Pandemonium! (Jul 19, 1996 prototype)

A prototype of Pandemonium! for the Sony PlayStation.
==Origin==
File:Pandemonium! (USA) (Preproduction) - Disc Label.jpg|Disc front.
==Differences==
===From the previous beta (5 June 1996)===
*18 levels on the MAP are now playable; the white-dot between levels 6 and 7, and the one after 18, don't do anything
*Nikki now has her double-jump (but Fargus is still lacking his roll-attack)
*Most of the earlier levels (the ones featured in the previous beta) are more-refined and matching the final game, with many-more textures now in-place
*Gold stars now give you unlimited shots (not 3 per-star, as was the previous beta), but the powerup only lasts for about 15 seconds, with the countdown resetting (not accumulating) if you collect multiple stars in-a-row. Due to this change, there is no-longer a "shots-remaining" counter in the on-screen display 
*Some of the red diamond collectables are now-worth up-to 25 points -- though, as with the previous beta, this one still doesn't feature LIVES, so collecting them doesn't seem to do anything
*A strange voice can be heard at various points throughout the game, saying something to the effect of "bring back the filename". This is first-encountered in the very first level, upon dropping-down into the second section. It seems to occur at the same time as on-screen graphical errors, so might indicate when a script has either failed, or some sort of object or texture referenced doesn't exist. You can avoid some instances by zooming-in (R1), which will reduce the polygon-count
*The slide found in the first level now works; in the previous beta, you just run-down it like a normal path
*The biting-plant enemies are now fully-textured
*The golden keys are now larger in-size, though still not as-large as those in the final game
*There are a number of times when you can randomly float up into the air, such as in the first level, once inside the skull
*Some of the bonus-rooms found in the final game have been added
*The shooting-head traps found in the first level now shoot on a timed basis (one shot about every 3 seconds), rather than only when you move-over the arrows; the arrows texture has been removed as a result
*The third-level has changed direction since the previous beta; in this version, you start-out running to the right, and when you reach the circular section, you also move right (counter-clockwise) around it; in the previous beta, this was the only level where you start-out going left, and move clockwise around the circular section. The final game matches the change in direction found in this beta
*The poison-plants, with the magenta tops, now spit-out their pink, acid-bubbles; in the previous beta, they were fairly-harmless as they didn't do this attack
*Two new transformations are now available in the later-levels: the dinosaur, which features the horn-charge attack; and the "dragon", though while in this transformation your character is grey and untextured, and looks more like a witch: you can still fly in all-directions, but there is no attack (unlike the flame-breath in the final game).
*An unused vehicle also exists: in the same level as the "dragon" transformation is a wooden contraption which you can stand in the middle of, and then have to hold JUMP to make it ascend, and run left or right to move in that direction. As it is essentially a more-awkward-to-control version of the dragon, this is likely why it was dropped. You also cannot get-off the vehicle once on it, until you come to the next part of the level defined as "on-foot", at which point your character automatically jumps-out
==Screenshots==
File:PANDY01 19JUL1996.png|"Map" screen, in this beta
File:PANDY02 19JUL1996.png|Once you drop-down here, a strange voice is heard
File:PANDY03 19JUL1996.png|The area past the waterfall in LEVEL01 is still untextured in this beta also
File:PANDY04 19JUL1996.png|The slide in the first level now works
File:PANDY05 19JUL1996.png|A small heart, which like in the final game...
File:PANDY06 19JUL1996.png|...restores one hit-point
File:PANDY07 19JUL1996.png|A large heart, which in this beta and the previous one...
File:PANDY08 19JUL1996.png|...awards an extra hit-point! You won't get them so-easily in the final!
File:PANDY09 19JUL1996.png|The green pickup here can be collected in this beta
File:PANDY10 19JUL1996.png|The star pickups now give you unlimited plasma shots, but only for 15 seconds
File:PANDY11 19JUL1996.png|In some areas, you randomly fly-off up into the air!
File:PANDY12 19JUL1996.png|This heart cannot be collected
File:PANDY13 19JUL1996.png|Doors that open now added at the end of LEVEL01
File:PANDY14 19JUL1996.png|Though they are untextured at the start of LEVEL02!
File:PANDY15 19JUL1996.png|The gold-keys are now bigger
File:PANDY16 19JUL1996.png|The glass-roof here now matches the final more-closely
File:PANDY17 19JUL1996.png|The biting-plant enemies now have their textures
File:PANDY18 19JUL1996.png|This switch is red, compared to the grey in the previous beta
File:PANDY19 19JUL1996.png|Many of the levels now feature this architecture to mark the exit
File:PANDY20 19JUL1996.png|Unlike in the previous beta, LEVEL03 sees you go right (as with the final), not left, at the start...
File:PANDY21 19JUL1996.png|...and right (counter-clockwise) at the circular section too, again, the same as in the final
File:PANDY22 19JUL1996.png|One of the new bonus-areas now added
File:PANDY23 19JUL1996.png|Where the bonus leads to; five gold stars are available in the bottom-right area
File:PANDY24 19JUL1996.png|The "shooting-head" traps now fire about once every 3-4 seconds
File:PANDY25 19JUL1996.png|Unlike in the previous beta, you can jump atop this roof
File:PANDY26 19JUL1996.png|The poison-plant enemies actually release their harmful bubbles as of this beta
File:PANDY27 19JUL1996.png|An example of a large diamond pickup...
File:PANDY28 19JUL1996.png|...which is worth 25 points!
File:PANDY29 19JUL1996.png|Some very-pixelated sprite assets
File:PANDY30 19JUL1996.png|The falling-rock area is now fully-textured...
File:PANDY31 19JUL1996.png|...and is another place a newly-added bonus area can be found!
File:PANDY32 19JUL1996.png|You still cannot finish this level though!
File:PANDY33 19JUL1996.png|Some oddly-textured assets in the background
File:PANDY34 19JUL1996.png|Some sprites which have not had their transparency set correctly
File:PANDY35 19JUL1996.png|You can actually get past the point you couldn't in the previous beta, on this level!
File:PANDY36 19JUL1996.png|Though you cannot complete the level, as this floating mushroom-head doesn't move
File:PANDY37 19JUL1996.png|Not sure if this sign exists in the final game?
File:PANDY38 19JUL1996.png|In this beta, the dinosaur transformation is available
File:PANDY39 19JUL1996.png|The game crashes beyond this point in this level
File:PANDY40 19JUL1996.png|The rolling-logs are now textured... and harm you!
File:PANDY41 19JUL1996.png|In this area, the large black ball was added
File:PANDY42 19JUL1996.png|Unlike in the previous beta, you can enter this area
File:PANDY43 19JUL1996.png|A vehicle removed from the final game...
File:PANDY44 19JUL1996.png|...hold JUMP to go up, and run left or right to move in that direction
File:PANDY45 19JUL1996.png|The darts are untextured
File:PANDY46 19JUL1996.png|You encounter the removed vehicle here also...
File:PANDY47 19JUL1996.png|...but as you approach it, the door behind you becomes a solid wall...
File:PANDY48 19JUL1996.png|...and instead the transformation-gates appear and you become the dragon... sort of!
File:PANDY49 19JUL1996.png|Not sure if this background was used in the final?
File:PANDY50 19JUL1996.png|The letters "AFP" spelt-out using diamonds
==See also==
Original release page on Archive.org. (Archive)