Proto:Ristar (Genesis)/July Prototypes

Four Ristar prototypes were released in drx's massive February 23, 2008 prototype dump. The earliest two builds, dated July 1st, 1994 and July 18th, 1994, are near-final versions of the final Japanese game.

Title Sequence

 * The animation of the SEGA logo is the same in all versions, but in the July 1st prototype, the letters start out in full color. In other versions, they're in grayscale until they all come together.
 * The July 1st prototype is also missing the sparkle effects from the letters.
 * Finally, the SEGA logo is slightly off-center in the earlier prototype.


 * Both prototype versions, however, are missing the trademark graphic.


 * The copyright date is 1994 in the July 1st build, and the string is on the upper-right rather than the bottom-left.
 * The actual title graphic has many differences:
 * The prototype title's font is more staid compared to the whimsical final lettering.
 * The shooting star was flipped upside-down, and the center of the star changed from red to pink.
 * The two "eyes" on the ringed planet are closer together in the prototype, and one of the eyes is discolored.
 * "The Shooting Star" graphic uses a duller white in the final game.


 * Some of the letters and the bottom part of the logo were redrawn between the July 18th and final builds. Not enough to be interesting, but enough to be noted on a wiki, apparently.
 * The blue screw directly under the RISTAR text was removed.
 * Like the July 1st prototype, the planet's quote-eyes-unquote are closer together on the July 18th graphic.
 * Both prototype titles are missing the trademark symbol.

General
All changes apply only to the July 1st prototype.
 * The July 1st build has three difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, and Hard. The Easy difficulty setting was replaced with the unlockable "Super" setting. For more difficulty changes, see the next section.
 * The maximum number of continues is static in the July 1st prototype. Beating a Bonus Stage quickly will not earn the player an extra continue.
 * There's an option in this build to set the number of starting lives to 1, 3, 5, or 7. This was removed from the final game, but the text is still in the ROM.
 * Ristar's shooting star behavior has not been finalized at this point in the game's development.
 * Most importantly, Ristar cannot change direction as a shooting star as he can in the final game, making getting to specific spots much more of a crapshoot. This also changes the ice crystals in Round 5-1 from a convenient source of flight to an actual impediment.
 * Ristar can't damage enemies in shooting star mode, he instead passes through them.
 * Ristar's post-boss animations are not in the ROM yet, so he's free to roam around once the boss is defeated.
 * There's a bug present with the hidden bonus objects. If you hit a hidden object bonus in a wall, then hold right and immediately hit the wall again, Ristar will zip through the wall. This is most obvious in Rounds 5-1 and 5-2.

Debugging Functions
In the July 1st build, debugging functions can be enabled through certain button combinations while the game is paused.




 * Press B to enable a free movement mode. Hold A, B, or C to move faster. To exit this mode, press Start.
 * Press A+Start to skip to the next stage.
 * Press B+Start to restart the current stage.


 * Press C+Start to access an older, text-based stage select. Press A and C to navigate left and right respectively.

Graphical Differences
Round Font

A few of the letters in the Next Round screen font are improperly flipped in the July 1st prototype. Round 5-1

The bomb carried by the Freon native incorrectly used Ristar's palette in the July 1st prototype.

The Snow Crystal in Round 5-2 also uses Ristar's palette by mistake. Round 6-1

The sky in Round 6-1, which in the prototype games is a dark blue color, is pitch black in the final game.

The stage's title card uses a black sky in all versions, so it might have been changed for consistency's sake.


 * All bonus areas share the same palette in the July 1st prototype.


 * As can be seen above, the bonus areas in the July 1st build feature rotating green crystals. Though all bonus areas have these crystals, they all use the same X and Y positions used in Bonus Area 1-1, placing them in odd places.


 * The treasure chests in the bonus areas have a nice fading-in effect in the July prototypes that was removed from the final version. It might have been changed because of the presence of multiple treasure chests in Round 4-1, each of which had the effect applied.

Ending The dark blue color used in the Aurora Borealis in the July 1st prototype was fixed...sorta. It's still darker than the surrounding colors, so it was changed again in the localized version.

Audio Differences
All of the following changes apply to the July 1st prototype only.

Music
The music over the SEGA logo is an electrical sound effect in the July 1st prototype. This could have something to do with the early Volt title, or it could be a coincidence.

The prototype's sound was later used in the final game at the start of Round 7-1.

The July 1st version of Ebony Force has a slow fadeout, with the chanting sample played an additional three times on the left, right, and center channels.

The ending of Beyond Space has a clip of Ristar giggling instead of the "Come on!" quote. It also loops indefinitely in the July 1st prototype.

Round 3-1's theme, Busy Flare, is just a hair faster in the final game, with each loop taking about 1 second longer in the prototype track.

Sound Effects
The harsh tone of Ristar's throwing sound was replaced with a more mellifluous descending noise. Also it sounds better.

The parachute bombs in Round 5-2 have a unique exploding sound effect in the July 1st prototype.

Uranim has a number of unique sound effects that were replaced with voice samples in the final game.

Inonis' collision sound reuses the ice crystal's sound in the prototype. Again, it was replaced with a voice sample.

Missing Sound Effects The following sound effects aren't in the ROM at all: Additionally, unused sounds, , , , and aren't in the ROM either. They were added by the July 18th prototype and were simply never utilized in the game.

July 1st Prototype
Round 1-1


 * The snake boss is worth 500 points in the prototype and 800 points in the final game.

Round 1-2


 * In the prototype version, the tree's lights don't glow in the dark.
 * The effect for turning the lights back on is a slow fade in the prototype and a flickering effect in the final game.

Round 2-2
 * The seahorse chase area has two added objects in the July 1st game. These stationary red orbs pulsate rapidly, damage the player, and cannot be grabbed. They can only be destroyed by attacking the seahorse they're linked with.
 * The turbines are ridiculously powerful in this version, and getting through these section is next to impossible. The turbine will always move at the fastest speed until Ristar is pushed backwards, when the speed resets.
 * In addition to the rubble and starfish seen in the final game, these small orange Orblets are also pushed by the turbines' flow.
 * The snail bosses don't drop any star or gems in the July 1st build.


 * One of the level blocks in the final turbine section is glitched in the prototype.

Round 3-1
 * The Orblets that come out of the Orblet shooters actually move leftward about the level in the July 1st prototype. In the final game, they fly straight up and never come down.


 * A pipe was added before the boss section of Round 3-1. This effectively patches a bug where Ristar could soar over the boss area with the nearby Star Handles. Since the game can't reposition the camera vertically during this sequence, Ristar will be trapped out of frame once the screen locks, unable to proceed.
 * The stone-throwing Orblet by the first cage is missing from the July 1st prototype.

Round 3-2


 * One treasure chest with a 600 point gem was removed from this area. Ristar can pass through the chest using the hanging bars above, which is likely why it was removed.
 * The bomber Orblets glitch out in the July 1st prototype. When the Orblet jumps on the bomb, both the bomb and the Orblet disappear instantly.

Round 4-1


 * The second Orblet in the level was moved away from the crane's drop point.
 * In the July 1st game, this indirectly teaches the player to avoid the cranes, which are needed later in the game.
 * In the final game, the Orblet is placed such that avoiding the crane will probably get the metronome stolen.
 * The robot bird's point value was raised from 100 points to 300 points.
 * The crane rods aren't properly obscured by the foreground in the July 1st build.
 * Ristar can't move during the boss intro in this build.

Round 4-2
 * The first chest in the level contains a game worth just 100 points in the July 1st build. This was increased tenfold to 1,000 points in the final game.
 * The purple organ robots are worth 200 points in the final game. In the prototype they're worth 0 points.
 * The decorative metronome objects aren't in this version of the game.

Round 4-Boss
 * Awaueck bounces around twice as fast after being defeated.
 * In the July 1st build, Awaueck keeps bouncing around until the curtain hits the floor. He disappears after the curtain starts to fall in the final version.

Round 5-1
 * The second chest in the stage has a 200 point gem in this version and a 700 point gem in the final game.
 * The flipping platforms take 16 (9,5,1) frames to flip in the July 1st version, and just 6 (2,2,2) frames in the final game.
 * The last hidden treasure is location is bugged in this build and will spawn no treasure.

Round 5-2
 * The saucer enemies can be held indefinitely in the July 1st prototype.


 * This hidden bonus object was moved to the right side of the wall by the waterfall. The treasure chest had to be pushed to the right as a result.


 * Two spike cannons are underneath the large icy slope in the middle of the stage. The upwards-shooting cannon was taken out of all other versions of the game.
 * The chest on the ledge before the second underwater section contains a gem. The value of this gem was raised from 1600 points to 20100 points!
 * The final game adds small floating ice shards to the turbine sections. These shards don't hurt Ristar, but they let the player know how fast the turbines are going.
 * The height bonus was recalibrated for the final game. As an example, just walking out of the stage gives Ristar 4000 points in the prototype, but 0 points in the final game.

Round 5-Boss
 * If Ristar is holding a bowl of soup when Itamor is defeated, that bowl will remain frozen in the air in the prototype. It vanishes in later versions.
 * Itamor doesn't go through his animation of surprise after being defeated in this build.
 * When Itamor is vomiting Orblets, Ristar only reacts after he's done. He reacts when the vomiting starts in the final game. What a strange combination of words.
 * The Freon native does not wave goodbye in the July 1st prototype.

Round 6-1
 * The flying platforms have an odd behavioral quirk that was removed from later versions. 5 seconds after activating, they explode and respawn back to their original positions.


 * In the July 1st version of this level, the first hidden bonus object is placed too high, so the bonus item will spawn above the ceiling. The object was moved down to fix this issue.


 * One flying platform was added to this trap of a section, making it a bit easier to escape.


 * This treasure chest near the end of the stage was moved away from the spike bar, and its contents were changed from a 1600 point gem to an extra life.


 * The hidden object was changed from a blue star to a gem.
 * A treasure chest was added before the flying platform section. This is where the blue star was moved to...


 * ...and this is where the blue star chest once was. Note that the prototype has a blue star before and after the flying platform section.
 * The armored Orblet doesn't change color in this build.

Round 6-2


 * A hidden bonus object with a gem was added to the first spike room.


 * The lone circling Star Handle was replaced by a cycle of 8 circling Star Handles in the final game.
 * The hidden bonus object in the Star Handle section is bugged to the point where the game will crash if it's struck.
 * Two rooms in the prototype - the blue robot room and Orblet swarm room - have their teleporters activated by default, even though yellow crystal chambers are present.

Both Prototypes
Round 2-1


 * The water level doesn't stay raised after exiting the bonus area in the July prototypes.

Round 4-1


 * The helpful arrows above the metronome, birds, and cranes are always present in the July builds.
 * The metronome birds take longer to fly away in these prototypes. As opposed to immediately flying away, they sing first, then fly away.

Round 6-2


 * The laser rings gradually flicker Ristar into the background in the early versions. He's immediately sent into the background in the final game.

Stage Names
The first stage of each Round and each stage in Round 7 are named in the July 1st prototype. These names were removed to make way for the Time Attack and Boss Rush strings.

Credits
Part 1
 * "PLANET DESIGNER" and "CHARACTER DESIGNER" are properly pluralized starting with the July 18th build.
 * Takumi Miyake was promoted to Chief Designer and taken off the Planet Designer list. The added Chief Designer credit appears before the Character Designer credit.
 * The two Planet Designer credit sets were compressed into one set.


 * Again, "SOUND PROGRAMMER" isn't pluralized in the July 1st credits.


 * The vague "RISTAR PROGRAMMER" credit was changed to the more accurate "PLAYER PROGRAMMER".

Part 2

These changes only apply to the July 1st prototype.
 * The romanization of the art director's name was changed to eliminate the H at the end.


 * Test Player was pluralized after the July 1st build.
 * "Youkaichiya" was changed to "Yokaichiya"


 * Rica Terjima's name was added at the end of the Special Thanks credits.


 * "Producer" changed to "Producers", since there's more than one and all.
 * Hiroshi Asoh's name was changed, same as above.
 * Minori Kanari was corrected to Minoru Kanari


 * Take a wild guess. Hell, take a tame guess, it'll still end up correct.


 * One last string changed to remove some odd sentence construction.

Miscellaneous
July 1st Prototype Only


 * All instances of "PASS WORD" were corrected by the next build.


 * The track names for Round 3-1, Ending 1, and Ending 2 were changed by the July 18th build.


 * The Bonus Area intro text was respaced and de-engrished.


 * Three of the treasures are incorrectly spelled in the July 1st prototype.


 * Two of the planet names have inconsistent romanizations. These alternate spellings are used during the Next Area screens.


 * The message for enabling the Boss Rush mode was changed for coherence's sake.

Both Prototypes


 * Round 1-2's track name has a typo in all known prototype versions, including the localization prototypes!


 * Opening Theme 1 is improperly romanized in both July prototypes, as well as the August 12th localization prototype.