This is a pre-production cart. These are normally used for evaluation or marketing purposes before the production carts are available.
This one was discovered at a yard sale in Idaho in 2011 by Atariboy from the Digital Press forums along with a NBA 2 All Star Challenge proto.
It is unknown whether it has been dumped and whether it is complete or not but the date on the label is four months before the release of the game, so there may be differences from the final version.
The Game Boy version released in the USA in 1991 by Mindscape.
This release marks the sharp divide between the classic retro gameplay and visuals of the original, segueing into the visual style featured in all of the modern remakes.
The levels scroll around as you move, so you can’t see the whole level at once. They are actually a mishmash of 10 levels from both Miner 2049er and Bounty Bob Strikes Back (mostly BBSB!). Here’s a breakdown:
1: The Slides (Miner 2049er level 2)
2: The Transporters (Miner 2049er level 3)
3: Calisthenics (BBSB level 1)
4: Utility Hoist (BBSB level 2)
5: The Suction Tubes (BBSB level 3)
6: Bob’s Playroom (BBSB level 4)
7: Jumping 101 (BBSB level 5)
8: Yukon’s Penthouse (BBSB level 7)
9: Luxury Transporters (BBSB level 8 )
10: Acid Rain (BBSB level 12)
References to two more levels are in the game’s ROM but the levels aren’t actually there. (Advanced Cannon and Pulverizers).
If you’re wondering why Bob shows up four times in our screen shots, it’s because we’ve mapped each level by taking a screen shot of all four corners of the level and then stitched them together in Photoshop for your viewing pleasure.