Proto:Spyro the Dragon (PlayStation)/August 27th, 1998 build
This is a sub-page of Proto:Spyro the Dragon (PlayStation).
This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.
The August 27th, 1998 prototype of Spyro the Dragon is a localisation prototype for the PAL release of the game, built between the final NTSC-U and PAL builds. It was released online in around 2007 but was assumed to be a standard PAL ISO, and as such was subsequently lost. This build was not re-released until March 21st, 2020.
Since the build date of the WAD is not known due to it incorrectly showing the NTSC-U final build date, it is assumed that the build date is the same as the disc modification date of August 27th 1998. Files suggest it was built August 24th 1998 at the very earliest.
Users should be aware that the only known dump of this prototype appears to be inaccurate and full of glitches, which probably don't reflect an accurate dump. In particular, it's a very... loud prototype. You have been warned.
Contents
Build Dates
The following is a table comparing the various modification dates of each of the files within the ISO between the August 27th prototype and the final PAL build.
| File | Description | August 27th Prototype | September 1st Final PAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| WAD.WAD | Contains most of the game's contents | 1998-08-12 15:46 | 1998-08-12 15:46 |
| SCES_014.38 | Executable | 1998-08-23 07:29 | 1998-09-01 11:28 |
| MUSIC1.STR | Soundtrack file | 1998-08-24 04:41 | 1998-08-24 04:41 |
| MUSIC2.STR | Soundtrack file | 1998-08-24 05:04 | 1998-08-28 08:13 |
| MUSIC3.STR | Soundtrack file | 1998-08-24 05:10 | 1998-08-24 05:10 |
| MUSIC4.STR | Soundtrack file | 1998-08-24 05:18 | 1998-08-24 05:18 |
| MUSIC5.STR | Soundtrack file | 1998-08-24 05:25 | 1998-08-24 05:25 |
| MUSIC6.STR | Soundtrack file | 1998-08-24 05:35 | 1998-08-24 05:35 |
Oftentimes the WAD is used as a point of reference for when the prototype was built. However, despite the fact the WAD claims to have been modified on August 12th (the same date as the NTSC-U final) it was clearly edited after this version - the WAD from this version and the WAD from the final version are not the same.
The disc's creation and modification dates suggest that the disc may have been built on August 27th. Given the dates of the files, it's possible that the WAD may have been last edited at some point between August 24th and August 27th.
| August 12th Final NTSC-U | August 27th Prototype | September 1st Final PAL | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Created: | August 13th 1998 | August 13th 1998 | September 10th 1998 |
| Modified: | August 14th 1998 | August 27th 1998 | September 10th 1998 |
General Differences
- Like the NTSC-U version, the title screen displays the option "PRESS START," unlike the final PAL build which reads "START GAME" instead. Also, changing the language in the prototype leaves this option untranslated.
- When choosing a language, "Deutsch" is incorrectly spelled "Deutch."
| Aug 27 Prototype | Sep 1 Final |
|---|---|
 |
 |
- In the game's "demo mode," accessed after leaving the title screen stationary for a long enough period, there are apparent differences in the gameplay shown off throughout the featured levels.
- Many of the translations are incomplete and differ from the final release.
- The file select screen's translations are unfinished, leaving "empty" for the blank save slots untranslated, as well as some other translations that would later be adjusted in the final.
- All major cutscenes are in English regardless of which language the game is set to.
- Accents are not yet displayed correctly on portals.
- Various other things throughout the game are translated differently, such as level names.
- When attempting to enter Terrace Village or Haunted Towers in this build, Spyro misses his glide and doesn't land where he was intended to begin the level, resulting in an immediate death. This is likely due to adjustments that had yet to be made to accommodate for the framerate difference between the NTSC-U and PAL versions of the game, or just a result of this being a bad dump of the prototype.
- As there are a number of differences between the NTSC-U and PAL final builds, many of these changes have not been implemented into the game yet.
- For example, the gem placement in Metalhead matches the NTSC-U version, while the retextured dragons match the final PAL version.
Differences From NTSC-U and PAL Final Builds
| Difference | NTSC-U Final | PAL Final | Aug 27 Prototype |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dark Hollow - Blood | Blood present on Gnorcs' swords | Blood not present on Gnorcs' swords | Matches NTSC-U Final |
| Town Square - Blood | Blood present on Bulls' horns | Blood not present on Bulls' horns | Matches NTSC-U Final |
| Toasty - Knockback | Shepherds can be charged through with no knockback | Shepherds give knockback when charged | Matches NTSC-U Final |
| Ice Cavern - Armored Gnorc | One of the Armored Gnorcs takes two hits to kill | The same Gnorc takes one hit to kill | Matches NTSC-U Final |
| Terrace Village - Music | Music track is stereo | Music track is mono | Matches NTSC-U Final |
| Metalhead - Gems | Gems at the end of the level on a hard-to-reach ledge | Gems moved from hard-to-reach ledge | Matches NTSC-U Final |
| Dark Passage - Water | There's a water pit that behaves like an ordinary floor | The same water pit correctly behaves as water | Matches NTSC-U Final |
| High Caves - Music | Uses NTSC-U-exclusive theme | Uses PAL-exclusive theme | Matches PAL Final |
| High Caves - Cyrus | Cyrus is green | Cyrus is yellow | Matches PAL Final |
| Wizard Peak - Hexus | Hexus is brown | Hexus is yellow | Matches PAL Final |
| Blowhard - Altair | Altair's belly is white | Altair's belly is pink | Matches PAL Final |
| Gnorc Gnexus - Magnus | Magnus's horns are brown | Magnus's horns are yellow | Matches PAL Final |
| Twilight Harbor - Cleetus | Cleetus is off-white, mismatched with his Beast Makers appearance | Cleetus is green, matching his Beast Makers appearance | Matches PAL Final |
| Twilight Harbor - English spelling | "Harbor" is spelled to match the American spelling | "Harbour" is spelled to match the British spelling | Matches PAL Final |
| Title Screen - Music | Starts slightly earlier | Starts slightly later | Matches PAL Final |
| Title Screen - Spyro's teeth | Appears normally | Teeth not showing | Matches PAL Final |
| Extra tracks | Has fewer unused tracks | Has more unused tracks | Matches PAL Final |
| Text size | Text is larger - in particular, the dragon name is larger than the word "Rescued" | Text is smaller and more uniform in size | Matches PAL Final |
| Balloonist dialogue | Text is left-aligned | Text is centered | Matches PAL Final |
| "Entering" ellipsis | "..." at the end of the "Entering [level]" text | No "..." at the end of the "Entering [level]" text | Matches PAL Final |
| "Gnasty's" text | "Gna" in "Gnasty's World / Loot" is frozen in the inventory
"Gnasty's" ends with a lower case S |
"Gna" in "Gnasty's World / Loot" moves as intended in the inventory
"Gnasty's" ends with an upper case S for some reason |
Matches PAL Final |
Gnasty Gnorc
Mysteriously, Gnasty Gnorc reuses an early design seen in a small handful of magazine screenshots and in the June 15th prototype, as well as unfinished animations despite being fully complete and present in the NTSC-U final build. He still retains his normal appearance in the game's opening cutscene, so the exact cause for this is unknown. One possibility is that a developer used an older backup of Gnasty's assets when producing this build, for whatever reason. As a result, he behaves much differently:
- Gnasty is a lot quieter in this version; he doesn't make any noises while performing his idle animations, running, or when he takes damage from the player.
- His animations are different, for the most part.
- He uses an early idle animation for the majority of the battle, rather than pounding his chest and taunting the player like he does in the final. However, once the player enters the first chase sequence of the fight, if the player waits so that Gnasty stops running away, he'll turn around and begin performing his "chest punching" animation seen in the final, albeit without any sounds.
- Gnasty runs at the same pace as he normally does, but his running animation appears to be a bit slower, making it look somewhat slidey.
- In his fainting animation he falls backwards instead of forwards, matching the one used in a currently unreleased prototype that falls somewhere between the June 15th and July 18th builds.
- When Gnasty is backed into a room by Spyro at the very end of the level and the player chooses to stand up close, Spyro doesn't take any damage if Gnasty attempts to slam his hammer down on him, unlike in the final.
- Spyro always says "You're toast Gnorc!" in English upon defeating Gnasty Gnorc, regardless of the language the game is being played on. In the final build, Spyro remains silent when the game is played under non-English languages.
