The Pokemon Company and longtime Pokemon developer Game Freak are known for being notoriously secretive with the mainline Pokemon games – fans tend to not see much of the games until they finally release. Their secrecy is why a 1997 demo for Pokemon Gold has just now been anonymously leaked online, and fans wasted no time data-mining for hidden treasures.
The demo, which debuted prior to the game’s release at Space World 1997, has a bevy of content that was cut before the games were released. Most notably there are previously unseen story bits (like the protagonist having an older brother named Ken), cut moves for Pokemon, and of course – cut designs of Pokemon and even some completely cut Pokemon.
Here’s the entire roster of Pokemon:
If you’re scanning the list for changes, the game had some pretty radical pre-evolution or “baby” versions of the Pokemon Vulpix, Paras, Meowth, Doduo, Grimer, and Mr. Mime.
There was also a ghost-like pre-evolution Pokemon for Girafarig, as well as the alternate design for Girafarig itself. The starter Pokemon were also different, with Cyndaquil looking more bear-like and Totodile looking more like the Popplio starter found later in Pokemon Sun and Moon.
In related news, the latest games in the series, Pokemon Let’s Go! Pikachu and Pokemon Let’s Go! Eevee, were recently announced for the Nintendo Switch. However, these aren’t the next mainline RPG in the series – that title won’t come until next year.
You can find more stuff from the leaked Pokemon Gold and Silver 1997 demo ROMs over on The Cutting Room Floor.