The 2008 prototype refers to a revised build of Tornado Alley that introduces a variety of mechanics in the game. These range from a powerup that increases the size of the tornado to completing various objectives in-game. The prototype's development was focused primarily on the Wii before ultimately switching to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at a later date.
Tornado Alley DS[]
Gameplay screenshot of the prototyped chicken farm map running on a Nintendo DS emulator.
Tornado Alley DS was a portable port of the game that was in development from February to July 29, 2008; the porting was handled by WayForward Technologies. The game is played in an isometric perspective and revolves around destroying various objects within the level. It featured objectives such as destroying fences, collecting farmers, cows, and chickens. The game relied heavy on the Nintendo DS' touch screen with the top screen showcasing the gameplay and the bottom being used to control the tornado with the stylus.
The Nintendo DS prototype has not been released to the public and is currently gatekept due to an alleged ongoing research article dedicated to the game. The individual in possession of the Nintendo DS prototype along with its source code has no plans on releasing the prototype regardless of the article's completion. In June 2024, it was revealed that no progress has been done on the article, and as of January 2025, no signs of progress has been reported.
Introduced Mechanics[]
Level Selection screen[]
The Level Selection screen initially depicted a map of the United States of America with only three selectable levels: Chicken Con Carnage, High Roller Blowout, and Military Mayhem. Levels were represented by a miniature design on the map.
Category Level[]
The Category Level in game went through various design changes over the course of the prototype's lifespan. The first iteration depicted a stylized tornado on the left side of the screen with the size of the tornado positioned next to the tornado icon. As more objects are collected into the tornado, the tornado icon fills up over time.
Batter-RAM![]
Batter-RAM! was a destructive ability that offered players to maximize their tornado's destructive potential. At any time, players could lock onto an object by pressing the 
button as they rapidly shake the Wiimote until the designated target is demolished.
Dashing[]
Similar to the final game, players had the ability to quickly move around the environment with the press of a button. Players could initially tap 
for a quick boost in speed. The input for this action in the final game was the button on the Wii's Nunchuk.
Fujita Frenzy[]
A powerup that allowed players to quickly increase the size of their tornado. Players would be required to fill up a people power meter that gradually fills up with each human that is collected into the tornado. When this meter is filled completely, players could unleash a Fujita Frenzy by pressing the 
button.
Object Collection[]
At this point in the game's development, various levels in the game had collectible objectives that required players to collect a specific object in the level. These include but not limited to collecting clotheslines, barking dogs, and toolboxes. These would've tied directly into the Side Mission mode.
Merging[]
A multiplayer exclusive mechanic. Players could combine tornado abilities to grow into a larger tornado that is capable of taking out larger objects. Although merging made it into the final game, it was reworked to allow one player grow larger by sticking close together as opposed to combining one another.
Multiplayer[]
The specific details about the prototype's multiplayer remains uncertain. Players would presumably work together to complete various destructive objectives in the game.
Sunlight[]
Players would need to stay within cloud cover at all times, as sunlight is extremely harmful to tornadoes. While this mechanic made it into the final game, it was retconned as a difference in elemental species as opposed to the tornadoes themselves. As, Zephyr, Nimbus, and the Wind Warriors are air elementals who are unable to reside in direct sunlight.
Completed Soundtracks[]
By 2008, a handful of early renditions of the game's soundtrack was completed by Peter McConnell.
February 3, 2008[]
Chicken Con Carnage, being the first level used for prototyping the game had a simple melody that loops continuously as opposed to changing depending on size in the final game. Both Chicken Con Carnage and Military Mayhem's soundtrack were in the works.
May 2, 2008[]
Like the previous two levels, High Roller Blowout utilizes a simple melody that loops continuously. In addition to Vegas, McConnell started Double Wide Damage's soundtrack.
July 10, 2008[]
Introduction of Interactive soundtracks. Instead of using one track, each individual level's soundtrack is now comprised of seven different tracks that change as the tornado grows in size. Grow, Shrink, and Merge Stings were also finished at this point. Carnival Chaos was the last level that McConnell worked on in July.
Tornado Alley DS screenshots[]
Tornado Alley DS models[]
A handful of models were recovered from Tornado Alley DS on a WayForward Technologies backup drive that were in the process of being reworked to match the Looney Tunes artstyle per Warner Bros. Game's request during the development of Galactic Taz Ball. During this time, only a handful of assets were left unchanged before being removed all together in the final release of Galactic Taz Ball.
