Proto:Chrono Trigger (SNES)

This page details one or more prototype versions of Chrono Trigger.

To do: Oh, dear gods... Try http://www.chronocompendium.com/Term/Chrono_Trigger_Prerelease.html for more stuff

Gameplay Differences

General Differences

• Battle code isn't refined and battles are slightly slower and "flicker".
• You can't access the intro from the title screen by pushing the L button. This simply brings you to the file menu.
• No "ATB 2.0" screen or "enter a name" notice at the Crono name entry screen.
• Running animations don't seem to be as fast as in the final.
• The "Era" sprite remains on the world map screen regardless of character movement.
• You can't reequip characters not in your party in the prototype.
• Your character never idles on the world map, even though there is sprite data for such.
• Crono starts with Cyclone already learned.
• The Truce Mayor doesn't seem to give you 300G.
• Characters get this ugly blue palette when they are blinded.
• Ayla starts at a pretty high level compared to the final(23 to 18).
• Wherever Robo's theme should be played, Frog's theme plays instead.
• The game will crash if you attempt to back out of the era select menu.
• Taking the Epoch to the End of Time will result in you getting stuck in a wall.

• Most of the game's events are (deliberately or otherwise) locked out and sealed off, by one of five methods:

1. NPCs block the entrance, informing you that you can't go beyond this point.
2. The area is completely empty.
3. Automatic blackout crash.
4. The game resets.
5. The game loads the Crono Name Entry screen and forces a New Game.

Despite this, codes have been made to unlock these areas. A good 95% of the game has been completed at the time of the Prerelease.

The Epoch

Prototype	Final

While the Epoch is fully capable of flight both in the prototype and the final, it had an extra feature earlier in development: before given its wings, it acted as a hovercraft! This wasn't very well-implemented, however; the time travel effect is a simple fade to white, and if the destination point in another era turns out to be on invalid terrain (ocean, mountains, etc.), you'll promptly be dumped back to the place you were when you tried to warp. It was likely due to how awkward this entire setup was (and the fact that there's really no need for a land-based vehicle in Chrono Trigger anyhow) that the Epoch remains stationary before it's modified for flight in the final.

Unused Text

At address 0312AF this text is found:

CODE END C3

Following shortly afterwards is what appears to be an incomplete, raw version of the game's credits and "BUT... THE FUTURE REFUSED TO CHANGE".

(NOTE: There may be even more text)

Graphic Differences

To do: Lots. And. Lots. More.

Overworld Graphic Changes

Idle Sprites

Prototype	Final

Despite that characters don't actually "idle" on the world map as they do in the final, sprites do exist for this purpose, and are loaded into VRAM when the corresponding characters appear on the world map. There are several differences -- some quite significant -- as well. Crono, Frog, and Ayla even gain animated idle sprites in the final!

Lavos

Prototype	Final

Lavos' map sprite underwent a fair bit of redesigning from proto to final. In the prototype, it rather resembled a large urchin, while in the final, it was made larger and given significantly more prominent and imposing spikes on its back.

Rocks

Prototype	Final

Some rock graphics used in 600 AD received some polishing in the final version.

Miscellaneous Graphic Changes

1000 AD Little Girl

Prototype	Final

A blond-haired little girl can be found upstairs in the Porre mayor's house in the prototype. No children in the final use this palette, only green and purple ones.

Medieval Shelves

Prototype	Final

The shelves found in various houses/shops in 600 AD were simpler in design in the prototype, with the objects on them consisting only of large jugs and orange/white objects. The final no longer uses the jugs, but adds a great deal more variety to the objects on these shelves, as well as a palette that differentiates the existing objects from the ones in 1000 AD.

Forest Signposts

Prototype	Final

The signs found in forests in 1000 AD and 600 AD were longer, narrower, and pointier in the prototype.

Rope Bridge

Prototype	Final

The rope bridges seen at Truce Canyon and the Denadoro Mountains had a much simpler look in the prototype.

Blackbird Treasure Chests

Prototype	Final

The normally orange treasure chests in the Blackbird are a silver color in the prototype.

Zeal Kingdom Changes

Though there are subtle changes throughout most of the game's tilesets, the ones used for the Zeal Kingdom cities appear to have undergone by far the most overall renovations.

Human Statues

Prototype	Final

The decorative statues in Zeal Castle were quite different in the prototype. In the final version, they were changed considerably, to feature a much more obvious goddess figure instead of the rough designs of the proto.

Gargoyle Statues

Prototype	Final

The gargoyle statues also underwent some modifications, although not as drastic as the human ones above. The designs on the base were altered slightly in the final.

Sealed Doors

Prototype	Final

The designs on the sealed doors found in Zeal Castle and in the domes in 2300 AD underwent a rather radical change, going from abstractions of no obvious significance in the prototype, to a design of the Mammon Machine in the final. The doors were also given animated lights in the final.

Banners

Prototype	Final

The banners adorning the walls of Zeal Castle were also changed, in almost the exact same manner as the doors.

Tablecloths

Prototype	Final

The tablecloths went through a similar change: a generic design in the prototype was replaced with another Mammon Machine motif in the final.

Beds

Prototype	Final

More of the same. Generic designs in the prototype, Mammon Machine designs in the final.

Pillars

Prototype	Final

The final version's pillars feature much more intricate shading, various structural differences near the tops, and you guessed it: more Mammon Machine decorations. You don't realize how obsessed the Zeal Kingdom was with that machine until you compare these things...

Low Walls

Prototype	Final

The Mammon Machine obsession continues, in the designs found on the low walls.

Skyway Portals

Prototype	Final

The Skyway/Land Bridge portals feature a much more elaborate design in the final version. And surprise: More Mammon Machine designs added.

Tech Differences

To do: Somebody should put up some Youtubes here if possible

A good 95% of the techs are graphically different or unfinished in the prerelease.

Equipment Differences

To do: Some unused stuff here, such as different swords for Crono, a Slasher for Frog, and a Tyrano Fang accessory

Music/Sound Differences

While mostly finished, the prototype version's soundtrack still had a few rough spots... and also contained a few songs entirely removed from the final! A full SPC rip can be found here, but the songs below are the ones that received tweaking or were deleted.

Modified Songs

Battle 1

The normal battle theme. Mostly the same as in the final, but more "futuristic" sounding.

Wind Scene

An almost-complete version of the 600 AD world map theme, missing a few background instruments.

Ruined World

Another almost-complete world map theme, this one from 2300 AD. The "clanking" sounds in the background are far more pronounced in this early version.

Rhythm of Wind, Sky and Earth

The 65,000,000 BC world map theme. It uses some different instrumentation in places, and sounds a bit on the rough side, but is otherwise close to the final.

Delightful Spekkio

Yet another song that's almost there, but has a small difference. Some of the notes seem to "bleed" a little bit in this version.

Primitive Mountain

Mostly the same as the final, except the "swishing" sound is constant in in the final version, while it fades in and out in this early version.

Corridors of Time

The Zeal Kingdom map theme. Same as the final, except missing the "chanting" voices in the background.

Schala's Theme

Just a few instrument sample differences separate prototype version from the final product.

Zeal Palace

This song is in a very preliminary state in the prototype. Not only does it sound very rough, especially towards the end, but it does not yet loop.

Mystery of the Past

The end of this mysterious cue is slightly more drawn out, and also includes the "chanting" vocal sample heard in a few other songs.

Inside Lavos' Shell

The ambience inside Lavos' shell in the prototype features that same creepy whine/laugh heard in Magus' Castle.

Unused Songs

Battle 1 Remix

A remix of the normal battle theme with different instrument samples. This is present in the prototype, but isn't actually used. It sounds like it was intended for battles in 65,000,000 BC, which would have been a neat touch. Shame it was ultimately scrapped.

Boss Battle 1 Remix

An alternate, far more heroic version of "Boss Battle 1". The theme used for major boss fights in the final ("Boss Battle 2") had evidently not yet been composed by the time this prototype shipped, so it's likely that this song was used for that same purpose until a better song came about. This song is played in the Tyrano Lair in the prototype, but again just seems to be a placefiller, as its actual music is also absent.

Keeper's Dome

A very mysterious-sounding song played in the Keeper's Dome and when sealed doors are opened in the prototype. The song used for these things in the final, "Sealed Door", is present in the prototype, however, but had yet to be implemented, and was left unused.

Unused Promotional Song

This non-looping "angelic choir" song, though present in the prototype, is never used for anything. It appeared in a very early promo video, and was likely intended only for that specific purpose.

Area Differences

Overworld: 1000 AD

Prototype	Final

The map of 1000 AD underwent several minor changes, and at least three major ones:

• Zenan Bridge is broken. While this does indeed happen in the final version during 600 AD, at no point is it in the same state of disrepair in 1000 AD. Since it was still possible in the latter era to reach the southern continent by ferry, the programmers undoubtedly deemed it pointless to keep it broken.

• Medina underwent a few changes. First, the well in the center of town was replaced with a more elaborate town square, while two houses near the northern part of town were removed. One of these was made into Melchior's house, which had yet to be placed in its normal location just outside Heckran's Cave. The small patch of forest where it would later be relocated was slightly larger, and several trees were also added in the final.

• Choras downsized, evidently. The two houses in the northern part of town were reduced to a single house in the final.

• The fountains in the center of Truce and Choras were considerably larger in the prototype. Modified versions of the tiles surrounding the fountain actually did get used in the final release, in Medina's town square.

• Several minor decorative changes were made, such as an extra peninsula jutting out towards (but not reaching) the Medina continent from the Porre continent, several trees being added in varying locations, a few fixes to some dirt paths, and a small inlet north of Medina being removed for whatever reason.

Overworld: 600 AD

Prototype	Final

While 600 AD's world map didn't get tweaked as much as 1000's did, there are still some subtle differences, and three somewhat significant ones:

• Truce Canyon is represented by a cave instead of a path in the prototype. Probably changed because this made no sense whatsoever; the "path" graphic already did exist, after all (note the Denadoro Mountains). An extra tile was also added to the top of the "paths" in the final version, making them look much smoother.

• Ozzie's Fort originally displayed two towers on the world map, and the forest surrounding it was a bit larger. The interior is, however, largely unchanged, save for scroll boundaries not being in place. The concept of twin towers here may have even preceded this prototype.

• The forest north of Ozzie's Fort was modified to an extent. Most noticeably, a small clearing existed around the sealed ruins, accessible via a small path leading through the trees, similar to the one used to reach the cathedral in the final. It still can't be entered, however. The forest itself was also made slightly smaller in the final.

• Giant's Claw exists on the map, and some maps for it do exist in the prototype, but it cannot be entered.

• Purely decorative changes include the addition of the same peninsula seen in 1000 AD, several trees being added in various locations, a tiny inlet near Denadoro Mountains being removed, and the removal of a broken dirt path just south of Dorino.

Overworld: 2300 AD

Prototype	Final

On a small island in the lower left corner of the map in the prototype exists a strange coliseum-like structure. It cannot be entered, there are no known maps for it, and even the island it's on was removed from the final. Interestingly, though most prototype-exclusive world map graphics were removed entirely from the various overworld tilesets, this structure is still present there in the final, albeit unused.

Other than this, and a few tiny, almost completely intangible tileset tweaks, the map is completely identical to the final.

Overworld: 1999 AD

Prototype	Final

The map of 1999 AD, as viewed from the Arris Dome monitors, underwent only minor changes; in both versions, the map is still incomplete, with only what was needed being designed. However, in the prototype, there are some misplaced patches of grass in the dirt ground around the various domes on the western islands. This was corrected in the final.

Also of note, while it's possible to visit this map in the final only via cheats/glitches, you can teleport here directly from the Epoch's era select menu in the prototype, and it's treated as a normal world map. However, the grid overlay from the Arris Dome display is always present (while it isn't in the final). None of the buildings can be entered in either version.

Finally, for some reason, there is collision detection on some of the sea tiles in the prototype. Evidently you were once meant to walk on the 1999 AD world map for some reason.

Overworld: 12,000 BC

Prototype	Final

12,000 BC was another era whose map came away with only a few changes, although there are still more than there were in 2300 AD:

• The biggest difference is that the Sun Keep was mysteriously missing in the prototype. It isn't actually accessible in the final (until Zeal falls), but was apparently added for consistency's sake. This necessitated cutting off a small piece of land on the nearby island.

• The portal cave was moved slightly north, and the nearby terrain was altered to accommodate this. More decorative trees were added to this large continent, and a small peninsula in the southwest was enlarged slightly.

• In the prototype, the background music for this map is "Corridors of Time", the Zeal Kingdom theme. In the final, this area is accompanied only by a howling wind.

Overworld: Zeal Kingdom

Prototype	Final

Despite being a small map, Zeal had quite a different look in the prototype:

• The two halves of the largest landmass were connected by a series of teleporter caves. In the final, a small island and two bridges spanned the large lake, and the cave furthest to the east was removed. Interestingly, its entrance data still exists in the final, but it simply leads to a black screen from which there's no escape.

• The inaccessible Sealed Palace sported a completely different look in the prototype, looking far more mechanical and ominous than it ended up in the final. This was originally intended to be a full-fledged dungeon (accessible, still, only in its normal place in 1000 AD), but was cut down dramatically for the final, presumably necessitating the map graphic change, as well.

Overworld: 12,000 BC, Post-Zeal

Prototype	Final

The remnants of the world in 12,000 BC after Zeal's great fall were largely in a preliminary state in the prototype. Nothing is functional, and there are numerous changes:

• The Last Village has an extra tent, and the Commons are depicted rather sloppily using decorative trees, instead of the standard forest tiles.

• The North Cape also uses decorative trees, rather than the rocky texture seen in the final.

• The Sun Keep and Portal Cave are completely missing.

• Numerous small decorative ice patches were added in the final version.

Overworld: 65,000,000 BC

Prototype	Final

The prehistoric world map underwent some drastic changes... on the eastern half, anyhow:

• The Singing Mountain was present in the prototype! Though it can't be entered from the world map, maps are present for it! In the final, this was replaced with a lot of decorative land, and the entire eastern half of the 65,000,000 BC overworld was left with nothing significant.

• South of the Singing Mountain also exists a small village. It's entirely inaccessible, and while there exist some maps for the interiors, they seem to be duplicates of the huts seen in Ioka. Also as above, it was replaced in the final with decorative elements.

• The "mountain path" graphic used for Mystic Mountains and the Dactyl Nest was made much larger in the final.

• Along with the standard tileset fixes, some purely decorative changes were also made. These include some extra grass removed near Mystic Mountains and added around the Forest Maze, some mountains in the south part of Ioka being removed, and a mountain next to the Sun Keep being cut back.

Zenan Bridge

Prototype
Final

As mentioned above, in the prototype, Zenan Bridge is broken in 1000 AD, but more interestingly, it's actually possible to enter it from the south, which grants a different view of the broken bridge not seen in the final.

Ultimately, this was probably deemed pointless, as it was still possible to reach Porre by ferry (which may well be why the ferry exists to begin with), and so it was patched up in the final.

The tiles for the south/west broken bridge still exist in the final, but are no longer used.

Guardia Prison

The Guardia Prison didn't undergo very many changes from proto to final. The layout is identical, though there are a few pointless pre-opened chests here and there which were removed/closed in the final... A few other oddities exist, however.

At two points in the prison, strange "eyes in the darkness" can be seen poking out from the walls. The first instance is in the hallway with the guards that can be knocked out from behind, while the second set can be found in the closed-off cell with a couple chests in it. This is the same sprite seen behind the gate in Bekkler's Lab in the final, but there is one distinct difference...

Prototype	Final

...the eyes peer pack and forth briefly, before blinking, then disappearing, eventually reappearing and starting the whole cycle over again. In the final, all these strange eyes do is blink.

Also of interest, although inaccessible, mixed in with the maps is this tower exterior. It looks similar to one in the final, but is much smaller, and with the exception of a large window, is completely devoid of detail.

Sewer Access

The underground sewer in 2300 AD is mostly complete, but is devoid of events. They can be re-activated with the following PAR codes:

F7201553
F7201634
F720184C
F7201939
F7201EC5
F7201F3C

As for how it differs from the final... layout-wise, it's primarily the same, with only a few minor tileset tweaks having taken place. There are several differences, however...

First off, the Nereid monsters sometimes glitch up graphically when they use their bubble attack. It's harmless, does not affect the battle, and was fixed in the final.

Prototype	Final

The first section of the sewer is exactly the same in terms of layout, but the second section differs quite significantly. Physically, it was mostly unchanged, with the exception of the bridge near the south exit being broken, and the platform just to the left of it being made slightly wider in the final. The major difference here is the events, however...

In the final, a note near the entrance warns you not to make a sound, or you'll be attacked, which is precisely what happens if you examine any of the various objects scattered around (even the save point).

In the prototype, the two talking frogs had an expanded role in this dungeon. Talking to one would send four fireballs after you, which are able to pass through anything, and you have to escape from them.

Getting caught by one of them leads to another room, where you must fight a battle against four Egders, then speak with the other frog in order to escape. The "fire race", however, only seems to take effect once. While there are Nereids in the room, they are inactive and do not attack unless you return after having outran the fire.

Finally, attempting to cross the broken bridge results in your team rather lazily jumping over it; it looks quite strange, which is probably why the bridge was fixed in the final.

The aforementioned extra room where you must fight to escape. It also once showcased a battle in an early promo video, and was completely removed from the final.

(Source: Chrono Compendium (codes))

Lab 32

Like the Factory below, Lab 32 is fully open to exploration in the prototype, with the design, events, and monsters all entirely unchanged. There are still a few differences, though.

Prototype	Final

The prototype's Jet Bike race did not keep track of score or distance remaining. The HUD at the bottom of the screen was also significantly different, with the "boost" icons actually being slightly more detailed in the prototype!

Four robots block the west exit, as this is as far as the "sample" extends.

Factory

Being one of the few areas meant to be explored in the prototype, the Factory is mostly complete, in terms of both design and events. That didn't stop a few differences from sneaking in, however.

The first change comes after disabling the lasers downstairs. In the final, the two panels in the upper middle of the screen close immediately after the lasers are off. In the prototype, they remain opened until you leave the screen and return. The door also glitches up slightly after the lasers are disabled; it re-closes itself, but the tiles for it don't completely refresh, resulting in a strange half-opened look.

Finally, the battle with the mess of slime monsters that show up as a result of this plays the boss battle theme, whereas it simply plays the normal battle theme in the final.

The R-Series are a dark pink color in the prototype, as opposed to the pale blue palette they sport in the final. They're no less brutal to poor Robo, however.

Heckran's Cave

Heckran's Cave was almost completely re-imagined for the final version. For starters, the final version uses a much brighter palette. However, the changes go far beyond that... It should be noted that the cave is completely devoid of events initially; there are no monsters, and none of the holes work. They can be re-activated using the following PAR codes:

F72147CA
F72148AE
F7214AF2
F7214BB2
F7214DDE
F7214EB4 

Prototype	Final

First off, the main hallway was made much more elaborate in the final. In the prototype, it's just a simple, straightforward path with a small waterfall and stream.

Immediately after entering, you're greeted by a pair of Octoriders, who deliver a message and then attack. These enemies were left unused in the final.

The dialogue translates to "The Great Demon King led us in the battle against the humans attacking us, four hundred years ago. When our God is reborn, the humans will not matter......"

Further into the entry tunnel are a pair of broken Jinn Bottles, who also deliver a message (different from the Octoriders') before springing to life and attacking. These enemies, while present in the final, never actually appear broken, and in addition, the only monster dialogue spoken in the final is from the enemies at the very entrance.

This dialogue translates to "Four hundred years have passed since the Great Demon King brought about the birth of our God, Lavos. Our god's awakening is close at hand......"

Prototype	Final

The main area is where the true differences lie, however, as the prototype version of Heckran's Cave is a large maze of currents and waterfalls. The currents aren't powerful enough to hinder movement, but it's the waterfalls you need to watch out for, as once you've dropped down one, you can't get back up it. The entrance is in the upper left corner, while the exit is in the upper right. This room is entirely devoid of monsters.

In the final, this area was greatly simplified: instead of bothering with waterfalls, it's now just a straightforward run through some raised cliffs with a few added battles in between. This room was also effectively broken into two parts, with a quick dash through the water from the cave on the left, to the one in the center coming a little later.

More of those creepy eyes can be seen lurking in one of the lower tunnels. These ones, unlike the ones in the prison, constantly peer left and right, do not blink, and do not vanish. It seems the developers wanted to use this sprite for atmosphere a lot more frequently than what ended up happening.

Prototype	Final

The sub-chambers of the cave weren't changed too much. The big difference is the lack of chests, and the presence of several small holes, which if jumped into, all lead back to the waterfall in the entrance tunnel. These are necessary to escape, due to the presence of the one-way waterfalls in the main chamber.

Other things of note include that the dungeon contains only two treasure chests (as none of the side-rooms with holes contain any; these are merely traps with monsters in them in the prototype), and that while the holes are functional, the text displayed is incorrect, despite the presence of a pointer.

Oddly enough, despite that it's clearly not intended to be used here, this text is actually unique! It translates to "It is said that in the western mountain's cave, the demon Heckran resides, ordered four hundred years ago by the Great Demon King to protect the land where our God, Lavos, slumbers."

(Source: Chrono Compendium (codes))

Cursed Woods

Entering the Cursed Woods normally causes the game to reset to the title screen. It can be explored properly with the following codes:

F722A6E2
F722A71F
F722A9CD
F722AA25

Prototype	Final

With the lockout removed, it's clear that the Cursed Woods are finished. The design is identical to the final, as are the events, right down to the randomly appearing Nu. However, in the prototype, it uses the 1000 AD forest palette instead of the one for 600 AD forests.

Prototype	Final

Frog's house contained an extra (empty) chest in the prototype, which was removed entirely in the final.

(Source: Chrono Compendium (codes))

Mystic Mountains

The Mystic Mountains weren't altered as dramatically as Heckran's Cave was, but there are still several distinct differences:

Prototype	Final

Only a few palette differences in the "gate" cliff. The pink flowers in the prototype became yellow in the final, the trees and grass were brightened up, and the cliff tiles were darkened and adjusted to remove several green spots present in the prototype.

Prototype	Final

The base of the cliff features all the same palette changes as above, as well as several additional cosmetic changes. Some darker green (wet?) grass, dirt, and a small stream were added to the south exit, with a small "cave" being added as the stream's source. The nearby trees were modified to accompany this change in landscape, and extra trees were also added to the lower cliff, while some flowers and rocks were inexplicably removed from that same general area.

Prototype	Final

More of the same as above; all the same palette changes, and the stream and dirt path introduced in the previous screen follow the linear path all the way to the exit, with some flowers and rocks removed to make room for it. Also of note is the off-palette "600 AD" chest near the entrance, which would be replaced with a design unique to 65,000,000 BC in the final.

Ioka Village

Prototype
Final

While the prototype's Ioka Village wasn't all too different from the final, there was one neat little touch that was sadly lost in the final: little sunbeams caused by tiny holes in the walls and ceiling. Other minor decorative tweaks can be seen throughout the various huts.

Hunting Range

The prehistoric Hunting Range was another area that escaped with only minor tweaks as far as area design is concerned, but the monster formations are an entirely different story, as each and every one of them was changed. For starters, no Ion/Anion monsters appear on the field in the prototype (although they do exist), and the Croaker/Amphibite/Rain Frog and Ion/Anion enemies don't appear to be distinct monsters.

Prototype	Final

Ion/Anion monsters have a dark green palette in the prototype, as opposed to the black one used in the final.

Prototype	Final

In the prototype, the Nu that appear during the rain wander around. In the final, they simply stand there.

Prototype	Final

The Croaker/Amphibite/Rain Frog formation nearest to the entrance did not exist in the prototype.

Prototype	Final

A frog and two slimes were replaced with a standard Croaker/Amphibite/Rain Frog formation. There are no "mixed" formations here in the final at all.

Prototype	Final

In the prototype, a frog and four Leapers. In the final, yet another Croaker/Amphibite/Rain Frog group. Leapers do not appear on the Hunting Range in the final.

Prototype	Final

Yup. Another Croaker/Amphibite/Rain Frog battle in the final took the place of a group of five frogs.

Prototype	Final

A large group of six frogs in a hexagon formation was removed entirely in the final. There are no monsters on the upper ledges at all.

Prototype	Final

An Ion/Anion formation was added at the base of this cliff in the final.

Prototype	Final

The frog was removed from this formation in the final, leaving just the Ion/Anion.

Reptite Lair

Prototype	Final

The Reptite Lair underwent a handful of changes, although barring some chest placements, the main caverns were left untouched. The sub-caverns (pictured above), however, feature at least one significant change: the "emergency exit" cave (in the lower center of the map) was given a much more elaborate design. In the prototype, this was a simple setup consisting of some platforms and staircases. In the final, it was changed to a series of cliffs with rope ladders. The chamber where Nizbel is fought also underwent assorted renovations in the final.

Oddly, two of the treasure chests in the prototype are already opened. The one on the far left was closed, as it should be, in the final, while the one on the far right was removed entirely.

Magic Cave

While attempting to enter the Magic Cave from its south entrance will boot you back to the name entry screen, it can be entered and explored via the entrance near Magus' Castle. Its design is identical to its final incarnation, but there are a few event differences:

The dead guard with the warning note next to the entrance is not present in the prototype.

In addition to the rats and bats, some strange insect-like creatures that resemble Sir Krawlie appear in battle. These were removed from the final.

Attempting to exit from the other end gets you this message, which translates to "This appears to be a dead end.", and you're preventing from actually leaving. This is simply one of the prototype's "the demo doesn't continue beyond this point" blockoffs.

Magus' Lair

Yet another of many areas that resembles the final in terms of design, but differs in various subtle ways.

General changes:

• Magus' Lair is one of the "demo" areas; however, one can normally only get as far as defeating Slash and Flea, and the game cuts to a "Coming Soon" message and quits to the title screen when stepping on the light that would normally send you further in. Nevertheless, the castle can still be explored via hacking.
• When entering the castle, "Confusing Melody" is played while the screen pans up over the castle, rather than "Magus' Castle".
• The first battle with Slash (before he picks up his sword) is considerably easier in the prototype than it is in the final, as Slash has far less HP.
• The fake Flea does not use MP Buster when defeated.
• The Slasher is not won after beating Slash, and the Magic Tab does not appear after Flea is defeated.
• The areas beyond the demo lack events. These codes can re-enable some, but not all, of them:

F7255580
F7255682
F725581A
F7255985
F7256D29
F7256EA4
F72570E5
F72571A6

Prototype	Final

In the prototype, the Slasher, as seen mounted on the wall in Slash's room, was unsheathed. Its hilt also changed from brown in the prototype to gold in the final.

Prototype	Final

The monsters summoned by Ozzie were replaced with stronger palette swaps in the final.

The fake children/shadow monsters regenerate upon leaving the room and returning in the prototype. In the final, they're gone for good once defeated.

If Frog is not included in the team, Queen Leene will still appear in the "doppleganger" room, but does not move and cannot be interacted with.

Prototype	Final

The monsters transformed into (and summoned) by the dopplegangers are also of the weaker variety. For the record, the Sorcerers are also much weaker in the prototype.

After defeating the first of the dopplegangers, a strange glitched object appears in its place. Touching it causes you to fight the same battle as before, after which it disappears.

Flea's left leg is graphically glitched for some reason.

Prototype	Final

The guillotine chamber was slightly different in the prototype. The little room at the end was moved back one tile, the carpeted stairs were changed to extend across the entire hall, and the lower right guillotine was moved up one tile.

Prototype	Final

More minor architectural differences: The columns in the statue hall were all moved down slightly. There's no particular reason for this change, as although it's possible to avoid battle by walking around the statues in the prototype, this cannot be done in the final due to a different monster setup. Plus the statues can still be walked around.

Prototype	Final

The Roly monsters in the side-view tower areas had a broken palette in the prototype. In addition, in the final version, standard Rolies were used in the first tower, while the black Roly Bombers only appeared in the second. In the prototype, Roly Bombers appear in both towers. They also do not self-destruct when attacked, but rather counter with an attack on the entire team.

Prototype	Final

The symbol in Magus' chamber was brighter in the prototype. Also, while it cannot be seen in-game, a second duplicate chamber is present in the prototype alongside the normal one. What purpose this would have served is unknown, but it was cut from the final entirely.

(Source: Chrono Compendium (codes))

Laruba Ruins

Prototype	Final

The ruins of Laruba Village are inaccessible from the world map in the prototype, though the interior still exists. Several dirt patches were removed from the final, the statues near the entrance were slightly glitched in the prototype, and the palette used in the final was brightened slightly.

Dactyl's Nest

Prototype	Final

The Dactyl's Nest underwent some "prehistorificiation" from prototype to final. In addition to all the same palette changes and treasure chest updates seen in the Mystic Mountains, all the rope ladders were replaced with hand/footholds, and the rope bridge was replaced with a natural land bridge.

The summit of the nest is identical in both versions, barring the standard palette changes.

Tyrano Lair

The prototype Tyrano Lair exists somewhere in a state between "almost finished" and... not. The layout is unchanged, but there are a significant number of event differences.

General changes:

• "Tyran Castle", the song used in this area in the final, does not exist in the prototype. Instead, the background music here is a dramatic remix of the boss battle theme, completely deleted from the final version. Some rooms are also completely (and awkwardly) silent.
• The treasure chest data had not been implemented yet, and as a result, all chests contain 500G.
• There are considerably fewer monster encounters, and those that do exist, are different.
• The warp maze, trapdoor chest, and first set of switches do not function at all. Kino is also absent from his cell, so the only way to progress into later areas of the castle is to use a walk through walls PAR code. In addition, while they appear to function, the switches used to open the elaborate gates in the exterior areas do not actually work. The gates can be bypassed, again, with a walk through walls code, however.
• There is no save point in Nizbel's chamber.
• The tileset's palette was darkened considerably in the final.
• The game will reset to the title screen upon entry, and there are no events present. The following wall of codes will prevent the lockout and enable most of the events:

F7202D64
F7202E42
F7202D3A
F7202EF2
F7202FF8
F6106200
F72030AF
F7203148
F7203314
F720344A
F6108C00
F7203663
F720374B
F720396D
F7203A4E
F7203C96
F7203D4F

Note, however, that the area is still fairly unstable, even with these codes active, but it's only through their usage that additional differences between the prototype and the final can be seen.

Prototype	Final

The Cave Ape monsters looked considerably more docile in the prototype. They were also slightly smaller, and used a slightly brighter palette.

Prototype	Final

The Laruban prisoners were given a distinct look in the final, while in the prototype, they used a palette similar to, but not exactly the same as, the Ioka villagers.

Prototype	Final

Prototype	Final

The Reptite guards were of the weaker green variety in the prototype. The final replaced them with stronger purple palette swaps.

A pair of non-animated Dactyls, once used in a very early mockup screenshot, are hovering just outside of the warp room.

Prototype	Final

As mentioned earlier, the teleporters in the maze don't work, but the monster formation near the entrance still appears. The Cave Ape was replaced with a Terrasaur, while the green Reptite was replaced with a purple one.

Prototype	Final

A Terrasaur and a Volcano replaced the two Cave Apes in the final. The switches work as they should otherwise.

Prototype	Final

Nizbel had yet to be updated for his return, using the same palette as in his first appearance. His "flexing" poses are also a fair bit different.

This early version of Nizbel is considerably easier to defeat than the update in the final. Not only does he do nothing but attack or attempt a completely useless "blank" move (seen above), he also has no special defenses, and can be damaged without being hit with a lightning spell beforehand. The normal battle theme also plays during the battle instead of the boss battle theme.

Prototype	Final

While in the final, pressing the center switch in the final switch room activates a save point, it's actually a fairly devious trap in the prototype. Pressing the switch drops a large stone sphere (which does not exist at all in the final) into the center of the room, effectively blocking you off and forcing you to jump down the pits to escape if you've opened them.

The encounter with Azala is rather strange and clearly unfinished. "Secret of the Forest" is awkwardly played during the dialogue in the throne room encounter, after which Azala walks out the back door, and the game resets to the title screen. Nevertheless, it's still possible to bypass this and trigger the Black Tyrano battle...

Prototype	Final

...which is just as unfinished as the Azala encounter before it. The Black Tyrano's body is actually background tiles; only its head is a sprite, and it's just... not here. The resulting fight is very easy, as you're fighting only Azala, and she can be taken out in only a single hit. After the "fight", the Black Tyrano simply disappears with no animation/effects, and Azala is shown laying where it stood. You can move around at this point and speak with Azala, but although there's quite a bit of dialogue, nothing else happens. Kino doesn't show up with Dactyls, and Lavos doesn't fall.

(Source: Chrono Compendium (codes))

Enhasa

Prototype	Final

Enhasa begins a strange trend of Zeal towns actually getting details removed from the final. In this case, four stools, two wall banners, a potted plant (in the center of the room), and a railing (in the upper right corner) were cut, although an extra stool was added near the entrance. A book was also placed on the table in the upper right room, and the center staircases was extended slightly.

Note that all the individual tileset changes listed above also apply to all three Zeal cities.

Kajar

Prototype	Final

Kajar saw more significant changes than Enhasa did, which yes, includes more detail removed from the final. The lower left room was almost completely redesigned, with only the bed and desk remaining in their original positions. An oddly-placed bed was removed from the central hall (with the healing pool and rug moved to the center of the room), a stool was removed from the sitting area in the upper left room, and two potted plants got the axe. The pillars and stools in the magic laboratory were also all removed, for some strange reason.

Zeal Palace

Prototype	Final

Like all the locales in Zeal, Zeal Palace was slightly more elaborate in the prototype. A table and several stools were removed from the upper walkways on the left side of the main hall. The pillars near the upper left door were also moved, to match the other two doors. Finally, a few minor tileset issues were resolved in the final, as a bookshelf near the entrance is cut off at the very top, and the wall near it uses some improperly placed tiles.

Prototype	Final

Two distinct differences in the hallways in the prototype: First, the carpet has a different (and much uglier) palette. Second, and more noteworthy, the carpet continues up the stairs, as can be seen in the final via emulators.

Other more subtle differences include the statues in the throne hallway being moved up one tile, and banners removed from the walls in the throne hallway and added in the Mammon Machine hallway.

Algetty

Prototype	Final

Algetty, Village of the Earth Bound Ones, underwent some minor changes. The biggest one involves the entry point: in the prototype, you enter from the bottom, and climb up, while in the final, you enter from the top, and climb down.

Other changes from prototype-to-final include a second cave near the very top of the village that ended up removed, the entrance/exit tunnel in the upper right corner being added in the final, and the "house" entrances changed from using staircase graphics, to simply looking like ordinary caves.

An empty, unfinished house also exists in the prototype, presumably for the extra cave mentioned above. It was removed entirely from the final game.

Prototype	Final

The Beast's Lair was literally twice as large in the prototype. Only the latter half of the area (in slightly modified form) was used in the final.

Mt. Woe

Mt. Woe, while almost finished, featured several distinct differences in the prototype.

Prototype	Final

The most obvious difference of note are several very visible tileset glitches. The treasure chests, dirt patches, and rocks at the very bottom of the ledges, are all either in a preliminary state, or are outright corrupt.

Design-wise, a somewhat-glitched platform in the upper right corner was removed from final, and the double chain connecting to it was reduced to a single chain, which now connects to the next area. Two treasure chests were removed, and two others were repositioned slightly. More detail, such as extra rocks and flowers, was also added to the final, and the lower right corner of the middle-right platform was extended for some reason.

Prototype	Final

The main area of the mountain is not significantly different in the prototype. More of the same tileset glitches seen previously still exist here, with the treetop graphics also showing the same unfinished state. A small cliff was removed from the middle-right platform, the chain in the bottom right corner was altered slightly, and the treasure chest near it was moved up a little bit.

Prototype	Final

Several chains were repositioned in the final, making the area a bit more straightforward, but also allowing for a few side-paths where treasure chests are located. The middle-right platform was moved up a fair distance, and the chain connecting to the summit was shortened considerably as a result. In addition, the lower right platform was altered, probably to remove the illusion of another path in that direction. Finally, most of the treasure chests were either moved or deleted entirely.

This screen consisting of two long chains connects the last area of Mt. Woe to its summit. It was removed entirely in the final version, and you're taken directly to the summit from the last area instead.

Prototype	Final
Not the least bit ominous.

A strange statue of Giga Gaia, the area's guardian/boss fight, was present on the alter atop Mt. Woe in the prototype. The area was otherwise untouched.

Prototype	Final

Finally, Giga Gaia itself underwent some changes, as it had a strange worm-like lower body in the prototype. These extra graphics were removed entirely in the final.

Sun Keep

Prototype	Final

Despite being a fairly small and unimportant area, the Sun Keep underwent a dramatic redesign from prototype to final. In the prototype, it was rather barren, with the exception of a hill in the back. The final added considerably more detail, including extra steps and an "arch" near the entrance.

Choras Ruins

Prototype	Final

The ruins north of Choras underwent some heavy renovation from the prototype to the final, and palette differences aside, these changes apply to the ruins in both 1000 and 600 AD:

• The most readily apparent change is the drastic difference in palette. The prototype uses the same palette as Guardia Castle of whatever era it's visited in, while the final gives them a much "colder" palettes unique to the ruins, which gives off a much more foreboding air.

• The layout is almost entirely different in the prototype. Unfortunately, with the exception of the entrance, none of the doors are connected to anything yet, so one can only speculate how all the pieces fit together. There are no scroll boundaries in place, however, so combined with a walk-through-walls code, one can explore the area entirely. Of particular interest are the presence of a throne and a dungeon, which give this early version of the ruins the look of an actual castle, and not just generic nondescript ruins. Ladder tiles not seen in the final game are also present in these proto-ruins.

• In the prototype, you enter from the right staircase in the far upper left room. The final starts you in this same room, except the entrance is the nook in the bottom center of the room.

• There are fewer treasure chests, they don't yet contain anything, and the sealed chests are missing.

• The background music is "Underground Sewer" in the prototype (complete with water ambiance, as the water-free variation was not yet included), as opposed to "Silent Light" in the final.

Sunken Desert

The Sunken Desert exists in a very preliminary state in the prototype. It's clearly unfinished, and differs greatly from its final incarnation:

Prototype	Final

The first part of the cavern is much smaller and less interesting in the prototype, and contains no treasure chests whatsoever.

Prototype	Final

However, the second part of the cavern, when compared to the final, is much bigger, far more elaborate, and absolutely loaded with chests! Unfortunately, the developers evidently deemed this a tad bit... much, and decided to scale it down drastically.

Also present with the Sunken Desert maps in the prototype is this mess. Whatever this is appears to be incomplete (note some of the poorly-placed tiles), although whether it was the start of an unfinished and ultimately scrapped third section, or simply a place where graphics to be used later were pulled from, is unknown. This... thing isn't present in the final at all.

Ozzie's Fort

Prototype	Final

Ozzie's Fort is in a very preliminary state in the prototype. There are no events present, no scroll boundaries in place, and the background music ("Underground Sewer") has water effects in the background, unlike the final.

Structurally, however, it isn't a whole lot different. An extra room was added in the final, as were two chests in the largest room (where Ozzie and company are fought), the secret room where Magus' strongest equipment can be found doesn't seem to exist in the prototype, and the prototype also features a strange pit shaped like an upside-down T in the final chamber.

Giant's Claw

The Giant's Claw may be inaccessible from the 600 AD world map in the prototype, but maps for it do exist, and although there are no events whatsoever (not even chest data; chests simply don't open at all), all the exits are perfectly intact, allowing for exploration.

Prototype	Final

The dungeon's assorted smaller caves were moved around from prototype to final for some reason, although only the upper right (prototype)/lower right (final) room saw much in the way of real changes, going from a dead-end treasure room in the prototype to an emergency back exit in the final. The empty room in the lower right (prototype)/upper right (final) is accessible in the prototype, but not the final.

Prototype	Final

The areas remaining from the Tyrano Lair were given a much different palette, unique to Giant's Claw, in the final. The prototype uses the same palette as the Tyrano Lair (which itself differs from the palette used in the final). The large door in the back of the throne room does not open.

Prototype	Final

An extra cave entrance was present in the first large tunnel in the prototype. It leads to the Tyrano Lair teleporter maze (which inexplicably plays the Guardia Castle theme), then exits to the small empty room mentioned above. This was closed off in the final, and the teleporter maze is no longer accessible.

Other minor changes to this room include a chest on the far right being replaced with a Power Tab, and the cliff near the south exit being lengthened slightly.

Prototype	Final

The second large tunnel features a rope ladder in the final which was not present in the prototype, which eventually leads back to the entrance. As you have to fall into a pit in order to proceed, this is necessary in order to leave.

A chest in the upper part of the room was also removed, but unlike the instance above, it was not replaced with anything.

Prototype	Final

The final area was changed significantly for the final. Originally, it was a one-screen cave containing the Rust Tyrano, while another cave present in the back that has no noticeable entrance was presumably used to house the Rainbow Shell. In the final, it was changed to a straightforward tunnel. The Rust Tyrano's red palette had also yet to be included, so the dinosaur boss looks exactly the same as the Black Tyrano.

Removing the tyrano from the map reveals nothing behind it. Perhaps a cave would have appeared originally upon its defeat?

Deleted Areas

In addition to some areas being redesigned -- and quite heavily in a few cases -- there are also a few areas which were deleted entirely in the final game.

Forest Ruins Dungeon

In the final version, the Forest Ruins north of Medina are extremely enigmatic, and once you can finally access their secrets, it generally comes as something of an anticlimax that all you get out of it is a choice between two treasure chests. However, it wasn't intended to be this way...

In the prototype, there are some extra graphics stored just off screen, showing a large structure with a sealed door rising out of the blue blocks on the barrier-protected platform. And this door lead to a treasure-filled dungeon which was removed from the final game entirely. Interestingly, the tiles for the structure are still present in the forest tileset in the final game, but the structure itself has been deleted from the Forest Ruins map.

• 

  The mysterious structure.

• 

  Mockup animation of how it would have appeared in-game.

• 

  The tiles are still present in the final.

The first area

As for the interior of the structure, its design is perfectly in line with that of other Zeal architecture, such as the Ocean Palace, Sun Palace, and Black Omen. An NPC in Enhasa in the final version makes reference to a "palace in the north" where the "elemental weapons are sealed", then points you to the so-called "palace" on the world map, but unsealing it yields no such things. It's clear by looking at prototype, however, that this is what he was referring to.

There isn't much else to say, however. The exits all work, and the chests all contain 500G, which would have absolutely been changed had this remained in the final game.

The second area

The second area is composed of two technically separate maps, both of which are loaded with more chests containing 500G. It doesn't matter which way you go, as both upper doors lead to the final room.

The final area

Not much to say about this last area, other than that it's likely that a boss would have been fought here, with some sort of "elemental weapons" being your reward for defeating it.

Singing Mountain

By far the most well-known of the prototype-exclusive areas is the Singing Mountain, due to its background music famously being included on the game's soundtrack, while not appearing at all in the game proper.

The Singing Mountain was a prehistoric dungeon, and given its location on the world map, and its song's position on the soundtrack, it's a safe bet that this was intended to have been explored (or at the least, accessible) right after obtaining the Dactyls. It does indeed play the song you'd expect it to, but cannot be entered directly from the world map.

These maps were entirely removed, and replaced by the ones for the Black Omen in the final version.

The mountain's exterior

The exterior areas of the mountains are clearly unfinished. There are no scroll boundaries in place, collision data is largely unimplemented, and despite the appearance of a few caves, there are no exits. The design itself is also rather haphazard, with the cave entrances seemingly placed on inaccessible ledges, and no clear path leading upwards. The tiles in the lower left corner, however, appear to suggest that it was necessary to move a boulder and block a waterfall, which would reveal another cave entrance.

A river of lava

There are two sets of maps for the interiors. This one appears to be the "meat" of the dungeon. It uses a tileset similar to the one used in Heckran's Cave, but with a red palette that effectively changes the water into lava. As is the case outside, there are no exits, and collision data doesn't appear to entirely be in place, but there does appear, at the least, to be a coherent design here.

A whole mess of caves

The second set of interior areas, which appears to be a series of smaller caves, many of which would presumably have housed treasure chests. The same lack of collision data and exits thwarts any attempt at trying to figure out what each area is meant to connect to, however.

The large upper right room has a conspicuously raised platform, which suggests a boss fight may have been intended for this location, while the tiles in the lower center part of the map seem to hint at using rocks to stop the lava flow, and a door appearing on the back wall of the afformentioned raised platform.

The summit

The last part of the Singing Mountain is a small cave, very likely accessed from the "hidden door" mentioned above. It goes without saying, but whatever was supposed to happen in this dungeon would've come to its climax here.

Zeal Dungeon

The Zeal Dungeon

Some sort of dungeon located within Zeal Castle. It's unfinished, but can be accessed by using a walk through walls code and passing through the left bookshelf in Schala's room. The inaccessible-looking door in the upper left corner exits to the throne room, which hints at the possibility that it was necessary to sneak in there by another means at one point in the game, presumably upon returning to Zeal with the Epoch after the queen seals off the time portal.

These two rooms are also located with the Zeal Dungeon maps, and while none of the staircases lead anywhere, it seems likely they were intended to connect to the staircases in the middle of the main room in some fashion.

A couple paths also exist in the Zeal Dungeon maps. It's possible they were intended to be a couple bridges that would appear to allow you access to the otherwise inaccessible upper door, as they fit over the gaps between ledges perfectly.

Futuristic Leene Square

A futuristic mockup of Leene Square in 2300 AD! It's in a very rough and incomplete state, with numerous missing tiles (and incorrect transparency), and the path that would lead to Gato's area is unfinished entirely. It also contains no events. No idea what this may have been intended for, although a similar, but much smaller, map was used in one of the endings in the final:

They may depict the same area, but there are seemingly more differences than similarities between the two. For starters, they don't even use the same map ID; the map in the prototype was deleted entirely, with only a blank map left in its place. Also in the final, the staircases are longer, the walls are different, the structure where the bell would hang is thinner, the building in the back had the door changed to a wall, numerous floor tiles were changed. This may well have been a complete redesign from the ground up.

Filler Map

This large, empty field using prehistoric jungle tiles is repeated several times throughout the prototype, sometimes with events on it, sometimes completely empty. It appeared to serve a dual purpose as a filler map and a testing area for assorted events.

Interestingly, the dirt appears to be in the shape of 鳥 (tori). This may be a reference to Akira Toriyama (鳥山 明), the character designer for the game.

An "alternate" version of this area exists mixed in with the Algetty maps, and erroneously using its tileset, resulting in a glitched mess.