Proto:Star Fox 2/May 6 and May 13, 1994 Builds

This is a sub-page of Proto:Star Fox 2.

The May 6, 1994 and May 13, 1994 prototypes of Star Fox 2 exhibit a very early look into the experiment stage of the game's engine and mechanics. These builds would bear a considerable resemblance to the much later Winter CES 1995 build. Both prototypes are compiled into this page due to the short time window and lack of changes between the two.

To do: Everything.

Changes since "April 1, 1994"

Music no longer plays in the stages. However, all stages do have music associated with them, which can be heard after using the button combo to exit the stage. The Walker moves much faster than in the April 15, 1994 build, though it's still slower than in the final version. Only EXT1 and EXT2 are filled with small enemies, STG1 has only a few buildings, the rest of the levels are completely empty. The map in the corner in some cases, on the contrary, shows an abundance of buildings, although this is not so.

Config mode now has options for Port1 and Port2. This means it now has all the options from the final except Port3.

"April 1, 1994"	May 6, 1994

SOS 1, 2 and 3 slots level have also been added. The sound of selecting an item has become more voluminous.

The transformation animation is faster, and now the walker has a texture on the back (which it would unfortunately lose permanently after this).

April 15, 1994	May 6, 1994

In the Battle mode character select screen, the character portraits have been modified:

"April 1, 1994"	May 6, 1994

The graphical level selection screen now has a starry background.

April 1, 1994	May 6, 1994

The levels themselves in this mode are also mostly empty, and the music is not played by default. The beginning of round 2 is accompanied by some glitches and blinking of some HUD elements. After the full completion of all rounds, music will play on the title screen.

In the case of a boss fight in mission mode, a three-quarter circle shaped health bar is displayed in the corner. The Mirage Dragon boss now requires fewer hits to defeat.

You can also now strafe in UFO mode by holding L or R.

Differences Between the Two Builds

To do: Replace the video with one recorded from a more accurate emulator than ZSNES. The title also incorrectly references the May 6, 1994 build.

The two builds are largely the same, however, there is a noticeable difference in STG1-GROUND.

May 6, 1994	May 13, 1994

The May 13, 1994 build features a rotating object that causes the geometry it is pointing at to be obscured from view. It disappears once the button combo to spawn the boss is used.

The May 6, 1994 build lacks this object, but instead has a white square cover up part of the screen when the camera is very close to the ground. This was probably going to be further developed into a fail-safe to ensure the player couldn't see through the geometry. This square is disabled once the button combo to spawn the boss is used.

Debug Controls

To do: Check if there are anymore debug combos.

• L + R + SELECT: Exit stage. This has a side effect of allowing that stage's music to be heard.
• A + B + X + Y + L + R Twice: Spawn the stage's boss. Depending on the stage that the player is in, the boss will either be Space Blade or the Mirage Dragon.
• L + R + Y: Toggle first person camera.

Unused Graphics

These textures are found in the ROM between 0x90000 and 0xA0000. They feature:

• Portraits of the characters, along one of an unknown robot character.
• Some disused textures which will be used in a later build.
• Sprites carried over from the original Star Fox.

Unseen Background Details

Several stage backgrounds are actually larger than what the player can see, leaving some details not able to be seen without a tilemap viewer. In the April 1st, 1994 build, these stages' backgrounds could be seen in their entirety.

Some backgrounds have a "工事中" (under construction) graphic, which is normally only visible in STG3-MAGMA.

STG1-GROUND

The opening in the clouds is gone and there is a 工事中 graphic.

STG2-DESERT

This section lacks the tower.

STG3-MAGMA

While the viewable background has a 工事中 graphic, there is indeed a section that has it erased.

STG4-PARK

There is a 工事中 graphic.

STG6-SEA

The underwater layer is not able to be seen in these two builds, despite the player technically being able to swim with the walker.

BAT-MARINE

Same issue as STG6-SEA.

Unused Font

This unused font, which appears in Star Fox, can be found at 0x1200 in the ROM.

Early Mission Mode Character Select Portraits

	Fox McCloud	Falco Lombardi
April 15		(absent)
May 6-13
Final

As in the previous prototype, the pilot select portraits exist, but are still unused. Fox's thumbs-up animation has been altered to make his face symmetrical, but his facial expression is still the stuff of nightmares. Falco's portraits have now been added, and his poses are already similar to the final ones. Both Fox and Falco have an additional sprite which may have been intended for the losing player in the 2P Vs. results screen. Oddly, the cockpit background present in the April 15 proto and final portraits is missing here.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

2P Vs. Character Selection Sprites

April 15, 1994
May 6 and May 13, 1994

As in the April 15 build, alternate poses for all of the playable characters exist in the 2P Vs. mode menu graphics. The first four characters' sprites have been redrawn since the previous prototype to match the dialogue portraits seen below.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

Unused Character Portrait

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page. Specifically: Find out if this human character is seen anywhere in magazines and other media.

The portrait of an unknown human character can be found alongside the other roster portraits, between 0xA0000 and 0xA8000. More images of the human character were found in the July 2020 Nintendo leaks. This would mark the first (and thus far only) attempt at introducing a human element into the Star Fox canon.

The first five characters and their portraits would be carried over to the August 31, 1994 build.

Unused Audio

To do: Rip the rest of the unused sound effects.

In the CONFIG MODE section of the main menu, there is a section where all sound effects can be played; many of which are unused.

Value	Audio	Notes
C0		A distress call saying "Help! Help!", related to the unused HELP! graphic seen above. This clip normally plays incorrectly, but can sometimes be heard properly after using the stage-exit button combo while playing on STG6-SEA. It is used in the August 31, 1994 build when encountering a Walker in need of rescue.
C1		The same voice from C0 saying "Thank you!", related to the unused THANKS! graphic seen above. This clip normally plays incorrectly, but can sometimes be heard properly after using the stage-exit button combo while playing on STG6-SEA. It is used in the August 31, 1994 build when rescuing a Walker.