An early prototype of SeaQuest DSV for the Game Boy. This prototype was auctioned off by video game preservationist Patrick Scott Patterson in April of 2019 and was purchased off by collector Tam Biggs.
There is a plentiful amount of differences found in the ROM that were discovered by Tam, including:
- The first trademarks screen on the prototype lists “UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS”, this was changed in the release to read, “UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS, INC.”
- Pressing start makes the bottom hud area slide to the top of the screen and the instructions are displayed below it. Then when you exit the screen, the hud slides back down to the bottom and the game is restored. This transition is much different in the final release
- In the release the ship starts centered on the screen and the screen scrolls slowly to the left moving the ship to the proper start location, then the game starts. In the prototype the screen starts already to the left where the retail one scrolled to and there is an enemy ship present at the top right that is not there in the release that exits the screen immediately.
There is also some humorous alternate credits found in the prototype, which reads:
DEVELOPED BY: UNEXPECTED DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMMING: DAVID BRICKHILL, CARY HAMMER
ART: CHRIS HUGHES
MUSIC AND SOUND: JOHN LOOSE
DESIGN: CHRIS HUGHES, DAVID BRICKHILL, CARY HAMMER, LAUREN AXELROD, MARK HAMER
EYEBALLS: LIEVEN LEROY
SHARK MODEL: MARK-THE-SHARK
FITNESS DIRECTOR: JULIE MOORE
SISTER-IN-LAW: CHERIE BRICKHILL
ACTION CONSULTANT:NICOLE
Special thanks for Tam Biggs for sending us this prototype.
