Virtual Bart (SNES)

This page details one or more prototype versions of Virtual Bart (SNES).

This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

This page is loooong... Consider grouping related content into additional subpages to ease readability.

A prototype of the SNES Virtual Bart was released by the scene group ESB on June 7, 1994. The build is dated to the same day (predating the final build by just under two months), suggesting a quick acquisition and release.

General Differences#

• The title screen, intro, and main menu have no music.
• Pressing Start on Controller 2 lets you skip levels.
• Pressing L+Y on Controller 2 lets you fly around, however this only applies to the platforming stages (Dino, Baby, and Pig).
• Certain cutscenes haven't been implemented yet, such as the Pig Bart and Baby Bart endings, and finishing the stages brings you straight to the wheel.

Title Screen#

Proto	Final

Bart was originally settled in the Virtual Reality Machine, but was changed in the final to be him in a circle.

The drum roll is longer and with less reverb in the prototype.

Intro#

Venus Fly Trap#

Proto	Final

The kid's last name was added to the name tag in the final.

Space Mutant#

Proto	Final

Another student's full name was put on her tag as well. The space mutant's upper body in the final was darkened, and given the name "DARREN".

Oddly, although this is the same girl from the Class Picture level that was changed race in the final, this sprite never got that same treatment.

Door#

Proto	Final

In the prototype, the experiment happens behind a wall. In the final game, there's a door to the experiment. "Volunteer Needed" was also changed to "Victim Needed".

Virtual Reality Machine#

Proto	Final

• Bart wears a dark blue helmet with pointy antennae in the prototype. His clothes were a less saturated along with some small objects on the wheel (these objects appeared to have been assigned the same palette as his clothing).
• When spinning, the wheel makes a banging sound rather than a more sci-fi 'whooshing' sound.
• When the player has over 2 lives, the Corndog/Skull space will stay on the Skull icon. This mechanic was changed to be having 4 or more lives in the final.

Baby Bart#

General Differences#

• Baby Bart has a blue pacifier in the prototype.

Intro#

Proto	Final

The opening cutscene appears crude and unrefined compared to the final. Notably, Homer isn't nearly as fat as he should be, the borders surrounding the animation are a dark yellow-green color instead of black, and the background is a sky blue color, with no ice cream truck driving by.

Background#

Proto	Final

• There are trees in the background.
• The trees in the foreground have a faded color.
• The house is different and doesn't resemble the Simpsons house.
• The mountains are different.
• A bush was added to the front of the house in the final.

Music#

In the prototype, the first stage music consists of the children's songs "This Old Man" and "Pop Goes the Weasel", each looping eight times before switching melodies. In the final game, it was replaced with the Mr. Softee jingle.

Enemies#

Proto	Final

The paper airplane enemy was a remote-controlled plane in the prototype.

Proto	Final

The frisbee is static and had a red dot in the prototype. The final game made it animated and removed the red dot.

Proto	Final

The juggling clown has less detail and a yellow nose in the prototype.

Proto	Final

The bouncing clowns are on seesaws in the prototype.

Race#

Proto	Final

The race with Jimbo and Kearney uses a different background, with different bushes and colors. This section does not have its own music yet, instead playing the circus theme used in the proceeding section. The final game uses a second remix of the Mr. Softee theme, being more upbeat than the first.

Pork Factory Pig Bart#

To do: Play through it to find more differences.

The "For He's A Jolly Good Fellow" rendition played in the ending cutscene is much slower and deeper in the prototype.

While holding L + R, Pig Bart will have free movement with the D-Pad controlling his direction. The timer will also be reset to 456 seconds.

Intro#

Proto	Final

• The "KRUSTY" logo was larger, likely intending to make the factory stage belonging to Krusty even more obvious.
• The upper windows appear to show the lights turning on here.

Virtual Class Picture#

General Differences#

• Targets turn red for a brief moment when hit, similar to enemies taking damage.
• Hitting Principal Skinner when squatting down will play a cash register sound.
• Tomato and Egg splatters share the same sprite, albeit recolored.

Intro#

Proto	Final

• Bart makes a more mischievous smirk than in the final. This was changed because the original art breaks several Simpsons style guidelines, most notably the one against "demonic expressions". In a response to notes from FOX, one of the replies is that "we changed Bart's head and facial expression as per reference attached" for this level, with a sheet of allowed expressions matching Bart's face in the final.
• The "CLASS PHOTO TODAY" note is smaller, as with the RESHOOT note in the second level's intro..

Level 1#

Proto	Final

• The mailbox is missing its label.
• The girl in the red dress was given a darker complexion in the final.

The music has slightly different percussion in the prototype.

Results#

Proto	Final

• One of the poses that Bart makes was different in the prototype, having a much more sinister smirk. Like his face in the opening cutscene, this was likely changed to be more on-brand.
• The same girl as before was changed race again.
• Mrs. Krabappel's name is misspelled as "Mrs. Kraboppel".
• Various different scribbles were added to the blackboard in the final depending on who you hit.
• The final version plays a fanfare if you manage to hit every student. This is not present in the prototype.

Proto	Final

After hitting every student, Bart moons the camera in the prototype. This pose was entirely changed to a generic silly face in the final version.

Level 2#

Proto	Final

• Level 2 doesn't have its own music in the prototype, so it just reuses the music from level 1.
• Some of the windows on the school were moved around with one extra on the top of the school.
• The egg sprites in the top-left corner were changed.
• The jungle gym was moved over.
• Sherri and Terri were switched to the opposite side at the start.

Mount Splashmore#

Intro#

Proto	Final

• Bart is animated and drawn much more crudely in the prototype.
• The camera pan is faster. It was slowed down in the final, but made the camera lose track of Bart in the progress.

Proto	Final

• Several characters have different colors.
• Sherri and Terri are very large in the prototype.
• Chief Wiggum's lip was flabbier in the prototype.

Gameplay#

• The slide itself seems to move slower in the prototype.
• Collecting a clock plays a cash register sound instead of the generic pickup sound.

Stuck Homer#

Proto	Final

Homer has a green frown face on his swim trunks that was removed in the final. This is a reference to the level's inspiration, the Season 2 episode "Brush With Greatness", in which Homer wore similar swim trunks.

Girl#

Proto	Final

The girl in the water slide is larger and with a dark yellow outline.

Lion Cutscene#

Proto	Final

The lion is entirely different in the prototype, looking much less intimidating.

Wall Cutscene#

Proto	Final

• The whole cutscene is at a different angle, with less detail on the wall.
• Krusty has blue hair.
• The "WELCOME TO" part was removed.

Ending#

Proto	Final

• Bart is making a fist instead of a thumbs up.
• Bart can be seen clipping through the ground after he splashes.
• Sherri and Terri were flipped around and slightly redrawn.
• The background color is a cooler gray compared to the more neutral tone used in the final.

Dino Bart#

Player Sprite#

Proto	Final

Dino Bart's thigh is straighter in the prototype.

Intro#

Proto	Final

The background is completely different in the prototype, and is only seen in the opening cutscene. The rudimentary nature of the background implies it had just been worked on before being scrapped, with the scene taking place in the actual level later in development.

Level 1#

Proto	Final

• The sky is an orangeish-pink, like the Genesis version.
• There are less plants at the bottom of the screen.
• There are cracks in the path.
• The mountains were brown as opposed to blue.

Proto	Final

• The side of the mountain was a faded brown with less cracks.
• Greenery was added across the mountain's side.
• The platforms are solid colors.
• Maggie is in a poorly placed position and seems to be floating.

Ending#

Proto	Final

Homer's eyes watch J. Loren Pryor as he's carrying his meal in the final. The prototype keep Homer's eyes static.

J. Loren Pryor's meal are donuts in the prototype, like the Genesis version. In the final, it's a Krusty Burger with fries and a drink.

Doomsday Bart#

Intro#

Proto	Final

• Bart had a blue jacket and a five o'clock shadow.
• Bart's head had dark yellow outlines instead of black.
• A few parts of the background were altered.

Sign#

Proto	Final

The mile checkpoint sign was changed in the final to be slimmer and look less like the other signs on the road.

The prototype mile checkpoint sign was later used in the Genesis version.

Game Over#

Proto	Final

In the prototype, Jimbo and Kearney just tug on Bart's arms and it ends. In the final, they stretch his arms out. He also had a five o'clock shadow in the prototype. Oddly, Bart's jacket was not recolored in the final.

Ending#

Proto	Final

• The Simpson house was changed to being completely destroyed in the final. However, this new background makes the family's bones go in front of the TV instead of behind, a change that was reverted for the Genesis version.
• As with the intro, Bart had a five o'clock shadow. His head seems to have been completely redrawn.
• Krusty doesn't say "Hey, surviving kids!" and laughs goofily.

Ending#

Proto	Final

• Homer spinning in the wheel is very slow and lasts about a minute before ending.
• Homer lacks his grin and has blander colors compared to the final.
• Blue and red disks (donuts?) fly by.
• Once again, the helmet is different.
• There's actually an credits and ending screen, though it's obviously unfinished, being glitchy and not having the credits filled out. The "YOU ARE A TRUE BART SIMPSON" text remains in the final, unused.

Debugging Features#

Sound Test#

Pressing A+B+X+Y and pressing Start in standard gameplay brings you to the Sound Test, and itself also has several differences:

Proto	Final

• The screen refers to the game as Bart's Worst Nightmare, it's development title.
• The blurbs from the Super Star Wars game's sound test are present here.
• The Music Score selection has differences referring to it's names:
  • Entries for MADBART1 and MADBART2 exist, both blank entries that imply the Mad Max-inspired Doomsday Bart stage would have music.
  • As goes for LOSE and DEATH, implying jingles for Losing or Dying respectively.
  • There's an entry for a song titled MALL, likely relating to the scrapped Mall stage.
• The Sound Effect selection has 7 slots after the 127th all showing a garbled mess of tiles.

Debug Menu#

Pressing L+Y as the level or game fades in takes you to a special debug menu, similar to the ones in the Super Star Wars trilogy. This can still be accessed in the final game, but the graphical data has been mostly removed.

• "Area" is like a level select, however it only has a few levels to pick from, with most being completely blank places or not being accessible at all. Accessing the menu in any other stage displays a garbled mess. Scrapped level names show up, like "Irresistably Bart" I-III, taking you to the first 3 baby bart levels, and spots for "Space Bart" and "Planet of the Homers", relating to the scrapped Space stage.
• "Level" represents the level checkpoints, taking you to a specific checkpoint spot throughout.
• "Health" means your health level, going up to 31, but it's useless as health always starts at the maximum.
• "Actor" has 3 platforming styles to choose from, with Dino Bart, Pig Bart, and a blank spot called MALLBART.
• "Weapon" cycles through a few names for items, but it's unknown what these items would be used for.