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| | | game1=Prototype 1207 | | | game1=Prototype 1207 |
| | | game2=Final game | | | game2=Final game |
| − | | desc=Break a [[monitor]] and its icon does not float upwards. Icons also do not show up in the HUD for shields, invincibility, power sneakers or combine ring powerups. | + | | desc=Break a [[monitor]] and its icon does not float upwards. Icons also do not show up in the HUD for powerups. |
| | }} | | }} |
| | {{Comparison | | {{Comparison |
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| | | game1=Prototype 1207 | | | game1=Prototype 1207 |
| | | game2=Final game | | | game2=Final game |
| − | | desc=If the player dies, or completes the level, the "reverse vignette" effect is completely black, and overlaps the player characters. The "Mecahnical Dance" (i.e. "you lose") track plays if you finish the level, while the normal stage music continues if dying. | + | | desc=If the player dies or completes the level, the "reverse vignette" effect is completely black, and overlaps the player characters. The "Mecahnical Dance" (i.e. "you lose") track plays if you finish the level, while the normal stage music continues if dying. |
| | }} | | }} |
| | | | |
- Back to: Chaotix (prototype 1207).
General comparisons
The Sega logo is displayed over an image of Carnival Island. A higher resolution version appears in the game's manuals, but is never in-game in the final version.
Welcome to the next level in Super 32X world. No characters can be seen on the title screen, and they're not even referenced in text.
Start a new game and you'll be presented with the "data load" screen. It has yet to receive a background, and the controls are reversed. The Amazing Arena, Techno Tower and Marina Madness are ordered differently in the final game. There are one and two player options from the main menu, but both lead to the same place.
The prototype does save, but can't correctly show your progress on the data load screen. Rather than "Lv 0" for a stage you haven't visited, you get some jumbled tiles. Total play time is not logged or shown.
Load a game and your score will read -65536 (and flash red), suggesting an integer overflow has occurred somewhere.
The 1207 prototype also has a "Time Attack" option. It lets you pick a character, an NPC partner and a level, but the in-game rules are the same as always. The character select screen scales sprites, but due to the scale values chosen, characters are more likely than not to look pixelated and ugly.
The "option" screen by default is a basic sound test, represented solely by four hexadecimal digits. You have to hold 
, 
or 
when selecting it from the title screen to access other features.
Hold while selecting "option" and you'll see the colour test screen. Perhaps not surprising that the Mars number is red.
Hold and you get a more detailed sound test. It functions like the final game, but there aren't any graphics to speak of yet.
The notes and volume levels are represented by white lines, but it appears to be accurate.
The "normal" level select is also available from main menu. There are a couple of options here not seen in the final game, such as being able to set it so your partner can't jump. There are also eight different times listed (with "early" and "late" variants of morning, day, sunset and night), though there are still only four palettes per level.
Gameplay comparisons
There are a couple of errors in the title cards. Heavy is called "Heaby" and the game is still referring to itself as Knuckles' Ring Star.
In the final game, the stars connecting the two combi rings change colour depending on distance, being blue if the characters are close, and moving through the spectrum to red when they're at their limits. In the 1207 prototype, the stars are always blue.
Calling your partner with causes the smaller player-controlled sprite to overlap the larger, NPC sprite, rather than the other way around.
When falling off the ceiling, character jumping/spinning animations are drawn upside down, and will remain so until the character touches the floor. While it effects all characters, it is particularly noticeable with Espio.
Break a monitor and its icon does not float upwards. Icons also do not show up in the HUD for powerups.
Swap, change and power sneakers monitors don't work at all.
The invincibility stars are much more basic. Only two yellow stars are drawn on any given frame and only surround the player - in the final, much like previous Sonic games, there are several stars of different sizes, and the NPC partner gets a set too.
You're not attacked by Metal Sonic if you don't move for long enough.
There is no time limit in the 1207 prototype. After 9'59"59, you get ' minutes, followed by " minutes, "big 0" minutes, "big 1" minutes, "big 2" minutes and "big 3" minutes, before looping back to 0. This means, if you're prepared to wait for 16 minutes, you can finish a level with no time on the clock.
If the player dies or completes the level, the "reverse vignette" effect is completely black, and overlaps the player characters. The "Mecahnical Dance" (i.e. "you lose") track plays if you finish the level, while the normal stage music continues if dying.
Level comparisons
Graphics comparisons
The signpost is completely different, being "flatter", less colourful and slightly smaller.
References
, 
or 
when selecting it from the title screen to access other features.
