NHK Taiga Drama: Taiheiki (Genesis)

NHK Taiga Drama: Taiheiki
Developers: Sega, TOSE Publisher: Sega Platform: Genesis Released in JP: December 13, 1991 This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden level select.

Before applying patch codes, use 352:4E71 and 354:4E71 to bypass the checksum.

Unused (Deleted?) Level Select

At $68E0C, right after the routine that does the Sega screen, is code that causes the game to jump into a level select screen. This code is unused; starting up with 68E0A:4E71 applied will cause the game to jump into this level select after the Sega logo.

Use Up and Down to select a level, and C to enter the level. You can select between the 15 levels or the ending for either of the two playable characters.

At $68DE4, in the main loop for the Sega screen, is the code:

ROM:00068DE4                 btst    #6,($FFFFF603).w
ROM:00068DEA                 nop
ROM:00068DEC                 nop

This checks to see if the A button has been pressed, but does nothing. It is likely that the nops were a branch into the above unused code at one point, presumably to allow the developers to press A at the Sega screen to go into the level select. This is immediately followed by a check for any of A, B, C, Start, or a combination, which will immediately end the Sega screen (as in a handful of other games).