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Crash Bandicoot

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Title Screen

Crash Bandicoot

Developer: Naughty Dog[1]
Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment[1]
Platform: PlayStation
Released in JP: December 6, 1996[1]
Released in US: September 9, 1996[1]
Released in EU: November 8, 1996[1]


AnimationsIcon.png This game has unused animations.
AreasIcon.png This game has unused areas.
CodeIcon.png This game has unused code.
DevTextIcon.png This game has hidden development-related text.
EnemyIcon.png This game has unused enemies.
ObjectIcon.png This game has unused objects.
GraphicsIcon.png This game has unused graphics.
ModelsIcon.png This game has unused models.
SoundIcon.png This game has unused sounds.
TextIcon.png This game has unused text.
RegionIcon.png This game has regional differences.
DummyIcon.png This game has unusual dummy files.


ProtoIcon.png This game has a prototype article
PrereleaseIcon.png This game has a prerelease article
NotesIcon.png This game has a notes page

Crash Bandicoot is more or less one of the killer apps for the PlayStation. Paraphrasing the original developers, "there was more content cut than content that made it into the final game".

Sub-Pages

Read about prototype versions of this game that have been released or dumped.
Prototype Info
Read about prerelease information and/or media for this game.
Prerelease Info
Miscellaneous tidbits that are interesting enough to point out here.
Notes

Resources

DebugIcon.png
Debug Mode
Debugging modes with different functions.
Crash1-GuardDogCEView.png
Unused Objects and Behaviors
These guard dogs need training.
Crash1-UnusedMap-1MapP.png
Unused Graphics
Map textures and 3D stuff.
Crash1-CardContinueJP.png
Regional Differences
Various Japan goodies.

Password Test Screen

Crash1-Debug-PasswordTest.png

In the title/map/options/etc. level, if the game screen (GOOL global 18) is set to 14 (memcard screen) and GOOL global 1 is set to 10, a password test screen can be accessed, meant to test the integrity of the password encoding and decoding system. Spoiler alert, the password system functions perfectly. Once this screen is entered, you cannot leave it, as none of the buttons do anything.

The password test involves generating a random set of game stats, encoding them into a password, generating the inputs for the password using an "auto-password" system used exclusively for this test, type in the generated inputs, decoding the password, and seeing if the stats came out the exact same. The game tries to test one password per frame, but since the whole process runs through a lot of code and heavy operations, the game can only test around 20 passwords per second. The test runs forever, and if a trial fails then a few "no operation" instructions execute and the test simply stops running. Despite the instructions given, no text is printed to the console (no, not your game console) if an error occurs.

Since the game tests any combination of the 26 gems, any combination of the 2 keys, and a random amount of levels from 0 to 26 (even though the actual game has 30 on the main path), the total amount of different passwords it can test is 7,247,757,312. This will take forever.

Also, the "TESTING PASSWORD SYSTEM" title flashes.

Unused Levels

Stormy Ascent

Stormy Ascent is one of the most infamous cut levels from the Crash Bandicoot series. Originally meant as the final level of the game, it was later cut mostly due to its brutal difficulty.
To access it, use this GameShark code to boot into the level:

US EU JP
D0011DB2 3404
30011DB0 0022
D0011DD2 3404
30011DD0 0022
D0011DFA 3404
30011DF8 0022
(Source: http://crashbandicoot.boards.net/thread/1031/prototypes?page=35)

Programmer and Naughty Dog co-founder Andy Gavin provided commentary for its exclusion from the final version:

"It was too hard and we didn't have time to make it easier. I wish we had put it in as some kind of Easter egg, as it was an awesome level, one of my favorite in the game. Long, a bit brutal, but it looked great, and had a real rhythm to it."

The level is available as DLC in the remake.

Cavern Grotto Level

An eye-catching subterranean environment, this unused level was present (and also unused) in the disc of the April 8 prototype build. While all of its assets still exist on retail copies, and remain unchanged from the April 8th build, the game freezes when forced to load the level due to its older format, rendering it unplayable. The footage of the level shown above is therefore taken from the prototype. Its level ID is 04.
The level features a unique entrance not replicated anywhere else in the game, where Crash spawns airborne, and descends onto the scenery as if he had fallen down from above ground. However, the level itself is unmistakably unfinished - there are no obstacles or enemies present in this level, and the cave located across the wide acid pit leads nowhere, rendering it impossible to finish the level. There are various old fruits laid across the path, but do not appear as they refer to removed objects.

Sunset Vista Last Floor

Crash1-Editor-SunsetVistaEndArea.png

Not technically an unused level, although the last floor of "Sunset Vista" continues well after the point where the level normally ends. The world geometry gets progressively more incomplete and less textured. The collision and camera function properly, but there isn't exactly much to stand on. There is an invisible wall at the far right edge at the end.

Bonus Round

An unused bonus round level, meant for super long bonus rounds, of which there are none in the game, meaning you'll need an invincibility or similar cheat to get to the end. It has been left in a vastly incomplete state, with wrong outdated textures and old files, such as the crystals at the start having wrong textures and Crash's warp in effect being rainbow-colored. Tawna is meant to be waiting at the end, but missing files will make her crash the game instead. It has a similar layout to the Brio bonus rounds, with different colors, and files for Brio are also present. It contains old versions of the code files WillC (Crash), FruiC (fruit and pickups), DispC (HUD and bonus round selection), ShadC (shadows and boss health meter), DoctC (witch doctor Aku Aku), BoxsC (boxes and explosion particles), WarpC (warp out), KongC (Koala Kong boss), BonoC (bonus rounds), GamOC (general game progress) and CardC (memory card save/load and passwords).

Unused Ending Epilogues

Hmmm...
To do:
Check the NTSC-U version.

The normal ending after defeating Cortex was originally meant to, similarly to the ending in "The Great Hall", play a series of epilogues with each of the six boss characters. This cutscene-level has all the data needed for epilogues and even specific (placeholder) text for it, but the normal ending cutscene simply never plays them. With hacks, the epilogue can still be played just fine. The reason for their (partial) removal is unknown, possibly to make 100% completion have at least some sort of unique reward. In the NTSC-J version, the Pinstripe and Cortex epilogues have their translated level name as the title, possibly by accident/coincidence.

Unused Screen Offset Variables

GOOL globals 44 and 45 set the horizontal and vertical offset of the screen projection respectively, and are completely unused besides being set to zero on boot. The vertical screen shake also offsets the screen projection, but is stored separately.

Oversights

River Fish Shadow Oversight

The fish in the levels "Upstream" and "Up the Creek" spawn a shadow, but it never appears in-game because the fish never set their shadow flag.

Normal Fixed
Crash1-ShadowRiverFishNormal.png Crash1-ShadowRiverFishFixed.png

Ripper Roo Shadow Oversight

Ripper Roo spawns a shadow in his boss fight, but it never appears in-game because the shadow flag is never set.

Normal Fixed
Crash1-ShadowRooNormal.png Crash1-ShadowRooFixed.png

Pinstripe Boss Generator Oversight

Due to an oversight in how the screen shake variable is checked, at the end of the Pinstripe boss battle when Pinstripe shoots the generator, the screen is moved up slightly and then back down after a few seconds. The original intent is to keep the screen shaking until the boss ends and Crash celebrates, which looks very nauseating anyway. The oversight happens in this piece of code for the generator (shown as Lisp pseudocode):

(if (< SHAKEY 0)
  (setf SHAKEY 4.0)
  (setf SHAKEY -4.0)
  )

At first, SHAKEY is set to -4. After the game finishes setting up its graphics matrices using the -4 value, it automatically flips the sign of SHAKEY and sets it one value closer to zero (in this case, -4 becomes 3). On the next frame, this code runs again: SHAKEY is not lower than zero, so it is set to -4. The game uses -4, sets it to 3, etc.. At the end of the boss fight, the value is set to zero, returning the screen to normal. This can be fixed if the branch condition is flipped.

"Lights Out" Sky

The level "Lights Out" actually has a sky, meant to be seen when Crash takes the yellow gem platform up and outside the castle. Unfortunately, this nice view is never seen in-game as the model for the sky isn't set to ignore the natural darkness of the level. Oops.

Unused Sounds & Sound Oversights

The generator that is destroyed in Pinstripe's boss battle plays a sound that is played at such low volume that it is nearly impossible to hear in-game.

The sound of the boomerang hazard in the level "Whole Hog", itself not used in the final game.

The Japanese sound effect for Brio getting hit (the English version being a sort of "doh!") plays at a stupidly low volume in-game and is therefore inaudible.

Unused Music

Hmmm...
To do:
Demonstrate a recording of them in-game.

Four music tracks contain leftover note data that do not play a sound, either by accident or due to technical constraints.

Level In-Game Fixed Difference
Ripper Roo
The most notable difference here. These include leftover snares, crash cymbals and hi-hats. They are present in the "pre-console" version (volume warning).
Koala Kong
Contains missing Cymbal instrument.
The Great Gate / Native Fortress
A flute sample heard towards the end of the track, later used in Crash Bandicoot 2 Jungle levels. This was present in the "pre-console" version.
Heavy Machinery / Castle Machinery
Includes missing Hi-Hats.

Unused Bonus Round IDs

The way bonus rounds work is that the game chooses a bonus round ID and the bonus round level separately. Each of the bonus round levels is split up into four sections, and each section spawns a set of objects (boxes) according to the bonus round ID. Even though all bonus round levels have four sections, the ending may be after the second, third or fourth sections. This means that you can play a bonus that's normally a Brio bonus in the Cortex bonus level or the long Tawna bonus level. There are five bonus levels in the game, one of which goes unused:

  • 24: Short Tawna bonus (2 sections long).
  • 25: Brio bonus (3 sections long).
  • 26: Unused bonus (4 sections long).
  • 33: Long Tawna bonus (3 sections long).
  • 34: Cortex bonus (3 sections long).

Bonus round IDs are also not linearly mapped to levels. Which bonus level Crash gets teleported to and which bonus round ID to use is determined in DispC, based on which type of pickup Crash has collected 3 of and the level you are in.

Pickup Level Bonus ID Bonus Level
Tawna Jungle Rollers 0 33
The Great Gate 4 34
Upstream 10 33
Rolling Stones 8 34
Native Fortress 1 33
Up the Creek 11 34
The Lost City 12 33
Temple Ruins
NTSC-J only.
28 33
Road to Nowhere 13 34
Sunset Vista 5 33
Heavy Machinery 18 33
Cortex Power
NTSC-J only.
27 33
Generator Room 2 33
Toxic Waste 6 33
The High Road 3 34
Slippery Climb
NTSC-J only.
29 33
Lights Out 16 34
Jaws of Darkness 17 34
Castle Machinery
NTSC-J only.
26 33
The Lab 19 33
(default) 0 33
Cortex Sunset Vista 9 34
Jaws of Darkness 15 34
Brio Rolling Stones 14 25
The Lost City 7 25
Heavy Machinery 21 25
Slippery Climb 20 25

"Lights Out" does not have any Tawna pickups in it, so bonus round 16 goes unused. In the NTSC-J version of the game, 8 new bonus rounds are added, and bonus rounds 22, 23, 24 and 25 are not used.

Code Revisions

Hmmm...
To do:
Document.

Code for one object may not be the same across levels.


Dummy Files

Every version of the game contains dummy files to pad out the game's disc content, claimed by a developer of the game to be an anti-piracy/online download tactic [2]. The PAL and NTSC-U versions of the game contain the file ZBSPTREE.WAD, which is a little over 300MB in size and is filled with useless garbage data. The NTSC-J version of the game contains the files ABSPTREE.WAD, the same size as the previous file, and ZTAIL.WAD, a 40MB file filled with zeros. The game never checks for any of these at any point, and thus they can be safely removed. The moral quandary here is whether you want to harm the integrity of your game or not...

Executable Text

Hmmm...
To do:
Some completely unused text and some other interesting things.

References