Zombies Ate My Neighbors (SNES)

Zombies Ate My Neighbors is a quirky, off-beat top-down action game featuring weird weapons, laughably cliche monsters, and some really brutal level design.

Unused & Dummied Out Items
Several items and one weapon are unused, but unfortunately most of them have no function.

Banana


Game Genie code:

The banana is functionally identical to the popsicle weapon, and uses the same graphics. In the final version, only the HUD icon (left) still remains, but a sprite-based "pick-up" version (right) exists in the prototype.



However, graphics for the banana still exist in the ROM. These graphics are used for the banana in the prototype; the popsicle uses the banana graphics too. In the prototype, the banana is functionally identical to the tomato.

Grey Potion


Game Genie code:

This grey potion is functionally identical to the mystery potion already used in the game.

Machine


Game Genie code:

This odd machine can't be used at all, and has no apparent function other than taking up inventory space. The graphic does, however, resemble the in-game radar, and perhaps at one point in development the radar was only accessible by using this item in particular.

Paint Can


While this is technically used, it's never visible through normal play. This graphic is used for the flamethrower weapon pickup, which is hidden inside of a wall that conceals the player. The original purpose of this graphic may have been different, however, as it's also found in the prototype, which has no flamethrower.

A HUD icon for the paint can also exists in the prototype (above, right), but doesn't seem to correspond to any item you can add to your inventory.

Yellow Potion


Game Genie code:

This item has no function -- it cannot be used.

Unused Level Palette


This snowy winter version of the standard neighborhood palette is never used. Change address from  to  to apply this palette to the first level, Zombie Panic.

Unused Level Bonus
This text appears in the ROM at address : While partially coded in, this bonus was never finished. It would grant 1000 points when a certain number of Blob monsters are destroyed. The Blob monsters can only be destroyed with cold weapons.

Unused Music
Zombies Ate My Neighbors contains one unused music track. Change ROM address from  to  to alter the music in Zombie Panic to this track. This piece is used in the prototype "Monsters" ROM, where it plays in an early version of The Son of Dr. Tongue.

Unused Sound Effects
To hear these sound effects in-game, change ROM address from 0D to the appropriate value.

Sound 01
A very strange sound, and the first sound by ID.

Sound 0C
This sounds is used in the prototype as the menu selection noise. It goes unused in the final version.

Sound 1C
This was almost certainly meant to be used for the flying saucer, but in the final version the flying saucer is silent. Thankfully.

Title Screen
A simple title change. Maybe the title was too extreme for certain European countries.

Chainsaw Maniac
The Chainsaw Maniac enemy was redesigned into an equally insane Canadian lumberjack in the European version. Surprisingly, it made the transition rather well, behaving identically in both versions. Some related sound effects and text (such as stage names and a bonus related to it) were modified accordingly. (e.g. the "Chainsaw Begone Bonus" became "Axeman Begone Bonus".) This may have been done to prevent comparisons with Leatherface from The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, which was banned in England, West Germany, and other European countries.

Game Over
The Game Over screen is colored differently between versions - in the American version, the blood dripping down is a purple color, while the European version uses a green color.

High Score Screen
The European High Score screen has a rather lazy orange border for some reason. This may have been done to obscure the monsters in the background.