Phantasmagoria

Phantasmagoria
Developer: Sierra On-Line Publisher: Sierra On-Line Platforms: Windows, DOS, Mac OS Classic Released in JP: 1997 Released in US: August 24, 1995 Released in EU: 1995 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused sounds. This game has unused text.

Phantasmagoria is an FMV point-and-click adventure game, notable for spanning seven discs. A much lower-resolution version was ported to the Sega Saturn two years later, but only in Japan.

A spiritual sequel, Phantasmagoria 2: A Puzzle of Flesh, was released in 1996.

Unused Graphics

Sierra's SCI engine (Sierra Creative Interpreter) uses at least four different graphical formats in Phantasmagoria:

• Pictures - Basic bitmaps, usually reserved for pre-rendered backgrounds for the player character to walk around on.
• Views - Animated sprites (and sometimes foreground masks). More than two-thirds of the files depict Adrienne (the player character).
• Robots - Similar to Views, but also contain sound. These are usually higher-resolution (not to exceed 640×480 pixels) and can last up to a minute.
• VMDs - Full-motion video (FMV) files. While there are no unused VMDs, running the game on modern hardware may never play the lower-framerate FMVs which exist on the discs for computers which didn't meet the system requirements in 1995. They can be viewed by deliberately underclocking DOSBox and running the MS-DOS version of Phantasmagoria, but are not any different content-wise.

Early Pre-Rendered Backgrounds

All of these are in the Picture format described above. These exist in the engine's enormous resource archives and are never displayed in-game.

Foyer

Early	Final

The first in a series of renderings which were left over in the final product. Most noticeable is the maximum brightness caused by a lack of (or disabled) lighting entities when the scene was saved. This forward shot of the ground level foyer has a noticeably different seal on the marble floor and the rug underneath the grand piano has been changed between versions. The bluish-green mural is missing from the wall leading into the theater. The door on said wall is always closed in the early render, whereas the final uses a sprite overlay (hence why there appears to be no door in the registered version's image).

Early	Final

A different angle from the same room. This shot of the spiral staircase leading up to the second floor hallway was also rendered without lighting. The abstract statue's base is only present in the early render, while the staircase's railing has what appears to be a flourish not present in the final (albeit untextured).

Darkroom

Early	Final

Don's photography darkroom appears almost overexposed in the early render. While the layout appears consistent between both versions right down to the overturned bottles of acid on the left, the early image's nicely-bumpmapped brick wall didn't make the cut and was replaced with a dull color.

Exterior

Early	Final

A more interesting look at what the mansion's exterior used to look like. Nearly everything has changed, ranging from look and size of the kitchen windows to the handle-less side door which appears curved at the top instead of rectangular. The poorly-textured logs were corrected for the final release, while the grass was much less taken care of in the early render.

Unused Backgrounds

A collection of unused backgrounds, also in the Picture format.

Library

File #5340

An extreme closeup of the bookshelf in the library. Notice the poorly-stretched and tiled binding texture. While there exists a background which depicts the bookshelf, the view is never zoomed in this closely.

New England

File #30150

This is the exit door from the ridiculous lawyer's office, inside looking out. The only noticeable change from the final is the lack of a view outside. A blue void acted as a placeholder while the scenic Rhode Island-ish town was being created.

Prototype Title Screen

A rather elaborate piece of artwork which ultimately went unused. The retail version of Phantasmagoria lacks a true title screen: the opening FMV immediately leads to the main menu with a simple list of options for starting a new game, changing discs, adjusting settings, etc. This style of "fancy" lettering was seen in early marketing material for the game before the artists settled on a more "pointed" font for both titles in the series.

This is notably the first file present on all seven discs' resource archives.

Unused Sounds

Hintkeeper Lines

The Hintkeeper is the red skull in the bottom-left corner of the screen who provides hints to the player when they are stuck. He has vocal samples for each of the seven discs (seven chapters), except the chase climax during the end of the last disc. Even though they were recorded and left on the disc, they are never played. Roberta Williams, the game's designer, addressed this in an interview, claiming that the player would not have time to stop and listen to the Hintkeeper while attempting to navigate the last time-limited and reaction-based part of the game.

a0110e00.031 - Look closer at the sarcophagus in the crypt; take the rosary beads.

a0110e00.041 - Head to the backstage make-up room. Find the snowman in Don's vest pocket.

a0110e00.061 - Quickly, run out the door.

a0110e00.0a1 - Go to the attic, you need the cameo broach in the old trunk.

a0110e00.0c1 - Grab the drain cleaner with your free hand.

a0110e00.0d1 - Run to the nursery to get the glass shard lying on the floor.

a0110e00.0f1 - Quickly search Don's vest lying on the make-up room floor. Find the snowman ornament.

a0110e00.0g1 - When Don is not in the darkroom, run back there, grab the spell book on the center table.

a0110e00.0i1 - Quickly pull the lever on the chair with your free hand. Unfortunately, you have to kill Don.

a0110e00.0j1 - Run to the now open theater's secret panel.

a0110e00.0k1 - Run down the passage to the broken stairs.

Unused Text

Unused text from inside the resource files.

Missing Chapter

This file contains debugging strings along with an entry for a "Chapter 8". Phantasmagoria "only" ships with seven discs, each containing one chapter.

1	0	0	1	97	Memory fragmented
1	0	2	1	97	Debug 
1	0	1	1	97	So what? 
2	0	3	1	97	Chapter 1 
2	0	3	2	97	Chapter 2 
2	0	3	3	97	Chapter 3 
2	0	3	4	97	Chapter 4
2	0	3	5	97	Chapter 5
2	0	3	6	97	Chapter 6
2	0	3	7	97	Chapter 7
2	0	3	8	97	Chapter 8
2	0	0	1	97	 < Restore >   
2	0	4	1	97	Where to?

Missing Rooms

This file contains strings for rooms which don't exist in the final version. There is no "3rd floor hallway" in the mansion, and "Collectables" is unknown. Chapter 8 is mentioned again.

2	0	3	1	1	Chapter 1 
2	0	3	2	1	Chapter 2 
2	0	3	3	1	Chapter 3 
2	0	3	4	1	  Chapter 4  
2	0	3	5	1	  Chapter 5  
2	0	3	6	1	  Chapter 6  
2	0	3	7	1	  Chapter 7  
2	0	3	8	1	  Chapter 8  
2	0	1	1	1	    Intro    
2	0	6	1	99	Chapter (1-7)
2	0	4	1	1	Where to?
2	0	2	1	1	 < Restore > 
2	0	5	1	99	Kitchen
2	0	5	2	99	Dining Room
2	0	5	3	99	Test
2	0	5	4	99	Reception Hall
2	0	5	5	99	Library
2	0	5	6	99	Collectables
2	0	5	7	99	Carno's Bedroom
2	0	5	8	99	Maries' Bedroom
2	0	5	9	99	2nd floor hallway
2	0	5	10	99	3rd floor hallway
2	0	5	11	99	Basement
2	0	5	12	99	Chapter 7

Dummy Strings

The following strings seem to pad most of the textual resource files.

0	1	0	1	99	Yep, there it is!
3	30	0	1	99	Coffee
3	4	0	1	99	Coffee
1	30	0	1	99	Pantry Door
2	30	0	1	99	Stove
23	4	0	1	99	The table feels smooth and well worn.
23	1	0	1	99	A table occupies the center of the room.

Bogus Messages

Textual resource files which don't contain the above padding strings contain a variety of "bogus" messages.

0	0	0	1	99	*** bogus message for room 31100

0	0	0	1	99	*** bogus message for room 31200

0	0	0	1	99	*** bogus message for room 31300

0	0	0	1	99	*** bogus message for 32100

0	0	0	1	99	*** bogus message for 32200

Miscellaneous Strings

Strings that don't belong anyplace else.

1	4	0	1	99	Cups.

1	4	0	1	99	Oh, jeez!

1	1	0	1	99	My God! What IS this?
1	1	0	2	99	Ooo...it's clammy.

1	4	0	1	99	Oh, Shit!
1	1	0	1	99	What in the world is this?