This page details one or more prototype versions of Tonic Trouble (Nintendo 64).
This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.
This was documented on Forest of Illusion.
| This article is a work in progress.
...Well, all the articles here are, in a way. But this one moreso, and the article may contain incomplete information and editor's notes.
Notes: There are a lot of differences found, but there are probably still a lot undiscovered. Furthermore, text should be proofread and some differences would benefit from (better) screenshots. |
A European prototype was found on a Nintendo 64 development cartridge labeled "Preview".
Gameplay Differences
| This page or section needs more images.
There's a whole lotta words here, but not enough pictures. Please fix this.
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- In retail you start with more lives and health.
- In the preview there is a ticking sound when text appears which is absent from retail.
- After collecting the last of 6 items, in the retail build Ed performs a celebration animation; this is absent in the preview.
- Using the C buttons triggers the error sound and graphic in retail in some sections where the game doesn’t wants you to use free camera. This is absent in preview.
- Camera viewpoints differ in a few places, the preview's camera is janky. Probably why they added other camera options later.
- Ed takes longer to accelerate to top speed in the preview.
- There are some instances where dialog seems to loop and can’t be exited in the preview build, as if the last “A” press also triggers talking to the NPC again, resulting in repeated chatter.
- Getting hit while pulling out the blowpipe makes the sound effect play continuously.
- Getting hit while aiming the blowpipe in first person mode causes you to exit first person.
- Aiming with the blowpipe while flying feels less precise.
- The pogo stick has no sound when hopping.
- Many collectables (antidotes and thermometers in particular) have been moved around.
- Each time you enter training after getting a new power, you will obtain infinite ammo. In the preview this ticks up from your current ammo count until 250 then shows infinity, while in the retail version it immediately shows the infinity sign. After the training, in the preview the ammo count is shown ticking back down to what it was.
- Various hexagonal shaped moving platforms were changed to be square in the final build, though the hexagonal shape remains in the texture. (these platforms are also hexagonal on the retail PC version).
- On retail, walking in shallow water slows you down; this does not happen in the preview.
- The jump height in the retail version is higher and a motion blur effect was added:
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- Antidotes use a different sprite and are referred to as “Bonus Points” in the preview build.
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- Popcorn Machines have generic artwork in the prototype. In the retail version, they have Nestlé Crunch (Europe) or Newman’s Own (US) artwork. Interestingly, a trailer that appears to show an earlier build (see the white thermometer) uses the Newman’s Own artwork from the final.
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- Glitter effect is absent from the preview.
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- Text rendering was tweaked, resulting in text flowing differently.
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Debug Features
Fly Mode
Pressing L + Z during gameplay toggles fly mode. The D-Pad can be used to change the height or strafe sideways, while the analog stick moves forwards and pans the camera.
Flying a long distance causes Ed's character model to glitch out.
Level Select
In the start menu, a level select debug menu can be accessed via memory manipulation. Set the hex address 80341487, which represents the cursor index, to value 3 and press A.
Currently no method has been found to access this menu without manipulating the memory.
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- Text in the startup screen is red in the preview, instead of white.
- In the preview build it has a "wiggle effect".
- Spacing on start menu is different.
- Idling on the startup screen shows demo gameplay, in the preview build a couple have really bad gameplay. In one demo Ed dies. One demo is glitched as the demo does not advance dialog, pressing a button triggers a crash.
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- Many icons throughout the game have been changed.
- The "Options" text in the preview build is truncated.
- The pig collectible's sprite winks at you in preview.
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Game Over Screen
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Ending
- "The End" screen uses placeholder artwork, which fittingly contains the message "This is a sketch, not the final version!!!" in French:
- There are no credits after “The End” screen in the preview.
- Pressing Start on the title screen after the game is completed crashes the game.
Ski Slope
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South Plain
Before beating Doc's Cave
- In the preview there’s a collectible on this elevator that gives you a cryptic description on what the antidotes are intended for. In retail the pickup is actually in the cave after riding the elevator and the explanation is clearer.
- On the path to the pressure cooker, the camera gets stuck near the stairs.
- The slope at the end of the river has sliding collision on the preview, but normal ground collision on the final.
After beating Doc's Cave
- There is a ledge by the house with an antidote that is nonexistent in the final version.
- Various changes can be spotted on the way to Vegetable HQ in the location of the first question mark sign:
- On the route to North Plain, hitting the targets does not cause a cutscene to play in the preview, where the final shows a cutscene of the bridge. The camera is broken in the transition to the area with the floating platforms.
- After exiting North Plain, the camera is positioned so you cannot see where you are going.
Doc's Cave
- The Doc’s Cave entrance text was changed, the preview uses the same text as the retail PC version. Also note how the camera is awkward in the intro of this level for the preview. This text also explains how to use the Z button in retail to lock the camera behind Ed, which is lacking in preview (both the functionality and the text).
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- After the swimming section the location of the thermometer is different. The explanation of its function is also different.
- This level-up is missing in the preview.
- The room after the ledge and boulder section the talking newspaper has changed position. The box you need to position under the pipe seems to be much lighter and faster to handle in retail.
- The floor texture for the elevator is different in the final.
- After taking the elevator, the popcorn machine was changed, so it has the text explaining its use.
- In the area with the fences after bending the bars, the life was moved downwards and to the side in the final so as to actually be collectable while in Super Ed form.
- After the section with the angry flying corn, there’s a section where you climb up via various platforms. The robosuitcase here has text in retail, but it's lacking in the preview.
- After the section with the evil toasters, the room with the cage in the middle has a “boss fight”. This section is janky in the preview, camera angle is weird. The explanation of the stick was also changed.
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Vegetables HQ
- After setting the bean pod on fire, the word “ketchup” in his dialogue has a lower case K in the preview, and an upper case K in the final.
The floating platform moves a lot slower at certain points in the preview.
- After beating the angry tomato and the floating platform section you encounter a room where a big door opens. A textbox will pop up explaining that you need to learn to fly to reach that door. In the preview build this textbox is bare, in retail the textbox also has an icon of the talking newspaper.
- The room layout after picking up the second spring was changed. The popcorn machine was moved from an alcove to the right in the preview to the back wall in the final.
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- And so was the room after the rotating platforms, there is now a gap between the bridge and the door to the end.
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North Plain
- The 2nd area is lacking any sound effects apart from those from the spinning platforms, which are extra loud. The spinning platforms are always spinning in the preview, whereas in the final they only spin when you get close to them.
- The end of the 2nd area is more challenging compared to the final, requiring the player to dodge falling rocks and climb up to the loading zone..
- In the 3rd area, the 5th propeller was moved from the end of the long side corridor to a grassy ledge at the 2nd station of the moving platform (some other collectables may also have been moved):
Flight Training
- The level has no background set, causing the graphics to “smear” over the screen.
- The position of the tornadoes is different in the preview compared to the final.
- When landing on the platforms in the first area, they do not turn green and no sound effect plays.
- In the 2nd area, the center part of the active hoop is offset upwards slightly. The hoops (particularly 5 and 6) are positioned differently to the final. Agent Xyz’s text tells the player to hold R, despite this doing nothing while flying.
- In the final area, the platform rises up much slower in the preview compared to the final build.
Canyon
- The cutscene with the mammoth can sometimes softlock until Start is pressed.
- The floor of the elevator has a different texture compared to retail.
Glacier Cocktail
- The TV at the start of the level is not animated in the preview, but is in the final.
- In the area where you have to hit rocks at the ballerinas, there is no death area in the pit.
- There is no cutscene to show the refrigerator opening on the preview.
- After going through the portal in the refrigerator, the text telling you to move on is delayed and you can walk around while it shows.
- There is some missing geometry above the exit in the circular area:
- The geometry is also missing on the other side:
- There is a gap above the area where the frozen enemy ends up in the preview:
- The orange cog reacts to your weight if you stand on it in the final; this is absent in the preview.
- The cutscene showing the orange cog moving into the slot has the camera positioned incorrectly.
- The 5th feather (by the load zone after the water is fully raised) can be collected again by re-entering the area. Collecting more than 6 feathers will stop progression, as the game checks for exactly 6 when talking to the doc. The feather was moved to after the loading zone to avoid this in the final.
- Suzy and the exit portal are missing (you can leave the level via the entrance portal instead), and portals can stop functioning entirely:
Pyramid
- After falling down the hole at the start, the cutscene does not play in the next area until you move forwards, in the final the cutscene plays immediately.
- The outside of the rotating door in the 2nd area has a different texture:
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- The UV mapping for the side of the platform where the teeth enemies spawn is incorrect in the preview. The same applies to the back wall of that room:
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- In the room where you have to avoid the rolling rocks, there are skull and crossbone markers next to the pits in the final that are absent in the preview:
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- The portal to the rotating room puzzle is missing on the final if you haven’t yet rotated the glass panel to drop the stone, on the preview the portal always exists:
- UV mapping is broken on the walls next to the same portal:
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- There is a pedestal in the room with the 4th domino on the preview (as on retail PC) that is missing on the final:
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- The portal that appears after killing the mummy is on the far right in the preview (as on retail PC), rather than on the back wall:
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- There is Z-Fighting by the hole next to the rotating glass which is absent in the final:
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- Part of the level can unload at the rotating room puzzle.
- At the last popcorn machine, Super Ed will revert as soon as you have broken the bars in the preview. In the final, you keep Super Ed for longer so you can activate the faucet.
- There are bars guarding the extra life under the faucet (as on retail PC) that are absent in the final:
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- In Suzy’s dialogue, “muscleman” is spelled incorrectly in the preview:
Pressure Cooker
- In the puzzle where you have to turn all the switch lights on, there is an additional sign in the preview giving some context as to why the puzzle is there:
- On entering the room with the box and magnet, a cutscene plays which is absent in the final build.
- The text at the slider puzzle tells the player to press B rather than Z.
- In the room with the conveyor belt, the belt appears to move much faster in the preview than in the final.
Magic Mushroom's Hideout
- There is no boss music, the normal South Plains theme plays instead, as on retail PC.
- There is an additional attack where the part of the platform you are standing on will rise up and crush you against the ceiling.
- The shield on the final attack does not change color each time you hit the mushroom.
- The portal to exit the fight does not work until you take a death at least once.
Grogh's Lair
- At the start of the level, there is no ticking sound in the part where you have to activate the two switches on a timer. Additionally, the platforms move based on your location rather than when the buttons are pressed.
- Super Ed deactivates as soon as the bars are bent (as on retail PC) rather than continuing until you have reached the loading zone.
- The marker for the area you have to pogo stick attack to release the boulder and kill the guard is a cross on the preview, but a spiral in the final:
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- When the boulder falls and hits the guard, in the preview it does not break and continues rolling forwards (and probably damaging Ed), while in the final it breaks once it touches the guard.
- In the area where you have to activate the levers to move the floating platforms, in the preview version it counts down from 5 to 0 for each platform, whereas in the final version it displays a counter starting from 1/6 and ending at 6/6.
- There are spikes in the walls of the entrance to the area with the tower in the preview that are absent in the final:
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- At the end of the level, before the tower jumps and destroys the ground, a unique(!) enemy with a flamethrower jumps out and attacks Ed, followed by a version of the electricity enemy with some new attacks:
