Light Crusader

The last Genesis game developed by Treasure, Light Crusader is similar to Landstalker. You're David, a knight, and you have 6 dungeon floors to overcome. There are puzzles, combat and healing items.

Sub-Pages#

Prerelease Info Notes

Test#

Watch on YouTube

TEST is the first main debugging menu. To activate it, go to the MODE menu, deselect all options, and press Down eight times. A change in music should confirm that the menu is now unlocked. In addition, you also unlock 3 options for the MODE menu.

Sound#

◀SOUND▶ is a sound test menu. It has three sub-menus, SOUND◀10·2D▶ (mostly voice samples), SOUND◀80·9F▶ (music) and SOUND◀A0·E7▶ (mostly sound effects; it ends at FE, not E7). Press Up and Down or Left and Right to toggle the tracks. Press C to listen and A to stop.

Icon#

This shows all icons in the game. This includes items, equipment, and some other graphics.

Face#

This displays all the character portraits. The king's uses the Goblin's palette, for some reason.

String#

This displays all of the game's strings, for the specified language.

Language#

This allows you to change the game's language, including Japanese. The European version does have a language option, but there isn't an option for Japanese.

Language 05 is hidden, and is called USENGLISH (US English), but is exactly the same as the version's corresponding English localization. Other options, starting from 06, can also be chosen, but their strings are mostly garbled text.

In the Japanese version, you can only choose Japanese and English. The other options (all named Deutsch) can be accessed with the same code, but their strings are still garbage.

Test2#

The second main debugging menu. To access TEST2, first go to TEST, then press Up, А, Right, А, Left, А, Down, and А. A cow moo should confirm the code. Upon activation, it also activates an in-game height editor.

Item#

Lists all items' names, icons and types, as if they were being chosen from the inventory screen. You aren't able to use them, though.

Font#

Shows a bunch of tilesets.

Warning#

Writes all the possible start-up warnings, like "Developed for use only with NTSC Genesis systems". Half of them just say "??".

Message#

Writes the game's dialogs. You can press A to change the language.

Floor#

Allows teleportation to a different room. You first choose the floor, and then the room number. There is also an 8th option, with no name, that allows you to choose between 5 extra rooms, mostly used in credits scenes. You don't need an extra code to access this invisible 8th option. There are, though, more hidden options. You can go from the 9th option onward. Any other option after the 8th has 8 rooms, and all of them either reset the console or crash, because the game is reading different data and trying to turn it into a room.

You may have to pause/unpause or leave some of the rooms and reenter them, in order for the data to be loaded properly. Upon arrival, if David is stuck in a wall, you may use the height editor to turn the wall tiles into regular ones and create a path into the room.

Notes#

• Rooms 31 and 38 in Floor 5 crash the game if entered this way. They are just the boss rooms for the Ice and War worlds, respectively.
• Surprisingly, you can actually load some levels that are composed of garbage data.
  • "Floor" 0A, room 03 has an incorrect palette for David's armor, and some half-scrambled tileset. The drawn part of the room has a NE-SW orientation, but the collision data makes it more like NW-SE orientation. In other words, you can walk on non-rendered parts of the room, to the right. Pausing and unpausing will reset the room, but only the background will be present, with an odd pattern.
  • Floor 4, room 35 is a "Beat Them!" room, but the graphics are all garbled. If you try to change David's coordinates, the game will crash.

About This#

Depending on the system you're using, this menu will be named "ABOUT THIS MEGADRIVE" (J), "ABOUT THIS GENESIS" (U) or "ABOUT THIS EURO MD" (E). This menu only has 1 selectable option, that allows you to change the region manually. The menu displays information about the console's soft version, hard version, controller info (6BPAD for 6-button pads, 3BPAD for 3-button and MOUSE for mouse) for each of the 3 players, and info about the battery's status.

Interestingly, if you hold two opposite directions on the D-Pad simultaneously for a while, the game will consider the controller disconnected. After a moment, it will recognize the controller, again.

Height Editor#

Watch on YouTubeUpon activation of the Test2 code, you are subsequently able to toggle an in-game tile height editor by holding X and pressing A in-game. When this mode is active, a white 5x5 grid appears, with each cell placed on top of the floor tile it's on. This grid is rendered on top of sprites and terrain, so it is not occluded by them. Walkable tiles use a plain white square outline, but wall tiles have a cross on them. There is also a sprite of a lamp with no light (the attackable kind seen in several spots in the game), in the middle of the grid, which is always leveled with its tile's height; it also represents the tile you can currently edit.

The D-Pad moves the grid one unit (Up takes you North, Down South, etc.). Pressing B lowers the floor tile height by 1, and C increases it by 1. Z turns it into a wall tile, and Y turns it into a regular walkable tile and lowers it to the standard floor level. A toggles the foreground flag: if it's on (thick outline), it's possible for sprites to go behind the tile and its walls, if the tile supports it, while off (regular outline) makes it always appear behind sprites.

Once you deactivate the mode, the changes you make will likely not affect the appearance of the world, but David and objects will still collide with the tiles and their new heights correctly. Some rooms will actually display blocks for the tiles you raise, if you give those tiles the foreground flag. Note that that to deactivate the mode, you have to press X+A again, and this A press will toggle the tile's foreground flag just before deactivating the mode.

After you activate the mode once in the room you're in, you also activate some side effects. The shadows of all airborne things, David included, are replaced by white squares, similar to the ones seen in the editor grid, but not aligned to the world grid. A 4-digit number will also appear on the lower part of the enemy health bar, but it's always at 0000. Leaving and re-entering the room will deactivate these side effects and also turn the room's tiles back to normal.

If you open up a path out of bounds to the South or East, David can eventually reach garbled tiles that are being read outside of the level's memory region. Attempting to move the grid or edit the tile you're on won't work here. If you move David out of bounds North or West, you'll likely crash the game, so watch out.

Pausing the game corrupts the graphics of the grid, and allows you to move both the grid and David, though this can be fixed by deactivating and reactivating the mode. Finally, to note is that while you're in the height editor mode, enemies will not target David, but can still harm him accidentally.

Debug Load#

Activate both TEST and TEST2, then intentionally get a game over to add a debug option to the load game menu.
Here are more details about the boss names thanks to the Japanese manual page 23 :

• Bloper is the closest entrance to the boss named Big Roper.
• Dragon is the closest entrance to the boss named Red Dragon.
• Talisman is the closest entrance to the boss named Scare Tree.
• Ramia is the closest entrance to the boss named Lamia.

Here are more details about the other names :

• Start is the entrance to the king's room at the castle
• Wtdradon is the closest entrance to the boss named White Dragon.
• Hgspidr is the closest entrance to the boss named Huge Spider.
• Key3 is the closest entrance to the goblin village
• St4bg is the closest entrance to the guild shop
• St5bg is the closest entrance to the beginning of floor 5
• Shinkan is the closest entrance to the boss's name that refers to the high priest
• St6bg is an entrance to the middle of floor 6
• Final Boss is the closest entrance to the boss named Huster.

To do: Further documentation.

Mode Menu Options#

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page.

The MODE options in the pause menu only has 3 visible options, but there are 3 more, hidden: "MODE3", "MODE0" and "MOUSE ENABLE". These are shown when the TEST menu is activated. The effects of these options are unknown.

Other Debug Menu?#

This needs some investigation. Discuss ideas and findings on the talk page.

There might be another menu hidden inside the game. There is some text that hints to this.

• $26324: ARE_YOU_SURE
• $2706A: DOCUMENT (this one is not the string that appears when a scroll/tablet is highlighted)
• $2754A: TEST2

Unused Text#

Asterisks (*) indicate variable text.

Here is a list of the entries only seen in Japanese language when you display some text thanks to the menu message in TEST2 (press A to change language and switch to Japanese when you display a message number). The equivalent for other languages is an empty message, except for message number 114, which is a copy of message number 113.

Here are details about the context of those unused messages :

• 56, 57, 64, 65 : someone in the castle or someone in the town
• 59 : the village painter
• 100 : advice from Princess Aria (see section Unused Levels, City, Room 0B)
• 105, 106 : someone you save
• 114 : the elder of the goblin village (in his room, there is a spot to use the item Tap Handle.

Here is a list of unused messages that are an early version of some used dialogues.

Unused Levels#

To access these, use the FLOOR debug menu.

City, Room 0B#

A copy of the 2nd portion of the city. It has no characters, except for the princess Aria. She says nothing when spoken to, in almost all versions. In the Japanese game, you will get the content of message number 100 (see section Unused Text). There is one exit to the SE, that leads to the NW corner of the 1st portion of the city.

During normal gameplay, you can actually find and enter said "door" in the 1st city portion, and it will lead back to this unused level. If you walk against the bounds of the stage you'll eventually get caught against the door. If you have the unnamed key, you can just walk up to it, open it, and enter. But if not, you can push an NPC towards the door, jump on top of them, and jump towards the door to reach a higher level of sorts. If you wiggle around back and forth here, you will eventually hit the transition trigger.

Floor 1, Room 0B#

Copy of the room with a floor that's mostly spikes. The spikes and exits don't have data, but there is a way out. It's behind one of the platform's walls near the North of the room. It leads to the used "Answer the Riddle!" room a bit to the South of the 1st floor's teleporter room. The entrance to this unused room can also be touched in the normal game, but it can only be entered with the unused key.

Floor 6, Room 0D#

Copy of the room with a woman that says "Are they crazy?" near the center of the map, except it has no music, no woman, and no exit.

"Floor 7", Room 02#

A copy of the map used in the ending's town scene, but without people.

"Floor 7", Room 04#

An interesting test room. You're in the castle's throne room, but with only a cow and some stairs. The cow—get this—shoots fireballs and other projectiles at you. This is a "Beat Them!" room, and you can even kill the cow. After killing it, it'll be flipped upside-down and release a lot of Fire element pickup, which will lag the game for a while. It explodes when it dies, but the explosions don't end and their graphics are messed up.

A Chinese door can be seen out of bounds to the Southeast, and it opens when the cow is defeated. If you go out of bounds next to where the door is, you'll notice there are walls that enclose a path that actually leads to the door. It's impossible to enter the door, though, and if you do go out of bounds, the game might glitch if you explore too much.

Pausing and unpausing will reset the room, but it will also scramble the graphics. If you go to the stairs, you'll enter room 0B of Floor 1.

Unused Items and Equipment#

To access these items, you can use the code FFF100:??00 to change the first item in your inventory. The Dillo is an armor, though.

Dillo#

An unused piece of chest armor. With the code FFF135:FF00, you'll have all armors, including the Dillo. It's to the third-to-last armor, so it's fairly useful.

Gem#

(1B) Its icon looks like, well, a gem. When one tries to use it, the text "That cannot be used." appears. Type: document.

Ring 1 and Ring 2#

(1D and 1E) Ring 1 has a blue stone, and ring 2 has a red one. When used, the text "That cannot be used" appears. Type: amulet.

Bag#

(1F) "That cannot be used.". Type: special.

Cube#

(21) When used, it'll ask the player if they want to save the game. It can save on any room, and when the player loads the game again, David'll appear on the door that was used to get to the room before saving. It disappears after being used once. Type: special.

Bottle#

(22) If you use this when submerged in water, it'll be transformed into a water bottle. Type: drink.

Boots#

(27) If you use these, you'll be able to jump higher for 10 seconds. This was likely removed because one could skip parts of puzzles with it. Type: special.

Unnamed key#

3A looks like the gold key, and when used, "That cannot be used" appears, obviously, as it's a key. This key opens the doors that lead to City-0B and Floor 1-0B.

It also opens a path in the graveyard. There is an entrance in the wall on the left-hand corner. Try walking towards it with this key, and a door will open. You can then travel through the waterstream, and when you reach the right side, you'll go to the waterstream part on the farm (you'll be standing on top of it, so you'll have to jump to be submerged again). Continue with the route, and you'll be sent to the painter's house. Type: key.

Other Items#

(Items 24, 25, 26, 39, 3A and 3B) All of these are named "." in the inventory screen.

• 24 acts and looks like the bag. Type: special.
• 25 looks like the cube, and when used, "No effect." appears. Type: special.
• 26 is a money bag, and when used, "That cannot be used." appears. Type: special.
• 39's icon is the same as the YES button that appears in message boxes, highlighted. When used, it behaves as if it were the stone tablet or scroll, but there is no text in it. Type: document.
• 3B acts and looks like the bag too. Type: special.

Unused Icons#

These can be found in the Icon menu.

ID	Graphic	Comments
10
11
1D		Generic breastplate icon.
20		Generic glove icon.
4D		A very simple exit sign.
4E		A very simple cross, coupled with the exit sign.
76		Alternate graphics for the radio buttons.
77

Unused Music#

There are 2 unused songs, accessible via the Sound debug menu.

This one has the code 8C. It sounds as though it could belong to a floor.

This one has the code 8E. It sounds as though it could belong to rooms with some action going on.

Unused Sound Effects#

19: David saying "Take this!".

20: David saying "Open the door."

24: The necromancer saying "shinde moraimasu" (roughly, "Die for me").

C9: Some instrument playing in tremolo, endlessly. C9 to CE all do the same, except the pitch is one note higher in each one.

CF: A woman laughing. The laughing sounds can be found individually from 26 to 2A.

D7, D8, D9 and DB: Robot sounds.

Regional Differences#

Translated text for other languages is included inside the American release, despite never being used due to its lack of a language menu. The translated texts can be found at $57A4D, $1B22D8 and $1FD391.

Other Changes#

• The Japanese version has the "Damage number" mode option enabled by default.

American English vs European English#

To do: The Japanese version has ITS OWN English text!...

It looks like the American version updated some parts of the European's script.

Cats and their silly localizations...

The American version removed the mention of battles.

Needless pluralization.

This is the only time this change ("did" to "'d") happens.

The European text indicated that all princess should actually do something instead of being kidnapped.

Interestingly, the American version didn't write "neighbor". And the European version indicated that he actually went somewhere on his own.

The name was changed, and the ellipsis were removed... For some reason.

This guy went from having his own back story to being your average boring adult.

A shopkeep says this after he mentions the price.

The European line made little sense, so in the US version, they wrote a small funny line instead.

The artist was too soft-hearted in the European version.

This very skilled pianist says "There!" before starting her beautiful song in the European version. It'd look better after the song, but it comes right before. This was probably an oversight on the script that was fixed in the US version.

Shopkeepers say this after you buy something.

American's absence of Added Alliterative Appeal.

If you refuse to sleep in the Tavern/Inn, the owner will either sigh or cry like a baby.

Minor change. This is the only time this word is written with a z in the US version.

In the European release, it's seen as a favor.

The king is either selfish or scared. In the European version, it seems like nobody else relies on our hero.

Minor change, but it looks like there's a known legend about it in the American version.

There is a chamber in which one needs to line statues in order so that they are aligned like a lunar eclipse. This text is the clue given before that chamber, but it's a bit clearer for the non-astrology-savvy players in the European version.

The story really didn't need magic to explain how their chains work.

A bit minor, but the European version gives more emphasis on the fact that that food was for the goblins alone.

I really don't know which line is better, to be honest. Although both have that really misplaced "the" there.

American friends call him Roke.

Quite a big difference here. The first paragraph is a lot more Engrish in the European version. The European version also mentions several demons, but only one of them being bad, as if that made sense. The sword's creation is only mentioned in the American version. The European version mentions that the sword will arise if the spirit awakens.

The guild's shopkeep implies that David is a regular costumer in the European version.

After this message, fireballs rain from every corner in the room towards David. A word of advice: standing still in the same place will have you take more damage from the fireballs. What were the European localizers thinking in trying to make the player stand still?

The parents return home, only to be reminded that they live in a single-room shack. It was changed to a less-stressful conclusion in the US version.

Huster, the final boss and ultimate evil, was renamed to Ramiah. Every instance of Huster has been replaced with Ramiah in the US version.

Before fighting against Garriott's armor, it says this. In the European release, it says that David is back, despite this obviously being the first time he's entered that boss room. Unless the armor is talking about from when David was last in Green Row...

In the American version, we're led to believe the armor or spiritual entity is talking, whereas the European version indicates that the sword itself is making the speech.

But you must give it back when you're done!

They're not exactly victims... not yet at least.

What? Buried? They're just standing there on his hand!

With the official translation, here's what you may think: « After Ramiah/Huster is defeated, the Guildmaster... professes their love to David/Ramiah/Huster? That's what happens when you try to jam a tiny bit of romance where it doesn't fit. You get weird out-of-place lines. And why exactly are they calling David/Ramiah/Huster/himself/herself a loser? »

American English vs Japanese#

Japanese text refers to Luza. Good translation is : « Luza, Luza... Even though I loved you. »

Luza is the queen and her daughter is the princess Aria. This double info is missing from the American manual (and is not present in the text of any game version either).

Ramiah's name refers to the final boss in the American version but this name does not exist in the Japanese version. Translation is : « Darkness dwells within the human heart, summoning the god of darkness. That god sought to turn the earth into hell, bringing death to all things. »

Lamia is a boss of Floor 3 (it can be confused with Ramiah which is a false and bad name used to refer to the final boss in American version). The good name for the final boss in Floor 6 is Huster in both Japanese game and European English version.