Late Demos

This is a sub-page of Proto:Crash Bandicoot: Warped.

The late demos of the game appeared on various American demo disc compilations. Like the Test Drive demo, the playable levels are once again Under Pressure or Midnight Run. The European version of Spyro the Dragon also includes a later build of the secret Tell No Tales demo, seemingly dated around the same time as the other two American demo levels, on August 24th, 1998. However, the modification dates for the Under Pressure and Midnight Run files are inaccurate across all demo compilations - all files on the discs share identical timestamps rather than preserving the originals.

While Under Pressure and Midnight Run are always bundled together regardless of the demo disc, only one level is accessible in each compilation, leaving the other level unused in the files. The PlayStation Underground Jampack: Winter '98 demo disc includes a directory with the files for both levels, however only a behind-the-scenes video of the game is normally accessible, rendering the playable demos unusable.

Typically, demo compilations featuring Under Pressure were released in 1998, while those with Midnight Run were from 1999 onwards.

General Differences#

Gameplay#

Demo	Final

• The Time Twister's portal graphic features a totally different design for the load/save screen. The fifth chamber also seems to be missing.
• Sapphire relics are known as Bronze relics instead, with a brown color.
• A white screen is used for loading transitions, rather than a distorting vortex effect.
  • The music does not fade out when entering a portal either.
• Music tracks are in mono, regardless of the output option.
• Crash has only the two idle animations: sighing and repeatedly glancing side to side, which are the same ones used in Crash 2.
• Crystals, gems, and relics don't play the choir sound effect, nor do they drop firework particles when collected.
• Checkpoint crates lack the chime sound when opened.
• Extra lives will change into a x20-Wumpa fruit once the player collects it. In the final game, it changes into a single Wumpa fruit instead.
• The yellow aura visual effect is missing when Aku Aku is summoned or lost.
• Blank slot crates will give a single Wumpa fruit instead of nothing.
• When all crates are destroyed, the clear gem will show up as soon as the box counter appears onscreen, regardless of where the player is. In the final game, the gem will only spawn when the player gets closer to the box counter.
• The dynamic difficulty adjustment system can only provide one Aku Aku mask regardless of the number of deaths, identically to Crash 2 and the European release.
• In the pause menu, the Platinum relic is always displayed by default in the Relics tab, rather than the Bronze (Sapphire in final) one.
  • Vibration (labeled "Shock" instead) and calibration options (from Crash 2) are available at all times, regardless of the controller used.

Time Trial#

By hacking, it's possible to access Time Trial mode, revealing the lack of time crates in any of the available levels.

• There is no "Entering Time Trial" onscreen notice the first time you start the time trial.
  • The ticking sound effect does not play when touching the stopwatch.
• Starting the time trial with Aku Aku doesn't remove any Aku Aku masks in possession.
• Basic crates always provide a single Wumpa fruit which is picked up instantly, while ? crates make varying amounts of Wumpas to appear.
  • They are immediately counted when a basic crate is broken, rather than moving to the HUD.
• Extra lives aren't removed.
• If the player dies or manually restarts a level too many times, the game will still adjust the level's difficulty (like providing free Aku Aku masks) even though no lives have been lost.
• When a relic is received, the relic will go offscreen after a second just like all other collectibles, whereas in the final game, it stays onscreen until the screen fades out.
• On the Enter Name screen, there are no sound effects when navigating or selecting an option. The screen also takes a little longer to show up.
  • There is a "Cancel" button to ignore the saving of a new record. Selecting it will discard the current time, making it possible to get a relic without any recorded times.
  • Inserting the last initial won't bring the player to the "Done" button automatically.
• The music volume will decrease during the Enter Name screen just like in the final game, but it will not reset to normal when restarting a level. This effect is cumulative, and one can make the volume go down to 0% by repeating the time trial multiple times.
• The retry option reads "Restart Level" instead of "Restart Trial".
• After manually resetting a level from the pause menu, the camera will pan to the first frame of the level's cinematic entrance for a split second.

Level Differences#

Under Pressure#

Demo	Final

• The pufferfish are purple instead of red.
• Respawning at the starting point will cause Crash to spawn facing towards the camera.
• In Time Trial, the chronometer visually freezes for a few seconds when Crash loses a mask while being electrocuted.
• The icons for the Super Powers in the pause menu erroneously have the underwater color filter applied.

Main Level#

• A coral texture under the start point can be seen applied incorrectly when the camera pans over at the beginning of the level.
• The stopwatch is placed before the first stack of basic crates.
• The ? crate in the first stack of crates was replaced by the Aku Aku one in the final game.
• The rock formation in the upper right corner of the level outside the first electric tunnel was altered a bit.
• At the first downstream with two eels, there is a giant rock formation with rendering issues in the scenery that was replaced by a small formation.
• A rock formation is missing under the small tunnel afterwards.
• The two sharks above the trio of coral reefs covering crates are placed slightly to the right, which was likely changed due to the second one overlapping with the mine ahead.
• There is an iron crate inside the third tunnel, right before the final checkpoint.
• There are rock formations above and under the exit portal tunnel that were removed in the final game.

Midnight Run#

• Coco does not blink her eyes in any of her animations.
• You cannot sprint by holding R2.
• Coco retains her default facial expression during her jump animation.
• Coco does not close her eyes during her landing animation.
• You can stand on the sides of the scenery, as invisible boundaries are less restrictive.
• Hanging life crates are ? crates but with extra lives. They also do not automatically give you the contents within.
• The tick made when breaking crates while you are sprinting gets higher and higher, as if you were racking up combos.
• Invincibility frames won't protect you against enemies and hazards.
• The columns on the upper floor of the towers have incorrectly assigned or oriented textures.
• In Time Trial, manually resetting the level from the pause menu will replay the level's cinematic entrance, causing Coco to fall off the scenery and die each time the level is restarted in this way, as the spawn point is offcamera and the game only draws what is visible on the screen.

Main Level#

• The stopwatch is placed in the middle of the level just after Pura, rather than behind the second oriental lab assistant.

Tell No Tales#

• The controller does not rumble while controlling the jet ski.
  • It does not rumble when the sailor lab assistant whacks Coco into the water with his oar either.
• The color of the buoys is inverted. The yellow ones are on the left side, while the red ones are on the right side.
• When entering the exit portal, the wake of the jet ski will not disappear.

Main Level#

• The stopwatch is placed further to the left.
• The crystal replaces the extra life in the final game on the final ramp at the end.

Early Level Names#

All level names can be found in the game's code, even though they go unused. By using a memory viewer, it's possible to see all the strings of text used in the pause menu, including some different level names: