MediEvil

MediEvil
Also known as: MediEvil: Yomigaetta Gallowmere no Yuusha (JP) Developer: SCE Cambridge Studio Publisher: Sony Computer Entertainment Platform: PlayStation Released in JP: June 17, 1999 Released in US: October 21, 1998 Released in EU: October 9, 1998 This game has a hidden developer message. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused models. This game has unused cinematics. This game has unused music. This game has unused sounds. This game has unused text. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has regional differences. This game has anti-piracy features. This game has a prototype article This game has a prerelease article

MediEvil is an action-adventure hack n' slash that focuses on a somewhat goofy knight named Sir Daniel Fortesque. Before failing to defeat an evil wizard, his eye got shot out by an arrow. But it's worse than that... he's dead, Jim.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Prerelease Info

Hidden Developer Message

Located in the game's memory (all versions) is this silly message:

Buzby sucks eggs, and Eastwood smells!

(Source: Hacc)

According to the game's lead artist Jason Wilson, this is an inside joke about James Busby, one of the game's main programmers. This was later confirmed by Chris Sorrell in a magazine interview.

(Source: RETRO Vol. 8, p. 130)

Build Date

Present in MEDRES.MWD, starting at offset 0x0000000 in all versions.

PAL (English)	PAL (Spanish)	PAL (Italian)	PAL (French)
Creation Date: Thursday, 17th September 1998.Creation Time: 17:56:11	Creation Date: Thursday, 17th September 1998.Creation Time: 18:01:26	Creation Date: Thursday, 17th September 1998.Creation Time: 18:42:05	Creation Date: Thursday, 17th September 1998.Creation Time: 19:51:28
PAL (German)	NTSC	NTSC-J
Creation Date: Thursday, 17th September 1998.Creation Time: 20:30:37	Creation Date: Thursday, 24th September 1998.Creation Time: 13:45:17	Creation Date: Wednesday, 12th May 1999.Creation Time: 09:11:35

Unused Model

The model for what was a testing environment during development called the Programmer's Playground can be found within the MEDRES.MWD resource file along with scripts and collision data for the level. The level does not have an overlay file in the OVERLAY folder however, rendering it unplayable in-game (at least without extensive modifications to the game).

According to developer Chris Sorrell, the level had geometry built to represent all the different types of landscape seen across the game: different slope gradients, platform spacing for jump height and length and so on. The level also had a section with enemy pens where they were tested out before being put into the other levels.

(Source: Chris Sorrell)

Unused FMVs

This FMV, called 7AV, was meant to be played before a removed level that involved guiding the inhabitant of the protagonist's skull, Morten the Worm, through an abbey of mad monks and finding a key. The video can be accessed in-game using the cheat menu's View FMV option. The FMV is present and untouched on the Japanese disc, but it cannot be chosen from View FMV.

There is also another FMV, called 10AV. When played using the debug menu, it plays the 9AV FMV, but ends a lot sooner. The FMV has no file on the disc, which is why 9AV is played instead. It seems to have had a runtime of 33 seconds.

Unused Music

These tracks are accessible in-game by using cheats. They can be found under the music tab in the sound test menu.

7

This was supposedly to be used in a removed level featuring Morten the Earthworm.

28

This track is used in the background of track 12. However, it is part of that track and the separate jingle is never used in the game. In the Italian and Spanish versions of MediEvil, the Game Over track is replaced with this one.

33

Soundwise, this melody is reminiscent of track 2, used in The Ant Caves level.

34

Soundwise, this melody is reminiscent of track 7 above.

36

Soundwise, this melody is reminiscent of track 9, used in the Pumpkin Gorge level.

Unused Speech

These tracks are accessible in-game by use of cheats. They can be found under the speech tab in the sound test menu.

6

Look at you, it must be 500 years since you were last on my ferry - and you don't look a day over 400. Now here we are. Zarok's magic has caused the lost mythical town of Mellowmede to rise from its watery grave! See you soon!

The Boat Man was originally supposed to say this at the beginning of The Lake level.

70

Well about time too, thought I was going to be a permanent addition to this mossy hell hole!

A Gargoyle in The Enchanted Earth level was meant to say this.

111

It is unknown where these mumbling sounds (106-111) were going to be used. It is possible that they are early voice lines for Dan.

118

Beat out them fires master! The 'airs on moy feet is startin' t' smoulder...

This was to be used by the farmers in The Haunted Ruins level.

125

We must double our efforts to protect the Master!

This was to be said by the Gargoyles brought to life by Zarok in the Cemetery Hill level.

Unused Books

In MediEvil, books are used to guide the player and give him background information about the world. These books can be found within the level files found in the OVERLAY folder on the disc, but cannot be accessed in the game itself.

Level: Dan's Crypt

File: CR.BIN

• To read a book stand in front of it and press X. To scroll through any text press Down and press X to exit the text.
• You can knock down certain weak sections of wall using a shoulder barge: double press forward to break into a run and then press the button Square. There is a weak wall nearby, can you find it?

Level: The Graveyard

File: GY1.BIN

• If you have gold you can purchase items from the greedy Merchant Gargoyles. The shameless profiteers can be recognized by their long blue stony faces.
• Hey dead man is that a bone in your pocket?! To look at your inventory press SELECT.
• Loosen up those bone dry limbs and explore, you never know what you may find.
• Hey Book worm, yes: the one living in your empty eye socket, remember to keep up on your reading!

Level: Return to the Graveyard

File: GY2.BIN

• I heard you defeated the evil Glass Demon!? Not bad for a dead guy!
• Dan, I'm flattered, but perhaps you should be attending to those hungry wolves!

Level: The Sleeping Village

File: SV.BIN

• I managed to buy me-self a rare Dragon Gem from a travelling tramp who told me that these precious jewels could summon Dragons! What a laugh I thought to me-self and promptly purchased the treasure for a fraction of his asking price.I now carry it everywhere I go as a good luck trinket. Smashing!

Signed, the Town Mayor.

Level: The Enchanted Earth

File: EE.BIN

• Many Merchant Gargoyles have been trapped in this mossy place.

Level: Pools of the Ancient Dead

File: PD.BIN

• Do you have the Jump Potion? It gives you an enhanced physical ability. You will need it to progress through this festering land.

Level: The Lake

File: LA.BIN

• Zarok's magic has caused the once lost, mythical town of Mellowmede to rise from its watery grave!

Level: The Gallows Gauntlet

File: GG.BIN

• If you can't reach get to the Merchant Gargoyles and you're running low on ammo then try hit and run tactics.

Level: The Haunted Ruins

File: HR.BIN

• The old castle of King Peregrin has fallen into the hands of the Shadow Demons.

Debug Mode

To do: Document this in more detail.

There is a master cheat code which, when entered, enables new options in the pause menu. These options give you access to a variety of things such as Level Select, Sound Test, individual cheats (money, weapons, energy, etc.), and more. Enter the button combination for the appropriate region to access it. The sound of a groan will confirm activation.

• US: Pause the game, hold L2 and press Square, Triangle, Circle, Up, Triangle, Triangle, Right, Circle, Left, Left, Square, Triangle, Right, Circle, Left, Left, Square, Triangle, Circle, Down, Circle, Circle, Right (STOUT TROLL STROLLS TO DOOR).

• Europe: Pause the game, hold L2 and press Triangle, Circle, Triangle, Circle, Circle, Triangle, Left, Circle, Up, Down, Right, Circle, Left, Left, Triangle, Right, Circle, Left, Left, Triangle, Circle, Down, Circle, Circle, Right (TOTOOT LOUD ROLL TROLL TO DOOR).

• Japan: Pause the game, hold L2 and enter Square, Triangle, Circle, Up, Triangle, Left, Circle, Up, Down, Left, Circle, Right, Down, Square, Left, Circle, Square, Triangle, Left, Circle, Circle, Triangle (STOUT LOUD LORDS LOST LOOT). Note: This version is more like a normal cheat menu. As such, it does not include Restart, Camera, individual Inventory toggle, Just Dan, Go To Level, and the Sound and Speech of the Sound Test. The Super Cheat still grants all items and unlocks all levels.

Free Camera Mode

This view will allow you to warp to any section of the level. To enable it, go to the Camera option, set the plug-in to 8, and press Start to resume gameplay. A sword cursor and text will appear on the screen. Pressing X will switch between Focused and Free-motion modes.

In Free-motion mode, L1 moves backward; L2 scrolls downward; R1 or Triangle moves forward; R2 scrolls upward; the D‑Pad rotates the camera. X would move the camera backward as well, but it gets interrupted by the switch to Focused mode.

In Focused mode, L1 zooms perspective in; L2 zooms perspective out; R1 moves backward; R2 moves forward; O resets the cursor to Dan.

To warp Dan to the sword cursor (which floats mid-air and does not snap to ground), pause gameplay, go to the camera option again, and press X to change the plug-in type to Clear. Press Start to resume gameplay at your selected destination. Most dark zones have no collision, where Dan will fall and die.

Use this GameShark code to access this feature in the Japanese version:

Camera Modifier (L1 + R1: Clear; L2 + R2: Free-motion)
D00F228E F3FF
30180F60 001F
D00F228E FCFF
30180F60 0008

Debug Options

Just Dan mode allows you to start any level free of items and enemies. It will also disable the rendering of some environmental objects such as gates, doors, etc. leaving only Dan present. Use this GameShark code to access it in the Japanese version:

Just Dan Modifier (L1 + L2: Disable; R1 + R2: Enable)
D00F228E FAFF
800EE830 0000
D00F228E FAFF
300EF938 0004
D00F228E F5FF
800EE830 0020
D00F228E F5FF
300EF938 0004

(Source: Hacc, fran_friki)

Regional Differences

To do: Add more regional differences. (ex. item placements being different)

Japanese Version

Title Screen and TitleAV

The starting FMV with the frightening music, TitleAV, appears to be replaced with silent and simpler "Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. Presents" text followed by a cut to a new title screen:

PAL	NTSC-J

However, by using an external program to play TitleAV’s replacement, SCEIAV, we can see that the original FMV is actually still present, but has been edited. The "Presents" text slides in from the right and the background fades out before the FMV’s original text can appear:

TitleAV (PAL version)	SCEIAV (Unused)

FMVs

Daniel wears a helmet in all of the game's FMVs except for the final cutscene where it is blown off. The helmet also appears as an item in Dan's inventory during gameplay and can be removed at will, but the FMVs won't change to reflect this. Daniel's eye was also given an iris, whereas in the original it only had a black pupil. This change was retained in all versions of the game's sequel.

PAL	NTSC-J

Other FMV changes include:

• Some of Dan’s animations were refined, such as his walk in 3AV before the Scarecrow Fields.
• Dan, and presumably other characters as well, were given an extra digit, as the original models only had four fingers. This is likely to avoid the same legal pressures that Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee was faced with.

UI Changes

The loading screens and game over screen featuring Sir Dan now also feature his helmet in some capacity, while the loading screens after finishing a level have been given more variety depicting not only him, but also various heroes from the Hall of Heroes. The "LOADING" text was given a more stylized font (a heavily edited version of "Harrington") and now shows up below the loading images for the map screen.

PAL	NTSC-J

PAL	NTSC-J

PAL	NTSC-J

Other UI differences include:

• Menu selections are confirmed with O, and cancelled with X. This is common for Japanese games, but not all localisations include this change.
• The font used within the game is fitted to be full-width instead of half-width.
• Dan's mumbling has no subtitles, which happens to make his short dialogue unskippable.
• There is no 'screen adjust' in the options menu.
• The Walk/Run toggle has an added L3 icon.
• The usual button layout has been moved to 2, while the default is an entirely new one.
• One must press Accept to cycle the button layout, but other versions require the directional buttons.
• The pause menu has a new option to exit the level, provided the level was already completed.

Gameplay Changes

PAL	NTSC-J

The Life Bottle in Dan's Crypt is now empty and is textured blue to demonstrate this. The Life Bottle has to actually be filled up in order to be of use. No other Life Bottles in the game come empty.

Other gameplay differences include:

• The cinematic before battling the Guardians of the Graveyard is extended by focusing on each wolf as they separately leap down. After the fight, the game now mentions how to use the acquired Daring Dash.
• The Dragon Armor drains your health while equipped.
• You can buy more ammo for the powerful Lightning weapon. In other versions, once you use up its ammo, it's gone for good.
• The camera angle was changed in certain areas.

European Versions

The game speed is slower for the European versions due to the refresh rate, however the camera movement in the title sequences of all versions are mostly the same.

To do: A couple map GIFs would help this explanation:

In the US and Japanese versions, the directional arrows on the map of Gallowmere are red and green for invalid and valid paths respectively. In all PAL versions, there are only arrows for valid paths, and the arrows are white. Furthermore, the PAL arrows move in and out slowly, while the other versions blink steadily.

The enemies of The Asylum Grounds level are clothed in monks' robes, while the other versions feature a tattered white outfit with red/yellow striped overalls. And in the same level, there is no book explaining what to do for the sad clown.

In The Ghost Ship, the pirates notice you a lot sooner than in later releases.

Italian and Spanish Versions

PAL (English, German, French) / NTSC	PAL (Italian and Spanish)

In the Italian and Spanish versions, the music that plays during the game over screen is very different, and is actually an unused track in all other versions. The original game over track is deleted and replaced with the final one. Furthermore, they have the same track number in the sound test.

Anti-Piracy

Some PlayStation games released after 1998 (especially in PAL regions, like Europe, Oceania and South Africa) contain the LibCrypt protection system developed by Sony, in order to curb modchips and illegal copies on the system.

The LibCrypt functions on the software level in two ways: by detecting a modchip upon bootup of the game and by detecting an illegal copy through a 16-bit key located in the subchannel data of the disc. The first check is to see whether or not a modchip is installed on the system. As earlier modchips are active by default, all that is necessary to detect one is for the program to return data from a modchip. If it detects it, the game crashes immediately. This was mitigated by pirates with so-called "stealth" modchips, which turn off immediately when loading disc region data during boot-up. However, the second check now comes into play. The second part functions as a part of the game. It decrypts the 16-bit LibCrypt data key stored in the subchannel of the disc and stores it in the coprocessor of the system. If the data is incorrect, the game implements its anti-piracy measures. As most CD burners cannot properly replicate subchannel data on the disc, a pirated copy, whether burned directly to another disc or as a disc image, trips the anti-piracy measure by default.

A modded system allows for a backup, a pirated copy, or a legitimate copy of the game from a region different than the console, to start normally. However, with LibCrypt, the game can crash, freeze or perform tricks to prevent pirates, depending on the title.

In this game's case, upon loading The Hilltop Mausoleum, the game will display a disc error icon and then freezes (in effect acting similar to Red Hand Protect/"Console Terminated" errors used in Japanese and American copy protection mechanisms).

This unfortunately prevents the retail European version from being played on a PlayStation 3 due to the software emulation setting off this measure in some cases.

Note, however, that this game was the first to use the LibCrypt protection and is present only in the PAL version of the game; it is not present in the North American NTSC (NTSC-U/C) version.

(Source: Kippykip, Copy Protected PlayStation games list, MVG's video about copy protection schemes on PS, Original TCRF Research)