Pokémon Black and White beta
Like previous major releases, especially those that set a new generation, Pokémon Black and White went through multiple test stages, many of which included several elements that were eventually dropped or revised before the games' release. Some of these components can still be found within the programming.
Pre-release
Many aspects of Pokémon Black and White were shown in screenshots or videos prior to the their release. Some of these were not present in the final game in the form(s) shown in the media.
Starter selection screen
The starter selection sprite of Tepig was different in some early videos. The beta sprite had a more triangular hind foot, with only one of which shown, and had slightly different shading. Also, while selecting the starter, the other two starters were less darkened than in the final release.
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| The beta starter selection screen |
Sprites
Beta sprites for Hilbert and Cheren were shown in an early video shown on Pokémon Sunday. Although the difference for Cheren's sprite is only where his eyes face, Hilbert's sprite received a complete overhaul. A beta sprite for Bianca, lacking her Xtransceiver, was shown in the early video footage that came with an issue of Dengeki Nintendo DS.
In Excadrill's first appearance in a promotional video, its stripes were mirrored. However, this was not long-lived, as it was changed to its current appearance in the next video.
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| Hilbert's early VS sprite | Cheren's initial VS sprite | Bianca's beta VS sprite | Prototype front sprite of Excadrill |
Locations
A few prototype maps were shown in pre-release screenshots.
Castelia City
There were many changes to Castelia City, where at least four different tilesets were shown before the final design. A few of these designs can be seen below.
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| Image released on April 15, 2010 (from CoroCoro leak, April 10) | Animated view presented by Pokémon Sunday on April 18, 2010 | Footage from June 27, 2010 trailer broadcasted on Oha Suta |
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| Image from a Pokemon.co.jp video | Image released on May 14, 2010 | Another image from a Pokemon.co.jp video |
Skyarrow Bridge
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| Early image of Skyarrow Bridge | Second early image of Skyarrow Bridge, showing a Backpacker instead of an Ace Trainer |
In addition, two images released of the Skyarrow Bridge depicted a slightly different skyline of Castelia City.
Pokémon Center
When buying at a Pokémon Center, the part of the screen where the player can be seen is shown to rotate a bit.
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| The beta Pokémon Center shop list screen |
Items
Since the games' engine is an upgraded version from that of the Generation IV games, all items from Generation IV (including Poké Balls, key items and unused items) are present in their programming, with the exception of HM07 and HM08, which are now blank space "?" items. However, most of these items are unobtainable. Other leftover items, like the God Stone, are specific to Black and White and can be likewise obtained through hacking methods.
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This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |
