Densetsu no Stafy 3

Densetsu no Stafy 3
Also known as: Densetsu no Starfy 3 [sic] (INT) Developers: TOSE, Nintendo Publisher: Nintendo Platform: Game Boy Advance Released internationally: July 11, 2024 (Nintendo Switch Online) Released in JP: August 5, 2004 This game has hidden development-related text. This game has debugging material.

To do: Document recently found test maps.

Densetsu no Stafy 3, guest starring Wario, is the third game in the Legendary Starfy series. This game also has multiplayer minigames. While the game was initially exclusive to Japan, it (along with the first and second entries) was finally released overseas in 2024 via Nintendo Switch Online... and remained completely untranslated from the original Japanese.

Debug Conversations

A series of debug conversations for testing colors, texts, animations, and one of the Ogura cutscenes.

Modify offset 192844 to 786A5A08 (or simply write it at 08192844 in VisualBoyAdvance's memory editor) and start a new game. The characters will now have different texts.

Color Test

Displays white, red (color 3), cyan (color 7) and orange (color 12) text. Later displays a system color ("システムカラー") that appears identical to color 3.

Animation Test

Modifies Starfy's pose each time アニメへんこうてすとだ！ appears.

• Pose 1: Starfy raises one of his hands with a neutral pose, and water drops from it.
• Pose 2: Starfy poses smiling with his eyes closed and one of his hands missing/hidden behind his back.
• Pose 3: Starfy relaxes on the floor sitting on his front, again with a hidden hand.
• Pose 4: The same as pose 3, but Starfy is sleeping. His mouth animates and "Z" can be seen. Starfy then fidgets a little.
• Pose 5: Starfy falls and hurts his head, now bandaged. This animation does not loop.
• Poses 6-12: Starfy looks disapproving and his hands animate.

(Source: Torchickens (activation))

Conversation Test

Used to test "message data". The options are "Conversation caller", "Conversation switcher" and "Ogura caller". Both "conversation caller" and "conversation switcher" print text, and "Ogura caller" starts one of the cutscenes with Ogura hurrying to do what Evil asked of him, and his relationship with him.

Text

This text starts from offset 5A6AE1 in Shift JIS in a Densetsu no Stafy 3 ROM. Translations are provided below. Curiously, the below text may also be found in Dr. Mario & Puzzle League but at a different offset.

カラーへんこうてすと

カラー３

カラー７

カラー１２

カラーへんこうてすと２
システムカラー

テストメッセージ
グッズ１０

テストメッセージ

テストだぜ！

１２３４５６７８９０１２３４５５６７
１２３４５６７８９０１２３４５５６７
１２３４５６７８９０１２３４５５６７

テストだぜ！
１２３４５６７８９０１２３４５５６７
１２３４５６７８９０１２３４５５６７
１２３４５６７８９０１２３４５５６７

テストだぜ！

１２３４５６７８９０１２３４５５６７

オラ！　テストめっせーじだ！
スピンしたら　オレさまが
とびだすぞ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

アニメへんこうてすとだ！

いちど　とびだしたら
へやを　へんこうするまで
じめんには　もどらないぞ！

これは　テストようの
メッセージデータじゃよ・・・

テストをおのぞみじゃな？
　　かいわよびだし
　　かいわきりかえ
　　おーぐらでもよびだし

かいわよびだしのテストじゃよ

かいわきりかえのテストじゃーー
つぎのページはべつのてきすとを
ひょうじするぞい！

おーぐらでもをよびだすのじゃ・・

かいわしゅうりょうなのじゃ！

かいわよびだしテストですよ
かいわきりかえテストですよ

このかいわが　おわったら
かいわモードはしゅうりょうする
はずです。

Color-change test

Color3

Color7

Color12

Color-change test2

System color

Test-message
Goods10

Test-message

Test!
123456789012345567
123456789012345567
123456789012345567

Test!
123456789012345567
123456789012345567
123456789012345567

Test!

123456789012345567

Hey! This is a test message!
If you Spin, I'll
pop out at you!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Animation-change test!

Once you leave,
you can't come back to ground level until 
the room changes!

This is something test message data
for testing with...

Wanna test something?
　　Conversation Caller
　　Conversation Switcher
　　Call an Ogura

This is a test for the conversation-calling function.

This is a test for the conversation-switcher.
The next page will show some
different text!

So you wanna call an Ogura or something...

Conversation finished!

This is a test of the conversation caller!
This is a test of the conversation switcher!

When this conversation finishes,
conversation mode should
end.

(Source: eientei95 (finding the text in Dr. Mario & Puzzle League), Bluesun (translation))

Compile Dates

To do: Identify what parts of the code these are for

There are seven compile dates scattered throughout the ROM. This is likely because the dates are keeping track of when each piece of code was modified.

V1.0

At 1856E0:

OptRls.2004/07/11 16:24:04

At 32BBD4 & 354593:

OptRls.2004/07/07 22:00:03

At 380480 & 3D0D26:

OptRls.2004/07/07 22:01:02

At 3A7604:

OptRls.2004/07/07 22:01:32

At 3EC980:

OptR.ls.2004/ 07.. 22:0.0:15

At 3F4733:

Opt.Rls.2004./07.. 22:.00:45

At 40C7DD:

Opt.Rls.2004./07.. 22:.02:14

Rev 1

At 185814:

OptRls.2004/09/14 17:03:31

At 32BE90:

OptRls.2004/07/07 22:00:03

At 354648:

OptRls.2004/07/07 22:00:32

At 38053C:

OptRls.2004/07/07 22:01:02

At 3A76C0:

OptRls.2004/07/07 22:01:32

At 3D0DDC:

OptRls.2004/07/07 22:02:02

Memories of the Trip Feature

To do: Add image. Play through an incomplete save file up to unlocking Moe's House/research more whether the description is unused too.

On the Moe's House menu, locking 02004498 to 04 will bring up an unused "Memories of the Trip" (Japanese: たびの思い出) option, but it is never unlocked. It is possible that during development specific treasure items were intended to be available like in the first two Legendary Starfy games. However, in the final version the only collectables are the Evil Crystals, chests with entries to the sound test and (in a loose sense) entries to the Trading Cards illustrated encyclopedia by defeating enemies.

This feature also has the description "Woah, it's nothing! It's nothing but trash in my eyes!" (Japanese: "..うっ...なんでもねえよ!目にゴミがはいっただけだ"); shared with invalid options.

(Source: Torchickens)

Multi Load Text

V1.0

At 18578A, formatted with 00 between each character:

MULTI LOAD SAMPLE

At 32BDF0, 3545A8, 38049C, 3D0D3C, 3A7620:

MultiSioSync4Sio32Load020820

At 32BE10, 3545C8, 3804BC, 3D0D5C, 3A7640:

Sio32MultiLoad010214

At 3EC9CD:

MultiSio Sync4 32 Load0208

Rev 1

At 1858BE, formatted with 00 between each character:

MULTI LOAD SAMPLE

At 187BC0, 32BEAC, 354664, 380558, 3A76DC, 3D0DF8:

MultiSioSync4Sio32Load020820

At 187BE0, 32BECC, 354684, 380578, 3A76FC, 3D0E18:

Sio32MultiLoad010214

At 3ECA89:

MultiSio Sync4 32 Load0208

(Source: Torchickens)

Unused Graphics

• Like Densetsu no Stafy 2, there are graphics for more stage texts than exists in the final game. File Select screen Stage graphics exist for Stages 11-14, but there are only ten stages in the final game.
• The neutral expression sprite of Starfy remains in the ROM from Densetsu no Stafy with revamped graphics. However, it is not known whether it can be triggered the old way (by forcing treasure chest text illegitimately).
• A variation of the bubble graphic for Undersea Ruins (the Stage where Starfy/Starly team with Wario) is unused.

(Source: Torchickens, Spriter Frario)

Version Differences

To do: Add more detail

There are three known revisions of Densetsu no Stafy 3; Rev 0 (i.e. v1.0 / the original game), Rev 1 (i.e. v1.1), and the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console version; based on Rev 1. The Virtual Console version probably makes technical changes to the multiplayer minigames.

Rev 1 makes some minor changes to the game as well (ignoring the expected ROM header and build date changes):

• The placements of some objects were altered, for some unknown reason.
• Additional dialogue was added to a script in Stage 10-4 (あぁ？ 『カン』にきまってんだろ？ オラ！いくぞ！).
• Some character animations were changed in conversations; to better illustrate information (such as alterations to jumping characters to indicate who is talking, or Kanterabaa only shocking Starfy, Starly and Moe in Rev 1).
• Two glitches involving save Mermaids in Stage 4-6 and Stage 8-6 writing a save file at the wrong location were patched in Rev 1.
• A minor text placement glitch related to a Pufftop Guard was fixed in Stage 9-2; by splitting a line into two smaller lines.
• Rev 1 closes the final cutscene of Stage 10-3 automatically.

Object Differences Video:

Scripting Differences Video:

(Source: Dimedime)