Mega Man 4

Mega Man 4
Also known as: Rockman 4: Aratanaru Yabou!! (JP, translated as "Rockman 4: A New Ambition!!") Developer: Capcom Publishers: Capcom (JP/US), Nintendo (EU/AU) Platform: NES Released in JP: December 6, 1991 Released in US: January 15, 1992 Released in EU: August 10, 1993 This game has unused enemies. This game has unused graphics. This game has debugging material. This game has regional differences. This game has a prerelease article

Mega Man 4 is the first Mega Man game to have someone other than Dr. Wily as the final boss!

Oh wait, no, never mind.

Palette Editor

The Game Genie code PAEAPEGE activates a palette editor, similar to the one seen in Mega Man 5. Unfortunately, it's currently unknown where this code is actually supposed to be called from.

Unused Corridor

In Toad Man's stage, if you use a walk-through-walls code or edit the stage and move to the right side of the room just before the first Escaroo (room $0F, in the stage data), there is a completely empty corridor that's two screens wide (rooms $18 and $19) and has no exits. While a number of games – including this one – house empty screens or screens filled with junk data, they're generally left unlinked in their stage. Given this game's nature of having side-areas and detours, it seems likely that the black corridor was going to be one such side-area, but was discarded before release.

(Source: Boundary Break (original find), TCRF (further research))

Unused Object/Sprite Graphics

Pharaoh Man

A sphinx miniboss was removed from Pharaoh Man's stage before release (see the pre-release page for a video of the boss in action). While none of the background graphics for the sphinx remain in the ROM, some of the sprite graphics do.

The sphinx apparently got a bit of a makeover before being removed from the game entirely: the snake is smaller and in a different pose, the boulder was decreased in size (in the screenshot it's twice as wide as Mega Man, here it's as wide as him), and the sphinx's chin is much shorter.

This appears immediately after the above graphics in the ROM, and is likely an updated version of the projectile the little snake fired at you. In the pre-release video, the bullet is small and non-animated.

Dive Man

This seal robot was likely intended for Dive Man's stage, but it never shows up.

Some kind of...canister thing? It's stored with the sprites used in Dive Man's stage, right above the whale parts.

Miscellaneous Enemies

Some kind of telescoping thing that would stretch open vertically. Judging by the flashing light bulb weak point, it's probably an enemy.

(Source: BMF54123)

A little gun on wheels that could raise up to shoot Mega Man in the face.

(Source: BMF54123)

Miscellaneous Sprites

Dr. Wily and Dr. Cossack have unused pointing sprites intended for dialogue usage. No idea if they were supposed to be pointing at each other or not.

(Source: The Mechanical Maniacs?)

Miscellaneous Objects

Assorted background tiles that are never loaded. They seem to be labeled "B1".

Regional Differences

Title Screen

Japan	International

The copyright was (once again) moved to the beginning of the game's boot up.

Cossack Catcher

In the Japanese version, the Cossack Catcher starts moving earlier.