Actions

This is a sub-page of Development:The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

Old Button Mapping#

The 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_main files, of which there are 7, each contain the following graphical representation of an older button mapping for the SNES controller.

;*      Key input               (CONT2)     *
;*      [ken]   ---> (A)       <Y>              *
;*      [item]  ---> (B)    <B>   <X>           *
;*      [do]    ---> (X)       <A>              *
;*                                  *
;*      [KEYA1] ---> BYssudlr                   *
;*      [KEYA1L] --> AXLR                   *

As you can see by comparing the data with the image of the final Japanese SNES controller beside it, the four right-hand face buttons are in different locations. (Clockwise from left, the early layout goes B, Y, X, A, while the final layout goes Y, X, A, B.)

It is clear from the variety of prototype SNES controllers that have surfaced that Nintendo experimented with a number of different button names and layouts. The layout in the data above matches the layout of the prototype controller in the top-right of this image.

The label KEYA1 is stated above to handle the B, Y, Select, Start, Up, Down, Left, and Right buttons, while files such as 日本_Ver3\asm\li\zel_ram1.lst indicate that it handles the A, B, Select, Start, Up, Down, Left, and Right buttons.

The label KEYA1L is stated above to handle the A, X, L, and R buttons, while files such as 日本_Ver3\asm\li\zel_ram1.lst indicate that it handles the X, Y, L, and R buttons.

Y Button Subroutines#

The file 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_play.asm contains sections called "player B push sub" and "B push key check sub". In practice, both concern the Y key, so they must have been named when the developers were using the prototype controller pictured higher up on this page.

The B button is only used for the sword in the final game. Instead, Link can equip items from the item select screen to Y. In Link's Awakening, you can set items to both the A and B buttons.

The order of the items in here kind of matches up with an early item list.

;********************************************************************
;*      player B push sub           (BKYPSB)  V*
;********************************************************************
BKYTBL      EQU $
BKT10       WORD    BOMBST      ; [1] bomb move shoki set
BKT20       WORD    BMERST      ; [2] bumeran move shoki set
BKT30       WORD    YMIMV0      ; [3] yumiya
BKT40       WORD    HNMRMV      ; [4] hanmer move shori
BKT50       WORD    DOTMV0      ; [5] lot move shori 0 (FIRE)
BKT60       WORD    DOTMV0      ; [6] lot move shori 1 (ICE)
BKT70       WORD    AMIMOV      ; [7] ami move shori
BKT80       WORD    SOKCHK      ; [8] scop,okarina shori
BKT90       WORD    LAMPMV      ; [9] kantera move shori
BKTA0       WORD    FIREMV      ; [A] magic kona
BKTB0       WORD    DRAGMV0     ; [B] drag 0
BKTC0       WORD    CROSMV      ; [C] book shori
BKTD0       WORD    BARMOV      ; [D] soromon (baria) move
BKTE0       WORD    FOTSOT      ; [E] fook shot
BKTF0       WORD    PYBMSP      ; [F] special bomber
BKT100      WORD    PLSISP      ; [10] special sunder
BKT110      WORD    PYJNSP      ; [11] special jishin
BKT120      WORD    TAMAST      ; [12] soromon stick
BKT130      WORD    KAKUMV      ; [13] kakuremino
BKT140      WORD    TRIFMV      ; [14] traihorse
;;;;;;;;        WORD    BUTSMV      ; [4] jump buutsu
;;;;;;;;        WORD    DOTMV0      ; [8] lot move shori 2 (FER)
;;;;;;;;        WORD    CROSMV      ; [d] inoru (cross)

[1] bomb move initialize set
[2] boomerang move initialize set
[3] bow and arrows
[4] hammer move processing
[5] rod move processing 0 (FIRE)
[6] rod move processing 1 (ICE)
[7] net move processing
[8] shovel, ocarina processing
[9] lantern move processing
[A] magic powder
[B] drug 0
[C] book processing
[D] solomon (barrier) move
[E] hookshot
[F] special bomber
[10] special thunder
[11] special quake
[12] solomon stick
[13] hiding mino
[14] triforce
[4] jump boots
[8] rod move processing 2 (FER)
[d] pray (cross)

Notes:

• "Solomon" is also seen in the early item lists. It seems to be an older name for what became the Canes of Somaria and Byrna in the final game. The "Cane of Byrna" is called バイラのつえ (baira no tsue) in Japanese, but given that it protects you from damage, it seems likely that its name is a modified form of "baria", or "barrier", as seen in this list.
  • The name Solomon is Biblical reference.
• A mino is a traditional Japanese cape made out of straw.
• The Triforce is seen in the early item lists, but it's no longer a usable item in the final game.
• Three entries have been commented out.
  • The Jump Boots were dropped in favor of the Pegasus Boots, used for dashing.
    • There are also references to a "hane" (feather) item or action. (See 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_pysb.asm, for example.) There was a Feather in Link's Awakening.
  • FER might be a weird spelling of fire, given the other questionable spelling in these files (e.g. bulesret -> bracelet).
  • There's no cross item that lets you pray, but the Book of Mudora was a Bible in the Mid-1991 Overdump, and Link does a praying animation when you use it to open the entrance to the Desert Palace.
    • Data later in the file suggests that praying would make all enemies freeze.

Y Button Subroutine#

The file 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_play.asm also contains a section called "player y push sub".

The Y button is for using items equipped from the item select screen in the final game. The A button is the context-sensitive button that allows you to perform actions like dashing and lifting things.

;********************************************************************
;*      player y push sub           (YKYPSB)    *
;********************************************************************
YKYTBL      EQU $
YKT000      WORD    PYDMINR     ; [0] inoru
YKT020      WORD    PYDMHAD     ; [1] tsukamu
YKT030      WORD    PYDMDAS     ; [2] dash
YKT040      WORD    PYDMHIK     ; [3] hiku
YKT050      WORD    PYDMYOM     ; [4] yomu
YKT060      WORD    PYDMOPN     ; [5] takara open
YKT070      WORD    PYDMDHK     ; [6] douzou hiku
YKT080      WORD    PYDMAHK     ; [7] aitem hiku

[0] pray
[1] grab
[2] dash
[3] pull
[4] read
[5] open treasure
[6] pull statue
[7] pull item

Notes:

• See the note on praying in the B Button Subroutine section above.

Additional Y Button Actions#

In addition to the actions above, other headers in 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_play.asm suggest that the Y button could be used to do the following.

• Perform a greeting ("aisatsu")
• Sleep ("neru")
• Dig ("horu")
• Sing ("utau")
• Dance ("odoru")
• Eat ("taberu")
• Bodycheck ("taiatari")

There's also a section called "YAMAMOTO DATA" (named for programmer Yuichi Yamamoto, who seems to have worked on the items) in 日本_Ver3\asm\z00_bg30.asm that lists the following actions.

YTFRDAT     EQU $       ;Y item no data(TFR)
        BYTE    000H        ;a  i  sa tu
        BYTE    001H        ;i  no ru
        BYTE    006H        ;ta be ru
        BYTE    002H        ;ne ru
        BYTE    007H        ;ka tu gu
        BYTE    003H        ;ho ru
        BYTE    005H        ;o  do ru
        BYTE    004H        ;u  ta u
        BYTE    008H        ;o  yo gu

YTFRDAT     EQU $       ;Y item data (TFR)
        BYTE    000H        ; greet
        BYTE    001H        ; pray
        BYTE    006H        ; eat
        BYTE    002H        ; sleep
        BYTE    007H        ; carry
        BYTE    003H        ; dig
        BYTE    005H        ; dance
        BYTE    004H        ; sing
        BYTE    008H        ; swim

Old sprite sheets have poses that appear to correspond to these actions.

Pray
Eat
Sleep
Dance
Sing

Magic Rods#

Other sections in 日本_Ver3\asm\zel_play.asm suggest that you could hold down the B button to charge the Magic Rods.