More Detailed Work
Filename: ADifferentStalfo.jpg
Size: 8 KB
Source: Everything
Zelda 64
Comments: The stalfo here looks slightly different than the
previous ones. It seems to be smaller, more agile, and the eyes seem
to be closer, but with such a low-res and grainy picture, it's hard to
tell. You can see something over the blue at the end of the corridor.
It could be a web, tree branches, or some strange phenomenon. Another
one of those things where you just had to be there.
![](AttackingAWallPainting.jpg)
Filename: AttackingAWallPainting.jpg
Size: 21 KB
Source: N64.COM
Comments: Now the shield has been upgraded, having a more majestic
look, and the Triforce symbols seem to have a special glint. It's
hard to tell if Link is attacking the wall (which seems to have a well-done
cave texture on it), or if he's attacking some strange yellow creature
with something black in its hands. Just plain weird...
![](BonesBleed.jpg)
Filename: BonesBleed!.jpg
Size: 31 KB
Source: N64.COM
Comments: The wall texture is sort of confusing, but what really
confuses me is the red goo. A stalfo is made out of bones, right?
If that's blood, where is it coming from!? And don't tell me it's
coming from the inside, because any bone that was exposed entirely,
with no flesh and skin surrounding it, would have drained the blood out
of its many holes. Sorry if this is grossing anyone out, I'm just
trying to elaborate my logic here. Okay, okay, so it's a video game...
guess we aren't going for super-realistic here.
![](CantTell.jpg)
Filename: Can'tTell.jpg
Size: 12 KB
Source: Nintendo Power Source
Comments: The first time I saw this picture, I was freaked out.
What the heck is that!? The second time I looked at this picture,
I realized that there were only two possibilities: this is either a dead
dodongo (a rather strange looking one, to say the least), or they had Turtle
Rock in the game at some point (Turtle Rock appears in Zelda III and Zelda
IV, possibly Zelda II). This was most likely the entrance to the
dodongo's dungeon. When I see screenshots like this, it makes me
feel like they made two entirely different Zelda 64's, and simply scrapped
nearly everything from the first version (save Navi and the graphics engine).
Does anyone besides me feel gypped?
![](HouseFight.jpg)
Filename: HouseFight.jpg
Size: 21 KB
Source: Everything
Zelda 64
Comments: Here's a screenshot that really gets to me. The stalfoes
are the same, as well as Link, but it's the environment (and Nintendo
couldn't spell that... geez...) that makes it look so creepy. It's
either a large, empty house, or some kind of barn or large warehouse.
The window is shaped suspiciously like a Triforce, except the center triangle
is improperly shaped. The lighting effect is neat, but where and
when is the light yellow? The window might supposed to be stained
yellow, but it still seems odd.
![](DungeonDodongo.jpg)
Filename: Dungeon+Dodongo.jpg
Size: 10 KB
Source: Nintendojo
Comments: King Dodongo, in an early form. Not that bad...
compared to Mario 64, but terrible compared to what we got in our games.
I think this is in our "Turtle Rock" dungeon, but you never know (unless
you can get into Nintendo's archives... I don't recommend it).
![](FountainIThink.jpg)
Filename: Fountain,IThink.jpg
Size: 19 KB
Source: Nintendojo
Comments: It says on the bottom "Finding the Triforce," but
in actuality we don't know if he's "finding" it or "hiding" it (see Beta
Zelda 64 for more about this). This is obviously before or after
the other Triforce picture below, and I'm pretty sure Link is in the Wind
Temple. It could be the Temple of Light, but it's all iffy.
Revised notes: okay, I downloaded a video recently with a bunch
of beta shots, and I'm wrong. Link is opening the box, not
closing it. Oh well, it was a theory!
![](FountainIThink2.jpg)
Filename: Fountain,IThink2.jpg
Size: 18 KB
Source: Zelda Headquarters
Comments: Strange looking box, that's for sure.
![](GanonsCastlesCorridor.jpg)
Filename: Ganon'sCastle'sCorridor.jpg
Size: 55 KB
Source: Everything
Zelda 64
Comments: The resolution is grainy, and the A+B buttons are
hard to make out (especially the A button), but the torch effects are awesome.
This reminds me of Ganon's Castle (our game), when you had to keep going
up this curving corridor, with the organ music getting progressively louder
and louder. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, play your
Zelda: Ocarina of Time game and go to Ganon's Castle. Defeat the
six medallion challenges so the force field is gone. Run inside.
Run up to the next door (be careful around the Keese), defeat the stalfoes
(I think), and then go on. The corridor should curve just like this
one. The torches are slightly different, but still, they do look
similar. I have no idea what castle or dungeon Link actually is in
on this shot, but it's most likely some dungeon, possibly Turtle Rock,
but unlikely.
![](GoldenKnight.jpg)
Filename: GoldenKnight.jpg
Size: 32 KB
Source: N64.COM
Comments: A knight in golden armor... where is Link this time?
It looks like he's in a castle of some sort... which would imply Hyrule
Castle. The yellow light is simply confusing... and the door...!?
Hey, the door is just the same as the ones in our games! Almost exactly
the same! I'll have to remember that each time I see the door I'm
seeing a beta object.
![](HouseBattle.jpg)
Filename: HouseBattle.jpg
Size: 62 KB
Source: Everything
Zelda 64
Comments: This is the same place as House Fight.jpg,
but the camera has moved. You can still see some of the window glow
in the upper-left and right hand corners. There are some strange
differences between the two pictures, however, that suggest that this arena
was used often for testing. For one thing, in HF (House
Fight.jpg),
Link only has three hearts. In HB (House
Battle),
Link has thirteen. The rupees jump from the bottom to the top, and
the rupee symbol is moved from above the numbers, to the left of them.
The font doesn't change. The B and A buttons are brighter in HB
than in HF. That's about it, as far as I can tell.
![](MagmaMan.jpg)
Filename: MagmaMan.jpg
Size: 13 KB
Source: Zelda Headquarters
Comments: This is a pretty bad screenshot, but it's still interesting.
Apparently, Link is fighting what seems to be an entire creature made out
of either pure gold armor, or magma and fire. The wall is a orange-red
color with some relief on it. I have absolutely no idea what that
white swish and orange swish are supposed to be. Any ideas?
![](MysteriousCavern.jpg)
Filename: MysteriousCavern.jpg
Size: 26 KB
Source: Nintendo Power Source
Comments: The graphics quality here fits better under "Early
Testing," but the only reason it's here is because I can't think of why
they would use this arena for testing. There are no enemies in sight,
the textures are pretty basic, and the only thing of interest is the large
hole on the left (or Link's right). I have absolutely no clue as
to where or what this could be.
![](TriforceAndWindTemple.jpg)
Filename: TriforceAndWindTemple.jpg
Size: 17 KB
Source: Unknown
Comments: The Triforce! The blue floor is what led people
to believe that this was the "Sky Temple," and that it was in our game.
Well, take a gooooood look at this, there are at least four
things wrong with this picture that prove that this is not in our game:
1) The Triforce here is a bright yellow, whereas in our game it is a shiny
golden color. 2) The walls and stairs may seem good enough to count
as part of our game, but play Zelda: Ocarina of Time again and take
a really good look at the textures. Though the bricks seem
good, they are simply not detailed enough. 3) The "sky" on the floor
seems awfully primitive, doesn't it? It would look much better than
that if it were really a "Sky Temple" and in the released game. 4)
Link's shadow, visible on the steps, is not the regular 'teardrop' shadows
that you see in almost all of the screenshots and in our game. Instead,
you see Link's actual shadow, something that never happens in our game
(and don't say Dark Link is his shadow, that's just silly!). 5) Link's
shield is all wrong! It has none of the details you find in the released
game! The red bird is missing, as well as the tilde-shaped gray markings
near the top, and the shield is not exactly long or round enough.
Any questions?
![](VolcanoOrFireTemple.jpg)
Filename: VolcanoOrFireTemple.jpg
Size: 16 KB
Source: Nintendojo
Comments: Very awesome dungeon! It may look pre-rendered,
but it isn't: there are two bridges running across the top and middle of
the screen, which means the camera would have to move around to keep up
with Link. The bridges are hard to make out; the easiest one to see
is in front of the second spire, connecting two platforms together.
The forth is in front of the third spire, but is very hard to make out.
I have no idea where this dungeon was, or if it was the Turtle Rock dungeon
(I somewhat doubt it).
![](VolcanoOrFireTemple2.jpg)
Filename: VolcanoOrFireTemple2.jpg
Size: 30 KB
Source: GameFan
Comments: This is certainly an interesting screenshot!
We can see bridges up there, and the walls look similar to the Dungeon+Dodongo.jpg
picture, so it's safe to assume they're the same dungeon, if not the same
room. We can't see Link's face, but I doubt this is a cutscene.
The shield looks much better than the older one... almost as good as the
released one. Maybe better... or worse... I don't know, I'll let
you decide for yourself.
If you have any other screenshots that would fit under this section,
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