Shatterhand

Shatterhand
Also known as: Tokkyuu Shirei Solbrain (JP) Developer: Natsume Publishers: Angel (JP), Jaleco (US/EU) Platforms: NES, Arcade (PlayChoice-10) Released in JP: October 26, 1991 Released in US: December 1991 Released in EU: November 19, 1992 This game has unused code. This game has hidden developer credits. This game has hidden development-related text. This game has unused enemies. This game has unused graphics. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden sound test. This game has regional differences. This game has a prototype article

Shatterhand is what you get when you combine The Six Million Dollar Man with an '80s action movie cop. Who needs guns when your fists can topple skyscrapers?

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Prototype Info

Test Mode

Shatterhand has a test mode available that the developers didn't dummy out before release. To access it, at the "Press Start" screen, press A, A, A, A, B, B, B, B, A, B, A, B, A, B, A, B. This will enable several minor testing features. Press Select to switch between which option you would like to use, and press Start to choose.

BGM and Sound Test

Two separate categories, but they function exactly the same. A moves the counter up by one, B moves the counter down by one, Select plays the chosen music or sound, and Start exits the menu.

Boss Test

The other options in the menu allow you to fight against the intro boss and the other five bosses on the stage select. Once you defeat them, you will be taken back to the menu screen to fight another or tinker with the rest of the test mode.

Other Debug Text

The strings BANK TEST and CHR TEST can be found in the US ROM at 0x09EEA and 0x09F11, respectively. These are both set to appear at the same screen location as the BGM TEST and SOUND TEST strings on those tests' respective screens, which means they likely belonged to test screens that were removed from the final game. Only the BANK TEST string still exists in the Japanese version.

Leftover Bank/CHR Test Functionality?

Oddly enough, increasing or decreasing the value in the aforementioned BGM and sound tests will also cause the second half of the background pattern table to change, which can only be seen in an emulator with a pattern table viewer. It's possible that this is a leftover remnant of either the bank or CHR test, which would have allowed the developers to view the game's CHR banks.

Unused Logo

Download Shatterhand (Logo Restoration).zip File: Shatterhand (Logo Restoration).zip (268 bytes) (info)

Both the US and Japanese versions contain an unused, unfinished routine to display a Natsume logo at startup, though only the US version contains the actual logo graphics (identical to the logo from Chaos World, also released in 1991). The presence of this logo implies that Natsume had originally planned to publish the game themselves before Jaleco eventually stepped in. It can be reenabled in the US version with the following patch:

1C552: 88, FF
1C564: A0, FF
1CCC1: 08
1FF98: A9, 0C, 20, 9D, C4, 20, 0A, 80, A5, 4C, C9, 60, D0, 04, A9, 11
1FFA8: 85, 02, 20, 09, C5, 4C, 1C, C1, E6, 4C, D0, 04, A9, 01, 85, 02, 60

Unused Text

Placeholder Text

Several bits of placeholder text can be found in the US ROM, which were likely displayed before their respective screens/sequences were completed.

At 0x98DC:

NATSUME LOGO

At 0x9E39:

ENDING
STAFF ROLL
LAST DEMO

Alternate Continue/End Text

The game contains two copies of the strings CONTINUE and END. The first set, located at 0x9A2E in the US ROM, is not actually used by the game, and is set to appear at a different screen location than the final text.

Developer Credits

The Japanese version contains some ASCII credit text with staff names (and possibly an early title) at 0x1FC79.

1991 NAGOYA NATSUME INC
METAL COMMANDO G1
PROGRAM  K.ISHIHARA
DESIGN  S.TANIGUCHI
DESIGN  N.MIZOGUCHI
DESIGN  S.MATSUURA
DESIGN  BIT
SOUND  H.IWATSUKI
MUSIC  I.MIZUTANI

Unused Enemy

To do: Does this enemy have any properties that remain in the ROM?

This enemy is found in the CHR bank with the rest of Shatterhand's Area C-exclusive enemies.

Regional Differences

The Famicom version was published in 1991 by a company called Angel, a now-defunct subsidiary of Bandai which specialized in the publication of licensed titles, as a licensed game based on the tokusatsu Metal Heroes series Super Rescue Solbrain (特救指令ソルブレイン, Tokkyū Shirei Soruburein). The differences are mainly cosmetic (changing graphics and plot) but there were also several substantial changes, such as which boss appeared in which area. The Famicom version follows the same storyline as the Solbrain TV series and features a different opening sequence from the one in Shatterhand. The graphics for most of the characters and items were changed as well.

Despite the earlier release date, the presence of some leftover Shatterhand assets in Solbrain indicates that the former was developed first.

Title Screen

Solbrain	Shatterhand

Gameplay Changes

Transformation Time

The transformation power up the player receives for collecting the same letter combination twice in a row lasts double as long in Solbrain than it did in Shatterhand, giving the player a whopping 68 seconds of invincibility! (You'll lose approximately 4.5 seconds of time for each hit you take while transformed, however.)

Enemy HP

Some enemies have HP differences between the two versions of the game:

Enemy	Japan	US
	6	8
	6	8
	4	8
	6	14
	6	8

Levels

Solbrain	Shatterhand

Area C in Solbrain was changed from a submarine into a carnival themed level. The carnival level is much easier difficulty-wise than the replaced submarine level and features different music.

Solbrain	Shatterhand

The final level, Area G, received a futuristic makeover in Solbrain, a stark contrast to the industrial look the level has in Shatterhand. The missile you scale shortly before facing the final boss has different text on it in both games.

Bosses

Solbrain	Shatterhand

The boss of Area C in Shatterhand became the boss of Area B in Solbrain, and received a graphical facelift, as did Area E's boss.

Solbrain	Shatterhand

The boss of Area B in Shatterhand became the boss of Area C in Solbrain, and received both graphical and AI changes. The two girls will now jump off the screen and try to land on the player, and no longer transform into a worm-like second form.

Ending

Solbrain	Shatterhand

Music

While most of the soundtrack in both games was kept the same, two songs differ between Solbrain and Shatterhand: the Opening theme and the Area C theme.

Opening

Solbrain	Shatterhand

Area C

Solbrain	Shatterhand

Leftovers

The Satellite obtained by collecting the letter sequence ααα, commonly referred to by a more creative sort as "The Yo-Yo", has an animation for swinging its ball around in Shatterhand.

However, in Solbrain, the Satellite that replaces The Yo-Yo has no arms, so the tiles for the swinging animation are covered up with duplicate tiles of the Satellite's idle animation.

There is also a blank spot in Solbrain's CHR where The Pogoborgs and Worm were in Shatterhand. This is possible evidence that Shatterhand was in development first.