The Wonderful 101's Darker Beta Design

Footage and artwork from the beta/concept version of The Wonderful 101 has emerged.

Originally in development for the Nintendo Wii and not the Nintendo Wii U, the concept originally involved characters like Link and Mario, working together in a joint adventure. The main character was said to be a brand new face, but was "lost forever" during development, according to producer Hideki Kamiya.

The project originally took on a darker done, within an urban landscape that adopted a more US comic book approach. Characters, a lot of which who were cut, had a wide range of abilities - from stones, a motorbike and more - with a fair bit of inspiration from existing heroes.

The first beta footage was shown during the Penny Arcade Expo last year, during a panel on The Wonderful 101 - with footage finally unearthed from a rather sneaky attendee. The footage takes on a darker colour palette, slower animations and multiple colours for uniforms. There's even the appearance of unused enemies and the potential to perhaps even go beyond the 100 mark for team members.

What are your thoughts on the beta version of The Wonderful 101?