Gaming Alexandria was loaned a near final prototype version of Eggerland: Departure to Creation ( エッガーランド 創造への旅立ち) for the Famicom Disk System to preserve by Michael Holmlund. The prototype is largely the same as the retail version with a few interesting differences.
History
Eggerland: Departure to Creation is the fifth installment into the Eggerland/Adventures of Lolo series. The game consists of individual levels, similar to the first game in the series, Eggerland Mystery (MSX, 1985). This was somewhat of a return to the origins of the series, because the sequels to Eggerland Mystery used a labyrinth structure to tie all the levels together. Future games in the series, rebranded as the Adventures of Lolo games, also used the individual level structure instead of the labyrinth. It even has a level editor too, just like Eggerland Mystery. Like with most Eggerland/Adventures of Lolo games, Eggerland: Departure to Creation heavily reuses graphics created for earlier games with only minor differences.
Differences From Retail
For starters, the title screen contains numerous differences and lacks the intro cutscene. This is likely due to the fact that the Side B of the Prototype is blank, while in the retail version there is an introduction that is loaded from Side B.
On the prototype all of the 50 levels are accessible by default likely for easy testing. Speaking of levels, the level editor has a unique level in the first slot no found in the final version. The final version is empty, while the prototype version is filled with Almark enemies and hearts.
The in-game levels appear to be the same as the final version with only minor differences. For example in round 10, the prototype has a tree instead of a rock in the bottom right corner. Additionally in round 15, the prototype lacks a tree in the left corner, and rounds 18 and 23 are switched. This prototype also has a few graphical glitches. For example, soft resetting after starting the game will result in a glitched title screen. The Leaper enemy’s down sprite uses the wrong graphic – it uses the “play icon” graphic from the level editor. Also, Leaper’s stationary sprite is a frame from the walk cycle. Lastly, there is no victory animation upon completing a level in the prototype.
Disk Scans –
