This page or section details content from the December 2020 Nintendo Leak.
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On December 24, 2020, an early prototype of Let's Go, Eevee! was unexpectedly dumped online by an anonymous user, using its prototype name of "beluga". It contains a wealth of work-in-progress content, cut material, and a variety of gameplay differences from the final release. The build has a git commit hash of ec44740ec89ca37d0be7d0fb40a76c603d074887 and constantly depicts a mouse on-screen for debugging purposes.
The date of this build is May 12, 2018, over six months before the game's release, and three months after the February prototype leaked in July of 2021. Notably, it features many differences from the publicly displayed demo of the games from E3 2018, which was first shown on June 13th, 2018. This means that this prototype was built prior to that version of the game.
The title screen and logo are completely different. This version doesn't check for your Eevee's custom outfit, and instead uses a generic looping image. The individual frames for this image can be found in the files for this build. Interestingly, you can still access the final title screen through the debug mode on boot up. Press Select on Title --> DEMO PLAYER --> sd9010_title
A prototype title screen that dates even further back in the game's development is also present within the game's files. This was also found in the files for the October 2020 Pokémon Sword Prototype builds.
Pikachu GO
Proto
Final
Here's an animated video of the title screen frames.
The earliest logo is in the files. It and the title screen that it's included within appears to be from a time period before Eevee was decided as the final starter, as the logo is strictly Pokemon GO-themed. The game name at this point translates to Pocket Monsters Pikachu GO.
Pikachu GO
Likewise, there are two very early logos that can be found in the files, alongside the final Japanese logos as well as the final logos in all the other languages.
Proto LGP
Final LGP
Proto LGE
Final LGE
Additionally, the language select text box has slight differences to its punctuation and text box color. There is no pre-rendered animation preceding the language select with Pikachu or Eevee like there is in the final game.
Proto
Final
Strangely enough, what follows is a tiled version of Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon's opening that often crashes the game.
Oak's intro is very different. You are never "woken up" by Pikachu or Eevee, and Oak sends them out in a Poké Ball to introduce you to the world of Pokémon instead. In the final, he sends out a Cubone that follows him for a short while.
Interestingly, Oak mentions that you have been friends and rivals with Trace since you were babies, whereas in the final he simply mentions how you grew up next door to each other.
The appearance selection is noticeably unfinished, with it using recolored edits of the protagonists' concept art instead of their in-game 3D models as the previews.
Proto
Final
Pallet Town and Opening
The opening to the game is radically different. The prototype depicts the player as if they're waking up from a dream cuddling a Poké Doll, whereas in the final the player appears in their avatar in front of their Nintendo Switch. Interestingly, the map in the background of the cutscene is replaced by the window in both the final build and after the cutscene ends in the prototype - which also depicts many visual differences in the desk area.
Final
This map heavily references Kanto's appearance in Red & Blue official art. This map is seen in other places throughout the game, such as under Trace's Pokémon Journal in his house - which also happens to be gone in the final.
May 2018 Map Art
Red & Blue Art
Final LGPE Art
Before he enters your room, your rival is known as "???" in the final, which isn't the case here. He asks "Did you have a weird dream or something?", which ties into the major difference in the intro. In the final, he suggests you check an email he sent which goes over the basic controls, whereas in the prototype he only teaches the player how to save.
The Save Select screen has some minor changes, including your trainer holding an Eevee that isn't there. This is fixed when they're able to ride on your head.
Proto
Final
Text box graphics are also different in various areas throughout the game.
Proto
Final
Your Starter Pokémon
To do: Make a comparison table for all of the tutorial screens, and create a GIF for the unused transition (with a second GIF for the final).
When catching your starter Pokémon, the background skybox depicts a cityscape, which isn't the case in the final. An unused battle transition is also present. The tutorial screens are obvious placeholders and have a strange orange tint to them in-game.
Proto
Final
The cutscene featuring your starter is also largely broken.
Proto (LGE)
Final (LGP)
After leaving Oak's Lab, your mother comes over to give you Sports Wear, but in the final you're given a Town Map.
Cut/Different Visuals
Unused Loading Animation
A very finished-looking loading animation is used whenever you load an existing save file from the title screen.
Loading Screen
In Battle
The UI during the results of a battle sports various differences when compared to the final, such as a more retro-styled font for a Pokémon's level and a different position for their gender symbol. It also depicts the amount of EXP gained differently.
Proto
Final
Town Map
The Town Map is noticeably unfinished, even at this late stage. Many areas don't register as being visited, and the preview icons for each area in the top right are all placeholder images. The icon that displays the player's position is also much larger than in the final.
Proto
Final
Pokémon Centers
In the files, another early map for Kanto can be found, which was intended to be in the Pokémon Centers scattered across the region. It's much less refined than the final, and has an additional island at the bottom right that doesn't appear in the final game.
Proto
Final
Switch Menu Icon
The game's Nintendo Switch Menu Icon is noticeably different from the more refined one in the final.
Proto
Final
Mega Evolution Icons
Mega Evolutions use the same unique sprites that were in the 3DS games, as opposed to the Mega Stone ones in the final.
Proto
Final
Credits
The credits use noticeably unfinished assets, with "Eevee" just being a slightly recolored Pikachu. The player's animations are missing a frame, and there are no final variations for their chosen skin color at this point either. Since the actual credits are a work-in-progress, it scrolls far faster than the animations do, which also causes the audio to finish before the sequence is complete.
Proto
Final
The other assets for the Credits sequence like the ground and trees are also shown as placeholders when compared to the final. Notably, there are placeholder images for the pictures that appear during the credits from the player's adventure.
Proto
Final
Proto
Final
Proto
Final
Every building in the prototype are one of two placeholders, and none of the unique buildings exclusive to certain areas have completed assets yet, a couple of which can be seen on the right.
Proto
Final
Here's a comparison between the final credits sequence when many of the assets are paired together.
Proto
Final
Battle Icons
Early battle icon textures can be found in the game's files. They have two images per icon, and one would naturally appear when pressed as part of a confirmation option.
Proto
Final
Early Town Map Icons
Early town map icons can be found in the game's files that aren't in the final. Interestingly, one of them is for a fishing encounter, which do not exist in any prototype nor the final.
Proto Map Icons
Cutscenes
Bill's Transformation
When the player aids Bill in transforming back into a human, the game overlays some sort of insignia during several frames during the cutscene. It's unknown what the purpose of this was.
Proto Scene 1
Proto Scene 2
S.S. Anne
The S.S. Anne cutscene is noticeably different. The smoke it emits is far more stylized than in the final, and the model is significantly less refined.
Full
Comparison
Visual Oddities
Texture, Model & Graphical Bugs
Certain Pokémon inexplicably shift downwards when interacted with.
Proto
The color on the outside of Chansey's mouth texture doesn't match up properly with the rest of its body.
Proto Texture
Proto In-Game
Koffing's & Weezing's smoke animation in this build is largely broken, as can be seen below.
The HP bar drains incrementally as opposed to a smoother animation in the final.
Summary Screen
A Pokémon's summary screen lacks many final assets, such as the background, as well as having many differences when it comes to the font and icon placement. The Pokémon itself is also largely displaced irrelevant of its species.
A background was implemented during the May 2018 build, but it was still largely unfinished.
The fire-type graphic is used in place of every other type graphic, which wasn't fixed for the final.
Feb. 2018 Proto
May. 2018 Proto
Final
Feb. 2018 Proto
May. 2018 Proto
Final
Every single summary screen has a vastly unfinished background when compared to the final.
