April Prototype

This is a sub-page of Proto:Beyond Oasis.

This prototype of The Story of Thor (Beyond Oasis in America) feels more like an engine test than anything else. While the date in the header is July 1994, it was actually released by scene group PROGRESS on April 30th, 1994. The final version was released in December in Japan.

Sub-Pages#

MapsBig honking map differences.

General#

• After the SEGA screen, there's just a simple title screen. None of the title screen or new save codes work.
• The HUD doesn't have the screen-flipping feature in the prototype, so it's always on the left side of the screen.
• Ali is immortal; if the health bar runs out, he will still live, and the bar will refill.
• Ali is missing the following moves from his repertoire:
  • Kick combo
  • Running stab
  • Rolling Slash
  • Double Rolling Slash
  • Chaotic Sword Slash
• If the player dash-jumps, then holds the opposite direction and jumps again, they'll dash-jump backwards!
• Enemy AI is quite poor.
• The Ball of Light isn't affected by gravity. Dytto will be summoned by the ball if it hits any part of the foreground.
• None of Dytto's moves cost any SP.
• Pressing A + B + C doesn't cancel summons yet.
• There is no dialogue.

Debug Controls#

• X: Mutes the current music track.
• Y: Drains the player's SP.
• Mode: Runs the game at half-speed when held.

Menu#

Weapons#

Proto	Final

At this point, the player begins with six different weapons, each more functionless than the last. They can be equipped, but don't do anything or have associated sprites yet.

Each weapon besides the ALTKNIFE has a basic placeholder name: SWORD+1, SPEAR+2, BOW+3, etc. Six weapons aren't part of the starting inventory. Set 0BEE or 0BF0 to the appropriate item ID to put one of the unused weapons in one of the two unused slots.

Proto	Final

SWORD+1: 01
SWORD+2: 02
SWORD+3: 03
SWORD+4: 04

While the swords in the prototype are merely palette swaps of the base sword, each sword has a unique hilt and blade in the final version. The shine around SWORD+4 isn't present in the final.

Proto	Final

BOW+1: 06
BOW+2: 07
BOW+3: 08
The BOW+2 was changed from a palette swap of BOW+1 to a yellow bow with a unique handle and arrow tips.

Proto	Final

SPEAR+1: 09
SPEAR+2: 0A
SPEAR+3: 0B
SPEAR+4: 0C
All four of these spear weapons were thrown out and replaced with bomb-based weapons: three throwing bombs and one explosive crossbow. Pretty good trade.

Items#

Proto	Final

ID	Icon	Name	In Final?	ID	Icon	Name	In Final?	ID	Icon	Name	In Final
Group 1 - Basic Foodstuffs
16		BREAD	No	17		CHEESE	Yes	18		EGG	No
Group 2 - Seafood
19		ROBSTER	No	1A		SALMON	Yes	1B		SCALLOP	No
Group 3 - Exotic Food
1C		PEAR	Yes	1D		COCONUT	No	1E		W.MELON	No
Group 4 - Fruit
1F		APPLE	Yes	20		GRAPE	Yes	21		BANANA	No
Group 5 - Meat
22		BEEF	Yes	23		HAM	Yes	24		CHICKEN	No
Group 6 - Fungi
25		MUSHROOM	Yes	26		POISON M	No	27		DEATH MU	No
Group 7 - Vegetables
28		CORN	No	29		TURNIP	No	2A		CARROT	No

Proto	Final

Keys and elemental gems are in the prototype...sorta. They can be placed in the player's inventory, but they don't function at all. The silver key in the prototype was replaced with an HP UP heart in the final.

Here are their names and item IDs. Even at this stage of the prototype the keys were changed from what they were supposed to be; check out the item names and compare them to the actual key graphics.

GOLD KEY: 0D
SILV.KEY: 0E
IRON KEY: 0F
COPP.KEY: 10
BRON.KEY: 11
WATER ST: 12
FIRE ST.: 13
SHADOW S: 14
WOOD ST.: 15

Status#

Proto	Final

Map#

Proto	Final

The map screen hasn't been implemented yet, and an area select (the same one that can be found in the final through a code) appears in its place.

• Up/Down: Navigate current map page.
• Left/Right: Go to a different map page.
• A/C: Go to selected map.

Map Page 31 lists a number of test maps. Besides TES6 DRAGON, which loads the dragon boss' head into VRAM, all of these maps simply lead to a black screen and freeze the game.

00:TES0 AME   
01:TES1 MORI  
02:TES2 HASHI 
03:TES3 TRIP  
04:TES4 SINDEN
05:TES5 HASHI2
06:TES6 DRAGON
07:TES7 FALL  
08:TES8 STORM 
09:TES9 SEIREI
10:           
11:           
12:           
13:           

Graphics#

Graphical Differences#

Prototype	Final	Comments
		The main object palette, as can be seen here on Ali, features brighter colors in the final. As for Ali himself, the shading on his red scarf-belt or whatever was simplified in the final.
		The next five images are from a splash screen that doesn't appear to be in the game anymore. They clearly aren't meant to be the actual in-game sprites, so only design changes will be noted. Ali's necklace and eyes are more clearly visible here, and his scarf matches its prototype design.
		The tint on Dytto's wings was changed from green to blue, and her shadow shrunk considerably.
		Efreet had the biggest design change, looking more like a djinn here than an embodiment of fire. Oh, and his punching animation was changed to a hook. That's something, right?
		Shade's goofy looking eyes and mouth were excised from his design, a definite improvement. His shadowy claws are just standard shadowy hands at this point. Shadowy hands are so jejune.
		Bow has a cartoony style in the final game, while in the prototype he matches the other spirits. The black spots were removed from his head, and his color changed from dark to light green.
		The cheese wheel is smaller in the final game.
		The salmon item has a visible fin by its head in the finished copy, as salmon generally do.
		The meat underneath the bone on the left side was redrawn to match the curve of the beef.
		The apple shrunk. Who shrunk it? No one knows.
		Mushroom has more spots in the final game. More spots is more delicious.
		The shadow gem was elongated, no longer matching the height of the other gems in the final game.
		This man no longer has a shrunken head, and his hat appreciates that. He's not the main player, so clearly his red belt and blue shoes had to go. Get out of here, faker.
		This woman's hair, belt, and shoe colors were changed, and so was the shading on her dress.
		Yet more changing shoe colors. When will it end? Right now, actually. The shading on her dress was touched up as well, and she got some blue trim added to her shirt!
		The only changes here are related to shading, most noticeably on the shine of his hair.
		The shading on the soldier enemy's armor is in a rough state in the prototype. The soldier's helmet was redrawn between versions to look more like a skull.
		More rough shading on the spear-wielding soldiers, especially on the helmet. The soldier's legs were moved up and to the left slightly, correcting a problem with scale.
		Whoa. The ogre/orc enemy has a drastically different design in the prototype. Looks like he bulked up so much that he couldn't fit into his armor anymore.
		The ogre/orc has a special death animation in the prototype, bursting in a spray of blood(!)
		The pupils on the dragon's eyes were changed to look at Ali instead of nothing. The hair on its head is more plentiful in the final version, and its ears were redrawn slightly.
		The same pupil change, plus the tip of its left horn is longer in the prototype. The teeth on its lower jaw haven't been shaded yet, and they look all the less intimidating for it.
		Look at the previous dragon head. Look at it! It's the same set of changes. Look!
		All of the dragon's neck-orbs are mirrored halves in the prototype version. The first orb in the final game is asymmetrical, and the top of the second orb is also asymmetrical. Both the first and second orbs are thinner in the finished game.

Proto	Final

The background for the Crater map is more complicated than what ended up getting used.
The Crater tileset in the final version is shared with the Fortress maps, which aren't in the prototype yet.
So, to make room for the tiles that the Fortress maps needed, the background was redrawn and simplified.

Proto	Final

The view from the top of the MOUNTAIN2 map changed from being the highest point in the mountain range to somewhere in the middle.

Unused Graphics#

The Story of Thor Proto	Streets of Rage 2 intro

Graphics of a city, taken from the intro of Streets of Rage 2, were used as a placeholder image before the final map was drawn. This ties in with the unused sound effects in the final that are Streets of Rage 2 leftovers.

A nearly complete set of graphics for a Barbarian enemy that doesn't appear in the prototype or final versions of the game. All he's missing are hurt and death animations.
These sprites don't match the more detailed style of the other enemy graphics. They must have been drawn very early in development.

The second idea for a sword-wielding enemy was this knight with shield, drawn in the same style as the other monsters in the game.
He too is missing hurt and death animations, and ultimately, the only enemies in the final game who have swords are simple soldiers.

Regular	Alternate

An alternate version of the Knight's idle pose is stored at the end of the Barbarian's graphics bank. This design's shield isn't pointed on the top and features less detailed shading.

A set of key icons that match the ones found in the prototype, extra silver key included.

These wooden bridge tiles are part of the MOUNTAIN5 tileset, but they're not used in that or any other map.

Audio Differences#

Music#

Sounds#

Unused Text#

The prototype does not have region lockout. In the final, this text is very different.

Address $1510:

THIS CARTRIDGE HAS BEEN DEVELOPED FOR
USE OUTSIDE NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICA.
IT CANNOT BE USED WITH HARDWARE UNITS
FOR SALE WITHIN THESE AREAS

This same text is present in the European Streets of Rage 2:

Address $40010:

Ancient Music   
Driver -MD-     
68000 Program   
    Version 1.03
Copyright (C)   
       1993-1994
Ancient corp., 
Programmed By   
   Hideki Koyama

Address $427a0:

Ancient Music   
Driver -MD-     
Z80 Program     
    Version 1.03
Copyright (C) 
       1993-1994
Ancient corp.,  
Programmed By   
   Hideki Koyama