Today we add a very different and early prototype of World Class Rugby for the Super Nintendo, dated from July 1992, and some time before the final release. The engine seems quite different from the final version, with completely different sprites and a different pace about the game.
When starting the prototype, it begins with a 2.5D viewpoint and kicks off a demo game, but pressing start on the control pad will flip you to a Mode 7 tilted viewpoint to play the game. You can control the blue set of players, kick the ball and take part in scrum and other actions within the game.
It seems clear that this was an early proof of concept for the engine, before it was overhauled and refined for the final release. We think that this early prototype was likely by the same development team, Denton Designs, and not by someone else.
As an additional bonus, we also found a build of the Japanese version of the game, dated 8th December 1992. It seems to be pretty much identical to the final version, but there may be very minor differences present. If you notice anything remarkably different, please let us know and we’ll update the page.
With thanks to Mark Greenshields for making it possible to preserve these prototypes.
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