Approximately 20% of my mental capacity was dedicated to finding, using, and thinking about cheat codes when I was a kid. I first submitted a code to SegaSages.com when I was 11, and you can still find some cheats credited to me from those days (using my father’s e-mail address) in various places.
A few decades later, I picked up the cheat code hunting hobby again. I’ve found a bunch in the last year, several of which have been written up on this site. Here I’ve collected the ones that might be new to SHIRO! readers.
Most of the links go to my blog, Rings of Saturn, which goes into technical detail about the reverse engineering that leads to finding these codes. I’ve got lots of Saturn stuff there, and this week am running an article on the 3DO game Phoenix 3!
Sonic 3D: Flickies’ Island
Cheat mode for the NTSC-J version of the game was previous unknown. At the title screen, press:
Up, Right, A, C
After starting the game, press A to advance to the next act, B to advance to the next zone, C to advance to the current zone’s boss, X to get an extra life, Y to get an extra medal, and Z to get seven Chaos Emeralds.
Gale Racer
Several Sonic characters make cameos in this adaptation of Rad Mobile. I found another! Hold A+B+Start when beginning a race to have a Flicky ornament hang from your rearview mirror.
Solar Eclipse (Titan Wars)
I found a boatload of codes in this game — 60 in all. I don’t know what some of them do! There are powerups, level skips, bonus levels, and more. See here for the full list, and tell me if you figure out any of the unknown ones.
Three Dirty Dwarves
Enter this at the password screen for SUPERHERO mode, in which you get extra powerups and can’t lose:
GUNHILL
Sakura Taisen
To get a developer test / debug menu, enter this sequence at the Sega and Red logos:
L, R, Up, Down, Left, Right, A, C, B, Start
You’ll hear a chime if you enter it correctly. Then let the title screen come up, then press start to bring up the main menu. Enter the following button sequence:
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L, R, L, R
The MODE SELECT screen will come up if you’ve entered it correctly. This lets you jump directly into the various minigames, access sound and movie test modes, alter character stats, and more.
Sakura Taisen 2
To get a developer test / debug menu, enter this sequence at the Thou Shalt Not Die screen:
L, R, Right, Left, Up, X, B, Z
You have to do this very quickly, before the screen fades out to white! You’ll hear a chime if you got it right. On the title screen, enter this sequence:
L, R, Down, Up, Right, Left, A, C, X
You’ll hear another chime if you got it right. Lastly, enter this sequence (also on the title screen):
L, A, B, C, Down, X, Y, Z, Up, R
You’ll hear another chime. Start the game, and you’ll get a Macro Select screen that’s similar to the one for Sakura Taisen.
Hanagumi Taisen Columns
There’s a developer / test screen in this game, too. Let the title screen time out (it takes a while), and while the Sega logo is up, enter:
Down, Up, Right, Left, L, R, A, C, X, Start
You’ve really got to book it on the entry; if the Red logo came up, you were too slow. But if you heard a chime, you got it right.
Let the title screen time out again, and this time enter this sequence:
Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, L, R, L, R
You need to get this one done before the Sega logo disappears, too.
The test screen lets you mark different parts of the game as clear.
Bug!
At the Bug! title screen, enter:
Down, Right, X, Y, Left, Right, A, Down, Right, LT
This enables the “fly cheat” like in Bug Too!. Hold Y to move Bug around — you can even attack Sonic!
The Legend of Oasis
This game has a debug mode that’s been known for ages — lots of sites have an Action Replay code for it. I found how to unlock it with a button code!
Hold Right+Z+Start when beginning the game. When you do it this way, you also get a ton of items and maxed stats.
Funky Head Boxers
This code, entered at the title screen, makes your characters head a wireframe cube instead of a not-quite-transparent cube. Funky!
L, B, R, C, Z, X, Y, A
Outro
I’ll be back with more Saturn things next week! I’m gearing up for some Dreamcast reverse engineering, too, so send me your suggestions for things to look at
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