The Castlevania Dungeon Forums => General Castlevania Discussion => Topic started by: OldSchoolArikado on July 25, 2020, 03:21:10 AM
Title: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: OldSchoolArikado on July 25, 2020, 03:21:10 AM
Hi guys, recently I just saw a couple of videos on YouTube about a beta of Super Castlevania IV, do any of you know anything about it? If possible, do you have the rom for this game?
Video links:
https://youtu.be/IkEGBAQsK-Q
https://youtu.be/5TzSggnH5tg
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Foffy on July 25, 2020, 06:01:05 AM
I know a recent dataleak happened so this surfaced amongst various other beta versions of first-party Nintendo games. Most notably was the earlier builds of Yoshi's Island.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Nagumo on July 25, 2020, 07:55:16 AM
I suppose the beta from the infamous "through a room" video must have been an even earlierer version. Pictures of the early map screen also appear in a Famitsu issue from July 1991, so I assume this beta was finished around that time.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: LuxKiller65 on July 25, 2020, 08:04:32 AM
what, where's the source for this leak stuff? did someone hack through nintendo's archive ftp
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Sindra on July 25, 2020, 08:09:25 AM
Supposedly this is a 4chan leak of a ton of unused Nintendo prototypes and unused assets. I've tried downloading it to get my hands on the SCV4 prototype but I got a corrupted file. I wanted to go through and do a video analysis of the differences, but so far through Stage 3....there's a lot.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: X on July 25, 2020, 11:25:05 AM
From the look of this prototype (the first video) they didn't have to change much to get it to the final product we all know know. I'm surprised they switched out the map entirely. This one looks like an actual landscape cutaway while the map of the final release looks a bit discombobulated. I think I like the prototype map screen better. They could have kept it and just touched it up a bit more. But I am glad they redressed the music score (specifically the Theme of Simon.) Also the music playing in stage 2 was new to the ears. I wonder if we can get a sound rip of it somewhere.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Sindra on July 25, 2020, 12:27:36 PM
From the look of this prototype (the first video) they didn't have to change much to get it to the final product we all know know. I'm surprised they switched out the map entirely. This one looks like an actual landscape cutaway while the map of the final release looks a bit discombobulated. I think I like the prototype map screen better. They could have kept it and just touched it up a bit more. But I am glad they redressed the music score (specifically the Theme of Simon.) Also the music playing in stage 2 was new to the ears. I wonder if we can get a sound rip of it somewhere.
Someone at least posted the full prototype soundtrack on YouTube already, so you can give that song a cleaner listen to.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: The Belmont Pizza on July 25, 2020, 01:00:58 PM
I finally played it and it was pretty tough! I know we're not allowed to send links for rom. But even if it is a prototype?
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Aceearly1993 on July 25, 2020, 07:43:13 PM
so it seems the Vanishing Blocks at the last screen of dungeon stage wasn't in the initial draft plan of stage design, but there could be another possibility like it's just not implemented in the prototype build or something. I wonder what could be the initial plan of that Vanishing Blocks part in the designer's mind...
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: redrum on July 25, 2020, 08:18:34 PM
In its unpolished form, it almost seems more reminiscent of Haunted Castle or Akdra X68k for some reason. I'd like to examine the romset for anything that may have gone unused in the beta and was cut from the final code.
Hey weren't the Nintendo Power screenshots taken from this version?
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on July 26, 2020, 11:10:11 AM
Sharing the link for the rom here should be fine considering it's a prototype. The Bloodlines prototype was shared here.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: The Belmont Pizza on July 26, 2020, 11:32:03 AM
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: LuxKiller65 on July 26, 2020, 07:43:12 PM
someone figured out the date of the proto???
the ost has changed so much it's crazy we should get in touch with the composer so he could comment :o :o
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Aceearly1993 on July 26, 2020, 09:00:21 PM
The last modified time of the file dated June,14th 1991, maybe the conversion process from the mysterious "Through a Room" build to this prototype could be even earlier
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: X on July 26, 2020, 11:00:55 PM
Quote
The last modified time of the file dated June,14th 1991, maybe the conversion process from the mysterious "Through a Room" build to this prototype could be even earlier
I'd say yes to that. The layout of stage one in the above video is far more complete then the "Through a Room" build.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: LuxKiller65 on July 27, 2020, 06:29:29 AM
no discussion that fight-through-a-room build is older than this build
according to mobygames, the japanese version released on 31 october 1991
this build you say 14 june 1991, that's four and half months before :o
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on July 27, 2020, 07:34:45 AM
Hey, at least this version still has rooms to go through.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: X on July 27, 2020, 10:24:47 AM
Quote
no discussion that fight-through-a-room build is older than this build
according to mobygames, the japanese version released on 31 october 1991
this build you say 14 june 1991, that's four and half months before :o
Well that pretty strange... Did they scrap stage 1, have more layout planned, rebuild it only to scrap it again, then rebuild it to what we know? This seems kinda messy to me. I have to wonder if maybe Mobygames got their dates mixed up or something.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: BLOOD MONKEY on July 27, 2020, 11:41:55 AM
I got to the castle stage, only for entering the castle to boot me back to the startup screen...
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: piscesdreams on July 27, 2020, 12:31:59 PM
I got to the castle stage, only for entering the castle to boot me back to the startup screen...
I believe the areas after entering the castle are only accessible via password, based on the videos in the OP.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Sindra on July 27, 2020, 01:47:40 PM
Threw together a quick analysis comparing the original game's soundtrack to this prototype demo's versions and pointing out what differs where. It was fun to do, even if in a much more rushed format than I have been doing my vids.
I includes a download link to a ZIP file of the songs so people can have them. Also shot that shit over to Mr.P's for archiving.
It super interesting going back and forth between the original music of the final release and this prototype stuff. They originally didn't have a unique track for Block 3-2 and just continued using Block 3-1's music, but then you hear what ends up being the "Waterfalls" track in Stage 5. They must have just been shifting things around as Adachi and Taro made more music. Makes me wonder why they didn't bother keeping the prototype's Stage 2 music and just putting it in Block 2-2 instead of nixing it altogether for "Forest of Monsters" in the final release.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: redrum on July 27, 2020, 05:02:20 PM
the version in this commercial looks to be even more of a beta than what was leaked, simon doesn't even have a designated color palette set up and there are some major gameplay differences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZaGtFnQ2g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZaGtFnQ2g) who is that weird ass snake boss at 0:15???
also, notice how SUPER is missing from the name in that cobbled together title screen? i've noticed that before, in older advertisements. thankfully they didn't go with this shitty logo... (https://castlevaniadungeon.net/Images/Scans/SCV4/gp91-cv4.jpg)
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: X on July 27, 2020, 10:06:48 PM
Quote
Makes me wonder why they didn't bother keeping the prototype's Stage 2 music and just putting it in Block 2-2 instead of nixing it altogether for "Forest of Monsters" in the final release.
It is curious to me as well. It sounds fine, but maybe the heads at Konami were looking for something more creepy and atmospheric. It would explain why they made a new track for stage 2. And to be honest the current stage 2 theme does give the level a good sense of atmosphere that the original track did not.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Holy Diver on July 28, 2020, 11:04:41 AM
the version in this commercial looks to be even more of a beta than what was leaked, simon doesn't even have a designated color palette set up and there are some major gameplay differences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZaGtFnQ2g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZaGtFnQ2g) who is that weird ass snake boss at 0:15???
also, notice how SUPER is missing from the name in that cobbled together title screen? i've noticed that before, in older advertisements. thankfully they didn't go with this shitty logo... (https://castlevaniadungeon.net/Images/Scans/SCV4/gp91-cv4.jpg)
I watched that commercial a dozen times and I only saw that 2 player option today. Wtf!?
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: GuyStarwind on July 30, 2020, 12:53:02 PM
the version in this commercial looks to be even more of a beta than what was leaked, simon doesn't even have a designated color palette set up and there are some major gameplay differences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZaGtFnQ2g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZaGtFnQ2g) who is that weird ass snake boss at 0:15???
also, notice how SUPER is missing from the name in that cobbled together title screen? i've noticed that before, in older advertisements. thankfully they didn't go with this shitty logo... (https://castlevaniadungeon.net/Images/Scans/SCV4/gp91-cv4.jpg)
I know it's not the case, but it always looked like Dracula was in a small boat. Like Simon Belmont is wreckin the place, and Dracula is trying to get to him in his small boat.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: LuxKiller65 on July 30, 2020, 08:13:08 PM
and that skeleton surfing on a slab of stone is matching the boat theme
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: X on July 30, 2020, 09:37:49 PM
Still a bad@$$ image anyway ya slice it 8)
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: redrum on August 03, 2020, 08:14:05 AM
(https://www.oshkosh.com/dw/image/v2/AAMK_PRD/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-carters_master_catalog/default/dw8154199f/productimages/3H205610_LV04.jpg) dracula knows how to pick his posse
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Aceearly1993 on August 03, 2020, 04:54:32 PM
Any chance there's an spc dump available before I do it myself? Searches have not proven fruitful. I need it for a project I'm working on.
EDIT: I ripped it. Easier than I thought once I found the rewind feature in SNES9x. I have 10 tracks (including the Konami Logo) which matches up with the YouTube video posted by Sindra.
Title: Re: Super Castlevania IV Beta.
Post by: Eric Roman on March 17, 2023, 11:53:21 AM
the version in this commercial looks to be even more of a beta than what was leaked, simon doesn't even have a designated color palette set up and there are some major gameplay differences. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZaGtFnQ2g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYZaGtFnQ2g) who is that weird ass snake boss at 0:15???
also, notice how SUPER is missing from the name in that cobbled together title screen? i've noticed that before, in older advertisements. thankfully they didn't go with this shitty logo... (https://castlevaniadungeon.net/Images/Scans/SCV4/gp91-cv4.jpg)
That logo was some quick graphic design work for the issue of Game Player's Nintendo Guide I had scanned it from and cropped to show off the (beta) art.