Ganbare Goemon: Uchuu Kaizoku Akogingu

Ganbare Goemon: Uchuu Kaizoku Akogingu
Developer: Konami Publisher: Konami Platform: PlayStation Released in JP: March 22, 1996 This game has unused areas. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has a hidden level select.

To do: Find a possible debug mode that's noted in the file SLPS_002.17 on the disc.

Ganbare Goemon: Uchuu Kaizoku Akogingu is the first Goemon entry on the PlayStation, and one of many Goemon games that never got a release outside of Japan. It's a spiritual successor of sorts to Goemon 3 on SNES and ranks high up there in the series.

The following disastrous 3D-platformer, and the sub-par New Age entries, on the other hand... Let's just say it wasn't much of a surprise that Konami only localized the Nintendo 64 entries.

Level Select

A level select can be accessed by using the GameShark code 80075174 005F and then going anywhere in the game that switches to another screen, which will bring you to it after playing a Goemon Impact CGI. This screen also shows that the game had an internal development name of Ganbare Goemon ARPG, along with a build number Ver0.5.

Sound Test Mode

A sound test can be accessed by going to number 25 in the level select, or by using the GameShark code 80075174 0025. The top option is for the game's soundtrack, middle for sound effects, and bottom seems to be for various options for the game like sound volume, turning off the pause function etc., or choosing reverb levels, though some options don't have any visible effect.

Test Levels

Two test levels can be accessed in the level select by going to numbers 2 and 3. The first one has a flame (which is actually the flame that comes out of Goemon's pipe as you level up) at the beginning which possibly was used for testing hitting collision, and seems to shoot out a Ryo coin in intervals. The rest of the area repeats a couple of times before reaching the bottom, with ropes and ladders and platforms for engine testing.

The second test level is a test of the overhead map engine, and uses the same layout as the first test level.

Unused Level Graphics

In one point of the game, you can find an onsen (accessible in the level select by going to number 24) where after leaving Ebisumaru finds he's put on someone else's clothes. This onsen scene has more graphics to the right of the screen that the camera never shows and don't appear anywhere else. You can see this area by using the GameShark code 80075174 0024 when within any level and the camera will start off moving from the right to the left of the area.

Unused Music

Several tracks are still on the CD but never used in-game.

SD_XA_INPA01

This track is repeated several times on the disc under different names. It's actually just the very beginning of track SD_XA_TSUIKA14. Other names it goes by are SD_XA_INPA01, SD_XA_J_INPA, SD_XA_OPEN01, SD_XA_TSUIKA09, SD_XA_TSUIKA10, SD_XA_TSUIKA11, SD_XA_TSUIKA12, SD_XA_TSUIKA13, SD_XA_TSUIKA14, and SD_XA_TSUIKA16.

SD_XA_J_CLEAR

A level clear song?

SD_XA_J_ITEM

Going by the title, they probably originally planned to have this music play whenever you collect an important item.

SD_XA_ST_TAMA

Likely an alternate ending theme.

SD_XA_TSUIKA08

Fanfare again.

SD_XA_TSUIKA14

Possibly another alternate ending theme. Probably meant to loop somewhere after its beginning, going by how it cuts off.

SD_XA_TSUIKA15

An early version of Level 1's music.

Unused Sprites

To do: I'd bet there's even more of that unused stuff that's not always loaded into VRAM. Who knows how to find it...

Sprite	Name	Description
	Yae speaking sideways	One of several sprites loaded into VRAM in any area Yae appears. She already has a speaking graphic used in-game, but that one shows more of her front than this one. No other characters in the game have speaking sprites that are at such a side view either, so this must be from early on when they were still deciding angles for sprites.
	Yae speaking forwards	Another unused speaking sprite! This must have been planned to be used exclusively on overhead view maps, as no characters ever face the screen forward in the main platforming levels. The first two frames have been repeated once just for fluidity.
	Yae facing back	Another sprite probably intended for the overhead view areas. Could she have possibly been a planned playable character at one point?
	Yae ducking	An unused ducking animation. No cutscenes in the final game have any situations where characters need to duck, which could imply this wasn't for a cutscene but rather for a playable character. Or a cut cutscene, who knows..
	Oyuki speaking sideways	Yae's friend Oyuki who appears towards the ending of the game also has some of the same unused animations as Yae.
	Oyuki speaking forwards	And here she is speaking forwards like Yae! Considering she only appears once in a sidescrolling level and never on an overhead view map, she was probably originally intended to appear more than that one time.
	Oyuki ducking	Unused ducking sprites. What could the developers have originally planned for these?