Proto:The Lion King (SNES)/Version 0.21

This is a sub-page of Proto:The Lion King (SNES).

  This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

Although considerably further ahead than the early prototype, the v.21 prototype still has a fair amount of differences to the final.

Unused Graphics

Characters

A whole bunch of Simba sprites (both cub and adult) that are never used can be found only in this prototype. It's uncertain exactly what they would have been used for, since the 'edge grab' sprites used for Simba use the same base as the ones seen in the early prototype.

It appears as though the static hippos in "Can't Wait to be King" were at one stage going to move around. The shading more closely resembles the Genesis version of the game. A mock up of one such sprite can be seen on the right. The palette here is a guess, since these sprites do not use the exact same palette as the hippos shown in-game.

The turtle sprites are still here, but all of them, including the ones used in the early prototype, go completely unused since the turtle has been removed at this point.

Other

An upright version of the title screen pawprint that never gets used.

There's a portrait depicting Simba as he ages to an adult. It's unknown where this would have been used, unless it was planned as a halfway marker for adult Simba.

The continue icon should be animated, but it's static during gameplay.

General

• Palette is lighter in many more areas than the final.
• Hyenas are much harder to defeat. Unlike in the final, their behavior does not follow a set pattern, and it can take a long time before they strike Simba; even after that, there's no guarantee that they'll become tired after two turns. This was retained in the Game Gear version.
• When invulnerability is on, Simba can become stuck if he falls into a bottomless pit, or is struck by an auto-kill mechanic (such as the boulder in Rafiki Chase).
  • When the latter occurs, Simba's sprite becomes corrupted, and the player can no longer move him around.
• Life icon has been redrawn for the final.
• 1-Up uses the same icon as the Life icon, instead of its own graphic. This is still the case in the Game Gear version.
• Powerups and health restores do not play a sound.
• Simba's 'long drop' animation appears with less of a fall.
• When Simba roars with a full bar, no sound plays.
• When Simba roars with anything other than a full bar, he roars before his mouth opens.
• Child Simba's hurt cry is the same as the Genesis version, in turn identical to that of his adult self.
• Continue has a different icon:
• Adult Simba has a few additional sprites when he grabs onto a ledge that were removed in the final game.

0.21	Final

• Level title just appears instead of dropping down.
• Level Complete appears after the completion of any non-bonus level.
  • Sometimes the message shows a corrupted palette.

Title Screen

0.21	Final

• Press Select and hold Left at the options screen to access the level select.
• Music starts at title screen.
• Main menu uses a static paw instead of a circle.
• Rafiki is placed closer to the edge of Pride Rock, like in the movie, as well as the Amiga, DOS, and Windows ports.
• Easy is known as Practice.
• Turning Music off does not work.
• Sound effects still do not work, and read as:

ROAR
GROWL
SCREAM
BEETLE
HYENA1
ROB IS
A ROYAL
PAIN IN
THE BUTT
AND
KEVIN
IS
CHOOSING
ROB'S SIDE
WHICH MEANS
NO MORE RIDES!

• Always begin with 3 lives, regardless of the difficulty setting.

The Pridelands

• Level is titled 'Pride Rock'.
• Halfway marker right at the start.
• Chameleon has not yet been shaded.
• Brown Beetle enemy is still in this version, and just as hard to defeat without getting hurt.
• There's a blue beetle powerup instead of a ladybird under the rocks near the top left.
• Music does not change when hyena appears.

• 

  Halfway marker at the start

• 

  Different bug

• 

  Brown beetle and unshaded chameleon

Can't Wait to be King

• Level is titled 'Can't Wait'.
• 'Roar at Monkeys' is not displayed at any point.
• Simba falls from much higher.
• Level starts off orange.
• Background is a little different, though much closer to the final. The lighter parts of the water at the top have a slightly different palette.

Early	Final

• Ostrich palette is slightly wrong.
• Simba has two additional 'down' sprites when ducking on the ostrich. They have slight palette issues.
• Arrows do not exist for the ostrich ride.
• The ostrich is more in the center of the screen. In the final, the ostrich is pushed to the left.
  • The reason for the ostrich being more in the center is due to a mechanic that was removed in the final - the ability to speed up or slow down (both very slightly) while riding the ostrich.
• Baby rhinos have been redrawn for the final.
• Baby rhinos are blue instead of pink in the final. This makes it very difficult to see when double jumping is needed, since they blend in with the trees (which is likely why this was changed in the final).
• Baby rhinos also move, something which was removed from the final version.
• Some graphical errors exist in the ostrich ride.
  • A rather amusing glitch happens when you hit an obstacle on the ostrich. The head remains wherever it was hit, while the rest of the body runs away.
• Straight after the first ostrich ride, Simba ends up at a halfway marker, just like in the final. But just across the hippos is another halfway marker.
  • Probably because of this, there's no continue on the hippo just left of this area.
• No halfway maker after second ostrich ride.
• No arrows for the logs.
• No 1-Up near the logs at the right.
• No bonus bug near the top-right nest at the end of the second ostrich ride.
• The monkeys are a little off. In the final, all monkeys that can be roared at are pink. After roaring once, a smile confirms that they're ready to throw Simba a different way. In this version, their colors vary and so do their facial expressions, making it difficult to see who can be roared at and who can't be.
• One of the last monkeys you roar at sometimes turns blue.
• Monkeys throw Simba offscreen, instead of onto the giraffe at the end of the level.
• Alternatively, if you can't be bothered with the monkey quest, you can just leap across the giraffe to end the level...

• 

  Level Intro

• 

  An additional ducking sprite

• 

  The blue rhino's flinching sprite

• 

  The extra halfway marker

• 

  Running around like a headless.. Ostrich?

• 

  No halfway marker

• 

  The monkey that should be pink (right)

• 

  The monkey that should be blue (right)

• 

  No 1-Up or arrows

• 

  No bug

• 

  Completing the level

• 

  Completing the level (the lazy route)

The Elephant Graveyard

• Level is titled 'Graveyard'.
• Life icon uses wrong palette.
• Hyenas peering out use a different sprite. The sprite they use is the same one that is used in the Genesis version.
• Hyenas won't come too close to the barrier.
• Hyenas can be pounced on twice in one go.
• If Simba defeats the hyenas and is later defeated himself, he'll have to defeat them again unless a halfway marker has been activated.
• There's a thin 'bone cluster' on the upper path after defeating the hyenas. Simba can walk straight through it. It is removed in the final.
• Halfway marker after this first bone cluster (likely due to the hyenas respawning after Simba's defeat).
• No bombardier beetle at the end of the bottom path.
• Crumbling bones make no sound when breaking off.
• First bone pole does not work.
• Several vultures are sitting in the air.
• Since the vultures do not walk in this version, the vulture in secret cove is sitting in the air instead of walking around.
• Geysers slightly different color. No sound.
• No hyenas before the first bone slide at the top. Two vultures are here instead.
• The nearby vultures are placed on the bones, rather than one on the floor and the other in the air by default.
• Simba is behind the top of the elephant skull when he reaches the top. In the final, his sprite is in front of it.
• Five hyenas are at the end, instead of three. They fall one at a time, instead of starting with two.
• Scar's palette is incorrect.

• 

  Level Start

• 

  Extra bone cluster and halfway marker

• 

  No Bombardier Beetle

• 

  Vulture in the air

• 

  Another vulture sitting in the air

• 

  Different geyser palette

• 

  Simba behind the skull

• 

  One hyena at a time

• 

  Scar's incorrect palette

The Stampede

• Level is titled 'Stampede'.
• There is no title card displayed when the level begins.
• No herd in the background.
• Cliffs are the same as they were in the early prototype.

Early	Final

• Level auto-completes before the first wildebeest even reaches you.
• Hacking reveals that there is only that one wildebeest in the entire level.
  • That one wildebeest can still hurt Simba if he's allowed to catch up to him.
• Simba makes a sound when he jumps.
• Cutscene has palette issues.
  • Scar has no sound sample.
  • You can pause the cutscene.

• 

  The level

• 

  The cutscene

Simba's Exile

• Level is titled 'Exile'.
• Ed laughs before the hyenas drop boulders, a feature removed in the final.

• Rocks aren't as accurate as they are in the final, often missing Simba by a wide margin. They also roll from the side, rather than from above.
• The palette for this level is darker in the final.
• The background is slightly different compared to the early prototype and the final. It features the darkest "top" clouds compared to the other two.

Early Prototype	.21 Prototype	Final Game

• A chameleon has been placed rather awkwardly on a ledge just underneath another chameleon on a ledge, leaving little room to attack with the upper platform being so close. It's very difficult for Simba to get past without sustaining injury if he has to climb back up here.
• A halfway marker is placed at the very beginning, automatically activating upon entry.
• Boulder does not always hurt/kill Simba.
• Banzai just exclaims "We'll kill ya" instead of his full line.
• Simba running in the distance, and the hyenas appear as garbled graphics.

• 

  Beginning Halfway marker

• 

  The awkward chameleon

• 

  Graphical issues

0.21	Final

A comparison of the two palettes.

Hakuna Matata

• Level is titled 'Willow Cascade'.
• Spider enemy looks different, and acts a little different.
• Two frogs at the bottom left of the level, instead of a spider item and health restore bug in the final.
• No jumping spiders a little further right.
• First wall-bounce areas are larger.
• At the far left from the bottom of the waterfall, a platform with two frogs is absent.
  • A hippo (unused in the final version, but used in the Game Gear / Master System versions) is here instead, albeit with an incorrect palette.
• Waterfall looks less detailed.
• No spider item bugs at the top left of the waterfall.
• Brown beetle instead of spider item at the top right of the waterfall.
• After accessing the secret area just past that, there's a 1-Up on a platform that can only be obtained if the player holds down the left button as they end the slide.
• There's no spider enemy on the platform just below that one.
• No kill bug at the bottom left of this area.
• Gorilla rocks have a slightly wrong palette.
• You can't jump on these rocks like you can in the final.
• Gorilla's palette when attacking is slightly different.

• 

  Simba drops down

• 

  The two frogs at the corner

• 

  Brown beetle and different spider

• 

  Larger gap

• 

  The hippo (removed in the final)

• 

  Brown Beetle near the waterfall

• 

  "Secret" area

• 

  Different waterfall effects

• 

  Rock palette problems

• 

  Slightly different palette

Simba's Destiny

• Level is titled 'Rafiki Chase'.
• Level title has an incorrect red palette.
• Simba faces the wrong way upon starting.
• When injured, Simba moves back briefly.
• Collision can break, allowing Simba and monkeys to pass through objects.
• Life icon is redrawn for final.
• Simba has no roar sound.
• Simba's roar and energy bars are red.
• When using Simba's upright attack (which isn't as easy in this build), the roar bar becomes broken.
• Powerup bugs are also red.
• There's a blue beetle instead of a health beetle at the beginning of the level.
• A monkey is present on the first raised platform.
• Monkeys throw red bats.
• Monkeys are harder to beat, with most attacks missing them.
• Spiders are absent.
• Some of the boulders can be touched where they normally can't be, with no damage done to Simba.
• If Simba is killed by a boulder, his sprite becomes garbled.
• Some vines have two parts to them, top and bottom.
• No cheetahs in level.
  • As such, despite the title, Rafiki is also absent.
• One powerup appears as a jumbled life icon.
• More monkeys are in the level, especially towards the end.
• Mufasa appears yellow, and has no voice sample.
• Level can break randomly. When this happens, the screen can turn back with only the music playing, or the screen will display a bunch of garbage sprites.

• 

  Level start

• 

  "Red" Blue Beetle

• 

  Bat throwing monkey

• 

  No gates

• 

  One of the 'bottom' vines

• 

  Simba's defeat "sprite"

• 

  Stuck in a wall

• 

  1-Up glitch

• 

  One of the extra monkeys

• 

  Yellow Mufasa

Be Prepared

• Uses the same music as Rafiki Chase.
• Barely any objects in this stage. Even the lava drips are absent.
• Geysers go over the rocks.
• 3 possible platforms instead of 2 at the far right.
  • One rock spike (the one removed in the final) is shown hanging in mid-air.
• At the end, there is no final challenge. There is one rock at the far end which ends the level as normal.

• 

  The spike that was removed in the final

• 

  Graphical error

• 

  The end of the level

Simba's Return

• Level is titled "Hyena Lairs"; this early name is retained in all 8-bit versions.
• Level title palette is glitched, as are the energy and roar bars, like in Rafiki Chase.
• Spikes won't hurt Simba.
• Sound is slightly glitched.
• No objects in level, except for two hyenas at the end.
• Hyenas have incorrect palettes and are the same size as the ones found in cub Simba's levels.
• Their presence brings forth more glitches to the sound.
• You must also defeat them in the same way you would defeat them as a cub. Swiping them does no damage.
• Beating them completes the level.

• 

  Level Start

• 

  Spikes are harmless

• 

  Giant hyenas

Pride Rock

• Level is titled 'Scar'.
• Music is from 'Hyena Lairs'. The glitched noise is also back.
• There are 3 design changes to the level.
• Simba is facing the wrong way at the start of the level.
• Background is not animated.
• Scar is absent entirely.
• No enemies or objects.
• No lightning strikes.
• When Simba leaps onto the platform from the 3 platforms on the right, he is placed too far over.
• Level cannot be completed.

• 

  Level Start

• 

  Simba doesn't grab close enough

0.21	Final

Most of the beginning pathway was pushed up in the final, bringing forth a minor graphical glitch with the rock at the start of the level.

0.21	Final

This platform was moved over slightly in the final, likely because if it had remained the way it was in the prototype, then Simba could leap up to this platform from the one below and subsequently skip the second Scar fight.

0.21	Final

The final batch of platforms were widened in the final.

0.21	Final

The background is not animated like in the final, and has a minor graphical error.

Bug Toss

• Known as 'Kaboom'.
• No title card.

Bug Hunt I

• Known as 'Bonus I'.
• No title card.
• Although the Bug Toss background is the same as the final, Bug Hunt uses a similar background palette to Bug Toss from the early prototype.

Early	Final

• Timon is completely red.
• He uses cub Simba's life icon.
• He also has energy and roar meters, both red.
• No timer.
• Background is cut off at the bottom.
• No items.
• Some platforms have no collision.
• Tree has several graphical errors.
• Timon can fall all the way down to the bottom of the tree.

• 

  Level Start

• 

  Graphic issues

• 

  Standing on nothing

Bug Hunt II

• Known as Bonus II.
• No title card.
• Timon is completely red.
• He uses cub Simba's life icon.
• He also has energy and roar meters, both red.
• No timer.
• Background is cut off at the bottom.
• No items.
• Timon falls all the way from the top of the screen to the bottom.
• Missing many of the platforms that will appear in the final.

• 

  Level Start

• 

  Starting from the bottom

Bug Hunt III

• Known as Bonus III.
• No title card.
• Timon is completely red.
• He uses cub Simba's life icon.
• He also has energy and roar meters, both red.
• No timer.
• Background is cut off at the bottom.
• No items.
• Only one of the ledges on the tree work.
• Some areas have missing graphics.
• The small platforms at the north-east cannot be moved across, because Timon's jump is restricted at the top.
• A different palette is used in the final, and the graphics in general are a little less polished.

Early	Final

• The ledges are bigger in the final.

• 

  Level Start

• 

  Graphic errors

Bug Hunt IV

• Known as Bonus IV.
• No title card.
  • This is the only level that is missing completely in the final.
• Still uses cub Simba's life icon.
• No timer or objects in the level.
• Roar and energy bars are grey and red.
• Timon's palette is still glitched, but his appearance is more visible.
• Level is completely under construction, using placeholder blocks and a pure lavender background.
• Timon can actually die in this level if he falls at the bottom. When this happens, his sprite will transform into adult Simba's shortly after turning black.

• 

  Level Start

• 

  'Timon' is defeated