Proto:The Lost Vikings (SNES)

This page details one or more prototype versions of The Lost Vikings (SNES).

General Differences

To do: Screenshots.

• The title logo is centered higher in the proto.
• The title uses a shorter, earlier version of the game's title theme (notably missing the "Viking" music at the Interplay credit and just skipping to "Kick It").
• The icon used on the title screen is a very crude image of Baleog(?) instead of Erik.
• Baleog calls himself "Baleog the Berserker" instead of "Baleog the Fierce" in the game's prologue level.
• The same music plays throughout the main game, which is an earlier version of the Factory world's music with much louder instruments.
• No sound effects are coded to play yet.
• Altering the Options for Music and Sound also doesn't work. Sound won't get enabled and music can't be disabled. Two-player mode seems to be functional though.
• There is no Stereo option.
• The level skip is enabled by default.
• The game uses a much longer, much different password system (11-character dynamically-generated passwords, as opposed to 4-character fixed passwords) which retains all the items you've collected. In addition, items will carry over into subsequent levels. No doubt as to why THIS was removed. In addition you carry over exact HP values between levels, including the shield item's fourth hit point. Screw up badly and each viking has only 1 HP and no items? You're screwed!
• The last set of five levels taking place on the spaceship are COMPLETELY different.
• If there is dialogue at the start of the level, in the proto it will re-play. Not so in the final.
• The screen visibly darkens when you open the item menu in the final. In the proto, this doesn't happen. In addition it's sometimes difficult to trade due to errors such as not being able to switch to other vikings at times.
• Rolling Cavemen, if hit by Baleog's Sword, make an impact flash graphic in the proto when you strike them with Baleog's sword but otherwise keep coming. In the final they will be deflected. No damage is taken by the caveman in any case while in this rolling state.
• The snakes in the Ancient Egypt levels can only fire horizontally in the proto.
• Pyramid Guards can jump over the edges of cliffs, etc. This applies to all enemies that can jump somehow.
• Multiple Vikings can enter the same crane in Factory levels.

Text Changes

And lots of them, not counting the missing levels. Since level-end banter mostly doesn't exist in the proto a lot of levels are entirely silent.

Text

Level	Proto	Final	Notes
Prologue	I AM BALEOG THE BERSERKER.	I AM BALEOG THE FIERCE.
level 2 - GR8T	BALEOG THE BERSERKER IS A STUD.	BALEOG THE FIERCE IS A STUD.
level 2 - GR8T	CRUTONIAN SECURITY WILL BE LOOKING FOR YOU.	CROUTONIAN SECURITY WILL BE LOOKING FOR YOU.
level 2 - GR8T	WHO DIED AND MADE YOU BOSS?	YOU WOULDN'T KNOW WHICH WAY TO LEAD IF YOU HAD A MAP.	Another (particularly stupid) instance of Nintendo's anti-death policy censorship.
Level 3 - TLPT	WHILE RUNNING HE CAN BASH THROUGH CERTAIN BARRIERS WHILE PRESSING 'Y'.	HE CAN BASH ENEMIES AND KNOCK DOWN CERTAIN BARRIERS BY PRESSING 'Y' WHILE RUNNING.
Level 3 - TLPT	TO OPEN A KEYHOLE, THE CORRECT KEY MUST BE USED.	TO UNLOCK A KEYHOLE, THE CORRECT KEY MUST BE USED.
Level 3 - TLPT	YOU MUST BE ONE OF THE ALIENS THAT THE CRUTONIANS HAVE ALL BEEN TALKING ABOUT.	YOU MUST BE ONE OF THE ALIENS THAT THE CROUTONIANS HAVE ALL BEEN TALKING ABOUT.	And so on with Crutonian = Croutonian throughout the entire conversation with this particular alien. In fact, from this point on, just assume all references to Croutonians are spelled Crutonian.
Level 3 - TLPT	...UNIQUE LIFEFORMS TO DISPLAY IN HIS GALLERY.	...UNIQUE LIFE FORMS TO DISPLAY IN HIS GALLERY.
Level 3 - TLPT	OLAF THE STOUT CAN HELP ERIK THE SWIFT TO JUMP HIGHER BY LETTING ERIK STAND ON HIS SHIELD.	OLAF CAN HELP ERIK TO JUMP HIGHER BY LETTING HIM STAND ON HIS SHIELD.	Cut down for absurd redundancy.
Level 11 - VLCN	HAVEN'T WE MET SOMEWHERE BEFORE?	HELLO THERE.	The overt sexuality of the exchange with the Cave Babe character was toned down.
Level 11 - VLCN	I DON'T THINK SO BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RESCUING ME.	THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR RESCUING ME.
Level 11 - VLCN	AFTER THIS LEVEL, MAYBE YOU AND I COULD SPEND A LITTLE MORE TIME TOGETHER.	THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.
Level 11 - VLCN	I'M SORRY, BUT THERE ISN'T TIME. PLEASE HURRY.	THAT'S WHAT I'M HERE FOR.
Level 11 - VLCN	AND BE CAREFUL...	n/a
Level 11 - VLCN	BALEOG THE BERSERKER AT YOUR SERVICE.	BALEOG THE FIERCE AT YOUR SERVICE.
LEVEL 14 - C1R0	THANKS FOR THE NEWSFLASH.	THANKS FOR THE NEWS FLASH.
Level 17 - TTRS	n/a	n/a	The proto uses banter used in Level 21 in the final when entering the gate. The banter is identical except for this more primitive version of the final line: <erik> <olaf> <baleog> YOU GUYS ARE TALKING WIERD. LET'S GET OUT OF HERE. The final version of the dialogue (again, used in Level 21): <baleog> YOU TWO ARE JUST PARANOID. <olaf> OH YEAH, WELL WHO IS THAT PERSON STARING AT US RIGHT NOW? <baleog> HE'S RIGHT! LET'S GET OUT OF HERE!
Level 18 - JLLY	<baleog> ERIK, WHY ARE YOU ALWAYS IN SUCH A HURRY? <olaf> YOU NEED TO RELAX A LITTLE SOMETIMES. <erik> MY FATHER WAS A RUNNER AND SO WAS HIS FATHER BEFORE HIM. <erik> I GUESS YOU COULD SAY I WAS BORN TO RUN.	<olaf> WHAT DO YOU THINK THOSE POUNDERS DO? <baleog> SMASH BIG FAT VIKINGS INTO LITTLE FLAT VIKINGS? <erik> LET'S TRY NOT TO FIND OUT...	The proto's level-start banter was moved to the end of the level in the final with an added quip by Baleog: <baleog> OH ERIC, THAT WAS BAD.
Ending	YEY!	YEA!
Unused in the proto level ?? in the final.	<erik> CAN'T YOU GUYSWALK ANY FASTER? <olaf> I'D LIKE TO SEEYOU LUG THIS SHIELDAROUND FOR A WHILE. <baleog> YEAH, OR A BRADSWORDAND A LIFETIME SUPPLYOF ARROWS. <olaf> WE'LL SEE HOWFAST YOU WALK. <erik> UH OH. I THINKI HIT A NERVE. <erik> YOU GUYS JUSTTAKE YOUR TIME. <baleog> THAT'S BETTER.	(fixme)	The formatting is very weird for this banter, and "Broad Sword" is misspelled.
Unused in the proto level ?? in the final.	<olaf> WAIT, LET'S JUST REST HERE FOR A WHILE. <baleog> HE JUST WANTS TO STUFF HIS FACE WITH CANDY. <erik> LET's NOT SLOW DOWN NOW. I KNOW WE'RE GETTING CLOSE	No difference.	This is the only other unused banter. Its ID would seemingly place it with the time gate for the silly land levels.
Unused in the proto and the final.	THE END	n/a	This is removed in the final and already unused and obsolete by the proto's build. Presumably it displayed this as a placeholder before "The End" graphics were coded.

To do: "YOUR PERSISTENCE IS ADMIRABLE... BUT YOU HAVE A LONG JOURNEY AHEAD OF YOU. I WOULD ONLY SLOW YOU DOWN"; it seems to be related to the Cave Babe encounter, maybe when you talk to her again after you finish her tasks? Also, the trade tutorial help text is much longer in the proto, needs to be added to the table.

• The banter from the end of levels is largely missing in the prototype; only the first few levels and the "time portal" levels get any banter at all, and even the time portals have it dropped later on.

Level Differences

Note: The passwords don't work in the proto and are just for reference.

Prologue AI

To do: Need to check the wall bashing and initial flight demo.

• When Erik jumps onto the tree, he faces left in the prototype and remains facing right in the final.
• Baleog's flexing animation is cut off when he moves in the proto. This has been altered so he does the animation during the text box in the final.
• Olaf is much more zealous in the final, where he runs right into a dinosaur and takes damage. In the proto, he flies very far from the dinosaur and carefully walks up to it.
• Erik appears to jump further at the second piece of meat.
• Olaf stops farther right at his home.
• Erik mistakenly moves to the right again before the end of the sequence in the proto, but still doesn't stop as far right as the final's Erik.
• The spaceship is aligned farther to the left in the final when beaming up the Vikings.

Level 2 - GR8T

• The tomato at the start doesn't exist in the proto. Presumably, you'd still have the tomato from the first level.

Level 5 - LLM0

• A secret Smart Bomb in the wall is only a regular bomb in the proto. It is accessed in an entirely different fashion as well (in the final just jump into the wall from the left; in the proto you must jump into the ceiling from the area below later on in the level).
• There is an extra dinosaur in the area where you have to bash the rock wall in the proto.

Level 6 - FL0T

• A Fire Arrow at the top of Olaf's gliding point has changed into a big slice of meat in the final.
• Two extra rolling cavemen lurk behind the blue key's door in the proto. These are replaced with a single dinosaur in the final.
• The hidden shortcut above the flame spitter accessible by Erik is devoid of any items in the proto. It contains a Fire Arrow and a turkey leg in the final game.
• The yellow key is further back in the cavern, guarded by a snail. You'd have to dash into the snail and kill it, so not only would players be baffled on how to progress, they'd probably run into the snail not knowing how to bypass it. A wise decision made to move the key further up in the final.
• Another enemy change: The caveman on the path to the exit is a second dinosaur in the proto.

Level 7 - TRSS

To do: There might be other item differences. Also the water passes in front of the bridge in the proto???

• There is a Smart Bomb and turkey leg in the final in the upper part of the level that don't seem to exist in the proto.

Level 8 - PRHS

• The structure of the lava river which Baleog must shoot stalagtites into is noticeably different, being two rivers in the proto and a single large river in the final.

Level 9 - CVRN

To do: There is a snail on the other side of the lava bubble area in the proto, that isn't there in the final? Need to check.

• There are four cavemen on the path with the flame spitter instead of three in the proto.
• On the final path before the exit which is blocked by a wall, a rolling caveman exists in the final that isn't in the proto (possibly to give a reason to use the smart bomb found right before this area).

Level 10 - BBLS

To do: There is an extra dinosaur at the end?

• The bubble lake has been made slightly easier in the final.
• Two red dinosaurs are waiting on the opposite side of the bubble lake in the proto.
• The proto uses a blue key/lock for the second locked door; the final uses a yellow key.

Level 11 - VLCN

• The secret past the lava flow that contains two rolling cavemen has a Fire Arrow in the proto, and a large meat slice in the final.

Level 12 - QCKS

• The platform holding the yellow key and a flame spitter at the end of the level has a ramp only found in the proto.

Level 13 - PHR0

• A new secret area has been added in the final between the second and lowest floors which allows the Vikings to bypass the difficult enemy-swarmed lower floor entirely.
• The secret area between the second and lowest floors which allows the vikings to bypass the difficult enemy-swarmed lower floor entirely was originally only accessible from the Exit area in the proto. In the proto, there is an extra fire arrow in there.

Level 14 - C1R0

• Minor glitch in the proto: If you leave the screen while the wall is breaking apart, some of the wall won't disappear (but acts as if it was broken anyway).

LEVEL 15 - SPKS

• The symbols on the password blocks are all set to "spider" in the proto, whereas in the final they all have different symbols set.

LEVEL 16 - JMNN

• The lower left side of the level, essentially an inescapable death trap for Olaf, inexplicably has a giant meat slice in the proto.
• There is also an extra tomato along the shield-gliding path in the proto. (?)

Level 17 - TTRS

• There is a shield on the edge of the "moving platform with spikes" area near the beginning of the level. Wisely removed since you can easily get impaled trying to claim it.
• The shaft for the vertical moving platform is much smaller.

Level 18 - JLLY

• The smart bomb in the vents at the start is a turnip in the proto. Probably for the better since Erik must bypass a buzzsaw enemy to disable the second large pounder and the normal bomb is basically REQUIRED to beat the level.
• In the vents area, you must eventually drop a bomb on a piece of floor to destroy it and access the red key (large meat slice in the proto). In the proto, this piece of floor looks the same as the rest of the floor in the area, but in the final it's a group of four gray blocks making it much easier to locate.
• The exit doesn't require the red key or any key at all.

Level 19 - PLNG

• The lower part of the level is noticeably different. A wall was placed between the vikings and the switch and there's a help block to explain the crane controls.
• An awful puzzle involving a crane, a girder, and Baleog firing an arrow at a switch was changed to a simpler puzzle involving a crane and Olaf's shield.

Level 20 - BTRY

• The vent section has gone from optional to required in the final. The proto vents only contained a fire arrow at the very end; this is given to you past the buzzsaw enemy in the final, and the tools are at the end of the section. Comparatively, the proto tools are discovered in the gliding area fairly close to the machine that needs repaired. Said machine is also in a different spot entirely in Olaf's section.

Level 21 - JNKR

• Right off the bat, a turnip was replaced by a normal bomb in the final. Possibly justified as the player is likely to have excess smart bombs in the proto, making the cannonbot in Baleog's section much easier to destroy.
• The barrier blocking off Olaf's gliding section has changed from yellow and black stripes in the proto to a gray tube-like object in the final.
• There appears to be an extra turkey leg hidden in the wall right before the red lock in the proto.

Level 23 - H0PP

To do: Screenshot of the unique graphics.

• A smart bomb was added in the final to take the edge off the junkerbots. The top junkerbot was moved up higher so it couldn't randomly damage anyone waiting at the key area, and then infest the conveyor area (!!). In addition, the top junkerbot is prone to moving downwards in a glitch as your characters ascend the shaft.
• The blue key was changed to red in the final.
• The proto has these weird wall pounders in Olaf's section that are inexplicably gone from the final. They only appear here in this level and only in the proto!
• The Erik section is slightly rearranged and made easier; one energy field with bricks was changed to another standard conveyor in the final.
• Erik's key was yellow in the proto, changed to blue.
• A switch was added in the final at the final crane which allows Olaf to drop down instead of just dropping down through where you drop the girder.

Level 24 - SMRT

• An extra bomb was added in the hidden area underneath the machine in the upper right corner.
• There are two buzzsaw enemies in Olaf's glide area in the proto, making an already potentially cheap death into overkill.
• Mercifully, the developers replaced a (???) with a smart bomb in the blue key area, allowing you to kill the junkerbot outright.
• The devs also give you an extra turkey leg at the blue key in the final.

Level 25 - V8TR

• The area with the crane can be done by anyone in the proto as there are no spikes which limit only Erik to the area.
• The machine at the top of the lift doesn't exist; instead the crane machine makes a bomb to destroy the floor with.
• In the final you just fire an arrow at the lit furnace and it explodes, allowing you passage. In the proto, you must drop a bomb right over the lit flame, which means you must tank a point of damage AND have a bomb carried over from another level; the level only contains a single bomb which you need to use to even get the key!

Level 26 - NFL8

• The pumps got an information box added.
• A note-spitter enemy was added to the first area's second pump platform for the final.
• The platform the red key unlocks, in addition to the second platform to the right of it leading to the exit, are two blocks wider in the proto.

Level 27 - WKYY

• The wall Baleog's shooting gallery is supposed to break down is further inwards in the proto, which can mislead the player into believing they don't have to do the shooting part.
• Where the blue key is in the final, a tomato exists in the prototype. The blue key is actually near its door in the proto and requires Olaf to access.
• One of the drops looks like it could kill you by moving into it. The spikes were raised in the final.
• An extra turnip was added in Baleog's path.
• A ramp was added for Baleog's solo note-spitter fight, making it much easier.

Level 28 - CMB0

• Conversely, a ramp was removed here (or at the very least extremely toned down) in the upper area with a tomato and two bombs.

Level 29 - 8BLL

To do: More note-spitters along the Baleog path in proto? Need to check.

Level 30 - TRDR

To do: Fixme: Is there an extra tomato on Erik's exit key path?

• A note-spitter is missing along the first part of Erik's path in the proto. (?)
• A second force field along Baleog's path was removed in the final.
• This marks the first time we see the doppelganger Baleogs in the final. They don't appear in the proto until the next level (the clone is replaced by a note-spitter here in the proto).
• The barrier just before the exit lock doesn't exist in the proto, making the existence of the 8-ball shooter very awkward. The shooter itself is missing a destroyable block.

Level 31 - FNTM

• The first pump area is infested with two ball-thrower enemies in the proto, and a single Baleog clone in the final.
• A pump beside the large fan was removed in the final, making the blue key only accessible by Erik.
• The spikes near the blue lock were raised.
• A Baleog clone was removed near the pushable block.
• The ball-thrower near the second red lock was changed into another Baleog clone.
• The last healing item (tomato in final, ??? (fixme) in proto) was moved closer to the ground so anyone can collect it.
• Bizarrely, the proto has a portal exit here, implying this was at one point the final Silly world level instead of Level 33(TRPD). It still exits to the Level 32 though.

Level 32 - WRLR

• A Baleog clone was added to the blue key area to lure the player into using Olaf, who is required to get the key.

Level 33 - TRPD

• The pump at the very bottom of Erik's blue key area is rendered incorrectly in the proto.
• A Baleog clone was added just after the large switch you must push the block onto.

Spaceship Levels 2

To do: Get full map rips of these levels.

• ALL of these levels are completely different in the prototype! Most of the prototype levels are more simplistic and action-oriented; the final levels rely on even more difficult puzzle type levels.
• These proto levels introduce two new enemies not seen in the final; a purple palette swap of the green blob enemy which reflects arrows and shoots lasers from a distance, and the cyan sentrybot who can teleport (no enemy in the final can!). The "electropod" enemy also makes an appearance.
• The teleporting guardbot is a cyan color in the proto.

Level 34 - TFFF

A long vertical shaft where all 3 Vikings must work together to get the yellow key.

Level 35 - FRGT

A teleporter maze. While the final version of level 35 is a sort of a linear teleporter maze, the proto version is a more literal maze.

Level 36 - 4RN4

This level seems like it could have made it into the final with a bit more polish.

Level 37 - MSTR

• Tomator's dialogue is different here.

First area is a massive fight between dozens of cyan sentrybots. This would seem impossible but all you really have to do is cram all the Vikings into a corner. The final area has monsters in cryo tubes, some with strange animation frames.

Ending Cutscene (Home)

• The vikings stop a ways back before their wives in the proto.
• The vikings don't play their instruments at the end of the sequence in the proto.

Credits

• The speech bubbles go over the vikings in the proto. In the final, the bubbles are situated over the stage.
• Producers are given first credit in the final, and the credit order is different in general.
• Jim Sproul is added to 'Additional Programming' in the final.
• For 'Artwork', Stu Rose(proto) is replaced by Jason Magness(final) with the other going into 'Additional Artwork".
• In 'Additional Artwork', Cheryl Austin and Spencer Kipe swap spaces.
• Jim Sproul is removed from 'Sound and Music'.
• 'Play Test' credits only three people (who?) in the proto. Jeremy S. Barnes, Rodney N. Relosa, Theodore Bancroft, Scott Campbell, and Dean Schulte are added in the final.
• The 'thanks to' credit doesn't exist in the proto.

Demos

All demos use the same level + order as the final:

• Demo 1: Level 3 TLPT (Spaceship Set). General progression same as final but demo is different.
• Demo 2: Level 10 BBLS (Prehistory Set). Completely different. Baleog fights the monsters without the aid of Olaf and then dies in the river. Olaf crosses it and dies to the red dinosaurs, then switches to Erik and demo ends.
• Demo 3: Level 9 CVRN (Prehistory Set). Completely different, all the characters waste time dying to the rolling caveman and flame spitter without bothering to use Olaf (who then tries to escape the level).
• Demo 4: Level 16 JMNN (Ancient Egypt Set). Completely different, characters die in silly ways again (Baleog actually kills the mummy in this one compared to the final though).
• The fifth demo and sixth demo (Level 24 - SMRT and Level 26 - NFL8 respectively) are not in the proto.