Crash Bandicoot/Debug Mode
This is a sub-page of Crash Bandicoot.
GOOL global variable 68 is a debug mode variable that is set to zero at the start of the game, never to be written again, though it is read at various points in the game, as described in this section. With hacks, this variable can be set to any non-zero value. It's used for, you guessed it, debugging various object/game behavior.
Contents
"Test Save System" Title Menu Option
| American Version | Japanese Version |
|---|---|
 |
 |
A "TEST SAVE SYSTEM" option shows up in the title menu as the fifth (fourth in the Japanese release) option. Selecting it will bring you to a save menu that shows the game stats and which lets you see the current game password (except in the Japanese version), save the game, or overwrite a currently-selected save block. When accessed through the debug title menu option, continuing from the password or save select options will softlock the game, as it gets stuck in an object-less void with nowhere to go... If no save block has been previously selected, then the update saved game option will throw an error and will return to the title screen.
| American Version | Japanese Version |
|---|---|
 |
 |
This screen, as with most other debug menus, is not localized for the Japanese release of the game, although this version has a fourth option that will only appear if debug mode is enabled (though since passwords are removed as alternatives to saving in this release, it's technically the third option), which when selected brings you to a badly-programmed "unformat card" menu. The mix of translated and untranslated text is due to the text object setups and text strings being re-used across menus.
Unformat Card Menu
This menu is exclusive to the Japanese release of the game and can only be accessed through the above-mentioned save menu. Due to a strange programming error, the game will enter an infinite loop after it spawns the text objects for the menu (which happens a third of a second after the menu is entered) and locks up permanently. With hacks, the menu can be fixed:
If you press Triangle, Square and Circle simultaneously, then a new flashing "CARD UNFORMATTED" text object will spawn at the bottom of the screen and... nothing happens. The memory card function the game tries to run does not exist, and thus a whopping nothing happens. You can "unformat" the card multiple times, and keep spawning text objects. Again, nothing happens when this is done, so it is a bit pointless. Pressing the X button returns to the title screen if the unformat menu was accessed through the "TEST SAVE SYSTEM" option from before. You can also leave the menu before the game locks up, if you feel like tempting fate.
Level End Screen
When Crash spawns in the level end screen, the level win state can be set depending on the button being held:
- Holding R1 will force a level lose (as if boxes were missed).
- Otherwise, holding L1 will force a level win (as if all boxes were broken).
In the Japanese release, a third state can be accessed if L2 is held (this is checked after R1 and before L1), which brings up a "secret" screen.
When this screen is accessed, Crash celebrates (as he would when getting a gem), you gain all six colored gems, and a message appears:
| Japanese | Translation |
|---|---|
ひみつの つうろに はいれるよ！ もういちど ちょうせん しよう |
You can enter a secret path! Let's try again. |
Afterwards, the game asks you to save the game.
This hidden screen appears in the Otameshi demo upon defeating Papu Papu, which unlocks the gem paths of the previous levels.
Logo Splash Intros
The company logo intros can be skipped after 0.1 seconds, as opposed to 2 seconds.
Map Debug Codes
In the map screen, two button combinations can be inputted:
- Hold L1, L2, R2, Right and press R1: Unlock all levels (except key levels).
- Hold L1, L2, R2, Left and press R1: Unlock all levels, keys, and colored gems.
Crash Debug Cheats
If Crash is standing still (not ducking), three button combinations can be inputted:
- Hold L1, R1: Set debug invincibility (invulnerable to most hazards).
- Hold L1 and press R2: Gain an Aku Aku.
- Hold L1 and press L2: Max out the gem pools (gives all gems and keys). This will also cause a second clear gem (gem ID 0) to appear on the map screen under every level that doesn't already have a second item in it (key).
Holding L1 when Crash respawns after dying will immediately revive him and act as if he had been hurt instead. You will still lose a life and can game over, though.
