Proto:Crash Bandicoot: Warped/Tell No Tales Demo 1

This is a sub-page of Proto:Crash Bandicoot: Warped.

This demo is bundled with the NTSC-U version of Spyro the Dragon and can be accessed from its main menu by holding L1 + Triangle. There are two variants of the demo corresponding to the NTSC-U and PAL regions of the game, and while both feature the same playable level, the PAL version was compiled a few weeks later. The modification date of the files suggests that this demo is dated around August 6th, 1998.

General Differences

Startup

The demo plays a short slideshow before it begins, showcasing the game's new environments and features. These slideshows feature screenshots with some noticeable differences compared to the final game.

• The early version of the underwater theme plays in the background, which was also used as a placeholder track, including as the main theme during development.
• The image of Tomb Time shows that the corridor with the first set of jar monkeys is significantly narrower at the end.
• The image of Mad Bombers has many differences. The health icon is an image of Crash's plane, the Orange Baron from below, the destroyed airplanes counter uses the blimp icon and displays a total of 0/0 instead, and the level would feature flying bombs attached to a propeller that would be thrown from airplanes whenever the player flew behind them, as seen in the July 17th, 1998 prototype.
• The image of High Time shows two bounce crates near the bonus platform, which are not present in the final game. There also appears to be some additional scenery in the background on the right side of the level, including a bounce crate in mid-air, which may have been related to an early version of the alternate path.
  • The building next to where the bonus platform stops is also absent.
  • The total number of crates is 86 instead of 85.

Gameplay

Demo	Final

• The Time Twister's portal graphic features a totally different design for the load/save screen. The fifth chamber also seems to be missing.

• A white screen is used for loading transitions, rather than a distorting vortex effect.
  • The music does not fade out when entering a portal either.
• The music track is in mono, regardless of the output option.
• Aku Aku has a red nose in his default state. Due to an oversight, his nose is miscolored gray in the final game.
• Crystals, gems, and relics don't play the choir sound effect, nor do they drop firework particles when collected.
• Checkpoint crates lack the chime sound when opened.
• The yellow aura visual effect is missing when Aku Aku is summoned or lost.
• Extra lives will change into a x20-Wumpa fruit once the player collects it. In the final game, it changes into a single Wumpa fruit instead.
• The spinning crate hologram on the box counter has a lighter shade and is always transparent.
  • When all crates are destroyed, the clear gem will show up as soon as the box counter appears onscreen, regardless of where the player is. In the final game, the gem will only spawn when the player gets closer to the box counter.
• Sapphire relics are known as Silver relics instead. Logically, they are silver-colored (not to be confused with Platinum relics, which are white).
• The dynamic difficulty adjustment system can only provide one Aku Aku mask regardless of the number of deaths, identically to Crash 2 and the PAL release.
• Music volume is defaulted to 100% as opposed to 75%.
• There is no option to exit the level in the pause menu.
  • The gem stats indicate a total of 40 gems in the game instead of 42.
  • The Powers tab will display "TEST" on the bottom if the player has at least one Super Power.
  • The Relics tab displays the totals of all relic types at the same time, rather than only Sapphire by default when nothing is collected, and displaying the rest if you have at least one of them. The displayed relic is also always a Platinum.
    • Relics are sorted from the lowest tier to the highest (Silver, Gold, Platinum), whereas in the final game it is from the highest to the lowest (Platinum, Gold, Sapphire).
  • The controller vibration option is called "Shock" instead.
  • The "Calibrate" option from Crash 2 is still available here.
  • Vibration and calibration options are available at all times, regardless of the controller used.

Time Trial

By hacking, it's possible to access Time Trial mode, revealing its primitive state. Although there are no time crates throughout Tell No Tales, textures of the crates are present in the global texture page, suggesting that they were already in the game at this point, just not placed in this level.

• There is no "Entering Time Trial" onscreen notice the first time you start the time trial.
  • No ticking sound effect plays when touching the stopwatch.
• Starting the time trial with Aku Aku doesn't remove any Aku Aku masks in possession.
• Basic crates always provide a single Wumpa fruit which is picked up instantly, while ? crates make varying amounts of Wumpas to appear.
  • They are immediately counted when a basic crate is broken, rather than moving to the HUD.
• Extra lifes aren't removed.
• There is no "Restart Trial" option in the pause menu. The only way to restart the time trial is either by dying, or after finishing the level.
• The end-of-level screen when finishing the time trial is very barebones.
  • The time trial leaderboard is missing.
  • When a relic is received, the relic will go offscreen after a second just like all other collectibles, whereas in the final it stays onscreen until the screen fades out.
  • The game will always give you the option to either retry the time trial or return to the warp room. The final game always forces you back to the warp room when the first level relic is obtained.
    • The retry option reads "Restart Level" instead of "Restart Trial".
• On the Enter Name screen, there are no sound effects when navigating or selecting an option. The screen also takes a little longer to show up.
  • There is a "Cancel" button to ignore the saving of a new record. Selecting it will discard the current time, making it possible to get a relic without any recorded times.
  • Inserting the last initial won't bring the player to the "Done" button automatically.
• The music volume will decrease during the Enter Name screen just like in the final game, but it will not reset to normal when restarting a level. This effect is cumulative and one can make the volume go down to 0% by repeating the time trial multiple times.

Level Differences

Tell No Tales

• The color of the buoys are inverted. The yellow ones are on the left side, while the red ones are on the right side.
• No sound plays when the sailor lab assistant whacks Coco into the water with his oar.
• When entering the exit portal, the wake of the jet ski will not disappear.
  • The directional arrow doesn't go away either, which results in it being erroneously displayed on the Enter name screen as well.

Main Level

• The stopwatch is placed further to the left.
• The basic crate in front of the first pirate ship firing cannonballs was replaced by a ? one in the final game.
• A bomb is missing before the second ramp after the first checkpoint.
• There is an extra checkpoint crate after the small island surrounded by two rower lab assistants, which was replaced by a ? one in the final game.
• There is a second extra checkpoint crate before the third pirate ship firing cannonballs, which was replaced by a ? one in the final game.
• A bomb is missing next to the second sailor lab assistant.
• Another bomb is missing afterwards, where the crystal would be located in the final game.
• The last checkpoint crate is placed further ahead.
• Another bomb is missing behind the third ramp after the final checkpoint.
• The ? crate after the last sailor lab assistant is missing, bringing the total number of crates to 60 instead of 61.
• The crystal replaces the extra life in the final game on the final ramp at the end.

Soundtrack Differences

Demo	Final	Notes
		It has an unused supposed woodblock sample that isn't present in the final, then later replace by a different instrument with slight changes in the melody too.

Early Level Names

All level names can be found in the game's code, even though they go unused. By using a memory viewer, it's possible to see all the strings of text used in the pause menu, including some different level names:

Demo	Final
Dino Might!	Bone Yard
Aye Matey	Makin' Waves
Bone Yard	Dino Might!
Sphynxter	Sphynxinator
Fast Forward	Future Frenzy
Future2	Gone Tomorrow
Orange Asphault	Orange Asphalt
Crash Kabob	Flaming Passion
Egypt4	Bug Lite
Ski3	Ski Crazed
Highway4	Area 51?
N/A	Hot Coco
N/A	Eggipus Rex