In the prototype build, Headdy can enter the training areas an unlimited amount of times. In the final version, once they're completed, they're locked.
The prototype has enough space in VRAM to store five different pillar designs. Only the first design was kept, and the other pillar tiles were deleted to make room for new graphics.
Three of the alternate designs made their way to the Game Gear port!
Prototype
Final
The boring bars in the window were replaced with fancy latticework.
Prototype
Final
These construction beams are no longer arranged diagonally, plus: Rivets! Riveting!
Prototype
Final
The spike chutes in the final version use a different, wider design. It's more detailed, but now the chutes are no longer properly aligned with the rope graphics.
Prototype
Final
Even at the start, the change in difficulty is apparent. There's far less stable ground in the prototype, with Level 2 only containing the base platform.
The red support beam structure at the start of Level 2 was deleted entirely.
The spike belts start two levels earlier in the final version.
The HangMan platforms on moving belts were removed from the final game.
The buckets that appear in the stage aren't present in the early layout.
Prototype
Final
Level 3 in the prototype is spartan, only containing a few HangMan platforms.
The spike belts start two levels earlier in the final version.
Prototype
Final
Level 5 only has one floor platform in the prototype, and Level 6 has no floor whatsoever!
The HangMen ring structures are attached by a belt in the prototype and a rope in the final version.
Prototype
Final
Levels 7 to 8 are the most difficult; There are no platforms to stand on at all in the prototype, so the player has to continuously grab the HangMen.
The floors in the prototype are unfinished, missing the alternating green and orange color scheme and end pieces.
Seeing as this is the first level by ID, a lot of work has gone into this Scene's layout at this point. It's almost identical to the final version's layout.
Prototype
Final
The Prototype has an extra HeadCase at the start of the level.
A right-pointing arrow sign was placed at the top of the first hill.
Prototype
Final
The "SHOT" sign by the last red ball was removed.
The last health fruit was moved up and to the left.
Prototype
Final
The first 500-point bonus in the prototype was removed from the final version.
In the two hidden chambers, the point bonus and health fruit were replaced with three 500 point bonuses.
Prototype
Final
One of the 500-point bonuses was moved from the Pin Head section to the outside.
Headcase Set 1
Headcase Set 2
Headcase Set 3
Headcase Set 4
Headcase Set 5
Headcase Set 6
Prototype
Final
N/A
Knocking the Dark Soldier off of the tower is a 5000-point Secret Bonus in the prototype. This was doubled to 10000 points in the final.
It takes 16 hits with the Hammer Head to knock the soldier off in the prototype. Hitting that structure with any other head has no effect. In the final, it takes 8 hits with a normal head and 4 hits with the Hammer Head.
Destroying Honeywan I, Honeywan II, and Happy Comecome does not earn the player any Secret Bonus Points at this point.
Bounty Boundy does contact damage in the prototype. This was thankfully removed from the final version.
There are no arrows to point out where Bounty Boundy is going to land.
When Bounty Boundy lands in the prototype, his tail is initially out of frame. This was changed in the final version, so now he can be hit as soon as he falls.
Bino's Secret Bonus is 5000 points in the prototype and 6000 points in the final.
Furthermore, hitting Bino enough will destroy him. In the final game, he just falls off of the stage.
There are 6 total Secret Bonuses in the prototype, but it's only possible to earn 5 of them. There are 8 in the final, which include the 3 added in Scene 2-3.
One cannonball shooter, Bob (the frog), and Under Soldier were removed from this section.
One of the cannonball shooters in the final launches a special smiley cannonball that's worth a Secret Bonus Point.
Headcase was moved to the Flying Soldier arena.
Prototype
Final
The health fruit was moved out of the Flying Soldier arena.
Two Under Soldiers and one Bob were deleted from this area.
Prototype
Final
There are three Flying Soldiers to fight. In the prototype, they all come out to attack Headdy at the same time, whereas in the final they come out one at a time.
NOTE: HeadCase's mechanics in this stage are different in each version.
In the prototype, he walks on the ground. There are six sets with one head type each.
In the final, HeadCase flies around Headdy. There are two sets with two heads each.
HeadCase Set 1
HeadCase Set 2
HeadCase Set 3
HeadCase Set 4
HeadCase Set 5
HeadCase Set 6
Prototype
Final
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
In the prototype, Maruyama moves at three different speeds during the fight:
Rotation Pattern: Slow
Straight Pattern: Normal
Ramming Pattern: Fast
In the final, Maruyama is always moving at his fastest speed.
Maruyama's claw can be controlled by the player in the prototype! This is likely a leftover debug feature.
The fat-headed flying cat that gives a Secret Bonus Point isn't in the prototype yet.
When Maruyama is defeated, Headdy lands on the ground and doesn't move; After a few seconds, the game moves on to 3-3. In the final, Headdy's momentum carries him offscreen to 3-3.
The "B" and "a" are thicker in the finished graphics, while the flashing light's outline no longer uses the same color as the text.
Prototype
Final
There's another Liberty Head here in the final version.
The purple curtain was changed to the standard red.
The wires holding the Guest Puppet sign are a darker shade of blue in the final game.
The light bulb colors are constantly cycling in the prototype. In the final version, the cycling starts when Marrio and Nettoh enter the stage.
The most important change: the Marrio and Nettoh boss battle isn't in the game yet. This scene was actually part of a contest mentioned in the April 1994 issue of "Game On!", sponsored by both that magazine and Sega: Players would submit boss concepts to win prizes, with the top design being added to the final game. Obviously the contest was still ongoing at this point, which is why there's nothing here yet - just walk to the right to clear the stage. Some show!
Strangely, the two different flipping platforms use the same, palette-swapped design in the final version. This change doesn't actually save any space in VRAM either. Weird.
Prototype
Final
The prototype has a red sign with Headdy on the right. The final has a blue sign with Headdy on the left. An innocuous change, or a subliminal political message from Sega of America?!
Prototype
Final
The spikes that the Super Machine Tank's cannonballs stick to were redrawn to look more like, well, spikes. The Game Gear port still uses the old spike design:
Prototype
Final
Except for the two 500 point bonuses, there are no objects in this section of the prototype. The final uses some fairly complicated terrain lowering / raising.
The section itself is one screen longer in the final game.
Those 500 point bonuses aren't in the final version.
Prototype
Final
The entire latter half of this section was reworked to give the Vacuum Head another time to shine. The 500 point bonuses were all moved to otherwise inaccessible places.
Since the Vacuum Head can't hit the iron blocks, and there are more items to get later, another HeadCase was added near the end of this section.
A health fruit was added in the second Vacuum Head chamber.
Prototype
Final
The extra life can be obtained without using the Browny Bon-Bons in the prototype, which kinda defeats the purpose of this puzzle. It was moved further to the left to fix this.
The bush by the extra life was also removed for some reason.
The second, redundant SHOOT sign was removed.
The HeadCase before the Super Machine Tank isn't present in the prototype stage.
The platform with the Headcase was changed to be spatially symmetrical.
The signpost of the last SHOOT sign is taller in the final version.
The Super Machine Tank moves further to the left in the prototype.
The health fruit after the Super Machine Tank was replaced by two 500 point bonuses.
Prototype
Final
Like the other backstage section, the layout was changed to accommodate the new HeadCase and the Vacuum Head.
There are six 500 points bonuses in the final version but only four in the prototype.
The SHOOT sign was elevated to actually point at something.
The lamp was moved closer to the platform on the left.
The hanging "HIT ME!" balloon isn't close enough to the top of the screen in the prototype, so it's hanging from nothing.
HeadCase Set 1
HeadCase Set 2
HeadCase Set 3
HeadCase Set 4
HeadCase Set 5
Prototype
N/A
N/A
N/A
Final
Super Machine Tank IV pauses briefly when reaching the end of his path in the final game. In the prototype he's always moving, making him harder to hit. What a guy.
The statue blocking the water geyser can't be destroyed for a Secret Bonus Point in the prototype.
The cannonballs from the Super Machine Tank can be destroyed, but they don't give a Secret Bonus like they do in the final version.
The lamp's pendulum physics aren't finished in the prototype; Once it's been hit, it always swings at the same speed.
There are a number of times in the prototype where the spinners touch the floor. Hitting them from the floor results in some weird, buggy behavior, so those spinners were raised in the final game.
There's an extra platform and health fruit below the Hammer Head chamber.
The last hanging light bulb was lowered, making it easier to jump to from the right.
The lower path was change significantly with the addition of pits. The single spinner in the final game is placed in-between the old spinner locations.
The chamber with the three 500 point bonuses is wider in the prototype. It was narrowed when the last spinner was moved to the right.
The "SHOOT" sign by the spinner fan was moved to the left so as not to overlap the fan.
The first HeadCase was moved below, the second HeadCase was moved above, and the third Headcase was just right -- er, deleted.
The second spinner fan isn't in the prototype, but there is a (since removed) sign pointing to where it's supposed to be...
HeadCase Set 1
HeadCase Set 2
HeadCase Set 3
Prototype
Final
N/A
The spinner fans are indestructible in the prototype.
The red platforms on the right were removed from the final game. These platforms are used at the start of Scene 5-1, and would have created a nice transition between scenes, but oh well.
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