Proto:Illbleed

This page details one or more prototype versions of Illbleed.

This article is a work in progress. ...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.

Oh dear, I do believe I have the vapors. This page contains content that is not safe for work or other locations with the potential for personal embarrassment. Such as: Body horror/gore. Thanks, Henry!

  This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

A prototype of Illbleed dated January 15, 2001 was released as part of Hidden Palace's "Project Deluge". Predating the final build by nearly two months, it has numerous differences and is seemingly missing entire sections of the game.

Some of the assets seen in this prototype were used in the Japanese Illbleed Zekyou Survival Guide, suggesting that this build (or a similar one) was used during its creation.

General Differences

To do: More stuff here.

• The ECG on the HUD uses different sound effects.
• There is no in-game background music implemented yet.
• All ADX streaming audio in this build is encoded at 22050 Hz. In the final game, most streaming audio has a lower sample rate of 11025 Hz; since most of it isn't present yet, the developers likely had yet to face storage constraints that forced them to lower the audio quality.
• Most cutscenes and traps don't have implemented audio, with only placeholder files of one second of silence used instead.
• All female characters use Eriko's voice, and all male characters use Jorg's voice, except for Brainless Randy, who also uses Eriko's voice.
• Certain items appear in different locations.
• The opening cutscenes do not play upon starting a new game.
• The stage intros are generally missing, with the exception of Stages 1 and 3.
• The final stage is seemingly missing entirely.
• Stage 2 (Revenge of Queen Worm) loads into an "Error List Block Empty" screen, while Stage 5 (Killerman) loads into Stage 1. The intended stages are present, but can only be accessed via the debug menu and are devoid of objects. In particular, only two areas of Stage 2 appear to be present at all, and have broken collision.
• NPCs are missing from Dummyman's World and the Visitor's Bank, meaning they cannot be used. In fact, there are actually fights in these areas instead!
• Pressing L switches the game into first-person view, and there is no way to refocus the camera behind the character. In the final, R is used for first-person mode and L refocuses.
• The Emergency Operations building, Graveyard, and Michael Reynold's Museum in the hub cannot be entered.
• By walking towards a wall in the starting area, you can access several areas from the Killerman stage, devoid of objects.
• Some text refers to Eriko as Christy, as a vestige of when she was named Christy Redgrave instead of Eriko Christy.

Jaleco Logo

To do: It's a video with animation and sound - upload it as a video?

This build opens with a Jaleco logo splash. Jaleco planned to publish the game in North America, but the final game was published by AIA USA instead.

Title Screen

Proto	Final (JP)

The prototype's title screen shows a hazy, translucent image of a Dummyman in the background, instead of the final's image of the park entrance.

The title logo's animation is much slower than in the final. The title is transliterated in katakana beneath the logo, fading in after the logo's animation is finished; this is not present in the final version in any region. The copyright info is not yet present.

The main menu does not include the "Network" option present in the final Japanese version, which launches a web browser, though the web browser is present in the prototype's data.

For the most part, the title screen functions the same as in the final, with one major exception: holding Y enables a debug menu!

Debug Menu

The debug menu is only accessible from the title screen, and lets you play around with various settings.

• STAGE JUMP - Jump to any area in the game, including areas usually only seen in cutscenes such as the school courtyard.
• ITEM - Choose whether to start with no items, every item in the game, or just every consumable item.
• CHAR USABLE - Determines which characters will be available to play as.
• ERIKO PAT - Determines how damaged Eriko's clothes will be (during the final game's second loop, she loses clothes with each stage cleared).
• RANDY PAT - Determines whether or not Randy will have his brain (as you can rescue him in the final game without it, unlocking "Brainless Randy" as a playable character).
• NEAR WEAPON - Decides what melee weapon you will have equipped.
• FAR WEAPON - Decides what long-range weapon you will have equipped.
• MONEY - Determines how much money you'll have in your inventory when you start the game.
• CLEAR STAGE - Determines what stages will be clear when you start the game.
• ENCOUNT PAT - Determines which pattern the game will use for traps.
• IMMORTAL - Makes your character invincible, with health and adrenaline fixed at the character's maximum, and pulse fixed at 50.
• VIBRATION - Toggles controller vibration.
• EVENT MSG - Toggles cutscene subtitles, same as "Movie Message" in the options menu.
• PLAYER - Decides which character you'll be playing as when you start the game.

Notably, STAGE JUMP can be used to play as the regular characters in Toy Hunter, where you usually play as Cork. However, Cork will still appear in cutscenes.

Camera Differences

Proto	Final (JP)

The default camera setting is closer in the prototype.

Placeholder Items

To do: Comparison images.

The item sheets feature programmer art for the upgrade items, several document items, and the story items from The Revenge of Queen Worm.

Main Hub

Bloody Marry's

Proto	Final (JP)

Bloody Mary's name is misspelt. A screenshot with this typo is used in the Illbleed Zekyou Survival Guide.

While you can access the shop menu, Mary herself isn't actually present.

Hell's Insurance

Proto	Final (JP)

The Visitor Bank has an entirely different name and subtitle.

The Homerun of Death

Early Name

To do: Comparison images.

An early name is used for the first stage, the rather Engrishy "The Homerun Goes to Death". In the final it's "The Homerun of Death".

The intro text is displayed in English, unlike the final Japanese version. The music for the intro plays, but the spoken narration is not present.

The "poster" for Stage 1 seen in the Illbleed Zekyou Survival Guide uses this early name, whereas later in the guide a render is shown with the final title.

Unfiltered Banballow Voice Clips

Proto	Final

Banballow's voice clips lack the pitch-shifting filter in this build, making what he's saying slightly easier to understand.

Unused Japanese Voice Acting

To do: Comparison audio.

Proto	Final

There are also unused voiceovers in Japanese for the first confrontation with Banballow, as well as the cutscene with control operator Jackson. In the final, the voice acting is in English in all regions.

These were most likely made as placeholders rather than a planned Japanese dub of the entire game, as Eriko seems to be voiced by a man putting minimal effort into his performance.

These aren't stored with other audio for Homerun of Death, but rather in place of tutorial dialog for Toy Hunter, which doesn't have any of its intended audio yet.

Woodpuppets

Early Name

Proto	Final (JP)

Woodpuppets also uses an early name and signpost, "Woodpokkur". This name is also seen in the "poster" for Woodpuppets in the Illbleed Zekyou Survival Guide.

As with Homerun of Death, this build's intro has English text, and music for the first half, but no voices. "Woodpuppets" is used during the intro, but the newspaper section afterwards uses "Woodpokkur".

Placeholder Signs

Proto	Final (JP)

Killerman and Toy Hunter both lack posters outside their cinemas, using a placeholder instead. Additionally, Killerman's cinema uses the romanized Japanese "Urami Kaikan", later translated to English as the "Hall Of Resentment" in the final.

Toy Hunter

Cork uses Jorg's voice clips when reacting to traps and enemies.

Cork's explanations of story marks and stage requirements use the Japanese voices for Homerun of Death instead of the intended audio. All other cutscenes and traps in this stage are silent.

Henry's Illness

To do: Get a clean screenshot of the final version of this scene.

The rather gruesome scene during Stage 6 in which Henry's face melts(?) uses a different texture here compared to the final. In the final, his face turns purple and his skin appears torn, with visible worms crawling across it.

This early texture is used for a render of Henry on Page 44 of the Illbleed Zekyou Survival Guide.