There is seemingly no end to the amount of newly discovered prototypes within the latest data breach of Nintendo’s source code, popularly referred to as the Nintendo Gigaleak. Super Mario 64, Ocarina of Time, and Star Fox 64 are just a few titles that have had previously unseen and unused assets shared online, and now, the first game in the Animal Crossing series — the Japan-exclusive Animal Forest for Nintendo 64 — is also being thoroughly investigated.
An unused cat villager, referred to as “CAT13” within the files, has been uncovered and assembled in-game. As she doesn’t appear to have anything beyond this codename, fans have taken to nicknaming her “Catty.”
Here's CAT13 in-game! Nicknamed Catty since we don't have a proper name for her. pic.twitter.com/r9ReaU34AL
— TV | Dreamers Dev (@lombTV) July 28, 2020
As for some more familiar faces, files have been found that may represent some of the earliest ever designs of recurring Animal Crossing characters Blathers and Wisp. Despite the fact that Blathers and his museum never appeared in Animal Forest (instead making his debut in the upgraded Animal Crossing GameCube port), one of the recovered graphic files resembles his face, suggesting that he was originally planned to appear in the N64 title.
Blathers did not exist in the original Animal Forest, and neither did the museum. However, files do exist for him. Here's an early look at his face! pic.twitter.com/w12EfR7ROq
— TV | Dreamers Dev (@lombTV) July 28, 2020
He's actually complete like this, including multiple eyes and mouths! pic.twitter.com/dYqXoY8NHH
— TV | Dreamers Dev (@lombTV) July 28, 2020
The series’ adorable cub villager, Maple, may have had a not-so-conventionally-cute design early in development, going by the following texture. She almost had a big unibrow!
Maple had a unibrow at some point! pic.twitter.com/OQXOZsf57c
— TV | Dreamers Dev (@lombTV) July 28, 2020
Finally, a promotional graphic for Animal Forest’s showing at Nintendo’s Space World event back in 2000 has also been found, depicting a customized version of the game’s title screen.
HELLO AND WELCOME GAMERS TO SPACEWORLD 2000https://t.co/h6SYWSyG3T pic.twitter.com/vS3uiJggmL
— Kaitlyn Molinas (@orcastraw) July 27, 2020
With Animal Crossing: New Horizons continuing to make waves this year, it’s been very interesting to get an inside look into the development of the franchise’s roots!
Written by Reece Heather
A veteran Zelda Universe editor and First-class journalism graduate, Reece emerged with a Nintendo 64 and a lifelong obsession after a narrow escape from Santa’s Naughty List in 1998. Outside of games, he’s reading Punisher comics, being bossed around by his cocker spaniel, and cornering innocent bystanders to rant about the importance of game preservation.
