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.

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...

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.

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?

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.

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).

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!

Filename: Fountain,IThink2.jpg
Size: 18 KB
Source: Zelda Headquarters
Comments: Strange looking box, that's for sure.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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).

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, please e-mail it or the location of the screenshot to the webmaster.

BACK