Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time (Prototype, Super Nintendo)
They say third time’s the charm. Not for me. For me, four times was the charm.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game for the Nintendo Entertainment System was always a childhood favorite of mine. I fondly remember pizza delivery boxes stacked all around me on the floor as my greasy little fingers mashed buttons in two-player mode, jump-kicking endless legions of Foot Soldiers and pummeling Rocksteady until he flashed orange.
Nostalgia can be as cruel as it is comforting, because when I spotted a prototype cartridge of that game in August 2010, I wound up paying more than I ever had before on a single video game.
And what did that get me? A sample copy dated one day after the general U.S. release.
Anyone sane would have counted their losses and given up right then and there. But I didn’t. I didn’t because I’m not sane.
And, so, when December rolled around that same year, a Seattle woman who helped clear out a former Nintendo of America employee’s storage facility listed impossibly hard-to-find first-party Nintendo prototypes on eBay–such classics as the original Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2.
Rather than going for those legendary titles–many would argue two of the greatest examples of entertainment software ever designed–I instead turned my attention to the seller’s third and final Nintendo Entertainment System prototype, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
To make a long story short, Tiny Tim died that Christmas, and I got a very costly final version of the game on EPROM chips in my stocking.
I’m not done yet. No, not by a long shot.
A year later, I located another Nintendo Entertainment System prototype of the first Ninja Turtles game. Did I dare? Oh, I dared. Originally retrieved from the Miami offices of Rare Coin-It, I was promised this prototype was definitely different, and so I definitely wanted it. One enormous PayPal payment later, and I definitely had it—that is, definitely had another final version of the game on EPROMs.
What did Einstein say about doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?
Whatever it was, I’m reminded of a Psychology professor who once told me about his time working at a mental ward. He said that some patients possessed a sort of superhuman strength that allowed them to break free from several doctors that were attempting to restrain them—and that’s precisely the image I want you to have of me and my Turtles obsession (except, unfortunately, no one has attempted to tranquilize me yet).
The pasteurized prepared cheese product from years and years of Ellio’s Pizza must have seeped into my brain and caused some chemical imbalance. At this point, that’s the only possible explanation.
Why else would I track down Donatello’s movie-worn bandana, a sweaty Foot mask, a plastic canister painted ooze-green inside, and the Ninja Rap Is Born newspaper that the animatronic rat held up at the end of the second movie? Why else would I interview a former Mortal Kombat star and drill him with questions about Vanilla Ice? (Or, for that matter, why else would I register a domain name based on a Vanilla Ice single from The Secret of the Ooze soundtrack?)
The Turtles never quit, and neither would I. Turtles fight with honor, and man-children never grow up!
And that’s why for close to four months now, I have been pursuing my fourth Ninja Turtles prototype, which coincidentally just so happened to be the fourth-titled game in the Konami-developed series.
A popular home console port of the arcade classic Konami beat-em-up, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time has been called not only the pinnacle of the Ninja Turtles video game franchise but also one of the greatest Super Nintendo titles ever released, securing the #78 spot in Nintendo Power‘s 100 Best Games of All Time.
After first being told that the prototype was lost for good, I kept pestering and never backed down until the previous owner grew tired of me. My persistence paid off in the end because this Turtles prototype is, for once, something truly special.
The first noteworthy thing about Turtles in Time is its messy sample label. The name on the printed sticker has been crossed out, and underneath that, “Turtles 4/US” has been hastily written in marker. Both the label and the writing are protected by a clear adhesive tape, so I was not able to wipe away the markings to reveal the original title.
Although the spacing is a little off, I think “Probotector,” the European name for Contra, is the obscured printed name. I therefore have reason to believe that this was a copy sent to an overseas gaming magazine.
The cart came from Niels Thomassen, a prolific Netherlands prototype collector. He most likely purchased the game from a Swiss eBay seller who listed several prototypes in July 2007, including the unreleased Nintendo Entertainment System games CrossFire and Hit the Ice.
Prototype Specs:
U1 EPROM (J)
U2 EPROM (J)
U3 SRAM [Empty Slot]
U4 74F139 [74LS139N Chip]
U5 CIC
BATT CR2032
Inside the cartridge, Turtles in Time has two EPROMs dated 1990 on an SHVC-2P3B-01 1990 Nintendo board. One EPROM has a printed sticker marked “RG 007L,” while the other has a sticker marked “RG 007H.”
Turtles in Time certainly got around. Not only was the cartridge reused, apparently so was the game data.
Emulators read the prototype’s internal header as “Ganbare Goemon,” the Japanese title of another Konami game called The Legend of the Mystical Ninja.
Prototype
U.S. Retail
“T M N T 4” appears in the U.S. retail game code.
According to Nintendo’s official North American game list, Konami released The Legend of the Mystical Ninja in February 1992 and Turtles in Time in August 1992 (link).
The remainder of this article will be dedicated to covering every last prototype change.
According to WindHex’s file comparison, there are 11,856 differences found between the prototype and the U.S. retail game.
Better call ahead for a pizza, as this could take a while.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In the Options menu, selecting Normal in the prototype gives you only one continue.
Normal in the U.S. retail version gives you four continues.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In the Options menu, selecting Easy gives you the same amount, one continue.
Easy in the U.S. retail version gives you three continues.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In the Options menu, selecting Hard in the prototype gives you two continues.
Hard in the U.S. retail version gives you five continues.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In the Options menu, the Rest option in the prototype allows you to choose between 1, 2, or 3 (the same as the Japanese retail version), whereas the U.S. retail version allows you to choose between 3, 5, or 7.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In the Options menu, under the Sound Test, Course is spelled “Corse” in the prototype. This word is spelled correctly in both the Japanese and U.S. retail versions.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In the Options menu, the Animation Color Mode option is abbreviated “Anima” in the prototype. The Japanese retail version uses the word Anime.
Prototype
When you start the game, a level select option appears, and you can push up or down to choose your desired stage. The names are as follows: DOWNTOWN (Stage 00), URADOURI (Japanese for “Back Street,” Stage 01); GESUIDOU (Japanese for “Sewer,” Stage 02); TCNO 1 (“Technodrome 1,” Stage 03); GENSI (Japanese for “Atom,” Stage 04); KOUKAI (Japanese for “High Seas,” Stage 05); KAITAKU (Japanese for “Pioneer,” Stage 06); MIRAI (Japanese for “Future,” Stage 07); UCHU (Japanese for “Space,” Stage 08); TCNO 2 (“Technodrome 2,” Stage 09).
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Many beat-em-ups set up an invisible wall that prevents you from going forward until you deal with the current wave of bad guys. Turtles in Time is no different. In the prototype, there are many instances throughout the game when you either cannot go as far ahead to the right as you can in the U.S. retail version, or you can go so far to the right that you can begin to see the black edges beyond the playing field.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Furthermore, after you do take out all of the enemies, the screen does not move forward the way that it does in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The barrel in Big Apple, 3 A.M. is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza in Big Apple, 3 A.M. is also placed differently in the prototype. (Man, was this prototype ever worth the wait!)
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza in Alleyway Blues is placed differently in the prototype. (This is going to be a long article…)
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza bomb in Alleyway Blues is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The second pizza in Alleyway Blues is placed differently in the prototype.
Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
At the beginning of Sewer Surfin’, the prototype says something straight out of a Japanese game show, “BONUS CHANCE LET’S SHOW TIME!” The U.S. retail version reads, “BONUS STAGE IT’S SHOW TIME!”
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
At the end of Sewer Surfin’, the prototype refers to BONUS POINTS as “PERFECT BONUS,” and “YOU GET POINTS” instead of POINTS SCORED. The prototype also uses an orange-colored font.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
During the cutscene after Sewer Surfin’, the Foot Clan symbol on The Technodrome is facing the wrong way in the prototype.
Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In Technodrome – Let’s Kick Shell!, the Foot Clan symbol and the rectangular background wall graphics do not flash in the prototype as they do in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In Technodrome – Let’s Kick Shell!, the window glass in the prototype is slightly different.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza bomb in Technodrome – Let’s Kick Shell! is placed differently in the prototype.
Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Where you fight Tokka and Rahzar in Technodrome – Let’s Kick Shell!, the tiny button graphics on the wall do not slowly flash in the prototype as they do in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
After you defeat Tokka and Rahzar in Technodrome – Let’s Kick Shell!, three vents suddenly disappear from the wall in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In Technodrome – Let’s Kick Shell!, the background continues to move in the prototype even when the elevator stops.
Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In Technodrome – Let’s Kick Shell!, the tiny button graphics on the wall do not slowly flash in the prototype as they do in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In Technodrome – Let’s Kick Shell!, during the elevator sequence, the doors do not close in the prototype as they do in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza bomb in 25000000 B.C. Prehistoric Turtlesaurus is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza in 25000000 B.C. Prehistoric Turtlesaurus is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
When you first start out in A.D. 1530 Skull And Crossbones, the ship’s mast is placed farther away in the prototype.
Prototype
Foot Soldiers can also walk on the mast in the prototype and then become stuck, preventing you from being able to kill them.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The second mast in A.D. 1530 Skull And Crossbones is also placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza bomb in A.D. 1530 Skull And Crossbones is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The third mast in A.D. 1530 Skull And Crossbones is also placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza in A.D. 1530 Skull And Crossbones is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In A.D. 1885 Bury My Shell At Wounded Knee, the first boxes that you see on the train are placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In A.D. 1885 Bury My Shell At Wounded Knee, the next stacked boxes are also placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In A.D. 1885 Bury My Shell At Wounded Knee, the disguised Foot Soldiers are placed differently in the prototype and the Foot Clan symbols are facing the wrong way.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza in A.D. 1885 Bury My Shell At Wounded Knee is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The box of fireworks in A.D. 1885 Bury My Shell At Wounded Knee is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The second pizza in A.D. 1885 Bury My Shell At Wounded Knee is placed differently in the prototype.
Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Let’s Show Time again! At the beginning of A.D. 2020 Neon Night-Riders, the prototype says, “BONUS CHANCE LET’S SHOW TIME!” The U.S. retail version reads, “BONUS CHANCE IT’S SHOW TIME!”
U.S. Retail
In A.D. 2020 Neon Night-Riders, the hoverboard that you ride on does not flash in the prototype as it does in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In the prototype, A.D. 2020 Neon Night-Riders shows a futuristic purple landscape. The U.S. retail version shows an alternate orange future.
Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Much of A.D. 2020 Neon Night-Riders is different. For example, the prototype begins with a jump, whereas the U.S. retail version starts out at an intersection. The prototype question mark pick-ups are also placed differently, and enemy placements are also changed. Click on the split-screen video above to see the prototype and U.S. retail versions playing side-by-side.
Prototype
This is rather humorous: In the prototype, Foot Soldiers can actually become locked onto your hoverboard and ride beside you throughout A.D. 2020 Neon Night-Riders. They won’t attack; they’ll just stand there, enjoying your company. If Foot Soldiers follow you to the end of the level, after the points have been totaled, you will not be able to proceed to the Krang boss battle until you kill them. (Sorry, purple pals, no hitchhikers!)
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
At the end of A.D. 2020 Neon Night-Riders, the prototype misspells pizza as “PIZZAR” and includes an orange-colored font not seen in the U.S. retail game.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
At the end of A.D. 2020 Neon Night-Riders, the prototype refers to BONUS POINTS as “PERFECT BONUS,” and “YOU GET POINTS” instead of POINTS SCORED. The prototype also uses an orange-colored font.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
At the end of A.D. 2020 Neon Night-Riders, when Android Krang flies across the sky, the U.S. retail version shows you passing by intersections with a distant city in the background.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In A.D. 2100 Starbase Where No Turtle Has Gone Before, the outside craters are different in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Outside of the second window, the prototype lacks the space dome graphic.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza bomb in A.D. 2100 Starbase Where No Turtle Has Gone Before is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The pizza in A.D. 2100 Starbase Where No Turtle Has Gone Before is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The next set of windows shows more outside differences in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
There’s one less outside dome graphic here in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The second pizza bomb in A.D. 2100 Starbase Where No Turtle Has Gone Before is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The second pizza in A.D. 2100 Starbase Where No Turtle Has Gone Before is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Stone Warriors carry different-looking missile weapons in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
When you beat the U.S. retail version on Easy or Normal, you are given the Game Over screen with your Game Level and Game Time. In the prototype, however, you are only given the Game Over screen.
After the credits roll, a slideshow then begins, showing all of the characters in the game. In the prototype, the Turtles’ poses are much more comical than the ones used in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Leonardo is on the receiving end of a punch thrown by a Foot Soldier in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Michaelangelo has fallen down a manhole in the prototype (and mistakes the sewer for a cave).
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Like Leo before him, Donatello’s eyes bulge after a punch to the face in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Raphael (or “Raphaelo” as it’s spelled) looks like he’s whistling (or about to suck on his sai) in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The misspellings just keep getting funnier and funnier: In the prototype, Master Splinter is referred to as “Master Sprinter.”
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The Foot Soldiers are shown as being a lot more passive in the prototype’s snapshot. An orange Foot Soldier replaces one of the red Foot Soldiers in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Again, a more pacified Roadkill Rodney appears in the prototype. But in the U.S. retail version? Well, poor Mikey…
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Pizza Monster does a cannonball into the sewer water in the prototype instead of gouging out Leo’s eyeballs.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Don’s having a harder time with a Mouser in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The Robot Walkers behave more like Roombas in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
“Stone Worrier” has a lot on his mind, so don’t you dare give him anything more to worry about, Leo! The U.S. retail version still didn’t quite get the name right, misspelling the stoned guys as “Stone Worrior.”
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Poor Baxter Stockman. They covered his head with a big black border in the prototype!
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Metalhead’s giving Donnie a kick to the head in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Ralphie! You’ll stick your eye out! Tell him, Rat King!
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The snapshot Konami took of Tokka and Rahzar in the prototype is nearly the same as the U.S. retail version, except for the flames and the blue-colored wall panels.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Has anybody seen Slash? (Or Axl for that matter?)
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Bebop and Rocksteady are pushed more toward the center of the frame in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Leatherhead doesn’t look very intimidating when he’s caught showing Leo his aerobic exercises in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Krang’s snapshot in the prototype is very close to the U.S. retail version, except for the more visible flames pouring out of his jet pack.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Shredder and Mikey give each other more space in the U.S. retail version.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
Super Shredder only turns Don into a baby turtle in the prototype, leaving Raph alone to do his goofy face again.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
As the Ninja Turtles jump for joy and let out a final “Cowabunga,” they don’t cast any shadows in the prototype. Clearly, they’re all vampires.
Prototype
The Turtles don’t stay in the air, either, in the prototype like the ending of a cheesy ’80s movie. They may not cast shadows, but they still abide by the laws of gravity!
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles® Turtles in Time Thank you for your playing!” is placed farther down in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The prototype does not display the total points of Player 1 and Player 2 and the overall game time when you finish Hard mode. “All Rights Reserved” has not yet been added in, either. The prototype switches the order of the copyright information, showing “© Konami 1992” instead of “© 1992 Konami.”
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In the prototype’s Time Trial Course Select screen, the apostrophes in the best times are more spaced out. (The prototype also makes you pick a stage in the level select screen before you can go choose your course.)
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
After choosing a course in Time Trial, the time is shown in a hard-to-see, orange-colored font.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The time is also displayed as “xx:xx:xx” instead of “xx’xx”xx.”
Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
After completing the Time Trial, the prototype displays the “All Time” record in an orange-and-blue-colored font.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
The prototype ship’s mast in Time Trial Round 4 on 25000000 B.C. Prehistoric Turtlesaurus is placed differently in the prototype.
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Prototype (left) / U.S. Retail (right)
In Versus mode, before the Turtles engage in brotherly battle, the prototype displays the time in an orange-colored font. When you select Versus mode, the prototype also makes you pick a stage in the level select screen before you can go choose your character.
