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Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga
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| Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga |
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Also known as: Mario & Luigi RPG (JP)
 This game has a prerelease article |
Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga was the third Mario RPG game, the first on a handheld system and the first of the Mario & Luigi sub-series.
Contents
Sub-Pages
 | Regional Differences For versions of games released in such a short span of time, there sure are a lot of these. |
Unused Music
There are three unused songs in the game. One seems to be simply a scrapped song, while the other two are alterations of the title screen music from the Japan-only game Tomato Adventure, which formed the basis for Superstar Saga.
Unknown Song 1
This jaunty little tune starts off similar to Little Fungitown's music.
Unknown Song 2
One of the two variants of the title theme from Tomato Adventure. It uses the Game Boy's pulse channels for lead and harmony, rather than using samples.
Tomato Adventure Title Theme 2
The second variant of the title theme from Tomato Adventure. This song uses samples for the lead rather than the Game Boy's pulse channels, unlike the first variant. It does not loop.
Starbeans Cameos
 | To do: Make other sprites into an animation and place below. |
There's text and an awful lot of sprites which suggest that originally, each drink you made at the Starbeans Cafe was supposed to trigger a cameo by a different Nintendo character each time, instead of just E. Gadd (who incidentally also has his own unused text). All the text is still in the game and written below. All sprite animation speeds are estimated.
E. Gadd
E. Gadd : Hmm... My sniffer's detecting the aroma of a new kind of juice... Cashier : Oh! Professor Gadd! How've you been, sir? Are you here to try our new drink? You can ask those two there for Woohoo Blend! E. Gadd : Oh! Just wonderful! A new blend! How about a try, youngsters? Hmm... This flavor fills the old bones with brimming strength! Yep, a drink like this'll surely boost my spirits during ghost research. Listen, youngsters, let me thank you. I insist you take this. Hmm... I wonder what I should invent next...
Wario
Wario : Ah ha ha ha! Move it! Wow! Now that I'm here, this game's finally gettin' good! Cashier : Oh! Wario! What's a bad dude like you doing here? Oh! I got it! You came to pay your tab from the other day! Wario : What are you talkin' about?!? You tryin' to give me a bad rep with stupid rumors? I oughta... Cashier : Aww, come on! Just pay up! I'll even take beans if you got 'em. Come on! You're a rich guy, right? Wario : Uh... OK. Maybe next time. But... Don't you have free drinks for celebrity guest stars in this game? Wa ha ha ha ha ha ha! BLECH! AWFUL! Do you guys really like drinking nasty stuff like this? ...Losers. Ah! Whatever! Hope this covers your costs! Blech! Drinkin' that stuff made me wanna go shave my tongue! Uh-oh! Gotta go!
Fox McCloud
Fox : Fox here! Cashier : Hey! Aren't you Fox McCloud, the Star Fox leader? Are you here to taste our new juice? No way! Fox : Uh...yeah. So why don't you serve me up a cup at your special guest star rate? What's that? A call? A call : Fox! Help me! Fox! Where are you?? Cashier : Wow! You sure are one busy guy... Er, I mean, one busy fox! Fox : Thanks for the discount! Will this cover the rest? Mission complete!
Fox Walking Forwards
Fox Walking Backwards
Fox Drinking Coffee and Answering Call
Incoming Call
File:ML-SS-Fox-Incoming-Call.gif
Captain Olimar
Olimar's dialogue would have been presented in item text boxes as opposed to speech bubbles (as if he is logging his thoughts rather than actually speaking, befitting of his native series).
Olimar : ...I detect a strange, yet pleasing aroma drifting through the atmosphere of this cafe. It would seem to require further investigation... Cashier : Wow! This is a rare treat! If it isn't Captain Olimar! Olimar : What is this? Before my eyes stands a strange life form. It resembles me slightly, so I shall dub it...Marlio! ...Further investigation indicates that the drink that this Marlio holds is the source of the aroma. I shall now partake of its flavor. Why! Its flavor is most satisfying! Finding that such a drink could be partook of in such a place is a tremendous discovery, indeed! This Marlio creature exhibits what seems to be a longing expression... Perhaps it will react if I present it with something... I have just noticed a strange, unsightly green creature standing next to the Marlio... It could be a dangerous life form. I feel I should attack it before it attacks me.
Olimar Walking Forwards
Olimar Walking Backwards
Olimar Walking Sideways
Olimar Drinking Coffee
Olimar Throwing A Pikmin
Blue Pikmin Being Thrown
Pikmin Crowd Idle
Pikmin Crowd Moving
Samus Aran
Cashier : Whoa! A power outage? Yikes! Samus Aran! I see you're rocking and rolling as usual! ...Looks like your energy tanks are empty! Sorry, but can't you give your Hoolumbian to Samus? Oh! Feeling better?
Excitebike Racer
Cashier : Hey? Is that the sound of a motorcycle I hear? Hey, buddy! What are you doin'?! This isn't a drive-through!!! What? Are you thirsty or something? Fine, but no need to get so...EXCITED! Are your engines on full throttle?
Link
Cashier : Whoa! Link! The Hero of...what is it, now? Anyway, long-time, no see, buddy! What are you doing here? Did you get lost in a dungeon again? What? You're having trouble finding the fairy fountain? Oh... It's game over, and your bottles are all empty? Are your hearts filled now, kiddo?
Gifts
The gift you get when you make a new drink was also supposed to be specific to the character cameos above. In fact, there's unused text relating to these gifts:
You got the Triforce! You got an Energy Tank! You got a Gold Ring! You got the Game Boy Horror! You got a UV Lamp! You got Wario's Gold! You got an Excite Spring!
The Excite Spring managed to survive into the final game unaltered. The others survived too, but had their names changed to be less obvious references to the cameos:
| Blend | Character | Original gift | Final gift |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woohoo Blend | E. Gadd | Game Boy Horror | Game Boy Horror SP |
| Hoohoo Blend | Wario | Wario's Gold | Greed Wallet |
| Chuckle Blend | Fox McCloud | Gold Ring | Bonus Ring |
| Heehee Blend | Captain Olimar | UV Lamp | Cobalt Necktie |
| Hoolumbian | Samus Aran | Energy Tank | Power Grip |
| Chuckoccino | Excitebike Racer | Excite Spring | Excite Spring |
| Teeheespresso | Link | Triforce | Great Force |
Unused Items
Equipment
The following equipment exists in the game, but you're unable to obtain any of them during the course of the game. They're listed together with their in-game description.
Chuckola Pants - Pants made to look like Chuckola Fruit. Heavy Slacks - Very heavy pants made of Hoohoo Blocks. Light Slacks - Very light and made of Parabeanie wings. Jeanie Jeans - Magic jeans that boost DEF in battle. Jeaniest Jeans - The best-looking, best-fitting jeans. Safe Guard - An outfit that blocks status ailments. Oho Gear - Pants with a raging wave print.
Interestingly, the Oho Gear is obtainable in the Japanese localization of the game, but is unobtainable through legitimate means in the original English release.
Others
You got a Game & Watch!
The Game & Watch was probably supposed to be a key item, since it appears in the game's text right after the Beanlet and Beanstone text.
You got a Spiritual Bros.!
This could've been a badge. Either way, it isn't coded in the game.
Unused Sprites
There are different colored palettes for the Bean Fruit; in the final game, only the purple one is used.
Unused item sprites of a book, diploma, and key.
Unused coin sprites, including a palette for red and blue ones.
Unused sprites of what appears to be an early Lady Lima.
Boddle's assistant has an alternate palette.
An unused sprite of the statue from Woohoo Hooniversity on fire.
An unused cloaked Beanish character.
Early ability icons. The final "bubble" sprites are larger, and the final icons are bigger and more detailed.
Extremely small sprites of what appears to be a fly with hair... It's pretty hard to tell.
Graphics for the letters M, A, R, I, and O, as well as one of a star.
Unused Enemies
Goomba
A dummy Goomba enemy. At level 100, it has 100 HP, 3 DEF and 100 Speed.
Getme!
A dummy enemy, also at level 100. It has 0 HP, 3 DEF, and 100 Speed. Players get 999 EXP points after defeating it.
Dummonster
Another dummy enemy, with the same stats as the dummy Goomba.
Mossy Goomba
A purple palette swap of the Goomba enemy. It has stats lower than the average Goomba.
Pop Goomba
Same as above, except it's a red palette swap.
Paragoomba
A paragoomba! It has lower than average stats.
Nice Guy
Appears to be a standard Hoohooligan. Not seen in battle through normal gameplay.
Others
These aren't programmed in as enemies, but their names appear in the ROM.
Chompa
More than likely an alternate name for the Mecha-Chomp enemy.
Sharkbone
This was supposed to be one of the names of the ???? enemy which appears in Gwarhar Lagoon, as is evident by the official Nintendo Power guide which actually lists this as the enemy's name.
Left Pincer Right Pincer
Likely alternate names for the Left Claw and Right Claw from the Hermie III battle.
Unused Battles
There may be a few unused battles, but there is one that might be interesting. The last battle in the battles table. (0850474C in (U) version.) When you enter this battle, you'll be in a fight with a Goomba. At first, no action commands show up. If you push the right arrow key, the game crashes. (I think this might have been related to some debug feature, probably for switching enemies, but further research may be needed.) If you push A, your action commands will come up, so that you can battle.
Unused Enemy Scripts
Two enemy scripts can be found at 0828335C and 082833C8 in (U) version. These two scripts are mostly alike, but the second one has the arrow keys. When it is an enemy's turn, it'll wait for you to press a button before attacking.
- A button - Attack Mario with first ability.
- B button - Attack Luigi with first ability.
- L button - Attack Luigi with second ability.
- R button - Attack Mario with second ability.
- Left arrow key - Attack Luigi with third ability.
- Right arrow key - Attack Mario with third ability.
Debug Room
There is a somewhat buggy debug room hidden in the game, which can be accessed by using the code 02001E90:0001. To bring Luigi along with you, put in 02001E9C:0001.
How to access:
- Start a new game.
- Save and quit.
- After the game resets, turn on the code.
- Restart your save game.
| Room 1 | Room 2 |
|---|---|
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You start in the left map with Mario alone. It's possible to leave through the northern part of the stage and immediately return with Luigi. Returning with Luigi alters the level somewhat, or perhaps takes you to a different room. It's possible to return to the first map (with Luigi still) by walking north on the "island" at the top-left of the stage.
Miscellaneous notes about the room(s):
- There is no music.
- The multiple copies of Popple don't say anything despite having a "talk" icon appear when you're next to them.
- Touching the Beanie in the second map immediately begins a battle with a single Goomba. The game crashes after pressing A when a message bubble appears reading "Press the A button here!"
- In the first map, it's possible to get stuck in the air (still able to walk around) by jumping into objects from below.
- In the first map, it's not possible to walk up hills. They act more like walls.
- With Mario alone, pressing Start exits the room and attempts to take you back to where you saved your game, but essentially freezes the game.
If you use 02006E15:DB for Mario and 020071B1:DB for Luigi, you should be able to walk up the slopes in the buggy room. This just removes the 20 flag that causes the glitches. Alternately, if you are using the (U) version, put in 082FB0B3:6F for Mario and 082FB0C7:6F for Luigi. This is Mario and Luigi's data in the NPC section.
| To do: Add the rest of the unused rooms. 0004 (Seabed), 0005, 0008, 0009 (Bicycle Blocks), 000D (Cutscene Debug Room), 0016 (unused Starfields room), 01FF. |
Unused Room Objects
There's a Toad programmed out in Toadtown Square that is able to programmed back in with memory editing. You can walk right under him, and he has no conversation or movement data.
In the room on the Koopa Cruiser where battles with Goombas are available, there's a disabled Save Block able to be programmed back in. It is fully functional, and saves the game like it is supposed to, though the game displays glitched text for the area in which it displays where you saved at.
Unused Loading Zones
A few rooms have a dummy loading zone in the top left corner of the screen, at position 0, some of which will lead to nearby rooms while others will lead to room 0: The debug room (on the English version) or the opening cutscene (on the Japanese version). Examples:
| Room | Leads to Room |
|---|---|
| 51 (Starbeans Café) | 41 (Beanbean Castle Town East, intact) |
| 197 (Sea bed, yellow pipe to mainland) | 0 (Debug / Opening Cutscene) |
| 101 (Stardust Fields, Highjump/Spinjump Tutorial) | 0 (Debug / Opening Cutscene) |
| To do: {{{1}}} |
Gsys Labels
There seems to be a bank of pointers to gsys labels located at 0839ECC4 in the (U) version. (083A0504 in (E), and 08388B34 in (J)). Above and below this bank seems to be associated with this. Probably used as On/Off for Mario and Luigi. Was this once used as a debug menu? It is assumed that the assembly codes that used this data were deleted before release. Some of these gsys labels have "kusu" in them, which comes from the Japanese name for Oho Oasis, Kusu Island. It seems odd that they are named "solar" and "moon" hand powers, though. One of these has "Kuppa" in them, which is the Japanese name for Bowser/Koopa.
These labels seem to be related to the flags located at 02004338. It's unfortunate that labels weren't found for the rest of them.
gsys_undefined_0200 gsys_hi_jump gsys_spin_jump gsys_solo_hamm gsys_solo_hamm2 gsys_solo_hamm3 gsys_mario_hamm2 gsys_luigi_hamm2 gsys_solo_kusu_solar gsys_solo_kusu_moon gsys_mario_kusu2 gsys_luigi_kusu2 gsys_undefined_020C gsys_undefined_020D gsys_undefined_020E gsys_undefined_020F gsys_undefined_0210 gsys_undefined_0211 gsys_undefined_0212 gsys_undefined_0213 gsys_undefined_0214 gsys_undefined_0215 gsys_undefined_0216 gsys_undefined_0217 gsys_undefined_0218 gsys_undefined_0219 gsys_undefined_021A gsys_undefined_021B gsys_undefined_021C gsys_undefined_021D gsys_undefined_021E gsys_undefined_021F gsys_menu_badge gsys_menu_item gsys_menu_card gsys_menu_bros gsys_menu gsys_menu_map gsys_menu_map_kuppa gsys_menu_twin gsys_shop_sale1 gsys_shop_sale2 gsys_shop_sale3 gsys_shop_sale4 gsys_shop_sale5 gsys_undefined_022D gsys_undefined_022E gsys_undefined_022F gsys_btl_defham gsys_btl_defham2 gsys_btl_twin gsys_btl_item gsys_btl_run gsys_btl_solo_hamm2 gsys_btl_solo_hamm3 gsys_shop_new_cti gsys_shop_new_cte gsys_shop_new_lki gsys_undefined_023B gsys_undefined_023C gsys_undefined_023D gsys_undefined_023E gsys_undefined_023F
Battle Backgrounds
In battle, you only see 240×160 of each background, but the backgrounds themselves are all actually 512×256. Only very few battles make use of scrolling in any way, such as the final battle and Trunkle. Perhaps scrolling was originally intended to happen in all battles, as is the case in Bowser's Inside Story.
Background 00
This looks like something that might have been used as a template for making the backgrounds. If the battle data's background is 00, it will use the Room's defined battle background, if that is 00, then you could get this background.
Background 01
Background 02
Background 03
Note: The animated dust clouds are not shown.
Background 04
Background 05
Background 06
Background 07
Background 08, Background 0B
Background 09
Background 0A
Background 0C
Background 0D
Background 0E
Background 0F
Background 10
Background 11
Background 12
Background 13
Note: The animated flames are not shown.
Background 14
Background 15
Background 16
Note: Unused. Enemies do not appear in any of the rooms that use this tileset.
Background 17
Background 18
Note: Unused. Enemies do not appear in the room that uses this tileset. The stars twinkle more erratically than shown here.
Background 19
Background 1A
Background 1B
Background 1C
Background 1D
Background 1E
Background 1F
Background 20
Background 21
Background 22
Background 23
Background 24
Background 25
Note: The final battle does scroll some in the beginning. The animated lightning bolts are not shown.
Background 26
Background 27
Wrecking Crew
Graphics and a tilemap for a Wrecking Crew-like scene exist within the ROM. A proper method of accessing them has not yet been discovered.
((U) version – Palette: 0x08201790; Image: 0x082017B0; Map: 0x08201210)
Build Dates
The following build dates are found in the ROM at 0x5202A4 in the US version, 0x521C74 in the European version, and 0x4119A0 in the Japanese version.
| US | Europe | Japan |
|---|---|---|
Oct 4 2003 06:21:36 |
Oct 4 2003 06:25:50 |
Oct 16 2003 18:10:12 |
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