Game development produces a lot of code and content that’s ultimately left unused, eagerly found by fans that are determined enough to uncover such secrets. One example is a ‘lost’ – or test – stage in Super Smash Bros. Melee, which is hidden away in the game’s code and features a crude set of platforms in front of a fuzzy restaurant image.
Surprisingly, though, this simplistic stage has an interesting tale to tell – tracking its origins brings up OpenGL, the beginnings of rendering reflections in 3D games, and an insight into the sort of basic content that developers produce when working on a project.
The Game Theorists channel has put together a neat video that explores and uncovers the origins of this stage’s background; it’s surprising where the investigation leads.