Proto:Mickey's Ultimate Challenge (Game Boy)

To do: Compare everything to the final version. Any differences?

This page details one or more prototype versions of Mickey's Ultimate Challenge (Game Boy).

  This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.

A very early prototype was released on January 1st, 2022. Dated November 12, 4 months prior to the final build.

This prototype shows that the game was originally going to be a straight port of the SNES version, and begins its transition into the final game, since the castle, the options screen, and the text is finalized at this point.

Error Chunks How do we get this far?

Differences

• The internal name is called MKY_UC at 0x00000134 rather than MM ULT CHALLENGE.
• The copyright year is missing on the title screen, and the copyright placement is slightly different.
• The game is now using the final title instead of the prototype title.
• The sprites are unfinished and appears to be ported.
• There is no music or sounds.
• You can't pick Minnie, but the text associated with the characters still exists in the ROM.
• The difficulty is as follows:
  • cake
  • medium
  • hard

Core Gameplay

• The intro cutscene isn't present.
• Mickey lands in a slightly different position in the tower.
• The character that is next to Mickey is not present.
• Text boxes are black and white, rather than white and black.
• Mickey's controls are more akin to the SNES prototype, and is intended to be a complete port.
• Mickey also uses the SNES version's graphics, but very unfinished and edited badly, as with the rest of the sprites.
• You can't beat the game, however unused screens, graphics and text show that the game was supposed to be beatable.

Beanwick Castle

Game Boy prototype	Final

Game Boy prototype	Final

Game Boy prototype	Final

Game Boy prototype	Final

Game Boy prototype	Final

• Unlike the SNES prototype, the water is solid. The final version makes Mickey riding on a rubber ducky when touching water.
• Comparing with the final map:
  • The middle of the castle is more shinier.
  • Map is identical to the final.
  • The pump minigame isn't present and it leaves with an error called "pumproom", presumably an internal name.
  • The dialogue for the pump minigame is not present.
  • All of the rooms are exactly like the SNES version, ported with messy graphics. The final version introduces new graphics.
  • The characters use the SNES version's sprites, and have numbers to hint at animation frames that need to be edited, or they are just unfinished.
• Some of the dialogue was stored in a different address when compared to the final. An example of this is two bits of Goofy's dialogue:
  • 0x00016000 to 0x00016080 - > 0x00016550 to 0x000165D0
  • 0x00016100 to 0x00016140 - > 0x00016640 to 0x00016680

Unused Text

Text related for Minnie when talking to characters is still here. Only Goofy seems to exist. However, interacting with other characters and talking to them will result in the same, if not identical dialogue as Mickey.

This is because the final version's text is ported.

• For Goofy the Blacksmith: 0x00015F60 to 0x00016000. The final version changes it by 0x000164A0 to 0x00016550, but the text remains identical.

Oh boy, I'm glad to see you, Minnie! I'm just biding my time 'til I git some more metal to work...  Care to bide along with me? A-hyuck!

~ Sure Goofy   

~ No thanks.