Proto:Resident Evil 4 (GameCube)

To do: Document the Debug Menu, add screenshots

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This page details one or more prototype versions of Resident Evil 4 (GameCube).

The Resident Evil 4: Preview Disc (aka Trial Edition) was the official demo for Resident Evil 4 in the United States. It was released in December 2004 as a gift when pre-ordering the game. Despite being released very close to the release date, it is a noticeably earlier build of the game, with several dramatic differences to the final US release.

Note that while Japan saw the release Biohazard 4: Trial Edition earlier, the build in the US version is actually a much earlier build.

General Differences

Audio

• Leon’s voice acting is slightly different; while it's still the voice of Paul Mercier, his voice actor from this game up to Darkside Chronicles, his delivery/direction is different, and some lines are either muffled or very quiet, particularly when he is swearing or talking to himself.
• Attempting to shoot at the cops in the car doesn't elicit any reaction from them.
• Leon has no grunt sound when jumping through a window.
• Gunshots and reload sounds are different from the final; the handgun's firing noise is reused from the first game's remake while the shotgun has a louder reload sound effect.
• Enemy Ganados use some of the same lines as in the final but there are a few lines that aren’t heard in the final game. This is most obvious to the player with the first enemy after the introduction of traps, as well as the dialogue in the village prior to combat.
• There are no pickup sound effects for items.
• There are no SFX for cycling through or selecting options on the main menu.
• The critical headshot sound is slightly different.

Visual

• There are various typos in this build, including one during the opening text.
• When picking up items on the ground, only text is displayed detailing what you've picked up. If the item is on a table or other object, the game shows an unpolished version of the item preview like in the final.
• Grenades are more saturated in color than they are in the final.
• The pillar of light effect on items is more transparent, making them harder to see.
• When picking up Pesetas, the game states that Leon "Picks up coins worth X Pesetas", rather than the item popup of the pesetas in question with the "You got X pstas" info box.
• The options menu only has an option for inverting aim, and nothing else. More standard options are actually available in the debug menu featured below.
• The Map Screen is completely different, and looks more like a physical paper map than the GPS/PDA appearance of the final game. It features Spanish cardinal direction labels as well.
• Instead of a large red dot showing where to go on the map screen, there is a flashing blue light with a line pointing at it labeled, "Destination".
• The map in this build varies slightly from the final, particularly in the south western section of the map, where the bridge section near where the player meets the Merchant appears to be missing or altered.
• The inventory screen is radically different using a grid more similar to prior RE games.
• The icons for herbs and other items are radically different compared to their final versions, and look very unfinished.
• The HUD that displays Leon's current and maximum health has a simpler appearance, only displaying the current maximum as a solid bar rather than displaying the theoretical maximum HP at all times with segments in the bar.
• The model for the dog that Leon rescues appears to be slightly different.
• Several animations are different, including Leon’s jump-thru-window animation, which lacks animation on Leon's upper body and head.
• Leon's melee kick attack against kneeling stunned enemies reuses the animation of him kicking down a door, rather than the unique animation seen in the final build.
• Leon's knife swing animation reuses Chris' knife swing, once again from the Resident Evil remake. This behavior can cause the knife to miss targets that are at point blank range. Its hitbox appears to be smaller as well, sometimes not registering a hit when compared to a similar position in the final.
• The starting handgun is a Ruger KP94 rather than the final game's "Silver Ghost" USP-Ruger-S&W Sigma mashup. The sprite for the weapon shows it with a design more close to the final.
• When inspecting various objects, the camera behaves differently from the final, having a slow zoom in effect on signs, and panning down when inspecting the first villager's corpse.
• The photo of Ashley that Leon shows to the villager at the beginning is completely different from the final; it is identical to that seen in the unused prerendered image on the main page.

Prototype

Gameplay

• There are no Quick-Time-Events prompts in this build. However, when grabbed by an enemy, the final game's method of breaking free works identically, even though no prompt is shown.
• The camera cannot be moved in the same manner as the final release; in the final, the camera can be aimed in any direction the player points the analog stick, and snaps back once the stick is released. In the demo, the camera can only be pointed up or down, and does not return to a neutral position until the player sprints or manually puts the camera back. The camera is also more prone to sudden shifts up or down depending on Leon's position, such as on top of the roofs of the village area.
• The Inventory selection screen is radically different, resembling the one-slot-per-item grid inventory system from prior RE games.
• All items occupy one slot each, including treasures.
• Weapons do not have any stats listed anywhere in the interface.
• The inventory screen uses a static render of Leon rather than an animated model wielding whatever's equipped at the moment, with an equip slot layered on top of said render to signify what weapon is currently equipped.
• The C stick is used to switch between File, Item, Map, and Equip. Only the Map and Equip options are functional in this build.
• Much like in older Resident Evil titles, weapons can be reloaded from the inventory screen, bypassing the reload animations entirely. This can be done either by selecting the weapon and choosing "Reload" from the drop-down menu, or by selecting the same option after selecting the proper ammunition type.
• Leon’s Knife is not mapped to its own button, as it is considered its own weapon in this build, and must be equipped from the pause menu, just like in older games. Considering how much of a game changer RE4 was by mapping the knife to its own button and removing its inventory space requirement, this can take players aback.
• The Z button is instead mapped to the Binoculars, which are only ever used in one scene in the final game as a context sensitive action. In this version, it appears the developers intended for the binoculars to be an important element of the gameplay design, but scrapped it later on as it was too niche.
• The knife has a quantity counter that does not change.
• The knife also appears to do less damage.
• The base shotgun holds 7 shells in its clip as opposed to 6 in the final.
• The shotgun has a somewhat tighter spread than the final, resulting in worse crowd control capabilities.
• The available treasures are different than any found in the final game: Onyx Stone (Small) , Onyx Stone (Large) , Amethyst Stone (Small) , and Amethyst Stone (Large). Each size class is represented by a similar model with altered colors, and the large stones can only be obtained by defeating each Dr. Salvador. It's likely they were replaced by the Spinel, Velvet Blue, and Ruby, though there is no obvious equivalent for one of the large stones. Given their monetary value and location in the game, possible candidates include the Pearl Pendant, Antique Pipe, or Brass Pocket Watch.
• The loading screen between areas is quite long in this build.
• Yellow Herbs function very differently, and are functionally identical to red herbs. However, if the player combines all colors of herbs, the mixture can extend their health bar by a much larger amount than the final does with the yellow herb. Yellow and red herbs cannot be combined on their own and must be combined with a green herb first.
• Items on the inventory screen cannot be moved around, unless by combining them.
• Items, objects, and enemy placements are different compared to the final, but the core geometry of the first two areas is very similar, if not identical.
• There are no female Ganados to fight in the demo. The one that is normally sifting hay in the village is replaced by one of the male Ganados models instead.
• There are no radio calls with Hunnigan in this build, and no associated cutscenes as a result. Because of this, after the truck crashing cutscene, the spawning position of Leon immediately afterwards has him placed by the window instead of in the middle of the dining room.
• The overhead swing of enemies with hatchets is noticeably slower than in the final.
• Enemies in general are slower.
• Dr. Salvador, AKA the chainsaw wielding Ganado is easier to stun with the pistol.

Debug Menu

By using the following AR code, it's possible to bring up an incomplete, partially-functional debug menu.

$Enable Debug Menu

8C110794 7FC3F378

0411072C 60000000

04110750 60000000

04110784 60000000

041107A4 48000048

In-Game Debug Menu

The Debug Menu allows the player to edit various in-game flags, enabling them to manipulate certain game elements. For instance, it's possible to make the player invincible, granting immunity to enemy attacks and damage. One of the best features of the debug menu is the ability to alter camera paths. This allows players to explore the game's environments from different angles, giving a unique perspective like doing the Fixed PSX Camera . With the debug menu, the player can disable the game's background music at any given moment, disable enemy targeting, give infinite ammo, change player position, and many other things. Trying to teleport yourself to other maps will freeze the game, the only functional maps are 100 & 101. It is essential to understand that the debug menu may not function as intended due to missing game files. While some features remain accessible and usable, many functionalities may be disabled or partially functional. This limitation arises from the fact that the debug menu was primarily designed for development purposes and not intended to be accessed in a preview disc.

Inventory Debug Menu

The inventory Debug Menu can be activated by pressing the Z button. It allows the player to change the amount of pesetas and add items to the inventory. Unfortunately, almost none of the weapons can be used since most of the files are missing. Although it's still interesting to see the placeholder icons of the weapons. Quite surprisingly, the special abilities are coded in the trial version and can be added to your inventory and used in-game. A short video of the three prototype special abilities can be watched here. These abilities are quite unknown, and there are not many videos of them. The three special abilities are slow-down mode, optical camouflage, and thermal vision (seems like Resident Evil took inspiration from Metal Gear Solid).

General Differences (Japan Trial)

Audio

• Gun sounds have all been updated.
• Included grunt when Leon jumps out of windows.
• Sound has been added when examining the skulls under the stairs in the first house.
• After defeating the first Ganado at the beginning, the entrance door be will open. However, when attempting to leave, the door will shut, and one of the Ganado will utter this unused line. As it is known that the placeholder voices of the Ganados are mostly gibberish, the exact meaning of their dialogue remains unknown. Nevertheless, it appears as though the Ganado is possibly mocking Leon for trying to escape. This line can be heard in both trial versions, though the last word "Oniki" is barely audible and difficult to understand.

• Despite the game being three months older in the USA trial version, the Ganados still retain their voice lines from that version. Interestingly, in the game files of the japanese version, all sound cues of the E3 Beta Zealots can be found, even though the castle part is not accessible in either of the trial versions.

Visual

• The Japanese font used in this version differs from the one used in the final release.
• An updated inventory system has been implemented, resembling the final version's design.

Japan Trial	USA Trial

• Controller prompts now feature a different appearance than in the final version.
• Players now have the option to choose whether to pick up an item or not, and the on-screen display has been slightly modified. When an item is picked up, a simple click noise can be heard, and all items have been appropriately textured and polished.

• The female Ganado character has been introduced in this version. In the American version, Don Manuel served as a placeholder for the female Ganado. The female Ganado also has several unused voice lines, and some of them are present in the final version.
• Item placements have been revised and now mirror those found in the final release.
• The female Ganado, previously seen hanging on a wall in a cabin before entering the village, has been removed, likely due to censorship considerations.
• The bonfire in the village, which in the final game features a cop's body impaled to a stake, is absent in this version, again likely for censorship reasons.
• One of the cabins in the village contains a picture frame of Dr. Salvador without his brown sack over his head. Interacting with it shows some flavor text that, intriguingly, implies that every encounter with him is in fact the same Dr. Salvador resurrected.

Japan Trial	Final

Japanese	English (translated)
地元でうわさのチェーンソー男だ. 何度殺してもよみがえるらしい 実は村一番の金持ちという話だが	Here's the local gossip about the chainsaw man. It seems that no matter how many times you kill him, he will come back to life. In fact, it is said that he is the richest man in the village.

Gameplay

• In the American demo, Leon used to take a step while knifing, but this animation was removed starting with the Japanese demo.
• In this version, combining herbs behaves very differently. Green and red combined herbs can't be used unless a Yellow one is also added. Green and yellow combined herbs also can't be used unless a red one is added. Oddly, a red herb can be added to a green+green mixture to turn it into a green+red mixture, effectively wasting a green herb.
• Initially, in the American trial, Leon would descend stairs step by step, but in this version, he jumps down with higher speed compared to final.
• All enemy animations in this version are identical to those in the final release.
• Completing the demo unlocks hard difficulty and a beta trailer.
• No treasures are present in this build. Their spawns have been replaced with ammo and, in the case of both Dr. Salvadors, 10,000 pesetas. If the player manages to finish with 30,000 or more pesetas in Normal difficulty, they unlock the TMP for use in subsequent playthroughs of that difficulty. The TMP is not available in Hard mode.
• Both the TMP (Submachine Gun) and their ammunition have slight differences in appearance. The ammo comes in different colors. When firing with the TMP, the laser sight disappears, and recoil becomes noticeable. Additionally, the running sound with the TMP equipped is out of sync.

A gameplay video showcasing the prototype TMP can be viewed here, and a regular gameplay video with thorough investigation can be found here.

General Differences (2004-04-13 Build)

• There isn't much to elaborate on regarding this build, as it closely resembles the USA trial. However, it includes most of the missing files, enabling functionality for various elements such as weapons, items, treasures, enemies, and the debug menu. Fortunate enough, it also includes unused cutscene audio, music, and soundeffects.

Visual

This version is similar to the USA preview disc, but it includes a wealth of additional files, such as enemy data, item models, sound effects, and music. The beta ends after the church bell, yet when porting maps from the final version through modding, a total of 47 maps are playable, revealing new unseen content.

Here is a list of all functional maps.

* r100 (MORI)
* r101 (MURA)
* r108 (TOMB)
* r10a (NUMA)
* r10d (BUKI-SYOUNIN (night))
* r112 (TIKADOU (night))
* r113 (FARM (night))
* r11a (NUMA (night))
* r11d (SEKISYO (night))
* r200 (WAY TO THE CASTEL)
* r201 (HALL)
* r205 (PRISON AREA)
* r207 (kojou_07)
* r208 (kojou_08)
* r20b (kojou_11)
* r20c (kojou_12)
* r20d (SHITUZI AREA)
* r20e (UN-USING AREA)
* r20f (kojou_15)
* r210 (kojou_16)
* r211 (Main Rouka)
* r213 ((kojou_19)
* r214 (Tokeitou)
* r217 ((kojou_23)
* r215 (kojou_21)
* r218 ((kojou_24)
* r219 (kojou_25)
* r21a (kojou_26)
* r21b (kojou_27)
* r229 (YOUSUIRO)
* r221 (castle_in)
* r222 (BLAZING INFERNO)
* r223 (SAIKATU)
* r224 (YOUKOU-RO)
* r21d (NARAKU & TOMB)
* r225 (forest)
* r226 (kojou_38)
* r227 (SYMBOL TOWER)
* r228 (SYMBOL TOWER - BOSS)
* unknown (Descend to the Island area) - Where Leon descends with a rope after defeating Salazar (beginning of Island)
* r22b (Ashley Truck Area)
* r22c (Castle Shooting Range)

As the maps are ported from the final version, there are no distinct textures differences; however, there are variations in placement and absence of items in boxes or barrels. The enemy data is also present in the files, leading to the spawning of enemies within the maps. You can watch a showcase of every playable beta maps on YouTube.

Music

This version provides numerous unused sound effects and audio elements, including several unused soundtracks and enemy voices. Notably, Leon's voice in the cutscenes differs from the final release.

• Ganado II Soundtrack:

Prototype	Final

• Agony Soundtrack:

Prototype	Final

• Unused Soundtrack (bio4bgm_030):

All of the other soundtracks, except for Ganado 2 & Agony, remain identical; only certain instruments are louder when compared to the final version. If not comparing it directly the difference cannot be heared unless you are intimately familiar with every aspect of Resident Evil 4.

Voice-Acting

• The first encounter with Ashley upon entering the church room is identical. However, Leon's voice acting lacks emotion and feels as if it is being read normally. The door opening sound is slightly different, and Leon doesn't say "Ashley" after she runs into the corner.

• The encounter with the Ganado in the first cabin is notably different. Instead of Paul Mercier's voice, there is a distinct audio featuring what appears to be a developer reciting unused text

• Before the Mendez Boss Fight, the line where Leon instructs Ashley to hide is delivered by the developer.

• The cutscene preceding the cabin fight with Luis features notably distinct voice acting, with all sentences pronounced more softly and quietly.

• In Chapter 3-1, when Ashley becomes trapped due to Salazar's trap, the dialogue is pronounced way differently, Ashley doesn't shout and features unused dialogue.

Soundeffects

• When Leon jumps out of the window after defeating the Ganado in the first cabin, the shattering sound of the window is different (matching the one from early trailers), and Leon's grunt is not

implemented yet.

Prototype	Final

• This audio file appears to be from when Leon assists Ashley in climbing up to use the cranks for the bridge in Waterhall. Towards the end, there's a distinct early variation in the fanatic sounds of the enemies. Since only Zealots are in Waterhall, they were probably used for them, however it appears they were also used for the village Ganados. The voices are not playing in the correct order and are having loop issues which makes it hard to understand without getting an earbleed.

• All files of the unused enemy voices

• The Merchant has the voice replaced by the line "Es hora de rezar" by the Ganado after the church bell.

• Ashley also has an unused voiceline when screaming for help, sounding slightly different

Visual

Items

Given that many of the absent files in the trial version are included here, most weapons are functional, treasures can be examined, and the Debug menu is considerably more functional than its previous state. While the weapons function as intended, certain ones feature different or unused sounds. Additionally, some weapons use an unused running animation when equipped. Although a weapon glitch exists, some weapons do not work but can be made to act like it when equipping a gun that works. In order to perform this glitch, equip a functional weapon such as the default pistol, go into the inventory and equip the weapon that doesn't work (e.g the Striker) and the pistol will act like the Striker in terms of damage and range. When doing this glitch with the normal shotgun, the bullet spread will also be the same. You will get a glitched weapon which behaves like Weapon A (Weapon A/Weapon B combo). A video of the beta weapons can be watched on YouTube and the beta treasures aswell.

Enemies

• The Zealots use a limited number of unused textures, including masks, clothing, chains, and antlers.

Weapons

• Handgun: Shooting and reload sound compared to final

Prototype	Final

• Shotgun: Shooting and reload sound compared to final

Prototype	Final

• Red-9: Uses an unused soundeffect from the Magnum seen in early trailers

Prototype	Final

• Final Magnum sound:

• Rifle: The semi-auto rifle uses the same shooting sound like the normal rifle

Gameplay

As it is known that the beta version has Prototype Features including slow-mo mode, thermal vision, and optical camouflage, The slow-mo mode introduces a feature where Leon can peek around corners when it is active.

When equipping a specific weapon including the RPG, Chicago Typewriter, and the Rifle, the running animation is different as seen in early trailers.

Miscellaneous

Game-Files

• This discovery is likely one of the most significant. This build contains a few residual images from Resident Evil 3.5, originating from a playable demo that was never released to the public.