Ballistic (Game Boy Color)

Ballistic
Also known as: Puzz Loop (JP) Developer: Mitchell Publishers: Infogrames (US), Capcom (JP) Platforms: Game Boy, Game Boy Color Released in JP: March 17, 2000 Released in US: November 1999 This game has unused code. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused graphics. This game has debugging material.

Ballistic, aka Puzz Loop, is the arcade game that would later be ripped off by none other than PopCap in the game Zuma. The Game Boy Color port is... not as good.

To do: Document any remaining changes between the Japanese and localized releases. There are pieces of weird sprites spread out amongst the entire ROM. Rip these.

Debug Menu

A very broken debug menu exists for Ballistic as well as Puzz Loop. The following Game Genie codes can be used to access the debug menu instead of a single player game:

Ballistic	Puzz Loop
402-A6F-A23 002-A5F-E68 0A2-9EF-E62	0F2-A9F-E62 002-B0F-C43 402-B1F-A2F

The menu wasn't coded to be in a rom bank other than 0x00, so most of the options crash badly. You can switch between DMG and CGB mode by using Left/Right. Holding A and using Up, Right or Down can change the RGB component of the background color - which are displayed in the lower left corner of the screen.

You can select an option using Up/Down, enter it using B. Inside menus (if they don't crash), you can exit using Start + Select. Start + Select will also exit from the debug menu altogether.

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  Ballistic: Debug Menu

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  Ballistic: Accessible Wada Menu

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  Puzz Loop: Debug Menu

Sound Test

Apparently one can compose single sound bytes using Up/Down and Left/Right.

Link Cable Test

This prints out info on the game link.

Calc Stat

This menu will multiply the top and bottom numbers (actually, only the lower 8-bit) which can be set using Left/Right and Up/Down respectively. However, since the result is never actually stored in the result register that is printed below the two 16-bit numbers, the result will always be zero. Oh, and of course the multiplication yields 16-bit values...

LYC Test

Probably a test to see if editing the scroll registers per line works correctly. Test crashes though.

Processing Test

Crashes with lots of references to different ROM banks, without storing intermediate results etc. If this ever did work, there is certainly nothing left that would lead one to suspect this fact.

PCG Rewrite Test

This test actively rewrites tiles in VRAM while they're being displayed.

Wada Test

Will advance to the next page for Ballistic. Doesn't work in Puzz Loop. Here you can start options using Start. Most options crash outright.

Asa Test

This will show the credit roll.

Frame Counter

Game Genie code 044-A5F-C42 will enable a current frame counter that is glitched in most areas of the game. It will properly display in the Ranking section and in-game overriding part of the score display.

Unknown Counter

There is a second counter appearing at the bottom of the screen that is completely glitched out making it impossible to know the exact function but it is likely an animation frame counter. Game Genie code 074-A5F-C42 will enable the unknown counter.

(Source: nensondubois)

Miscellaneous

Text

0x0287CC

GATEWAY 2000

Alternate Title Screen

Ballistic contains a complete title screen graphic complete with tilemapping and palette data that is loaded along with the Mitchell logo.

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  Puzz Loop title screen.

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  Title Screen Menu would still work out.

Game Genie code 0F0-2DA-80A code will load the alternate title screen instead. PRESS START awkwardly resides above the menu selection after pressing Start, giving hint that this was an early design.

Puzz Loop Copyright Logos

There are two early Mitchell copyright logo designs directly located above each other loaded along with the used logo.

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Sprite set

Present only in Ballistic is a complete Mario sprite set carried over from Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. This may have been used for testing purposes as this is the only piece of data remaining.

Other Unused Graphics

By enabling the Super Game Boy flag located at 0x146 and modifying it to 03, or using the Game Genie code 031-46F-E6A, you can enable long lost palettes and the necessary accompanying Super Game Boy commands. The Japanese version does not have unused Super Game Boy palettes, just the MLT_REQ 00 and 01 are loaded during startup.

Unused Palettes

There are two additional unused Super Game Boy palettes. Gameshark code 01??14CD will always display either.

ID 01

ID 02

Regional Differences

Puzz Loop underwent numerous changes when it was released in North America as Ballistic.

Opening Logos

The Infogrames logo appears before the Mitchell logo in Ballistic, whereas Puzz Loop shows the Mitchell logo before Capcom's.

Puzz Loop	Ballistic

The background color for the Mitchell logo differs between releases.

Puzz Loop shows a copyright information screen prior to the company logos, while Ballistic moves its copyright information to the title screen.

Title Screen

Puzz Loop contains an opening sequence that spells the game's title out before showing the title screen, which is completely absent in Ballistic.

Puzz Loop	Ballistic

Puzz Loop's title logo uses one of two animations after the opening sequence, while Ballistic's title screen is completely static.

Character Bios

...But what does it mean? This game has text or audio that needs to be translated. If you are fluent with this language, please read our translation guidelines and then submit a translation!

If you leave the game at the title screen long enough, Puzz Loop will display bios for one of five characters before looping back to the opening sequence.

Character	Screenshot
Pharaoahu
Macky
Sully
Popo
Docky

Ballistic does not use these characters therefore it lacks these bios. This also results in the redesigning of screens where these characters would have shown up.

Main Menu

Puzz Loop	Ballistic

After pushing Start, Puzz Loop takes you to a screen where you can select one of four different options. Ballistic has you select these options from the title screen instead.

Panic

Puzz Loop contains an extra screen where you can select your starting level and background music before beginning gameplay. Ballistic does not give you these options and simply takes you to the game upon selection, with the music being randomly selected for you.

Checkmate

Puzz Loop gives you three save files to record your completion progress. Ballistic only gives you one.

Puzz Loop	Ballistic

Puzz Loop allows you to select any one of the fifty stages. Besides redesigning the stage select menu, Ballistic only lets you select the first five stages in the beginning, with more being unlocked by clearing most of the stages that are available to you.

Time Attack

Puzz Loop has a separate screen for you to select your background music before starting gameplay. Like in Panic Mode, Ballistic takes you to the game while randomly picking one for you.

How to Play

Puzz Loop	Ballistic

Puzz Loop has tutorials for each of its gameplay modes which are narrated by the aforementioned characters once selected. Ballistic only shows a single tutorial after selecting 1P Game. It also renames the Dead Line to the Dead End.