The memoirs of Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles, the nightmare is within the reach of In Utero's dreams!
Platform games have not been numerous on Dreamcast. Apart from Sonic Adventure, Rayman 2 and Donald Duck Couack Attack, it has even there were no other games for fans of the genre on Sega’s last console. The French studio In Utero wanted to correct the situation and therefore proposed with Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles an atypical title with an atmosphere at the crossroads between a traditional platform game and a survival-horror.
With Evil Twin, we enter a new dimension, the one of the scary fantasy without tipping over into gore. From the Little Nemo comics to the crazy universe of Tim Burton, the sources of inspiration are diverse and all have one thing in common: a pronounced taste for creepy and black humor. Apparently, the founders of In Utero were fervent admirers of Nirvana because the name of the studio comes from the title of one of the albums of the famous grunge band.
The history of In Utero and the beginnings of Evil Twin
Backup of Evil Twin, the CDR did not survive the test of time
I want the same !!!
In Utero is above all a group of friends united by their work and passion for video games. The adventure began in 1994 in Paris. The young company's ambition was to make a place for itself in animation and computer graphics. At the beginning, it was a communication company oriented towards editing and logotyping, with a few impulses towards CGI; the members thought that the most efficient way to get into 3D at a professional level was to start by making cinematic scenes.
«For my part, I have a degree in Design with a focus on product design. I used to draw quite a bit and that was my entry point. I remember showing up at In Utero with my book under my arm, which contained sketches and roughs of vacuum cleaners, tape dispensers and other common products! »
Photo of the third location of In Utero located in Répuplique in Paris (other photos below).
Maybe a memory of the development of Evil Twin ?
I hear someone is mowing the lawn with it !
After sending a Star Wars inspired cinematic to several companies, Infogrames was seduced and decided to work with this young company. For its first contract with the French publisher, In Utero had to provide FMV cutscenes for the game Alone in the Dark 2 on PSX. The collaboration continued with the creation of various resources for Infonie (former French Internet provider created by Infograme).
« In the break room, we had regular parties. »
After these first successes, the young company went on to work as a subcontractor on various projects for the Nintendo 64, such as the creation of the sets for Starshot: Space Circus and the modeling for V-Rally. It also participated in the animation of Titus' Superman N64 and in the game design of Pitfall's return for Activision.
For a student who had visited the office 25 years ago, the atmosphere reminded him of a Silicon Valley startup. The welcome had been remarkable, he had even left with a nice t-shirt under his arm.
The average age of the employees was between 25 and 30 years old. They were young and motivated. For some, it was their first experience in the video game industry.
The story of Cyprien began in 1995. At the time, the company had only six people, its founders. On the corner of a table, Yann Orhan drew the outline of a 6-year-old boy in a romper, with shaggy hair and a guilty smile. The sketch could have ended up in the trash but it had that indefinable something that seduces at first glance. So that this child doesn't get bored, Yann Orhan draws him a companion, a strange disarticulated ostrich. The ostrich had a leg that could deflate. Stéphane Bachelet and David Legrand join him and start building a small world around these two characters. The crazier we are, the more fun we have, right ?
The child will be named Cyprien and will evolve in the world of "Tsoull'i". The universe will take shape outside working hours, as In Utero does not have the budget for this project. The ideas are coming up like having a sea of oil, characters evolving on upside down umbrellas, a swing suspended in the void ...
"In the oldest memories of Tsoull'i, it is said that one day a great black and terrifying wave swept over the world with such force that nothing and no one could resist it. This wave carried so much water that it covered the lands of Tsoull'i forever. From this gigantic tidal wave, a huge tower appeared.
"Its mystery remains immense and people often speak of it as an eye that would constantly observe them. Now, somewhere in the innumerable levels of the tower, the Master is holding Lenny and patiently waiting for Cyprian to show up..."
At that time, no one suspected for a second that this project would turn into a video game, six years after the first pencil sketch.
Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles the game
Originally, Evil Twin was intended for television with a series of cartoons exploring childhood fears. The idea was to make an episode for each one of them: the monster under the bed, the fear of the remote and dark part of the garden, the small wheels of the bicycle which detach themselves, the grandmother who pricks with her beard, etc.
Faced with the size of the project and following the advice of a TV producer from Canal+, the studio then turned to a completely different medium, the video game. The concept was developed to become more oriented towards this new specific format. The objective became to make a 3D action and platform game like Mario or Crash Bandicoot.
«At peak, there were about 50 of us at In Utero with about 20 of us on Evil Twin. We all learned on the job! Now there are game schools, but at the end of the 90s, you could work in this sector with no diplomas. Just with passion and desire »
Unlike many platform games, Cyprien (the first name of the game) is very scripted with cutscenes and dialogues galore. It has about 90 minutes of cutscenes!
A first model is proposed to different publishers and an agreement is almost found with Sega. But it's Ubisoft, convinced by a playable demo presented at ECTS 98, who decides to finance the project. The editor, known for Rayman, let the little guys of In Utero a total freedom on the content of the game. Cyprien becomes the hero of Evil Twin. For the needs of the game, he gets four years older and exchanges his onesie for overalls.
«A camera engineer from Rayman 2 came to help/advise us»
First version of Cyprien with his onesie !
Final version of Cyprien with his overalls !
«That was his initial romper. The overalls were a marketing idea.»
The financial contribution of Ubisoft also makes it possible to bring a very good dubbing cast with the actors: Paul Nivet, Patrice Melennec, Patrick Préjean and Denis Boileau. The catchy and bewitching music is composed by Bertrand Eluerd.
The musicians involved in the project have created a soundtrack that would be perfect for a movie! Video games and movies are definitely very close. The music changes according to the situation and the tempo speeds up or slows down accordingly.
The game began its development in 1998, it was to be released on PC and Dreamcast. A PS2 version was then added to the project. It was delayed several times. The size and complexity of the project compared to their other productions made it really difficult to meet the deadline.
«I know that the Dreamcast architecture was better compared to the PS2. But what a hell this Sony console was, the textures had to be degraded to fit in the RAM. It was mostly a port made by some talented engineers.»
During its development, the priority was put on the Playstation 2 version because the Dreamcast was not selling enough. Published by Ubisoft, this game will be the last one developed by the French studio In Utero.
«Some have completely left for other adventures but most are still in video games. About 10 are working at Ubisoft right now.»
The game is presented to the press during the E3 2000. The development name Cyprien is abandoned for Evil Twin. Its reception is positive, especially for its artistic direction and its impressive technique. The gaming press was excited !
E3 2001 Trailer (640 x 480, Higher Quality)
Evil Twin consists in playing Cyprien, a 10 years old orphan who has had a difficult past. His parents died a few years ago, on his birthday. Cyprien has an obsession for comic books that will help him in his quest. He has an alter ego, SuperCyp, who runs faster, jumps higher, surrounded by particles and special effects. He has red eyes that pulsate, shoots fireballs and laser beams.
The game begins on the day of Cyprian's birthday celebration. This festive day inevitably reminds him of his parents' death. Nothing goes as planned and he is sucked into a kind of universe inspired by his worst nightmares. At first he wanders around wondering what he is doing in this strange world, then he gradually realizes that all his friends, all his daily environment is also present in this world but in a distorted way. His friends are perverted by their most terrible defects.
Cyprien can rely on his powerful magic and his slingshot to progress through the different levels that make up the game. His powers will evolve throughout the adventure, which consists of 76 levels divided into 8 islands. Two other islands could not be modeled (see below the section "unused levels").
The islands are arranged in a circle, floating above a dark sea. In the center there is a huge black tower, the place of the ultimate fight against the boss of the place. The goal is of course to go through the levels in order to make your way to the final tower, Loren Darith.
Each island has a completely different look and design with its own inhabitants who suffer the wrath of one of Cyprien's friends in a nightmarish form.
«The islands were named after Steph, David, Yann, Fred, Vince... etc. who were guys from In Utero; islands that somewhat describe their worlds.»
Dave's Island Character
Dave's Island Character
Research for the vegetation of the island of Vincent
Half-men live in the first level, the D'mie Island. Their habitat is cut in half by a huge zipper that someone opened. Thus, all the natives on this island have been cut in half and each half of their bodies moves freely and independently. The young hero has to find a way to close the whole thing up to restore the people to their original appearance.
The next island takes the boy to a world of corrupted nature. It is a deep jungle full of animals, insects and ferocious plants that takes the form of a gigantic tree. The boss occupying the place is none other than Vincent, a friend of Cyprien's who loves nature and animals, but in a nightmarish version wanting to destroy it.
During his adventure, Cyprien will cross an island composed only of food elements in the form of a mountain of dripping food. The boss at the end of the level is a huge gargantuan character who is the corrupted version of Joce, a friend of Cyprien's who likes to eat a lot in real life.
The young hero's destiny will also take him through the strange and penetrating worlds of the City of People, the City of Flyers, David's Island and Stephan's Island before completing his quest in Loren Darith.
Search for Joce Island character
The game is abundantly populated with various races such as the "halflings" (mentioned above), the "flyers" (inhabitants of flying boats), the "people" (nomads living in an ark). To characterize the appearance of each of these peoples, the graphic designers have given free rein to their imagination. Some islanders look like standing missiles, others are a clever mix of scarecrow and potato sacks. Cyprien will also come across a reptile man, a wiry nurse, a character with a protruding nose, crazy cooks, giant rats, etc.
The 120 different characters in the game have their own character traits, often humorous, which makes the many cinematics fun to watch.
The player goes from unusual encounters to disgusting confrontations, and discovers little by little a universe coming from the tortured minds of crazy developers
The sewage workers' shed (decor perhaps not made)
The ostrich with its leg that could deflate !
The top drawing became the setting for the next photo (The People's sarcophagi). The bottom drawing is the boiler of the island of Dave
Cyprien in Super Saiyan
SuperCyp versus Sangokou, who wins ?
Vincent Island
Vincent Island
The top design is a research and was not produced as a set.
Vincent Island
Vincent Island
«We had a real adventure. It created strong relationships between people. »
On several occasions, former members of the Evil Twin development team have thought of remaking it with today's methods.
«You would need a budget and a team but also a prototype with an existing techno. I think the most complicated thing would be to find a design character that fits with the original and also a way to make materials that are close to the original ones that were totally imagined and handmade. As a game fan, the first development of your career, it's still important.»
Behind the scene
The graphic engine, created by 4X Technologies (a small Parisian studio), uses particles, special effects and lights to perfection. No texture is reused from one universe to another. In Utero has specially developed a graphic creation and integration tool called I.S.A.A.C (for Integration of Scenes and Animated Actors for Cyprien). This software allowed graphic artists and game designers to work on 3D models, textures and special effects through a single interface.
An image from the editor of the time.
The source model
«The game engine was made by another company of a few engineers and on our side, we made the tools to work. The development platform was very artist-friendly. The interface was innovative. I was an artist so I worked on PC and then with a magic button, it was in the console.»
4X Technologies, directed by Alexandre Delattre and Jerome Larrieu, became Actimagine and then was bought by Nintendo and is now called NERD (Nintendo European R&D).
The preparatory work on Evil Twin lasted ten months without a single line of code being written. Its development lasted 3 years in total. As the title had a very strong graphic identity, it was necessary to maintain the identity of the game while giving free rein - always supervised by the art director - to the creation of each artist behind the project. The game had to be theirs in a way while keeping a coherence, a global vision.
«Everything is unique. On each of the islands, there was an artist who made his own textures by hand. None of them were ultimately recyclable»
An old version of 3ds
a 512x512 texture mapped on a 1/2 sphere
Once the final drawings were validated (the look of the characters and the scenery change throughout the development), they were scanned and meshed with software such as 3D Max or Amapi. At this stage, the designer and the modeler work together to make sure that the 3D result resembles the original drawing as much as possible.
Once this work is done, the textures are added with Photoshop and then the images are animated. The drawings should already prepare the composition and the animation of the sequences.
Textures of Vincent Island
Dave
Loren Dartith
Despite the difficulties linked to the development on Playstation 2, the engineers of In Utero had managed to add additional effects not present on PC and to improve the visual rendering in spite of the simplified textures due to the video memory of the support.
Each version (PS2, PC and DC) takes full advantage of the support. The Dreamcast version has been optimized to the last byte.
Graphically, In Utero has done a great job. The game has a dark and gloomy look, the artistic touch always creates amazement with each new level visited. The visual effects are particularly spectacular while the textures are very impressive, really impressive. Judge for yourself !!!
«When you see a large design, it's textures combined. We usually did 128x128.»
There was not only Evil Twin: Cypriens Chronicles which was created in the Parisian building of In Utero. Other projects were also created such as Jekyll & Hyde which mobilized 13 employees during 14 months. They also worked, on behalf of Cryo Interactive, on Shadow of Zorro (its sequel will be cancelled after the internet bubble burst) and on Odyssey: The Search for Ulysses. These games had in common a graphic style and a desire to do well. Is this what we call the "French Touch" ?
The VMU mini games
Omar Cornut, freshly graduated and with his baccalaureate in his pocket, had joined the ranks of In Utero for several internships lasting a few months. He had been given the mission to create mini-games exploiting the capacities of the VMU (the Dreamcast's memory card also acting as a pocket console). They were programmed during summer 2001.
«My first job was on the Evil Twin game for DC. I did 4 VMU games, they were not totally finished. The mini-games were done in 1 month.»
The 4 minigames were intended to be included in the Dreamcast version of Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles. Various problems compromised the development of the game and delayed it. The features of the Visual Memory Unit were finally not integrated in the final version.
As evidenced by the discovery of the prototype analyzed below, the small French team even had the idea of incorporating an internet option in the main menu that redirected the player to the In Utero website.
«In Utero had advertised for jobs in Les Puces Informatiques. That's where I applied.»
Swampy inspired by Vince's Island
Paper Attack inspired by Steph's Island
Fat Rain inspired by the island of Joce
Glucky Laby inspired by Dave's Island
Tooling and debugger VMU
Unused title menu (Sega) discovered in a build from a Katana Dev Kit
The mini-games have been developed from scratch in LC86K assembler and in pixel graphics based on the Evil Twin universe.
«The second month I had experimented with v1 tech to add features to playable characters. I came back six months the next year.»
To download the 4 VMU mini-games, go to Omar Cornut's website.
Art Book
Some sketches with their in-game equivalents
It's fascinating to think that a sketch, one of the conceptual steps in the creation of a video game, will turn into a setting, a character or an enemy (when the sketch is validated). It all starts with a simple pencil stroke on a blank sheet of paper !
«When I was a concept artist, it all depended on the complexity expected. Basically, I was dropping one design a day.»
Once modeled, the drawing can be viewed by thousands of in-game players, a masterpiece displayed in an interactive virtual museum!
We tend to see only what we see once we have the controller in hand. We forget or we don't know all the upstream work that represents the development of a video game. The people involved in a project come from a variety of professions. Their goal is to give us the best possible video game experience while adding their personal touch, even if it's only by a single line of code.
Speaking of movies, critics regularly refer to this entertainment as the seventh art. Video games are now recognized as the 10th art.
Cyprien is not happy with the absence of his parents who died on his birthday. Their death forced him to grow up faster than expected. Feeling responsible for the tragedy that befell them, he chose to isolate himself, now unable to share his feelings and suffering.
From the top of Loren Darith, its creator - The Master - keeps the people of the region in a constant state of fear. This tower is the center of the world of Tsoull'i. Its top is sunk in darkness.
Wilbur is a strange character. Most of the people and inhabitants of this strange world are unaware of his existence. His friend Lenny asks him to take care of Cyprian, a task that the elephant is not at all ready to take on. He is the last free creature who still remembers the world as it was before. Without him, Tsoull'i is lost.
This beastly, violent, dirty and slimy people is one of those that the catastrophe generated. The Master created them so that the Coupis could ensure his hegemony. They form the main army of the Master.
The large Black Root of Vincent Island (with a cutaway view). The final 3D is quite identical.
The queen of the thermittes in the island of Vincent
Sarcophagus of lobotomy of the people of the island of David (photo taken from an emulator)
Easter Eggs or private joke
In the world of video games, an Easter Egg is comparable, for example, to a joke or a hidden reference voluntarily inserted in a work by their creators. It can take many forms such as a signature, a sound effect, an unpublished sequence or a surprising modeling.
Warren Robinett, developer of the Adventure game released on Atari 2600 in 1979, had the idea to hide his signature on it at a time when the creators were not credited. This is how the first Easter Egg was born.
Cedric Toton, in charge of the elaboration of the island of David, had put his signature on one of the textures of this level of Evil Twin. On closer inspection, we discover that it is written vertically "TOTS". This is the nickname given to Cedric. How sneaky of him, we know what to call him now !
«There are some words/graffiti hidden in some of the scenery that are mostly private jokes.»
Who will have the courage to go through Evil Twin with a fine-tooth comb to find more Easter Eggs ?
Modified Boss
EvilDave's exoskeleton was a technological monster. Dave had put all his experience and knowledge into the making of this infernal machine armed with a machine gun, a flamethrower, a rocket launcher and an electric arc generator. It was going to be an epic battle !
The final boss on Dave's island, the last bastion before Loren Darith, is different from the original model. David, a real daredevil, was not flying the right mecha. The Level Designer finally decided to model another one.
«At that time, we did a little as we wanted»
The original model
The final model
Unused levels
Yann Island Treatment Facility:
Due to lack of time and to meet the deadline, the developers were not able to integrate two additional islands into the game. One of the sources of inspiration was Meccano toys. The sketch of the car circuit refers to the TCR toy brand. There was an idea of the world only, nothing was determined.
The first island was Fred's island, with toys, an amusement park and a car circuit (the gameplay phase could have been nice). The second one was called Yan's island, in connection with Yann Orhan. Today, there are only a few sketches left :
Fred's Island:
The Evil Twin sequel that will never see the light of day (Screenshot and sketch)
In Utero started, in 2002, to work on a sequel of Evil Twin planned to be released on the Playstation 2. This cancelled sequel was called "The Messenger". It never saw the light of day, the development studio having closed at that time.
The Messenger consists of an automatic walkthrough between 2 rooms only, a beginning of 3D graphics but too embryonic. It was mostly to see, so that the team could project a "new" character who would have grown up. Cyprien, having matured, traded his slingshot for a stick in a game with a new approach more focused on Beat Them All.
Some musical themes had been composed for Evil Twin 2 (if we can call it that).
Fandango.games, a studio made up of three In Utero alumni, may have been inspired by "The Messenger" for the creation of the PSP game "Carnival: Theorem One" which will also never see the light of day.
All the conceptual material made available to me for this paper could not be used. The rest can be found on the page: "Additional sketches, photos and assets for the game Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles Dreamcast/PS2/PC and its development studio In Utero"
The specificities of the Dreamcast build of June 25, 2001
This prototype of Evil Twin Dreamcast dates from June 25, 2001, predating by about 7 months the final Dreamcast version and 3 months the final Playstation 2 version. This title is part of the European exclusivities like Headhunter and Stunt GP.
Video of the prototype
Menus:
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When launching the prototype, before reaching the main menu, the loading after the short animation of the shadow of Cyprien and the company In Utero is not present. It is simply replaced by a black screen.
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At this stage of the game's development, the icons on the Dreamcast memory card (VMU for Visual Memory System) were not yet made or implemented in the prototype version. Speaking of saving, there is no auto-load and auto-save (warning message displayed on a kind of beige papyrus) as for example when accessing the main menu or when exiting the "Options" menu. It is possible that the save and load system does not work (to be confirmed).
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Once at the title screen, some information is missing like the copyright of the studio and the publisher Ubisoft. The annotation to go to the main menu "Press Start" will be modified and will become "Press Start button" on the final version. Another font will be chosen that better matches the fantastic atmosphere of the software. As the game was under development, the message "Work in Progress" appears below the In Utero logo. Normally, when you let the game run without touching a button, it starts zooming in and out on this window (we have to be scared already!), this movement does not exist yet.
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It's when you get to the main menu that this build becomes very interesting and shows all its potential, you'll understand why. This window has an Internet option that will be removed from the final Dreamcast and Playstation 2 product, and is there on the PC version. By selecting it, the player arrives in a sub-menu in which it is mentioned, in the lower right corner, "Connect to the PS2 Arena" (impossible to go further, damn!). It is possible to assume that the change of target console took place around this beta. This assumption could be confirmed by the presence of the image of a Playstation 2 controller instead of the Dreamcast controller in the "Control" sub-menu of "Option".
Prototype
Final
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Some of the sound effects used for navigation in the different menus and submenus do not always match the sound of the retail version.
Changing submenus (Audio - Video -Control) in "Options"
Back to the past
Navigation in the menus
Validation key
- The musical compositions will not change between this prototype and the final version. The music was ready since March 27th 2001, almost one year before the Dreamcast release of Evil Twin.
- Keeping with the theme of music and sound effects, the "Audio" sub-menu of "Options" reacts strangely. When setting the language of dialogues, nothing happens. Normally, a voice in the designated language should ring in your ears.
- The left and right triggers, only, allow to change the sub-menu once in "Options". On the final Evil Twin, the player can also use the analog stick to do so.
- In the "Video" sub-menu of "Options", the prototype allows you to choose 50 hz and 60 hz frequencies and to test them. This feature is new and specific to the build.
- It's not over yet, we mustn't forget the "Cheat Code" menu. Poor thing, it's all alone in its corner without anyone mentioning it. The background used for this menu differs from the commercial version. On the prototype, the cheat codes have no name, they are simply called "Cheat Code 1/2/3/4/5". They can be activated without typing a key combination in a papyrus-shaped box, anyway it doesn't even show up. Do the codes work? That is the question !
- When starting a new game, all islands are unlocked on the main map.
- Thanks to a separate feature in the build, it is possible to select the desired levels of the island on a map drawn especially for the occasion
That sweet melody !!!
A leftover from the PC version ?
Internet features for consoles ?
Something else deleted !
Wherever you want, whenever you want!
The perfect features for an explorer
The Debug Menu
This build of Evil Twin Cyprien's Dreamcast contains a Debug Menu or Beta Cheat as the developers have nicknamed it. To activate it, you have to plug a controller into the B port of the console and then press the START button. It will appear everywhere. Its instructions are explained on the screen :
The buttons to use:
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Start the level again: The "Y" key.
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Activate or deactivate the Free Camera: The "X" key (once the Free Camera is activated, the analog stick changes the angle of view, the left and right triggers allow you to move forward or backward).
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Put the character in the desired position with the Free Camera: The "B" key.
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Have infinite lives: The "A" key.
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Fill up the inventory : The "Up" button of the D-Pad.
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Add attack bonus : The "Down" button of the D-Pad.
The levels:
- When you press START during a game, the inventory opens. On the retail version, to open this directory, you have to press the "Down" key of the directional cross. The game, on the beta, can't be paused.
- The names of the readable information in the Load menu (in game, from the inventory) differ from one version to another. This particularity can also be seen in the "Album" menu of the Evil Twin home page.
Loren Darith without Loren Darith, magic !!!
- The prototype is not optimized. The game crashes or reboot regularly when choosing a level. It is often necessary to take several times for Cyprien to appear in the desired place.
- When starting a new game in "Deni Island", the introductory cutscene should not be implemented. A black screen replaces it. You have to restart the game to continue the adventure. The levels of "Deni Island" do not seem to work from the map selection.
- If Loren Dartith loads, the player arrives in an empty area. The game doesn't allow any interactivity, you have to reset the console. This is an opportunity to see how the levels are built.
"Town" from "Folk City", is not a town but a disco !
- Some worlds load on a black window with the player interface. No buttons on the controller work !
A little smile for the photo ?
- Other levels freeze during their loading screens. The loading progress bar does not reach the end.
- Some levels are not selectable from the world selection window. Nothing happens when you press "A".
- Some maps, especially "Inventor" in "Flyer City", have texture problems. Lighting problems are visible, they are repeated elsewhere too. The cutscenes in this world keep traces of the player interface, which should not be the case.
- When playing "Boiler" in "David's Island", the textures of Wilbur's camera are temporary. By triggering the cutscene too close to him, the NPC bugs, Cyprien starts to carry it and move it once the cinematic is over (see the prototype video).
Completing this level is a suicide mission !
- The artificial intelligence is not up to par. Cyprian can get too close to enemies before they target him.
- Items that the boy can pick up are hidden all along the levels. On the prototype, in some passages, some are missing.
- The "Hopscotch" map of "Stephen's Island" is not finished. If it loads and the player can move freely Cyprien, it remains unplayable (see the prototype video).
- Some levels will be modified between the prototype and the final version, such as "Freezer" from "Joey's Island". In the final version, the ice cubes turning counter-clockwise to reach the platform in front of the starting point will be removed. Usually, you have to transform into Super Cyp to get there.
Long live the ice cubes, and they're so fast !
- Some lines of dialogue, whether audio or written, are missing in some cutscenes.
- The window announcing "Game Over" does not exist. If the player loses all the lives of the young hero of Evil Twin, he lands on a black screen instead.
The differences must be numerous. Without being able to openly access the worlds of the commercial version, it is complicated to distinguish them !
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You can download the build of Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles Dreamcast below
Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles (Jun 25, 2001 Dreamcast Prototype)
Important :
I am not able to share the ISO of this build, maybe in the future. I can however talk about it and show the prototype in video.
Other Dreamcast prototypes from the development studio In Utero
Apart from the prototype mentioned above, Omar Cornut shares with us a batch of 13 GD-R used and engraved in the early 2000s by In Utero. Unfortunately, many of them are bad engravings and do not launch. The method of data extraction with the BBA (Broadband Adapter) not working for some prototypes, they were sent to Ehw and Sazpaimon of the Hidden Palace site to test another dumping technique more efficient in the making. Alas, this new scanning tactic was no more successful. At least we tried everything to save as much of the prototype as possible !
On the 13 discs, 7 correspond to builds of the Unreleased Dreamcast version of Jekyll and Hyde. The other prototypes are related to Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles. Strangely, there was even a prototypical version of Millennium Racer: Y2K Fighters, a cancelled game from Cryo discovered in 2017. Here are the prototypes that could be extracted :
- This prototype is 13 months old before the final version (functional prototype documented on a separate page).
- If the contents of the E3 prototype could be extracted, the game does not start (reboot). The data is corrupted. The disk has traces of rot (direct download link).
- An early cancelled version of the Dreamcast port of Jekyll and Hyde released in 2001 on PC (History of the development of the game, analysis of the prototype and presentation of conceptual material to find on a separate page).
- Another Dreamcast version of the Unreleased Jekyl and Hyde (History of the development of the game, analysis of the prototype and presentation of conceptual material to find on a separate page).
JI would like to thank Cédric Toton, upported by his former colleagues from In Utero: for his availability, his kindness, for having taken the time to answer my questions, for having shared these archives (photos, sketches etc.) and even more. His testimony and photos are exceptional and bring a lot of new information about Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles
I thank all the people involved in the Evil Twin project (Mobygames). Its development was complicated, the game could have been cancelled !
All the conceptual material made available to me for this paper could not be used. The rest is on the page : "More sketches, pictures and assets for the game Evil Twin: Cyprien's Chronicles Dreamcast/PS2/PC and its development sutdio In Utero"
Special thanks to :
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the anonymous collector for having trusted me by sending me the first prototype of Evil Twin in order to preserve it.
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Omar Cornut for making available the other prototypes of In Utero. Do not hesitate to visit his website : SMS Power
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Vince for the English translation of the article.
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Jérôme Firon for the correction of the French text, who had the chance to visit the studio to see Bertrand Augereau, now developer at NERD.
Sources :
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Magazine Officiel Dreamcast - Magazine Génération 4 - Magazine Joaypad
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Fan site : Evil Twin Cyprien's Archive
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Original official website : Evil Twin Cyprien's Chronicles
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Article from Libération newspaper : Cyprien, six years of gestation
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Concept by Stephane Bachelet : BOOK_Game [ EVIL TWIN Cyprien's Chronicles ] In Utero / Ubisoft 2000 AD & Concepts
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Various English sites (IGN etc.)
Prototypes with Debug Menu : Skies of Arcadia Dreamcast - Time Stalkers Dreamcast - Sega Marine Fishing Dreamcast - Sonic Shuffle Dreamcast - Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare Dreamcast - Headhunter PS2 - Shadow Man Dreamcast - Shenmue 2 Dreamcast (Game Jam) - Shenmue 2 Us Dreamcast - Geist Force Dreamcast - Jet Set Radio Dreamcast (E3) - Disney's Dinausor Dreamcast - MDK 2 Dreamcast - Test Drive: V-Rally 2 Dreamcast - Stunt GP Dreamcast - Slave Zero Dreamcast - Evil Twin Dreamcast