Nemo

Nemo
Developer: Capcom Publisher: Capcom Platform: Arcade (CP System) Released internationally: November 20, 1990 This game has unused areas. This game has unused enemies. This game has unused graphics. This game has unused music. This game has unused sounds. This game has debugging material. This game has regional differences. This game has a prerelease article

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.

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 Cart
• 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.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

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.

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 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 gameː Stage 2: Slumber Land begins with you jumping down from a set of stairs.

Goat Car

Level ID: 04

This is a vehicle level where the player rides on a goat car, based on the musical part of the movie where Nemo and company used that same transport. It was meant to be after the Slumber Land level.

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 at the player.

When the boss is defeated, the game thinks that "Round 0" has been cleared. Completing this level leads 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".
	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

ID	Sound	Notes
02		Used in the cut Long Stairs level.
04		Used in the cut Goat Car level.
0B		Plays during the Goat Car boss fight.
11		The High Score screen after entering a name?
12		Could have been used for a High Score entry before completing the game, but the entry screen only appears when the game is completed. It uses track 19.
13		Like the above, but meant for the top score only.
15		What this was meant for is unknown.
17		Game Over countdown track? There's no countdown screen in the final game. In the game code, this is right before the Game Over music.
1B		A sinister version of the main game theme. No idea where this would be played.
1D		Plays during the (missing) Long Stairs boss fight.
24		Possible alternate wand strike sound #1.
25		Possible alternate wand strike sound #1.
29		An unknown mechanical noise. It's grouped with the rest of the Slumber Land sounds.
2E		A different version of the used chugging train noise (2F).
32		Unknown and unused train noise.
3D		Should be used by the fireworks in Stage 3. Maybe it got too annoying with the sound in.
42		Four unused water-related sounds. There really isn't that much water in this game, so these aren't needed.
43
44
45
4E		Glass shattering. There's no shattering glass in this game. Maybe that wine bottle item would have used it?
4F		A creaky door opening. Likely meant for the Nightmare Door.
52		These sounds seem to be related to the imp enemy that drains health. These include a latching noise, a biting noise, and two draining sounds. None of these get used, just sound 56.
53
54
55
5B		Electrical sound of some kind.
5F		A cartoony "boing!" sound effect. Alternate enemy stomp sound? It's right after the used stomping sound 5E.
60		A crumpling noise. Or something. Who knows?
62		More unused cartoony sound effects.
63
64		An unused celebratory jingle.
67		Sounds like a bird. Meant for the ostriches in Goat car?
6A		An explosion. An unused explosion, but an explosion.
6F		Possibly meant to be played when time is running out.
70		More likely than not, this is a charging noise. There's nothing that really needs to use this.
74		A sound made by something large and angry.
76		Probably meant to be said by the Nightmare King when his boss fight starts.

(Source: Original TCRF research)

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.

(Source: Original TCRF research)