Metroid Prime Hunters

Prototype Info Prerelease Info

Unused Beam Doors and Force Field#

Doors can be set to require any beam weapon to open, and will use a corresponding color palette: Any (white), Volt Driver (yellow), Missile (orange), Judicator (purple), Magmaul (red-orange), Shock Coil (green-blue), Imperialist (red), or Battlehammer (green). In practice, regular doors never require the Shock Coil or Battlehammer, while thin doors only use the Any and Battlehammer variants. This leaves a number of door color palettes unused. Doors can also be made to require shooting with the Power Beam or Omega Cannon, but use the default color palette when so configured. Unused variants reference empty or missing scan log IDs, except the Shock Coil door, which has an unused entry.

Regular	Thin

Force fields have a similar property for which beam will open them, with Power Beam, Missile, Imperialist, and Omega Cannon variants going unused. Since the force field lock enemy fires back with its corresponding weapon when the player shoots it with an ineffective beam type, this means there is a version that attacks with an Omega Cannon blast. Additionally, when set to require the Omega Cannon, the lock becomes vulnerable to bomb damage, which force fields normally are not, suggesting that this type may have been planned for a bomb-only force field rather than requiring the Omega Cannon.

The corresponding recolors are brown and red for the Missile and Imperialist and white for the Power Beam or Omega Cannon. The white palette is normally used for force fields which can't be shot open, but those force fields don't spawn the lock enemy, while the unused beam versions do. The unused variants reference empty or missing scan log IDs.

Force Fields

Unused Object Models#

Filename	Info	Image
MoverTest_Model.bin movertest_Anim.bin	An unused model of moving block objects.
pick_wpn_missile.bin	An unused pickup. In the final game, all characters always have missiles available.
Temroid_lod0_Model.bin	An unused enemy.
AlimbicComputerStationControl_Model.bin AlimbicComputerStationControl_Anim.bin	An unused model with a spinning animation.
AlimbicEnergySensor_Model.bin AlimbicEnergySensor_Anim.bin	An unused model with a pulsating animation.
Alimbic_Power_mdl_Model.bin Alimbic_Power_Anim.bin	An unused model with broken textures.
Alimbic_Scanner_mdl_Model.bin Alimbic_Scanner_Anim.bin	An unused variant of the scanner model.
Alimbic_Switch_mdl_Model.bin Alimbic_Switch_Anim.bin Alimbic_Switch_Collision.bin	An unused variant of the switch model.
balljump_Model.bin	A leftover model from First Hunt.
balljump_ray_Model.bin balljump_ray_Anim.bin	A leftover model from First Hunt. As in that build, it has an animation file but no animations.
brain_unit3_c2_Model.bin	An unused model similar to unit3_brain_Model, which is used in VDO.
ElectroField1_Model.bin ElectroField1_Anim.bin ElectroField1_Collision.bin	An unused grid of electrical arcs.
Generic_Power_mdl_Model.bin Generic_Power_Anim.bin	An unused model with broken textures.
Generic_Scanner_mdl_Model.bin Generic_Scanner_Anim.bin	An unused variant of the scanner model.
Generic_Switch_mdl_Model.bin Generic_Switch_Anim.bin Generic_Switch_Collision.bin	An unused variant of the switch model.
gorea_gun_Model.bin gorea_gun_Anim.bin	An unused model with an opening/closing animation.
Guardbot01_Dead_Model.bin	A static version of the Voldrum enemy's model.
Guardbot02_Dead_Model.bin	A static version of the gun-less Voldrum enemy's model.
Ice_Power_mdl_Model.bin Ice_Power_Anim.bin	An unused model with broken textures.
JumpPad_Alimbic_Model.bin JumpPad_Alimbic_Anim.bin	An unused jump pad model.
JumpPad_Ice_Model.bin JumpPad_Ice_Anim.bin	An unused jump pad model.
JumpPad_IceStation_Model.bin JumpPad_IceStation_Anim.bin	An unused jump pad model.
JumpPad_Lava_Model.bin JumpPad_Lava_Anim.bin	An unused jump pad model.
JumpPad_Station_Model.bin JumpPad_Station_Anim.bin	An unused jump pad model.
Lava_Power_mdl_Model.bin Lava_Power_Anim.bin	An unused model with a missing texture.
Lava_Scanner_mdl_Model.bin Lava_Scanner_Anim.bin	An unused variant of the scanner model.
platform_Model.bin platform_Collision.bin	An unused platform left over from First Hunt, but with an updated artstyle.
Psychobit_Dead_Model.bin	A static version of the Psycho Bit enemy's model.
Ruins_Console_mdl_Model.bin Ruins_Console_Anim.bin Ruins_Console_Collision.bin	An unused variant of the console model.
Ruins_Monitor_mdl_Model.bin Ruins_Monitor_Anim.bin Ruins_Monitor_Collision.bin	An unused variant of the monitor model.
Ruins_Power_mdl_Model.bin Ruins_Power_Anim.bin	An unused model.
Ruins_Scanner_mdl_Model.bin Ruins_Scanner_Anim.bin	An unused variant of the scanner model.
Ruins_Switch_mdl_Model.bin Ruins_Switch_Anim.bin Ruins_Switch_Collision.bin	An unused variant of the switch model.
Switch_mdl_Model.bin	An unused switch model.
unit1_mover1_model.bin unit1_mover1_anim.bin unit1_mover1_collision.bin	An unused platform model for Alinos.
unit3_pipe1_Model.bin unit3_pipe1_Anim.bin unit3_pipe1_Collision.bin	An unused moving tube model for VDO.
unit3_pipe2_Model.bin unit3_pipe2_Anim.bin unit3_pipe2_Collision.bin	An unused moving tube model for VDO.
unit4_platform1_model.bin unit4_platform1_collision.bin	An unused platform model for Arcterra.

brain_unit3_c2 (unused)	unit3_brain (used)

Unused Textures#

Filename	Info	Textures	Models
Guardian_pal_01_Tex.bin (also duplicated in pal_02-04)	This file has 8 textures, but only the two neutral ones are used. Guardians do appear which use elemental weapons, but they still use the neutral texture.	Ice, Electro, Magma, Neutral.
Guardian_pal_Team01_Tex.bin	An early Electro texture for the Guardians.
Guardian_pal_Team02_Tex.bin	An early Magma texture for the Guardians.

Unused Music#

Present in the SDAT file.

Entrance Themes#

Unused entrance themes for individual bounty hunters.

MENU_1#

An unused menu theme based on the menu theme from the First Hunt demo.

Unused Text#

GameMessages.bin contains unused messages that do not appear at any point in the game, some of which hint at abandoned story elements.

WARNING: hostiles detected.\
OCTOLITHS are likely to be heavily guarded. proceed with caution.

WARNING:\
long-range sensors detect warp signatures of stealth-class spacecraft approaching the ALIMBIC sector.

The text above is most likely referring to the Delano 7, Sylux's ship.

WARNING:\
subspace intercepts suggest the presence of bounty hunters in ALIMBIC territory.

GUNSHIP TRANSMISSION\
warp signatures of at least four bounty hunter vessels confirmed.

GUNSHIP TRANSMISSION\
analysis of telepathic transmission from TETRA GALAXY complete. unable to validate any source of ULTIMATE POWER.

GUNSHIP TRANSMISSION\
origin of telepathic message identified as prisoner GOREA. threat analysis: strategic lure for an unwitting liberator.

GUNSHIP TRANSMISSION\
GOREA must not escape. all measures necessary to contain this threat are authorized.

top screen\
various hostile forces in pursuit of $ULTIMATE POWER.$ $EXTREME CAUTION$ is advised.

SCAN FIRST TO PICK UP\

GUNSHIP TRANSMISSION\
WARNING! unidentified vessel detected in docking bay alpha seven. $EXTREME CAUTION$ is advised.

FORCE FIELD CANNOT BE DEACTIVATED WITH THAT WEAPON\

SAVE STATION\
would you like to save your progress?

GUNSHIP TRANSMISSION\
sensors detect the proximity of an ALIMBIC ARTIFACT.

Unused Log Entries#

The unused variant of a shielded door requiring the Shock Coil to open has a scan description which never appears in-game.

BLUE BLAST SHIELD
analysis indicates the blast shield is impervious to most weapons. a concentrated burst of NEUTRINOS may damage it.

Invalid Log Entry#

The improperly formatted message "This object has no entry in the log book" will appear when the Scan Visor analyzes an entity without a valid scan ID. This is not normally visible during gameplay because objects without valid IDs cannot be scanned.

"Music Test" Titles#

Within BGMSELECTLIST.DAT is a list of track titles for the game's sound test in the Options menu. These titles, however, aren't shown in-game whatsoever.

TITLE MENU RESULTS CELESTIAL_GATEWAY ALINOS_GATEWAY VESPER_GATEWAY ARCTERRA_GATEWAY 
SHADOWS ENEMIES THE_ARCHIVES PURSUIT KANDEN FOREBODING CRETAPHID AFTERMATH ESCAPE ALINOS 
SPIRE SLENCH THE_OUTPOST GUARDIANS SYLUX DESOLATION ARCTERRA NOXUS TRACE THE_ELDERS DEMON_SPAWN 
SPACE_DECAY WATCHING WEAVEL GOREA HUNTERS GOREA_RETURNS

Unused Rooms#

Filename	Info	In-game name (English)	In-game name (French)	In-game name (German)	In-game name (Italian)	In-game name (Japanese)	In-game name (Spanish)	Image
unit1_b2_model.bin	Early Processor Core	biodefense chamber 06	chambre de biodefense 06	abwehrkammer 06	camera di biodifesa 06	第六宝物守護室	cámara de biodefensa 06
unit2_b2_model.bin	Early Stasis Bunker	biodefense chamber 05	chambre de biodefense 05	abwehrkammer 05	camera di biodifesa 05	第五宝物守護室	cámara de biodefensa 05
unit3_b1_model.bin	Early Head Shot	biodefense chamber 03	chambre de biodefense 03	abwehrkammer 03	camera di biodifesa 03	第三宝物守護室	cámara de biodefensa 03
unit3_b2_model.bin	Early Fuel Stack	biodefense chamber 08	chambre de biodefense 08	abwehrkammer 08	camera di biodifesa 08	第八宝物守護室	cámara de biodefensa 08
unit4_b1_model.bin	Early Sanctorus	biodefense chamber 04	chambre de biodefense 04	abwehrkammer 04	camera di biodifesa 04	第四宝物守護室	cámara de biodefensa 04
unit4_b2_model.bin	Early Sic Transit	biodefense chamber 07	chambre de biodefense 07	abwehrkammer 07	camera di biodifesa 07	第七宝物守護室	cámara de biodefensa 07

In the following six videos, player spawns and a handful of other entities (such as jump pads) have been edited in order to make the rooms playable.

Watch on YouTubeWatch on YouTubeWatch on YouTubeWatch on YouTubeWatch on YouTubeWatch on YouTube

Test Level#

The game's binary contains two room definitions for alternate versions of a test level called Level TestLevel and Level AbeTest. The entity and nodedata files referenced by the definitions are present on the cartridge, but other files are missing. If the model, texture, and collision files from the First Hunt test level are ported over, the level can be loaded and the new objects clearly fit the layout of the original First Hunt room.

"AbeTest" likely refers to Masamichi Abe, the director of Metroid Prime Hunters' development at Nintendo Software Technology.

Watch on YouTubeWatch on YouTube

Filename Oddity#

The model used by the enemy Trocra is named PowerBomb_Model.bin. There are no Power Bombs in the game, but this indicates they were present at one point in development and had their model repurposed as an enemy.

References#