Proto:Puyo Pop Fever (Arcade)

This page details one or more prototype versions of Puyo Pop Fever (Arcade).

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To do: Music should be almost done (just check out the remaining ADX files and see if the title and fever themes are any different) but the graphical differences have just been started. The same person who made the video linked to a zip file containing all of the proto's files. It could prove useful for this article (namely Graphical Differences).

This prototype for the arcade (Sega NAOMI) version of Puyo Pop Fever is assumed to be a location test build of the game (as certain modes are locked off), based off of the build shown at Tokyo Game Show 2003. While certain aspects resemble the final, many things are noticeably different. It was dumped in 2014 and can be found on several ROM sites.

The build date for the game is September 9, 2003, a few weeks before a promotional tournament Sega held for the game (using a similar build, only for GameCube instead, in which this build has yet to be found).

(Source: RoxyRodent (video), MetalliC (ROM dump), ccateni 28(File extraction from the dump)

General Differences

• The proto came on a cartridge as opposed to the final's GD-ROM.
• The "WakuWaku Course" & "Endless Fever" are the only selectable modes.
• Bonus points are not awarded after finishing a stage in the WakuWaku Course, no matter how fast you clear it.
• There's no credits sequence.
• The CPU is noticeably dumber:
  • They're prone to ignoring potential chains. Even Popoi, the final boss does this making him a pushover.
  • In the final, the CPU will repeatedly perform single chains if you hit them with a strong attack in an attempt to get into "Fever Mode". In the proto, however, they'll happily get hit by the attack.
  • Speaking of fever, on the off chance that they get into "Fever Mode", they generally aren't as effective with it as they are in the final.
  • Sometimes the CPU just...gives up and loses the battle without much of a fight.
• "Fever Mode" chains seemingly deal less garbage puyo in the proto.
• Only 7 of the game's characters are playable in the 2P VS mode (accessible by inserting a credit and pressing 2P Start while in play).
• The damage animation plays if you or your opponent gets attacked at all, no matter how small the amount of garbage puyo. In the final, it only plays when the attack is strong enough. The voice clip behavior is identical to the final's damage system though.

Music Differences

One of the biggest differences between the prototype and the final is the soundtrack. Many of the songs gained extra instruments for the final.

Track	Prototype	Final	Notes
How to Play (It's The Teachers Lesson!)	Proto Tutorial Theme	Final Tutorial Theme Mission/Original Mode Theme	A completely different song is used for the how to play sequence. The proto's song would eventually be touched up and repurposed for the console exclusive mission and original modes.
Manzai 1 (Calm)			Sounds rather unpolished in the proto, especially the part at 0:26. Also, the part at 0:38 was slightly recomposed.
Manzai 2 (Noisy)			Even more unpolished than the previous track. The final gave it some much needed echo and polish.
Manzai 3 (I Am The Demon King, Meow)			Now with 20% more echo and instrumentation!
Amitie's Ending (Amitie and the Flying Cane)			The most altered story track. The proto's version is slightly faster than the final's. Additionally, the track's instrumentation and composition were enhanced. Lastly, the ending of the track was heavily slowed down so it could fit better with the actual cutscene.
Taisen 1 (Puyo Pop Match ~ Here I Go!)			One of the most drastically changed tracks. The pitch was lowered for the final and the main part of the song has a different composition.
Taisen 2 (Fun Puyo Pop Hell)			A bit unfinished in the proto; many instruments are missing and what's there sounds weird.
Taisen 3 (Everyone Fight! Puyo Pop Until Morning)			See above.
Taisen 4 (The Untrained Demon King Ultimate Legend)			Another track with big changes. While the composition is near identical to the final, the pitch is lower and the instrumentation was reworked for the final with a different take on the guitar solo(ish) near the end.
Game Over			The Game Over jingle is completely different in the prototype, sounding a lot more like the lose sound effect than the jingle used in the final.

• Raffine's Ending & the Staff Roll theme are not present on the cart.

Graphical Differences

Intro

The game's graphical differences start as early as the intro, which looks unfinished compared to the final.

Prototype	Final