Astal

To do: More Regional differences (e.g. some of the English text in the options menu was rewritten in the US version)

Astal is an underrated platformer/beat-'em-up hybrid for the Sega Saturn, featuring exaggerated animation and a brute-force obsession with cutting the knot.

Released after a knee-buckling three months of software drought, the American release was notorious for the general unpolish of its localization. Regardless, it was a good holdover until more games were released in the following months.

Unused Mario Sprite#

Located at 0xFE90 in APT.BIN is a sprite of a rather timid-looking Mario.

Hidden Messages#

Also in APT.BIN at 0x1A44C there are a few unusual and debug-related strings:

Hi! Come come everybody.
Guu... I'm sleepinggguuu...
STAT
ERR
FILM
Cpk system is not initialized.

The same messages can also be found in BPT.BIN at 0x60FC and CPT.BIN at 0x60E0.

Level Select#

In the options menu, press Left, Right, Left, Right, Up, Down, L, R, Start on controller 2. "Secret Mode" will appear at the top of the screen to confirm correct entry of this part of the code. Now head back to the main menu and press Up, Down, Left, Right, L, R, A, Y, C, Z, B, X on controller 1. A stage select option will be added to the menu to confirm correct entry. Select it to open the level select proper.

Regional Differences#

• There are 5 hidden "Sega!" voices in the Japanese version of the game, featuring an alternative Antowas voice, Astal, Geist, Gerardo and Leda.

• In the Japanese version, Astal has five life points and unlimited continues. This was dropped to three life points and one continue in the US version. The US instruction booklet erroneously states that the player gets two continues.
• In the Japanese version, the song "Let Me Try Again" that plays during the game's intro movie includes vocals. The US version is instrumental. However, the vocal version can be heard by playing the game's CD in a standard CD player.
• The Japanese version allows the player to start the game from 1 to 9 lives while the US version allows the player to start the game from 1 to 5 lives.
• The English text present in the options menu was tweaked and improved for the international versions.

References#