Pokémon Black and White beta: Difference between revisions

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.

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.

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.

Skyarrow Bridge

In addition, two images released of the Skyarrow Bridge depicted a slightly different skyline of Castelia City, with one also showing what seems to be a dropped sprite whose use is unknown, and not including a sprite of a NPC.

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.

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.

This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.