Pokémon Diamond and Pearl beta

Before their release, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl went through multiple test, or beta, stages, many of which included several things eventually dropped from the final game. Some remnants of this data can still be found in the game's programming.

Pre-release

There are a number of pre-release sprites not put in the game. These include those of both the rival and Team Galactic, and sprites of Weavile and Munchlax (mentioned below).

Shellos and Gastrodon

Back sprites, presumably from one of the game's earliest prototype stage, of Shellos and Gastrodon have been found. These forms are possibly leftovers from when Shellos and Gastrodon were planned to be in Generation III. Shellos's sprite is pink, like its West Sea variation, and seems to combine the western variation's head with the Eastern variation's body, while Gastrodon's sprite is brown and looks like its Western variation, but with more rock-like protrusions on its body. Before the release of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, this was also considered by some fans to be another "unofficial confirmation" of Pokémon Gold and Silver remakes, since its Pokédex data states that its colors and shapes differs from region to region. However, this proved not to be true due to these sprites' similarities to the existing forms, and the fact that there are no front sprites for either of the prototype forms. Additionally, there are no known forms of Shellos or Gastrodon that are exclusive to HeartGold and SoulSilver.

Other prototype sprites

The game's data has prototype back sprites for Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Ralts, Kirlia, Gardevoir, Jirachi, Turtwig, Chimchar, Piplup, and Manaphy – both regular and Template:Shiny2 forms.

Munchlax, Weavile, and Cherrim all have had prototype sprites from various pre-release pictures and videos, but these sprites are not in the game's data. The Munchlax just seems to be a duplicate from the Munchlax sprite in Dash. The Cherrim prototype sprite was shown in an early Japanese commercial. It is surprisingly like the final sprite, only with the left leg up instead. Pokémon.com showed prototype sprites in their run up to the release of Diamond and Pearl. These sprites of Munchlax and Weavile can still be seen on the page in question.

There are also alternate sprites for the Trainer class Camper, Picnicker, Poké Kid, as well as a sprite which consists of a male Swimmer and a female Tuber, similar to the Sis and Bro class.

Gallery

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Treecko back
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Torchic back
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Mudkip back
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Ralts back
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Kirlia back
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Gardevoir back
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Jirachi "back"
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Turtwig back
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Chimchar back
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Piplup back
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Shellos back
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Gastrodon back
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Bronzor "back"
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Manaphy back
???-type Arceus front
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???-type Arceus back
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Camper sprite
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Picnicker sprite
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Poké Kid sprite. Difference in Leg
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Sis and Bro?

Prototype maps

Route 219 pre-release screenshot

Jubilife City pre-release screenshot

A prototype map of Spear Pillar has been found. This is surprisingly like the normal game's Spear Pillar, but the entrance to Mt. Coronet is missing. Many also think that the Mystery Zone found in the Pokémon League is a possible prototype map.

Second Jubilife City pre-release shot

Interestingly, by using a "walk through walls" cheat and going north through the trees at each of the three lakefronts, one can find a small puddle, perhaps in the game to tell the mapmakers where each lake would be.

Early screenshot of Route 203

A few prototype maps were shown in pre-release screenshots. The first two are of Jubilife City, seen at right. These images show the Pokémon Center and the Pokémon Mart in different spots than the final game. Another image was of Route 219, seen at left, that reveals a beta look for water, sand, and rocks. The last is of Route 203, also seen at left, showing early Trainers.

Prototype music

A prototype track has been found in the music, possibly as a test track. The track, in question, is a remix of the opening theme of the Generation III games; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.

Another prototype track exists in the coding. It is an unused remix of the Gym Leader battle theme that was originally intended to be used for the Tower Tycoon battle.

Beta 3D camera

Pokétch Building in Jubilife - The 3D perspective was initially to be used inside buildings as well

Unlike in the final game, which forces a parallel perspective inside most buildings, the three-dimensional perspective view used in the overworld was initially apparently intended for use in all buildings. Several objects inside of the buildings themselves, through hacking the camera to force it into its perspective move, have been revealed to actually be fully 3D models, such as tables.

In Platinum, buildings that are intended to be viewed in the forced-perspective camera lack side walls, only having the back one, while buildings whose interior design is carried over from Diamond and Pearl have side walls fully modeled, such as inside of Pokémon Centers. This modeling of the side walls actually causes a graphical glitch in the games, as well, as sprites can be seen to pass through the walls on their edges, as well as in their shadows.

Pokétch

Early Pokétch design

In multiple pre-release screenshots, a early design of the Pokétch was shown, seen at the right. This showed a smaller app-changing button and more of the device on-screen. Also, the Digital Clock application was shown without a Pikachu at the bottom-left.

Prototype items

Various items have been discovered by Serebii and various others at Serebii.net and its forums in the coding of Diamond and Pearl. These items can be obtained using Action Replay and other cheating products, but cannot be used. They are:

S.S. Ticket, which allows entry for the luxury liner S.S. Anne (a possible reference to Red and Green or FireRed and LeafGreen).
Contest Pass, which would allow entry into Contests. However, Super Contests allow entry without a pass.
Magma Rock, which would be a mystical item that could be used in Stark Mountain. Although it hasn't any known purpose, it is possible it would have something to do with the Heatran event.
Red Chain, which is a creation by the lake guardians that would be used to awaken Dialga or Palkia. Cyrus actually himself uses the item in-game, and it's possible that the Team Galactic event at Spear Pillar was initially to be activated by the player.
Rule Book, which was a book that would be used as a guide when using the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. It's possible that this was removed since these guidelines were contained in the games' instruction book.
Seal Bag, which held up to 10 Seals, but was replaced with the Seal Case.
Loot Sack, which was meant to hold treasures from the Underground. It was replaced with a unique menu for the Underground.