrement after each death; but these are mostly pointless due to the continue system. Sometimes, the counter loops directly back up to 7 or 8 after reaching 0 instead of first going to the game over screen.
  • Differences in the color-coded powerup falcons:
    • In the side view stages, the Crush Missile falcon is purple instead of blue (and purple is reserved for the Grenade Launcher in the final, a weapon that only appears in the 3D stages). The missile sprite itself in this prototype is the grenade sprite in the final. In turn, the blue falcon gives the laser here (whereas the laser is white/silver in the final).
  • Grenade launcher is extremely weak; Laser is very powerful compared to the final; similarly with the Crush; the flamethrower is also noticeably stronger.
  • The ending staff credits are displayed on the briefing monitor instead of a completely separate sequence, and there's no music. It's just a single screen of general credits, at which you must press start.

Audio

  • Slight music differences (noticeably different instruments, samples, etc.)
  • The player character (Ray) has a different voice actor, with some different lines.
    • The music tracks sometimes don't end/start at the right points/intervals.
  • No landing sound effect after jumping

Cut Scenes

  • In the prologue, when it shows Ray watching the screen, the "Contra" logo is clearly a placeholder in this prototype: The same fiery C from the initial title screen and simpler letters for "ONTRA". In the final, it's a distinct, unique logo.

General Stage Differences

  • In the final, players can press start or x to stop or skip the briefing message. Here, you can only press start.
  • 3D stages have several more powerup boxes scattered around, and many of them hold super bombs.
  • Spread and laser guns are a bit slower in the 3D stages.
  • In the side view stages, you can't aim-lock diagonally with some of the weapons.
  • In the side view stages, contact with enemies is insta-kill, while most projectiles aren't.
  • In the 3D stages, when sub-bosses are nearly dead, enemies in the environment nearby that come after already begin to activate (or at least, their sounds can be heard).
  • In some 3D stages, powerup crates respawn if you move away from them far enough.
  • Interestingly, Contra: Legacy of War's weapons cheat is enabled by default in the 3D stages (duck+change guns to cycle through all of the guns). Each time a weapon cycled, 2 super bombs are added to your arsenal; it goes to 8, but the actual capacity is 9 (however, if you have an odd number of bombs, it will reach 9).
  • The mines in the 3D stages that are instant death in the final instead mostly inflict minor damage in this prototype.
  • A rather amusing effect in the 3D stages, Ray has an occasional idle animation where he reloads/checks his gun. He swings the gun straight up and down during this animation. If you start firing during it, the animation doesn't get interrupted and the direction of fire will be at the angle the gun is aiming.
    • The same type of thing happens when firing a super bomb in the 3D stages. As part of the animation of launching a super bomb, Ray swings the gun up from the recoil. You can actually fire your weapon during this animation (unlike in the final), which will fire in the direction of the gun's angle.

Stage 0 (Drillcamp)

  • The final refers to this stage as Training
  • Briefing text differences
  • The "incoming message" sound effect in the training mode is different. The instruction messages use a different font.
    • Incoming messages + instructions don't include accompanying voice lines from Ray
  • No health pickup near the starting area
  • Some sub-bosses have different sound effects.

Stage 1 (City)

  • The final refers to the level as City Rescue.
  • There is a destructible steel crate near the start of the level, designed after the powerup boxes in the original NES Contra. It is empty, however.
  • The boss music doesn't stop after the UFO sub-boss is defeated.
    • But then all music stops once the train arrives.
  • The train stops completely when first encountered and you're battling its first sub-boss. It speeds up again after that sub-boss is defeated.
    • The cannon sub-boss' spread fire can do multiple hits on your lifebar (instead of 1 hit), even though there are invincibility frames.
  • During the train sequence, for some reason, dying doesn't cause a game over; but it still decrements the lives.
  • Strangely, when the game was paused during the train sequence against the heart sub-boss, stage 3's music started playing all of a sudden; then stage 1, 9, 6, 7. The music shouldn't continue playing when paused, yet it does in this glitched mode. The music also spills over the victory theme, as well as on the screen to continue or save the game.
  • Firing at the heart sub-boss after it's defeated (during its death animation sequence) makes it blink like it's being damaged.
  • The mortar shells launched by the cannon of the train cab (stage boss) can be destroyed if shot enough.

Stage 2

  • No name for this stage in this prototype (Village in the final)
  • Briefing text differences
  • If you wait at the gate too soon after defeating the boss, the autopilot of the player glitches up and he runs in a circle infinitely. You need to restart after that.

Stage 3 (Jungle)

  • Referred to as Canyon 1 in the final.
  • Way more enemies spawn in the level.
  • Several more weapon powerup crates, especially carrying super bombs

Stage 4 (Jungle2)

  • Referred to as Canyon 2 in the final.
  • Briefing text differences
  • Way more super bomb pickup crates
  • Mask sub-bosses are activated at a different spot (further in the battle arena). They also have a sparkle effect when they become animated.
    • Sometimes, enemies can spawn in (like rifle foot soldiers). The arena exit gate won't open until even those are killed.
  • The boss' 1st phase doesn't seem to activate unless you shoot at one of the tubes.
    • The lifebar for the eyeballs phase only drains with each eye destroyed. Diff from final?
    • The centipede doesn't move faster as more segments are destroyed.

Stage 5 (Pyramid)

  • Briefing text differences (notably, no reference to the cut scene that just played prior)

Stage 6 (Pyramid2)

  • A lot more powerup crates, especially holding super bombs
  • Also more barrier pickups than the final
  • The eyeball sub-boss battle is locked at a very awkward camera angle that is akin to the similarly awkward overhead perspective of Contra: Legacy of War, making it much more difficult.
  • You will be soft-locked at the slug ambush sub-boss battle if you're not in sight of the exit gate; the gate won't open if you're too far from it.
  • A really interesting difference: near the end of the level, there is a prison gate enclosing a closet-sized alcove that could be unlocked by destroying a switch. In the final, alcove is completely empty, making it seem mysterious. But in this prototype, it houses 2 powerup crates that hold super bombs.
  • The final locked cell/alcove before the boss holds both a barrier and health pickup in crates in this prototype. It's just a barrier pickup in the final.

Stage 7 (Weightless)

  • Briefing text differences
  • The cockroach sub-bosses take damage more quickly.
  • The flames from the vents (moving counter-clockwise) are very loud.
  • The walker sub-boss also seems to damage more easily.
    • Its flying phase is even weaker, losing health really fast.
  • The stage boss' crawling entrance noise is much louder.

Stage 8 (Hunting)

  • Briefing text differences
  • The slugs dispensed aren't insta-kill upon contact.
  • Louder pulse sound effects in the strobing areas
  • The laser turret at one of the wall barriers becomes inactive once you're locked in to destroy the wall behind it.
  • The mines here are also not insta-kill, but do about half-damage.
  • The conveyor belt has way more powerups, including bombs.
  • The section with 2 moving square platforms, center platform and 2 turrets on the far side; those moving platforms have a different pattern.
  • The gun turrets on the stage boss already attack the player before the battle begins (as the player is running up to the boss, even).

Stage 9

  • No name for this stage in this prototype (Alien Lair in the final)
  • Briefing text differences
  • Early on, there's a dispenser on the ceiling above a lava gap that spits out those pseudopod cells of the heart sub-boss in level 1. They fly down fast.
  • The terminator sub-bosses lose health faster. Also, their attacks sometimes don't damage the player.
    • The music may stop during this battle.
  • The big terminator sub-boss has a slightly different flame pattern.
  • The facehuggers are silent.
  • Near the end, when the eggs appear in the background, the player is "warped" to another section suddenly; an abrupt transition.
  • In the egg-destroying section, DO NOT go for the buried powerup. Not only is there nothing inside it, but the screen doesn't scroll back to the left, leaving you stuck and so you must exit the level.
  • When the final boss is beaten, the player doesn't run to the right side. It's just the regular victory sequence (player animation, stage clear music).


(Source: Contra Encyclopedia)