| To do:
- More differences.
- Unused/interesting content?
|
This page details one or more prototype versions of Mickey's Ultimate Challenge.
This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.
A early SNES prototype was dumped on December 25th, part of NESMas, dated August 25th, 1993, approximatively 5 and a half months before release, and four months before the retail version.
The game usually depicts midway through development, as some elements are or aren't present in the final.
Cartridge label
- The game's name is labelled "Mickey's Ultimate Challenge", correctly.
- The system labelled is SNES, correctly.
- The original file is named MP081893.BIN (August 18, 1993, the compile date)
- The date is 8/25/93 (August 25 1993, Cartridge date).
Copyright Screens
- Press Start to skip the screens.
- The Designer Software logo does not animate.
Differences
- The title screen reads out "Mickey's Jigsaw Puzzles", with a copyright date of 1993. The final version replaces it with a completely different title, most likely leftover for when the game was themed around jigsaw puzzles.
- Upon starting the game there is a infinite-looping credits screen, but fortunately, it can be skipped by pressing the start button. It's different than the one seen when beating the game.
Prototype |
Final |
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 |
 |
- The options screen is different and has no Minnie. Cakewalk as for easy, and Challenging is for hard. It hints that the game originally supposed to be standalone.
- The background is colored green and has red text, rather than a book.
- The finger has different graphics.
- Cakewalk is shortened to cake in the final.
- The introduction is a animated placeholder with different art. It begins with Mickey reading a book and falling asleep. The second panel says "The Kingdom of Beanwick had a very big problem".
- This hints that the introduction was supposed to be animated at some point, but it was changed to panels in the final version.
- There's text at the first panel of the intro that says "Mickey Mouse", could be the character's introduction.
Core Gameplay
| Dialogue The text was almost rewritten at some point! |
| Environment Beanwick Castle looks slightly different at this time. |
| Minigames Hiya, Mickey! Would you like to play a game? |
While it is implemented, there's barely any music. What it plays here in the castle level is a early version of the main theme, with no sound effects:
- It plays at a slightly higher tone.
- Has less instruments, consisting of three channels.
- Can desync.
If you go to a room, it will play this early music:
The final game uses unique music for each room.
- The dialogue boxes are all yellow, except for the character in the Book room, which has a small red font and a unique text box, never seen in the final version.
- The font in the dialogue boxes are different, too.
- Mickey's shading is slightly different in the castle, with a brighter face.
- Mickey's controls are different, and the exact same controls can also be seen in the Game Boy prototype:
- Pressing B will make you jump at the standard height, rather than A.
- Pressing B + Down will make you jump at the higher height, rather than B.
- Mickey doesn't make a sound when jumping, as the case with all the other sounds.
- Mickey's jumping animation is different.
- Mickey's animation after the ground shakes is shorter.
- Mickey's animation for when holding the magic wand is different.
- Mickey does not have a patient animation at all.
- You cannot get any items, as it's barely implemented.
- You can't progress the game, as you can't obtain any items.
- Press Select to pause the game, rather than Start.
- You can't view your inventory if you pause the game.
- There are debugging features:
- Press Start on the Beanwick Castle to skip to the Giant. (Since you can't collect all five magic beans in this build.)
- Press L / R to use free-movement. However, free-movement is limited and you can only fly up or down, and can be only enabled in the castle level.