Prerelease:Meteos (Nintendo DS)

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Meteos (Nintendo DS).

Development Timeline

• 2004
  • May − Development of Meteos initiates.
  • August − Meteos is first announced by Nintendo, with several screenshots surfacing.
  • October? − A second batch of screenshots surface.
  • November 3 − The Nintendo World Touch! DS event is held, which featured a demo of Meteos.
  • December? − A third batch of screenshots surface.
• 2005
  • January 24 − A set of videos are recorded and uploaded to the Meteos official website.
  • February 6 − The 21st Jisedai World Hobby Fair is held in Fukuoka, which featured a demo of Meteos.
  • March 10 − The game is released in Japan.
  • May − The E3 2005 event is held, which featured a downloadable demo of Meteos.
  • June 27 − The game is released in the United States.
  • September 23 − The game is released in Europe.

"Pre-Production"

Posted in the now-defunct Meteos website's Secret Report page was a screenshot of a very early prototype of Meteos, dubbed "Pre-production" by Tetsuya Mizuguchi. It was developed by two Q Entertainment employees - a programmer and a designer - and took three days to complete. Based on this screenshot, it is likely the game was not created with the Nintendo DS in mind.

(Source: Meteos website - Secret Report Entry 19 - Prototype Meteos (archived))

"Build 1" - First Screenshot Batch

Title Screen

• The title screen design was completely different from the final version's, featuring what seems to be still images instead of an animated approach. It is unknown when the new design came to place, but by at least "Build 4", the design had already changed.

Gameplay 1

A screenshot of planet Geolyte.

• The background image of the planet was stained an emerald color compared to the final light blue. This coloration is only seen in this batch.
• The Geolyte alien's design was completely different, being closer to the final game's Dawndus alien.
• The tileset used seems to be equivalent to the final game's Oleana/Suburbion tileset.

Gameplay 2

A screenshot of planet Thirnova, using a Forte alien in the bottom left corner of the subscreen.

• The Forte alien sported different colors and animations. These would be used up to the January 24 build.
• The tileset displayed here does not have a final equivalent.

Gameplay 3

A screenshot of planet Dawndus.

• The Geolyte alien is also used here.
• Dawndus also used the Oleana/Suburbion tileset.

Gameplay 4

A screenshot of planet Boggob, using a Gravitas alien in the bottom left corner of the subscreen.

• The tileset displayed here is equivalent to the final Jeljel/Wuud tileset.

(Source: Cubed3, MeriStation)

General - Gameplay

• The gameplay interface is completely different from the final: the playfield is aligned to the right of the bottom screen, with score/time/launch/alien displays at the left. The top screen only displays the game mode, along with the planets currently in-game; the player's selected planet emmits a slight glow. This would stay consistent up to the Nintendo World build.
• The speeder design was much simpler.
• The flames below the blocks were originally of a light blue color; this would stay until the early January 2005 build.
• The HUD also had more prominent borders around the playfield, even featuring segments for below the field. These would be used up to "Build 2", though leftover graphics for the bottom parts still exist in the final game.
• The pieces were smaller, around 12x11, and used a different color scheme. The playfield was also slightly taller, being 9x14+2 for every planet. These would be used up to "Build 2".
• The scoring system was different, awarding less points. This would be used up to the January 24 build.

General - Planets

The known planet designs based on the top screenshots are Geolyte (blue), Boggob (green), Thirnova (yellow), and Dawndus (orange). The red design seen in the bottom screen is of planet Firim, although it is somewhat difficult to see.

• Geolyte's planet sprite was much darker and unsaturated.
• Firim's planet sprite was originally a modified picture of planet Venus; the design can be found as part of the Nintendo E3 2005 Press Kit. This was changed starting from the January 24 build, where the final design was adopted.

Early	Final

(Source: Nintendo E3 2005 Press Kit)

• Thirnova's planet sprite did not have any glow. This design would be used up to "Build 4".

Early	Final

(Source: BradDS)

• Dawndus' planet sprite has a lot less detail.
• Based on these screenshots, three of the game's planets already had known names, all of which are different from the final (although one would be used as part of a different planet). These names were only used in this build.

"Build 1"	Final (Japan)
ゲルゲル [Gelgel]	ファイアム [Firem]
チュービィ [Q-B]	ジオライト [Geolite]
サラマラード [Salamalard]	ジャゴンボ [Jagombo]

"Build 1" - Club Nintendo Original e-Catalog 2004

This demo disc contained promotional material for the Nintendo World Touch! DS event, along with videos of yet to be released games, one of which was Meteos, at timestamp 7:28. This is the only known video footage of "Build 1", although several changes are noticeable:

• Geolyte's background image was changed; now using more defined colors for the sky, the clouds and the surface. This is also in comparison to the final design, which is mostly tinted in cyan. This older design can also be seen in the Nintendo Dream Issue 130 magazine.

Early (e-Catalog)	Final

(Source: Nintendo Dream Issue 130 scans)

• Images of then-unknown planets are displayed at the top screen; those are equivalent to Oleana (left) and Gravitas (right).
  • Oleana's design is spherical, and much darker; the final shape is closer to a bone. This old design can also be found as part of the Nintendo E3 2005 press kit.

Early	Final

(Source: Nintendo E3 2005 Press Kit)

• • Gravitas' design is spherical, of a dark red and cyan colors. The final shape is closer to an eye, with small ovals in the center.

Early	Final

(Source: BradDS)

"Build 2" - Second Screenshot Batch

Screenshot 1

A screenshot of planet Geolyte.

• The Geolyte alien went through a redesign, now looking closer to its final iteration, albeit with different animations, which would be used up to "Build 3".
• A new tileset is introduced. It is equivalent to the final Anasaze, and is still present in the final game, albeit unused.

Screenshot 2

A screenshot of planet Dawndus.

• The Gravitas alien was moved to this planet.

Screenshot 3

A screenshot of planet Boggob.

• The Forte alien was moved to this planet. This is consistent with the game's appearance in the Nintendo World Touch! DS event.

Screenshot 4

A screenshot of planet Thirnova.

• The Megadom alien was first introduced here.
• The tileset seen in this screenshot is unique and doesn't have a final counterpart. However, a variant of it can be found unused in the retail builds.

(Source: MeriStation)

General - Gameplay

• A ridge in the bottom right corner of the alien display was changed to a solid surface.
• Each of the planets display their proper names on the bottom left of the subscreen.

General - Planets

• Geolyte's planet sprite became a little brighter, although still comparatively darker compared to the final release; this is the design seen in the Nintendo E3 2005 press kit.

Early	Final

(Source: Nintendo E3 2005 Press Kit)

• Dawndus' planet design was slightly tweaked, having more detail on the surface. This new design is practically the same as the one used in the final game.

Nintendo World Touch! DS

There is not much information known about this build, other than the piece size was expanded to 15x15, and, as such, the playfield size was decreased to 9x12+2 for every planet. Tilesets resembling final Geolyte/Wuud and Grannest/Hotted are also displayed here, albeit still using the old color scheme. The latter are also not animated.

"Build 2"/Nintendo World Build - Secret Report Page

Entry 53 of the Secret Report page on the Meteos website contains a graphic featuring early Meteo designs used prior to the Nintendo World event, and two screenshots of said event's build featuring placeholder block sets.

(Source: Meteos website - Secret Report Entry 53 - Design Change (archived))

"Build 3" - Third Screenshot Batch

It is unclear whether this build actually existed or if these are mockups.

Screenshot 1

A gameplay image of Geolyte.

• The design of the Soil and Herb Meteos in the planet's tileset was originally slightly different; bright blocks with a dark symbol. This color scheme was inverted starting from "Build 4". Despite this, the old designs were still used in the Japanese Meteos website's Collage Generator.

Early	Final

Screenshot 2

A gameplay image of Layazero.

• The alien design has a black sclera, which does not appear in the final release.
• The design of the H2O Meteo is flipped vertically.
• The Herb Meteo is slightly brighter.
• Layazero's playfield border was originally rainbow-colored instead of the plain green the final release has. This is more evident in the following scan from Nintendo Dream Issue 130:
  

"Build 3"	Final

(Source: Nintendo Dream Issue 130 scans)

Screenshot 3

A gameplay image of Globin.

• The alien has no sclera.

Screenshot 4

A picture of the results screen.

• The order of the Meteo counters in the top screen is different.
• It seems that no win animations have been programmed at this point of development.
• Bonus Meteos have not been implemented yet.
• The Oleana alien sports different coloring, closer to the official artwork.

Screenshot 5

A gameplay image of Florias.

• The Florias alien sports different colors, and is a little "thinner" in some areas. This design is also seen in the Nintendo E3 2005 press kit.

Early	Final

(Source: Nintendo E3 2005 Press Kit)

Screenshot 6

A gameplay image of Mekks, showcasing a playfield camera in the top screen.

• Mekks' planet design is spherical, and closer to a "mechanical dystopia" rather than a "mechanical wonderland".

Early	Final

(Source: BradDS)

(Source: GameReactor, PlanetDS)

General - Gameplay

• The interface was changed again, now being much closer to the final game; centered playfield, minimaps on the left, score and time information on the top screen, however, there are still some differences:
  • The boxes in the bottom screen, which represent a player's team/color, are much darker in comparison to the final game.
  • The opponents' planet novas are displayed on the top screen; a feature not present in the final release.
  • A grid is still faintly visible in the playfield.
  • The time/mode displays in the top screen are swapped.
  • A more detailed speeder design was implemented.
• The color scheme for the Meteos was changed, now somewhat resembling the final release.
• A "?" item is present in some of the screenshots; no final equivalent exists. A battery item can also be seen, also with an unknown purpose.

General - Planets

• Florias' design is a simple sphere, where the final would add rings surrounding the planet. This old design can be found in the Nintendo E3 2005 press kit.

Early	Final

(Source: Nintendo E3 2005 Press Kit)

"Builds 2/3" - Nintendo Dream Issue 130

Planets

• Planet designs for Anasaze, Gigagush, Grannest, Bavoom, Forte, Brabbit, Freaze and Hevendor were first unveiled here. Because the quality of the scans is somewhat low, pictures from a different source are displayed, save for the Brabbit alien.

• Anasaze's planet sprite seems to be a modified image of Jupiter.

Early	Final

• Gigagush's vortex is closer to a black hole in appearance.

Early	Final

• Grannest's design is spherical, where the final would go for an inverted cylinder shape.

Early	Final

• Bavoom's design is much more blue.

Early	Final

• Forte's design was completely different, lacking the many cracks and instead opting for one giant ravine in the top of the planet.

Early	Final

• Brabbit's nebula is orange instead of multi-colored like the final.

Early	Final

(Source: BradDS)

Aliens

• The Brabbit alien's design was originally much "chubbier" in appearance, with a larger body shape.

Early	Final

• The Freaze alien was originally monocolored. This design is also seen in the Nintendo E3 2005 press kit.

Early	Final

(Source: Nintendo Dream Issue 130 scans, Nintendo E3 2005 Press Kit)

"Build 4"

Game Jockey

• The planets received new portraits in the bottom screen, which are closer to the final game's, albeit still using the old planet designs.
• Each planet can now have different type rates and number of columns, much like the final version.
• The speeder design was reverted to the one used prior to the Nintendo World Touch! DS build.
• Meteos go in a straight line when "released", instead of scattering through different directions (or to a planet) like in the final version.

Website Pictures

Several of the pictures displayed in the Japanese Meteos website are of early builds, some resembling the "Build 4" lot.

Gravitas

• The design for the Zoo Meteos (in pink) was originally of many engraved circles, like a ripple. This was changed to of an engraved animal head in the final.
• The names of the player and of the planet are not displayed at the top right corner.

Hevendor

• The Herb Meteos (in green) were originally slightly more vibrant.

(Source: Meteos webpage - Geolyte Alien's Exciting Space Tour (archived))

Famitsu Scan

This scan from the February 2005 issue of the Famitsu magazine shows a screenshot of Hotted during "Build 4", contrasting the other screenshots which seem to be based on the January 24 build. It features an early design for the planet, which uses darker, more detailed coloring.

Early	Final

(Source: BradDS)

(Source: Famitsu February 2005 scans)

Boxart

One of the pictures in the game's Japanese boxart, which depicts a group choice in the Multi Route of the Star Trip mode, actually comes from an early build, likely Build 4. The main difference comes from the grouping Molten Hellions (below), where the planet Jeljel was going to be used instead of Firim. The design of the planet Wuud is also different, having larger ridges and being skewed differently.

Early	Final

(Source: BradDS)

Other Early Planet Designs

A set of graphics that showcase very early variants of the game's planets were uploaded to the Photobucket account BradDS on a currently unknown date; this is the source of many of the previous planet images showcased in this article. Those shown in this section are of planets not yet mentioned.

Planet	Early	Final	Description
Cavious			It seems the planet was originally colored brown instead of cyan. Perhaps this was done to avoid confusion with a turd.
Jeljel			The top region of the planet was originally much darker.
Lastar			Complete redesign, going from a somewhat generic glowing blue planet to an unrealistic golden mobius strip.
Megadom			Curiously, the older "black ring" design would later be used in Meteos Wars.
Vubble			A somewhat minor redesign; The center area of the planet became transparent in the final release.

(Source: BradDS)

Other Early Alien Designs

Early designs for several of the game's aliens can be found in promotional material for Meteos Wars, although the only differences are in the coloring.

Planet	Early	Final
Cavious
Suburbion
Thirnova
Vubble
Yooj

Additionally, an early design for a Mekks alien, which had a different eye design, was found in a Photobucket account, although the post seems to have been deleted or lost.

Early	Final

January 24 Build

In January 24, 2005, three videos were uploaded to the Meteos webpage, showcasing gameplay of a late build, with many aspects resembling the final game, though there are still some noticeable differences.

Video 1 - Menus

Video 1 contains footage of the game's menus.

• Title Screen
  • None of the elements of the title screen are animated. The bottom half of the screen, for instance, lacks the sun in the background, and still uses the "PRESS START BUTTON" prompt rather than the simpler "TOUCH!". The Geolyte is also missing.
• Extras
  • The Demo Download button is absent.
  • The main menu background music still plays in the Sound Test menu.

The sound effect order was different as well (the sound 0 is equivalent to the final 26), and no extra zeroes were displayed in the IDs.

• Options
  • The hand-switching icons resemble gameplay images of "Build 3".
• Planets
  • It seems many planets (and sound sets) were originally available by default, while the final game only has 4 planets and 1 sound set from the start.
  • Planet designs now match those of the final game.
• Fusion Room
  • The main menu background music still plays in the Fusion Room.
  • Some of the Fusion costs for the planets were different, requiring more Meteos. The Vubble and Wiral values are taken from the Famitsu February 2005 issue.

	January 24	Final (Japan)
Item	Cost	Cost
Bavoom	1200 AIR, 200 H2O, 100 ZOO	1000 AIR, 200 H2O, 100 ZOO
Jeljel	666 FIRE, 666 SOIL, 666 ZAP, 666 ZOO, 3 DARK	666 FIRE, 666 SOIL, 666 ZOO, 3 DARK
Forte	3800 SOIL, 1 ZOO, 10 DARK	2980 SOIL, 1 ZOO, 8 DARK
Grannest	200 IRON, 200 ZAP	200 IRON, 100 ZAP
Mekks	2048 IRON, 1024 ZAP	1024 IRON, 800 ZAP
Boggob	250 H2O, 300 SOIL, 600 HERB	50 H2O, 100 SOIL, 600 HERB, 100 ZOO, 1 GLOW
Megadom	100 AIR, 200 FIRE, 100 H2O, 100 IRON, 100 ZAP	200 AIR, 200 FIRE, 100 H2O, 100 SOIL
Vubble	2500 AIR, 5000 H2O, 10 IRON, 10 HERB, 300 GLOW, ? TIME	2500 AIR, 3000 H2O, 80 GLOW, 1 TIME
Wiral	500 IRON, 5000 ZAP, 100 GLOW, 1 TIME	500 IRON, 2000 ZAP, 50 GLOW, 1 TIME

• Mode Select
  • Deluge Mode is absent.
  • No highscores are displayed in the Time War and Star Trip menus.
  • The icon for the Branch Route in Star Trip was slightly different.
  • None of the planet's displayed Meteo rates match what they actually are. Notice the presence of empty, duplicate, Soul and Time meters, which never appear in the final game. Such things can also be seen in several pre-release images, such as this one, from the Famitsu February 2005 issue:
    
• Gameplay
  • It was entirely possible that initial Meteo drops would create an ignition, as seen in the end of the video. This never happens in the final game, and is also seen in Video 2.

(Source: Famitsu February 2005 scans)

Video 2 - Gameplay

Video 2 covers gameplay of many planets.

• The top screen animations were also affected by the Speeder.
• The position of the mode display and of the timer were still swapped.
• A different explosion effect is used for when the launched Meteos hit an opposing planet, or are launched when playing solo.
• The Aliens would repeat their "Launch" animations if a launch was done while they were doing this animation.
• The Game Over display is different, displaying a rapidly shaking "GAME OVER" text instead of the red-tinted "ANNIHILATION!" screen of the final.
• The Zoo Meteo design used in planets Forte and Gravitas still resemble those of "Build 4".
• The Forte alien still uses bright colors. Right before the footage of the planet ends, it also displays an animation which is not present in the final game.
• Soul and Time Meteo counters are still not displayed in the Results Screen.

Video 3 - Forte

Video 3 contains extended gameplay of planet Forte, though only the bottom screen is visible.

21st Jisedai World Hobby Fair Fukuoka Demo

A demo was showcased during the 21st Jisedai World Hobby Fair event held in Fukuoka, in February 7, 2005. It is mostly identical to the Download Play/E3 Demo, the only differences are that the scoring method was not updated, and that the timer and mode display positions are still swapped.

(Source: N-Styles)

Later Build - Website Image

This image was uploaded to the Meteos website, and shows gameplay of planet Meteo. All aspects of this screenshot resemble the final game, except for the scoring, and the planet portrait resembling an even earlier version of planet Megadom compared to the Photobucket uploads, in which it is colored completely orange.

(Source: Meteos webpage (archived))