List of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker pre-release and unused content

This is a list of pre-release and unused content for the game Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

Early ideas
The concept artwork for the game revealed that at the beginning the quest was meant to revolve around skull-shaped Gold Mushrooms, with Wingo also wearing a necklace with a skull-shaped Poison Mushroom, which happens to resembles the Rotten Mushroom from Super Mario Maker 2, released several years later. The green Sprixie Princess was also meant to accompany Captain Toad in his adventures.

When deciding on a title for the game in Japan, various suggestions such as "Captain Toad and his Amateur Adventures", "Hello! Captain Toad", and "Captain Toad is Giving His All!" were pitched by the staff before the final Japanese title was decided.

During development it was discussed whether the story of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker would be connected to Super Mario 3D World, or whether it would be a separate story being read by Rosalina. In the end, the former idea was chosen. According to director Shinya Hiratake, "If we had gone with the book idea, Rosalina might've appeared in person at the end of the game[...]"

Early in development, the developers intended to allow the player to use the first-person view on every stage, but the idea was scrapped and instead only implemented on the mine cart and turnip cannon stages, since "the controls and rules got a little too complicated.

Concept art of the Piranha Sprout enemy shows that several different color schemes were considered before the final design with an orange body, white lips and green leaves was chosen. The other color schemes show an orange body with pink lips and yellow leaves, and Piranha Sprouts with yellow bodies and orange lips with either green or brown leaves.

E3 2014
The six stages shown off in the E3 2014 demo had different names than given in the final game:


 * Walleye Temple: Steal the Star! - Walleye Tumble Temple
 * Mine Cart Summit: Throw the Turnips! - Mine Cart Sunset Rundown
 * Magma Mountain: Time to Climb! - The King of Pyropuff Peak
 * Mystery Mansion: Doorway Drama! - Bizarre Doors of Boo Mansion
 * The Star Express: Sneak Attack! - Blizzard on the Star Express
 * Mushy Monument: Mayday! - Mushroom Mesa

In the E3 trailer, there is a stage with an underground mine setting featuring the Super Pickax and a stage featuring a Clear Pipe cannon shooting Captain Toad to the Power Star set on two star-shaped platforms that are nowhere to be seen in the final game.

Walleye Tumple Temple was set in a daytime background in the E3 demo and trailer; this was changed by the second trailer to an evening sky, as seen in the final game.

Mushroom Mesa originally featured four Shy Guys instead of two, and the Flaptors were not present on the course at all. Three Pluck Patches are also in the place of three coins, and there is an extra Pluck Patch on the top of the rock near the end of the level. Another Pluck Patch is also added in the final in the hidden underground area near the first Super Gem alongside two coin piles.

Blizzard on the Star Express originally featured Cat Goombas in the place of the Flaptors.

Mine Cart Sunset Rundown, Floaty Fun Water Park, and No Sleep at Magikoopa Keep are seen being played by Captain Toad in the trailer and, in the case of the former, the demo. By the time the second trailer was released this was changed to show Toadette playing these stages, as it is in the final game. Also in Floaty Fun Water Park, all of the Warp Pipes are colored green in the first trailer, while in the second trailer and the final version, all the pipes have different colors.

The ladders seen in The King of Pyropuff Peak in the demo (with the exception of the one leading to the Power Star) are the standard yellow when they are green in the final. The area with the moving metal barrier with three coin piles on an upper ledge also features a Pluck Patch with a Super Mushroom.

No Sleep at Magikoopa Keep originally featured standard Clear Pipes rather than the Warp Pipe-colored ones.

The Super Gems do not have eyes in the demo and trailer, which is also reflected in the HUD icons. In addition, Toad's dance at the end of a stage is also different from the final, the music and animation being reused from Super Mario 3D World. Collecting the Power Star in the demo also automatically defeats any remaining enemies in the level; this does not happen in the final game. The level select screen in the demo also features a large box next to the Super Gem icons which is not present in the final game.

Also in the E3 trailer, Captain Toad is shown to be riding on Draggadon. However, in the final release, only Toadette rides Draggadon, while Captain Toad rides Gold Draggadon instead.

Miscellaneous
The original box art and key artwork for the game features a Cat Bullet Bill, an enemy which does not appear in the game. The artwork is also set in a standard sky while it has a gold background for the cover in the final game. (The European box art retained the sky background.) Captain Toad is also running away from Draggadon in the original when he is facing toward him in the final, and the original features a Power Star where Wingo is on the final. Toadette is also absent in the original.

Nintendo Switch version
All of the Captain Toad levels from Super Mario 3D World, as well as the levels in the Wii U version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker that are based on Super Mario 3D World, are in the Nintendo Switch version as hidden code. Additionally, there are several test levels, as well as new ones unique to the Nintendo Switch version, most are in a fully playable state. The Nintendo Switch version of Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker has nearly half of its levels inaccessible:
 * A nearly-finished cake themed stage named "WholeCakeStage". The platforms are supposed to move, but the code to move them is missing, and there is no music.
 * A stage based on Flipswitch Panels, called "DoubleZoneFlipStage". Some of the code is not finished, and a Piranha Creeper, two Stingbies, and a Clear Pipe Cannon separating the areas.
 * A cave area called "UndergroundTouchCaveStage". A grassy meadow is above with a Piranha Creeper, and stepping into the cave leads Captain Toad to an underground chamber with Touchstones and spikes. There is also water, which is unusually glossy and reflective. This stage was actually shown in the E3 reveal for the Nintendo Switch version.
 * A debug stage called "Kinopio01" with several Spikes and crates.
 * Another debug stage called "Kinopio08", that only has lifts and some coins. It cannot be completed.
 * Another debug stage called "KinopioSampleStage", that is just a platform with three Super Gems and the Power Star.
 * Another debug stage called "SampleCoin", with many items. It cannot be completed.
 * A sinking boat level whose models and coding is mostly missing.