Note: Most of the stuff here is non-canon (except for Draft Four's stuff).

-Nextcrypt

The sources indicate significant evolution across the various drafts of Empty Pages (EP), while The Prototype functions as a separate narrative entity, focusing on a different protagonist and a different type of horror, though it connects to the main game's mythology.

Here is an analysis of how each draft changes, with an emphasis on structure, protagonist, enemies, and key mechanics.

The Prototype (Spin-off Game)

The Prototype is a distinct spin-off game that features a different protagonist and setting, focusing heavily on simulation, system overload, and technological horror rather than the abandoned amusement park theme of Empty Pages.

• Protagonist and Identity: The protagonist is Ava Morgan (also known as Subject S-05 or A.V.A.), a security guard who is secretly an Artificial Intelligence with a human core, uploaded after being severely injured in a breach. The plot centers on her realization that she is a test subject caught in a simulation loop designed to contain the main threat.

• Antagonist and Threat: The primary threat is The Prototype, a stalker entity with a glitching TV head. The Prototype's role is to act as a "static shepherd" to keep Ava contained within the system.

• Gameplay Mechanics: Gameplay is split between FNaF-style survival (monitoring cameras, managing limited power, locking doors against the Prototype) and parkour traversal through maintenance mazes, vents, and elevator shafts. A Mirrorworld Mechanic is introduced where Ava’s reflection may lag or become a hostile stalker.

• Connection to EP: One of the three possible endings, the Merge path, sees Ava and the Prototype fuse, which sets the foundation for the Snapmouth entity that appears in Empty Pages.

Empty Pages Draft Changes

The main Empty Pages drafts focus on the protagonist Aidan Cooper returning to Wonderland Pier decades after his brother Damien disappeared.

Draft Four (Condensed Prologue/Early Setup)

Draft Four, the most recent script excerpt, focuses heavily on establishing Aidan’s emotional state and introducing a third sibling, Andrea.

• Protagonist/Siblings: Introduces the older sibling, Andrea, who is present with Aidan and Damien during "The Incident". Aidan is established as 19 years old and obsessed with finding answers.

• Prologue Incident: The flashback is brief and stressful, featuring an unnamed employee rushing the children through a tight, dim hallway during alarms and sirens. The scene ends with Damien and Andrea vanishing and Aidan stumbling alone.

• First Threat: When adult Aidan begins his exploration, his first threat is a clunky, outdated security bot that wakes up after he unintentionally steps on a loose cable spool and kicks a breaker. This encounter ends quickly when Aidan trips into a hole.

• Key Change: The immediate first enemy is a generic mechanical "security bot," rather than the Snapmouth or the Creature, suggesting an emphasis on tutorials and low-level threats before the main horror begins.

Draft Three (Extensive Expansion and Mechanical Variety)

Draft Three expands Chapter 1 into 16 detailed scenes, focusing heavily on establishing atmosphere, world-building, and teaching a variety of mechanics before introducing sustained threats.

• Structure and Pacing: Chapter 1 is significantly longer, estimated at 93 minutes average play time. The first eight scenes are designated as areas of complete safety, purely for setting mood and teaching mechanics like crouching, climbing, vaulting, and note-taking.

• Enemies and Mechanics: This draft introduces highly specific, named threats early in the game:

  • Clockswitch Tiger: The main enemy in the Memory Maze (Scene 13). Scene 14 is a mandatory FNaF-style survival scene where the player must use cameras and lures to short out the Tiger.

  • Snapmouth (Revisited): Appears later in Chapter 1 (Scene 15) to force a high-speed parkour chase sequence leading to Aidan’s fall.

  • Marionette Massacre: A new non-chasing enemy introduced in Chapter 2, Scene 1, requiring full stealth mechanics.

  • Corroded Rabbit: A sound-based stealth enemy in Chapter 2, Scene 3, which learns the player's distraction patterns.

• Psychological Elements: Introduces a Mysterious Female Figure who speaks cryptically to Aidan, replacing fear with curiosity. Also features the Heartbeat tells (Aidan breathing heavily when danger is close) and Mirrorworld Mechanic (reflection lags/attacks).

Draft Two (Focus on Snapmouth and Physical Decay)

Draft Two outlines the first two chapters, focusing on the character The Snapmouth as the primary immediate threat and establishing It That Hunts (later The Creature) as a passive psychological presence.

• Protagonist/Gameplay: Young Aidan is controlled briefly in the prologue. Adult Aidan acquires a functional flashlight later in Chapter 2 (Scene 4).

• Antagonist Focus: The Snapmouth, a creature driven by sound, is introduced early (Chapter 1, Scene 4). It actively chases the player through the maintenance tunnels in Scene 7. Its role is definitively ended in Scene 11 when it is impaled by a steel beam during the chase sequence.

• It That Hunts: The Creature (referred to as "It That Hunts") is mostly reserved for psychological horror—seen only as a shadow in the fog, a reflection in glass, or subtle audio cues.

• Lore Focus: Heavy emphasis on lore tapes detailing staff knowledge of the monster and the management’s involvement in "working with it".

Draft One (Early FNaF Integration and The Jester)

Draft One presents a mix of elements, notably featuring the main antagonist, The Creature, early and integrating a FNaF-style survival segment much earlier than Draft Three.

• Pacing and Threats: The prologue centers on the Wonderland Maze funhouse ride. The player has their first clear chase against The Creature in Chapter 1, Scene 7, which uses rapid movement and heavy breathing.

• Gameplay Mechanics:

  • Classic FNaF Survival: Chapter 1, Scene 9, is a dedicated segment in the Security Checkpoint requiring the player to balance limited power, use cameras, lock doors, and employ noise distractions to keep The Creature at bay.

  • New Enemy: Introduces The Jester (Chapter 3), a maniacal and erratic figure that stalks the central plaza and employs sound-based stealth and "Trick Rooms" where the environment twists and rearranges itself.

• Atmospheric Detail: Introduces The Smiling Man, a passive, ghostly observer seen only at the edge of the player's vision, representing the park's twisted past.

To conceptualize the difference between the main drafts and the spin-off, think of it this way: the Empty Pages drafts are like an intricate, decaying funhouse (Wonderland Pier), where the horror comes from things that were once mechanical becoming twisted and monstrous. The Prototype, however, is a cold, clinical server room where the horror stems from a loss of identity and being trapped inside a system that actively fights you.