Gimmick!

Gimmick!
Also known as: Mr. Gimmick (SCN) Developer: Sunsoft Publisher: Sunsoft Platform: NES Released internationally: July 6, 2023 (Gimmick! Special Edition) Released in JP: January 31, 1992 Released in SCN: May 5, 1993 This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. 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 revisional differences. This game has anti-piracy features. This game has a prototype article This game has a notes page This game has a Data Crystal page

To do: Differences between the Scandinavian version and USA proto, pre-release information

Gimmickǃ is an incredibly cute, and incredibly difficult, Famicom action-platformer. Despite receiving mixed reviews in its time, and being released just over a year after the Super Famicom's debut, it's garnered a cult following around the world thanks to its overall polished presentation and a rewarding-to-master star attack. This attack doubles as a platform for finding the necessary items for the game's good ending.

Unfortunately, the only contemporary international release was in the Scandinavian countries, though at least one US prototype has been found. The game wouldn't officially come to North American shores until a worldwide special edition re-release in 2023.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Notes

Sound Test

To access the Sound Test, hold Select and press Start at the title screen. It contains every track in the game, with the exception of Evidence of My Life, later named in the game's own OST, and an alternate version of Cadbury with slightly different instruments.

In the Japanese version, the round cursor's color depends on bits 1 and 2 of music data, for a total of four different colors. It doesn't change much, with the bits mostly remaining at zero, except for the tracks Strange Memories of Death and Paradigm.

During Paradigm, the cursor will blink orange during the intro of the song. After the intro, the cursor will turn green during certain parts of the song.

For Strange Memories of Death, the cursor will remain green during the whole intro of the song. Before the song loops, the cursor will turn green during three measures of eight, high-pitched notes.

There is not much connected to it; the developers just selected not-so-frequently-changing data to highlight the cursor. If they had selected another piece of data, it may have been much more interesting.

Disabled Debug Features

Using Game Genie codes will re-enable some debugging features, which differ slightly between versions.

For the Japanese (version, use both ZEETLZPS and PAVVTZAA Game Genie codes to activate the functions below. For the Scandinavian release, only PAVVTZAA is necessary.

In the Japanese version, pressing Select on Controller 1 will refill your HP. On Controller 2, pressing A + B will increase lives. Using the D-Pad on Controller 2 will warp to one of the four checkpoints in a level and pressing B will complete the current level and return you back to the map. The level skip function will result in the bad ending, unless the player collects the special item in each level before using it. Holding A and pressing B will enable the good ending.

In the Scandinavian version, all functions are done using Controller 2. Pressing A will refill all items and HP. The other functions work the same.

(Source: CaH4e3)

Unused Music

The second track in the NSF, "Strange Memories of Death", goes unused in the game proper. It can be heard in the sound test, though.

Almost 30 years later, this track would finally see in-game use in the arcade remake Gimmick! EXACT☆MIX, where it is used for the new continue screen.

Anti-Tampering Routine

The Japanese version features a unique anti-tampering routine. If the intro code is tampered with (as is the case with the pirated version, Shui Guan Pipe) and the player makes it to the secret Stage 7, the routine will trigger, preventing unsuspecting players from being able to reach the final boss and get the good ending. This routine was removed in the Scandinavian version.

Contrary to popular belief, this wasn't intended as an anti-piracy measure. Instead, this routine was a remnant of Tomomi Sakai's attempt to prevent his name from being removed from the intro. He was ultimately unsuccessful in doing so, as the final game is neatly altered around the routine trigger. The message displayed is a reference to Atlantis no Nazo, an earlier Sunsoft game, and is itself another change that was made to the prototype before release.

In the Japanese version, Game Genie code PAZAOY will change the value at address 8F21 to 01, which will trigger the message: Simply access the final level and walk close enough to the castle for the routine to be executed. Conversely, Game Genie code IALEUN will maintain a value of 0D at address 8F3B, bypassing the routine and allowing the bug in the final level to load properly.

See the Notes page for a detailed description of the anti-tampering code.

(Source: Rachel Mae, Tomomi Sakai)

Playable Enemy

One strangely still Ohagi in the ship's interior portion of Stage 2 can actually be controlled using Controller 2.

On Controller 2, Left and Right makes the Ohagi walk, and A makes it jump.

Like any other enemy, the Ohagi will still do damage if it runs into the main character. Unfortunately, it cannot defeat enemies and cannot be brought into any other area of the stage.

Unused Graphics

Yumetarō

This is found with the ending cutscene graphics of Yumetarō and the girl running away from the crumbling castle.

Text Characters and Symbols

A variety of unused text characters and symbols. The letter "A" takes up two tiles, and was intended to be used in a scrapped intro screen, documented below.

Unused Text

The Scandinavian version contains two unused intro text strings that were (mostly) overwritten in the Japanese version, which is rather odd given the fact that the former is a later build of the game.

CK ENTERTAINMENT TEAM

Found at 0x37C43. This string was partially overwritten by the "AUTHENTIC ENTERTAINMENT" string used in the intro. The "CK" would seem to imply that it once said "GIMMICK ENTERTAINMENT TEAM".

The full string being present in the Japanese prototype seems to confirm this.

     A
TOMOMI SAKAI
    GAME

Found at 0x37C5A. Atypically, the letter "A" used in the first line is actually comprised of two tiles, both of which are only present in the Japanese version.

Only a small portion of this string, "TOMO", remains in the Japanese version; oddly enough, the aforementioned anti-tampering routine actually checks for the presence of these unused characters.

Improperly-Formatted Samples

In what appears to be a disease that plagues several games that uses DPCM samples (including Double Dribble, most of Sunsoft's later NES output, and Klax), Gimmick!'s samples are corrupted thanks to a hardware misunderstanding. While this doesn't heavily affect the "Sunsoft Bass", the other bass and drum samples are significantly affected, sounding "crustier" than they actually are.

Original Samples	In-Game

On the left is how the samples are actually formatted, and on the right is how they actually play back on the Famicom/NES. An explanation for this corruption is given on Double Dribble's page.

Regional Differences

Lives

The Japanese version and US prototype start the player with four lives, whereas the Scandinavian version offers eight lives instead. You also get an extra life at 10,000 points and every 20,000 points afterwards (Euro) compared to 10,000 and 25,000 points (Jpn).

Music

Japan	Scandinavian / US Proto

The Scandinavian version and US prototype have minor alterations to the music to make up for the missing extra sound chip. As an example, Strange Memories of Death seems to suffer from this change the most.

Title Screen

Japan	Scandinavian / US Proto

Both the Scandinavian release and US prototype replace the katakana on the title screen, which reads "Gimikku" (ギミック), with "Mr. GIMMICK."

Intro Screen

The Scandinavian version shows a "LICENSED BY NINTENDO" screen when booting up the game that was completely absent in the Japanese version.

Additionally, the 'GIMMICK!' screen is changed to 'Mr. GIMMICK' in the Scandinavian version and the US prototype to reflect the change made to the game's name.

Revisional Differences

In 2002, Gimmick! was rereleased on PlayStation (and later the PlayStation Network) through the Japan-only two-game compilation Memorial Series Sunsoft Vol. 6 (メモリアルシリーズサンソフト Vol. 6). This version uses the original Japanese ROM, albeit with a few bytes changed.

Famicom	PlayStation

First, the visible area has been cropped on all four sides, most noticeable on the top. As a result of this change, ceiling hazards appear to be floating, and it's slightly harder to notice the entrance to Stage 6's secret area.

Famicom	PlayStation

Second, the instrumentation is significantly altered due to the emulator using an incorrect clock speed for the SUNSOFT 5B chip. The incorrect clock speed results in the pitches being a higher octave, affecting both the soundtrack and the sound effects.

The above comparison uses the track Just Friends, which plays in the secret areas hidden throughout the game, as an example. The harmony is overemphasized in the PlayStation version, overwhelming the melody.