Characters[]
Hero[]
As seen on Ken Capelli's website, a very early version of the Hero seems to be either a 3D model or a very well shaded image. It can be seen that the Hero has the Tail and the Shooter. The Tail stayed in Jangala, but the Shooter was eventually moved to Eastern Winds in the final build.
Jungle Raposa[]
In the games files are references to a "Jungle Raposa". However, no such enemy appears in the final game. Due to the organization of the game's files, no textures or models have been able to be recovered of this character. However, from what we've been able to find, it can be assumed that the Raposa was supposed to appear in Jangala levels and must have been rescued at one point.
Jinxy[]
According to the Game Design Document (GDD) shared by Lead Designer Jason Weesner, there was supposed to be a character named "Jinxy" who would have needed to been saved. It is unknown if Jinxy was ever intended to appear, or if he was purely a placeholder name for this one example.
Objects[]
Ink Well[]
As seen on Ken Capelli's website, there were plans to have an Ink Well appear somewhere in the game. It's use is currently unknown, but it does have a "cracked" model, which may have played into the plot of the game at one point.
Enemies[]
Bird[]
In the game's files, there is an enemy named "junglebird."
Thanks to Lead Designer Jason Weesner, we now know that this enemy was supposed to be a Jangala equivalent to the Snow Bird, dropping on the Hero whenever they approached.
Ink Goon[]
The Ink Goon was an enemy slated to appear in Shadow City levels. It would have acted similar to the Bonobo or Snow Warrior in that it would patrol an area and then charge at the Hero once they were close enough. It would have acted very zombie-like, with both of its arms out towards the Hero.
As shown in this promotional video, its possible that it was cut very late into development, as what may be a model for the monster can be seen.
Ink Bomb[]
The Ink Bomb was an enemy slated to appear in Shadow City and Icy Wastes levels. When it saw the Hero, it would have charged towards them. When the Hero attacked it, it would have begun to inflate, only to explode shortly after.
As shown in this promotional video, its possible that it was cut very late into development, as what may be a model for the monster can be seen.
Ink Giant[]
The Ink Giant was an enemy slated to appear in Shadow City levels. It would have walked around its area, swinging its legs up high with each step, allowing the Hero to walk underneath it. It would also jump in the air and try to land on the Hero. Its weak spot would have been it's head.
Ink Tosser[]
The Ink Tosser was an enemy slated to appear in Shadow City, Icy Wastes, and Eastern Winds levels. It would have acted similarly to the Dart Bonobo, as it would have fired balls of ink at the Hero when they got close enough.
Ink Flyer[]
The Ink Flyer was an enemy slated to appear in Shadow City and Eastern Winds levels. This enemy was supposed to be a Shadow City equivalent to the Snow Cat, chasing the Hero throughout their area, either until the Hero was out of range, or they died. It would have come in two sizes, small and large. This enemy would have also appeared during the fight against the Boss.
Ink Bouncer[]
Not much is known about this scrapped enemy, other than the fact it would have appeared in Shadow City levels.
Squirrel Enemy[]
In the games files are references to a squirrel enemy. However, no such enemy appears in the final game. The existence of this squirrel enemy was also shown by a statement made by concept artist Jeannie Schafer:
–Jeannie Schafer
Thanks to Lead Designer Jason Weesner, we now know that this enemy was supposed to be a Eastern Winds equivalent to the Snow Bird, dropping on the Hero whenever they approached.
Giant Golden Baki[]
As shown in this promotional video, the giant variant of the Golden Baki was originally supposed to appear in the game. It was cut during development for an unknown reason. They were apparently slated to appear in the Icy Wastes levels along with the Snow Cat and Bonobo.
Beta Bonobo[]
As shown in this promotional video, the Bonobo were originally going to have a different design. Their appearance was changes during development for an unknown reason. They were apparently slated to appear in the Icy Wastes levels along with the Snow Cat and Golden Baki.
Creations[]
Jungle Ants[]
In the game's files, there is an entry named "jungleants."
Thanks to Lead Designer Jason Weesner, we now know that the Jungle Ants were supposed to be a creation found in Jangala. They would have acted as a moving platform according to the GDD that he shared. In this document, the creation is titled "Ant with Leaf."
The any can climb up walls, creating an ant elevator.
The ants can walk in tight groups on the ground, forming a fast moving leaf conveyor belt.”
–GDD
Zeppelin[]
There is some leftover code relating to an unused Zeppelin vehicle. According to the GDD, the Zeppelin was going to be another Vehicle, similar to the Helicopter. However, instead of being fast, it was meant to be much stronger than the Helicopter.
Beta UI and Objects[]
As shown in this promotional video and the GDD, the UI for the game was originally very different.
Coin Counter[]
The Coin Counter is the only counter present at the top of the screen; no life counter is present. The design is more rugged than the final design and has no shimmer.
Creation Easel[]
The Creation Easel seemed to remain mostly unchanged during development, only lacking the palette icon on the front.
Hero Drawing UI[]
The Creation UI for the Hero was changed drastically during development. All of the drawing segments have the same color outline, there is an icon of the generic female icon in the top right, there are undo and redo arrows where the Joint Editor and Load Template buttons are in the final build. There is also a downward pointing triangle in a circle where the Instructional Prompt button is in the final build.
Drawing Tool UI[]
In addition to the Hero UI, the left sidebar also went through many changes during development.
In February of 2009, there was no set background, with the drawing background for the Forest Gate being used instead. Many of the icons on the left sidebar looked less polished than in any other public build, and the icons at the top are identical to those in the October 2009 build, with a few distinct differences.
For example, in this build, there are two extra icons, a green square with a star icon on it, and a blue square with an "X" on it. The "OK" button is also not in the center of the panel, rather being a square on the far right side. The notebook itself is also distinct, as it does not have any lines on it.
In the October 2009 build, the preview window was a full 3D area, instead of the two flat objects it is in the final build. The color picker was a lot less polished and there is no scrolling pattern in the background. The same undo and redo arrows, along with the downward pointing triangle in a circle from the Hero UI, are also present.
Book of Life Startup[]
The menu for the Wii game was originally planned to act similarly to that of the DS games. You would have been able to draw on the main screen and access your files on the next. The player would have been able to start a New Game, Load a Game, or access the Options, all of which function similarly to how they do in the final build.
Levels[]
Beta Jangala Level[]
As seen on Ken Capelli's website, Jangala used to have a very different background and slightly different tree models. As can be seen in the image, the Bonobo were set to appear in Jangala.
This image is from the build on November 18th, 2008, a little under a year before the game was released.
Beta Shadow City Outer Walls[]
As shown in this promotional video, Shadow City Outer Walls originally had a different appearance. The background is different in the final build - being more plain, as it is just a purple background. However, the Sinking Platform is still present where it is in the final build. The Sword is also able to be drawn, something that isn't available until the Icy Wastes in the final build.
Beta Icy Wastes[]
As shown in this promotional video, the Icy Wastes seem to be the most polished of all the gates, at least during this stage of development. The background is modeled, there are more details in the level, and a giant Golden Baki and a Bonobo can be seen roaming the level.
Credits[]
The Credits for this game were originally going to be much more important to the game as a whole. After collecting the Branches from the Tree of Ages, the celebration sequence would have started and a fake-out Credits sequence would have played. Halfway through, there would have been an explosion at the Mayor's House, and Circi would have begun her speech about loving Wilfre, all while the Giant Scribble Monster rose above her. The fight would have ensued, and the real credits sequence would have played. However, at the moment the explosion happened in the fake-out credits, there would have been a pause in the music before finishing out the crawl.