Croc: Legend of the Gobbos - March 1997 Prototype



This version was released as a gift in a magazine but only a few people still own it. This was likely given to a game magazine for reviewing the game, although this isn't certain. The level select menu differs significantly to the final version. It can be downloaded for emulators (see below). See below for the full list of differences:

Video 2
 * The boot screens are similar to the Tech Demo.
 * The Main Menu depicts a blue and white checked rectangle against a silhouette with the message Press Start.
 * The Main Menu has Start Game, Options, Load Game and Passworbbd.
 * The music is similar to the Final Game.
 * The level select menus are different to the Tech Demo and the Final. It starts with 10 0, meaning the first level of the 1st Island, named Forest - Nice and Easy. The last number represents the area of the level. When replaying the game or if Croc loses all lives, he can resume to the start of the area he last played, however he will start with no BONUS letter, Gobbos or Crystals.
 * The loading screen for levels actually depicts a silhouette of Croc staring into the sunset.
 * Instead of Coloured Crystals, there are actually letters B O N U and S which have the same colours to unlock the Bonus (later Crystal) Door at the end.
 * There are red Poppers,
 * The HUD shows the x symbol, along with x/6 Gobbos.
 * At the bottom of the screen are debug information and coordinates.
 * Lives are actually red coloured bags.
 * Some wells look more like Tree Stumps.
 * Red coloured crystals give 5 crystals.
 * The Giant Bee appears more than once.
 * The sound affects for collecting Gobbos are different.
 * There is no sound for climbing up off a ledge.
 * Worms in Wells can be killed.
 * Breaking Platforms has different animation.
 * Only the Gong outside of the Bonus (later Crystal) Door is shown. It depicts the word 'GOAL' on its face instead of Beany, and Croc is actually able to stand on it.
 * Upon completion of a level, a screen shows the crystals collected and lives, as well as how long it took to complete.
 * Players cannot change levels within an Island, but can change islands.
 * Climbable Walls sound slightly different.
 * Smashing boxes animations are slightly different. Holding down X will not change anything.
 * Enemies do not respawn.
 * Levels are modeled on levels in the Final Game, with some differences.
 * There are blue springs instead of Jellies.
 * There are stilled disguised crystals as Bonus Letters, but this may be the reason why Coloured Crystals were eventually used to unlock the Bonus (later Crystal) Door.
 * The Box Shuffling Mini-Game is slightly different to the final game. Croc can move around the whole time during the shuffling of the boxes, he can attempt to smash one but nothing will happen, and Beany the Bird (or so it seems) is responsible for the shuffling of the boxes. As a result, Croc may stand on or hang from a box while the boxes are shuffled, which easily causes glitches. This is most likely the reason that Croc was made unable to move during the shuffling in the final game.
 * The Popping Mini-Game instead has three yellow buttons which look like the buttons from the Crystal Catching Mini-Game.

Video 3 (part 1)

Video 3 (part 2)

Video 3 (part 3)



Controls
To select levels on the Map Screen, use the SELECT, L1, R1 and R2 buttons. SELECT will choose islands 10-70, L1 and R1 will choose previous and next levels, and L2 and R2 will select a part of a level.

While underwater, Croc attacks similar to the 180 degree flip.

Levels
The first three levels have the same level titles as the Tech Demo. The levels in brackets are the 'minics' of the levels in the final game. The first title usually represent the type of level it is, which are usually Forest, Ice, Desert, Castle, Cave, Dungeon, Water or Boulder. Many will crash or cannot be played or completed, which are usually indicated in red.

Download Instructions
Download the chosen .rar file here and extract it with a program such as WinZip, unRar or 7z. Open the .bin file with ePSXe or another PS1 emulator. You will have to search online if you do not have one. Note that you must own a PlayStation or PS2 to legally download it.