Nemo

Nemo is a 1990 action-platformer based on the 1989 movie based on the 1905 comic strip.

They took a while to make it is what I'm saying.

Sub-Page#

Prerelease Info

Debug Functions#

Error Handler#

An error handler is built into the game. The following error types are listed at 0x000598 in memory:

  BUS  ERROR
ADDRESS ERROR
ILLEGAL INST 
 ZERO  DIVIDE
CHK INSTRUCTI
 TRAPV INST  
PRIV VIOLATIO
TRACE NEXT PC
1010 EXCEPTIO
1111 EXCEPTIO

In-Stage Debug#

To enable an in-stage debug mode, set the Game Mode dip switch to "Game", get to the title screen, then set the Game Mode dip switch to "Test".

By default, this will enable some coordinate and difficulty information on the bottom-left of the screen...

• Game difficulty level. This is set at the beginning of the game based on the difficulty dip switches and the number of players, it increments by 1 every 512 frames, capped at FF.
• Player 1's X position.
• Player 1's Y position.
• Camera's X position.
• Camera's Y position.

...and make 1P/2P Button 3 instantly kill the player.

Depending on the value of certain dip switches, more options are enabled:

• DIP SWITCH A1: Runs the game at 1/2 speed.
• DIP SWITCH B5-B8: Changes the starting level. This is in the little-endian format: For instance, if Dip Switch A1 and A2 are both set, the game starts at stage 03. Note that the stored stage order doesn't match the final stage sequence:

:*00: King Morpheus

:*01: Long Stairs

:*02: Slumber Land

:*03: Goat Car

:*04: Big Balloon

:*05: Police Station

:*06: Nightmare Land

:*07: Nightmare Castle

:*08: Nightmare King

• DIP SWITCH C1: Runs the game at 2x speed.
• DIP SWITCH C2: Makes both players invincible and bounces players out of pits.

Cut Levels#

Two levels were cut from the game. They can be accessed by changing byte FF8515 to the given level ID just before a level cutscene starts, or by using the in-stage debug mode mentioned previously.

Long Stairs#

Level ID: 02

A short level with Nemo and/or Flip riding a long set of stairs, based on the part of the movie just before Nemo meets King Morpheus. This was originally the level that came after Stage 1.

Watch on YouTube

Enemy soldiers will fly above on balloons and try to drop porcupines on you. Smaller toy soldiers will ride the stairs with you and get in your way. The level seems to have been cut before the players' weapons were implemented, as they attack with their bare hands, and the palette for the magic spark is completely black.

The level ends rather unceremoniously when the boss is cued to appear. Since the boss was taken out of the game, the level crashes. Fortunately, a flyer screenshot shows what it looked like.

A remnant of this stage is still present in the final game: Stage 2: Slumber Land begins with you jumping down from a set of stairs.

Goat Car#

Level ID: 04

This is a seemingly complete level where the player rides on a goat car, based on a musical sequence from the movie where Nemo and company use the same mode of transport. It was meant to appear after the Slumber Land level.

Watch on YouTube

The player must contend with bees and soldiers riding on ostriches. There is also a section that recreates the part in the movie where the car hops across alligator heads.

There's a boss at the end of the stage, making this level entirely playable! It's a giant mantis that shoots red blobs out of its bottom.

When the boss is defeated, the game says that "Round 0" has been cleared, then takes the player to the Police Station stage.

Unused Graphics#

	A fat soldier appears in the ending cutscene, though he doesn't move at all. He has animations that suggest he would be a regular enemy in the game. Note that in three frames of his running animation, his mustache is incorrectly colored green.
	An eraser. "Mono" is a brand of erasers that is mostly sold in Japan.
	This is stored in the same area. That is an angry face.
	Two unused throwable items: A glass bottle and a flower pot.
	Signs that would be displayed in the mechanical part of the Slumber Land stage.
	A chair that would have shown up somewhere at the start of the Police Station stage.
	This is the key to the Nightmare Door that Nemo received in the movie. It should be in the cutscene where the door opens -- the text mentions it -- but the player never gets to see the actual key.
	An alternate, larger splash animation. What else can be said about it?
	Two animations that should have been used in the ending cutscene when King Morpheus talks to Nemo. Instead, he just stands there like a cardboard cutout. Oh well.
	Two unused animations for Professor Genius (actual name): Looking shocked (for when the princess kisses Nemo?) and looking down (no clue).
	Unused frame of the Princess standing, the frame used in the actual game is of a different perspective. It can be seen in flyers for the game.
	Two pieces of Kanji text found after the name entry font. They translate as "end" and "new line".
	Graphics for every tile type. Since they're stored with the 8x8 tiles, they could be used to overlay tile information in a level editor. This also includes a cursor in the bottom-left corner.
	Two more cursors: One for 16x16 tiles, and the other for 32x32 background tiles.
	Filler graphics. All three of these translate as "Aki", which in this context means "empty". One of them is cheekily written with the homophonous kanji for "autumn."
	Two more filler tiles: A tense/serious face and a worried face. These appear in the Slumber Land level tiles.

In-game	Full

There's a graphic for a desk at the beginning of the Police Station stage, but it was mistakenly put on the background layer so it can't be seen behind the foreground tiles.

Unused Sounds#

Regional Differences#

Sound 77 is supposed to play when the Nightmare King is defeated. In the "World" sets, this sound is interrupted by the generic "enemy defeated" sound effect. In the Japanese set, this sound has a greater priority, allowing it to play properly.