MediEvil Rolling Demo

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    Rolling Demo splash screen.

    The MediEvil Rolling Demo is a version of MediEvil that is 400 days older than the final version of the game. The demo was released on two PAL region demo discs in late 1997 – Winter Releases '97 demo 01 and Registered Users Demo 02 – the former of which was given out at the European Computer Trade Show.[1] Files on the discs suggest that the demo finished development around August 14, 1997.

    Gameplay

    The whole demo as recorded by EnergeticLute33.

    As the name suggests, the demo is largely non-interactive and cannot be properly played without cheating or hacking. However, the player can use the X button button to skip any of the demo's segments and pressing SELECT can be used to return to the demo disc's main menu.

    The demo lasts just over 10 minutes (loading included) and is made up of 17 segments which show off 10 unique levels. The whole sequence is as follows:

    1. The Graveyard
    2. The Desecrated Church
    3. The Ant Caves
    4. The Asylum Grounds
    5. The Ghost Ship
    6. Pools of the Ancient Dead
    7. Pumpkin Gorge
    8. Scarecrow Fields
    9. The Ant Caves
    10. Pumpkin Gorge
    11. The Ghost Ship
    12. The Graveyard
    13. The Asylum Grounds
    14. The Haunted Ruins
    15. Pools of the Ancient Dead
    16. Pumpkin Gorge
    17. The Sleeping Village

    After the final segment the player is sent back to the main menu of the demo disc.

    Differences from the retail version

    Controls

    The Rolling Demo features a vastly different control scheme. Most notable are the tank controls when moving Dan around without the analog stick. Dan is also capable of sneaking and quickly turning around 180°, both moves that were removed before release.

    Digital

    Action Digital - 0 Digital - 1 Digital - 2
    Attack (hold for continuous attack) X button X button R1 button
    Jump (hold for higher jump) Square button Square button Up button
    Turn around Triangle button Triangle button L1 button
    Block Circle button Down button Down button
    Walk Up button R1 button Triangle button
    Walk backwards Down button L2 button X button
    Turn left Left button Left button Left button
    Turn right Right button Right button Right button
    Sneak Up button + L1 button L1 button Triangle button + L2 button
    Run Up button + R1 button/L3 R2 button/L3 Triangle button + R2 button/L3
    Jump left L2 button Circle button + Left button Square button
    Jump right R2 button Circle button + Right button Circle button
    Open scrollable text box R3 R3 R3
    Change camera mode SELECT SELECT SELECT
    Open pause menu START START START

    Analog - 0

    The general button layout will be identical to whichever digital mode was last active. With this setting, Dan does not turn around when the analog stick is moved in the opposite direction of where he is facing; he walks backwards instead. If the analog stick is tilted only slightly, Dan will sneak.

    Analog - 1

    The general button layout will be identical to whichever digital mode was last active. With this setting, Dan turns to face the direction of the analog stick and walks in that direction without exception. If the analog stick is tilted only slightly, Dan will sneak.

    FMVs

    Although no full motion videos are included with the demo, there are several references to them inside MEDIEVIL.EXE. Starting at offset 0x8F68C:

    10AV.STR
    INTROAV.STR
    TITLEAV.STR
    DUMMY.STR
    

    Further references occur at offset 0xAD300:

    11V.STR
    9AV.STR
    8AV.STR
    7AV.STR
    5AV.STR
    4AV.STR
    3AV.STR
    2AV.STR
    

    6AV, 12AV, 13AV and 14AV are not mentioned, meaning they were probably not finished or planned yet.

    Gameplay

    Lives

    Dan's lives are represented by his skull instead of Life Bottles, both in the HUD and within the game's levels themselves.

    Energy

    Dan's energy is represented by glowing green bones. These were replaced by Energy Vials and Fountains of Rejuvenation.

    Levels

    Starting at offset 0x8E00C in MEDIEVIL.EXE is the following numbered list of levels:

    *X.Programmers's Playground
    *30.Zarok's Lair
    *29.The Lake
    *28.The Time Device
    *27.The Great Machine
    *26.The Hub
    *25.The Halls Of Illusion
    *24.The Entrance Hall
    23.The Ghost Ship
    *22.The Silver Wood
    *21.Circle Of Shadows
    20.The Haunted Ruins
    *19.The Gallows Gauntlet
    *18.The Enchanted Earth
    *17.Inside The Asylum
    16.The Asylum Grounds
    *15.The Mud Slide
    *14.The Muddy Riverbank
    *13.The River
    12.Pools Of The Ancient Dead
    11.The Sleeping Village
    10.The Pumpkin Serpent
    9.Pumpkin Gorge
    8.The Crystal Caves
    7.The Ant Caves
    *6.The Fields Of Dust
    5.The Scarecrow Fields
    4.The Desecrated Church
    *3.Cemetery Hill
    *2.The Coffin Vaults
    1.The Graveyard
    *X.Title Level
    

    Levels preceded by an asterisk are completely unavailable in the MediEvil Rolling Demo. Notably, ten levels on the list did not make it into the final version of the game: The Coffin Vaults, The Fields Of Dust, The River, The Muddy Riverbank, The Mud Slide, Circle of Shadows, The Silver Wood, The Halls Of Illusion, The Hub and The Great Machine. The list also does not include Dan's Crypt, Return to the Graveyard or the Hall of Heroes, suggesting that these levels were conceptualised at a later date.

    Pause Menu

    The pause menu featured in this demo is completely different from the retail one, both in terms of how it looks as well as its available options. Additional options can be unlocked using the DEBUG1 and DEBUG2 cheats.

    RESUME X to continue.
    RESTART** X to restart.
    EXIT X to exit.
    FX VOLUME: L/R to change.
    MUSIC VOLUME: L/R to change.
    CONTROL SETTINGS: X to continue.
    SPEED RELATIVE TURN:* On/Off X to toggle.
    ALLOW DEMO RECORD:** Not available X to toggle.
    DIFFICULTY LEVEL:* 0-3 L/R to change.
    LIVES:* 1-9 L/R to change.
    ENERGY:*
    1-99

    Invulnerable

    L/R to change.
    WEAPON:*
    None

    Small Sword
    Big Sword
    Magic Sword
    Dagger
    Axe
    Club
    Crossbow
    Chick Drumstick
    Own arm
    Lightning
    Longbow
    Spear
    Trident

    L/R to change.
    WEAPON POWER-UP:* On/Off X to toggle.
    SHIELD:*
    None

    Copper
    Silver
    Gold

    L/R to change.
    LIMITED RUN:* On/Off X to toggle.
    DAN MODE:* Not implemented L/R to change.
    RUNE KEYS:*
    Chaos - No/Yes

    Earth - No/Yes
    Moon - No/Yes
    Star - No/Yes
    Time - No/Yes

    X/L/R to change.
    FEET GRIP:* Not activated X to toggle. L/R to change.
    GROUND FRIC:* Not activated X to toggle. L/R to change.
    KINETIC FRIC:* Not activated X to toggle. L/R to change.
    JUST DAN:** On/Off X toggles (must restart).
    TESTCARD:** On/Off X to toggle.
    MATRICES:** Not available X to toggle.
    TERRAIN MODE:* Not available X to toggle.
    GATSO:** On/Off X to toggle.
    MAPVIEW DISPLAY:* Not available X to toggle.
    ACTIVE MAPVIEW* X to enter.
    CAMERA MODE:**
    Spline

    Spline Z (Abs)
    Spline Z (Rel)
    Spline Z (Lim)
    Overhead
    Chase
    Head-set
    Free
    Free (sus)
    Fixed

    L/R to change.
    SUPER CHEAT* X to set.
    SOUND TEST* X to enter.
    PLACE ENTITY:** Not available L/R, O + L/R, X to place.
    SHOW VRAM** X to enter.
    SHOW MEM STATUS** X to enter.
    GRAB SCREEN** X to enter.

    * Unlocked with DEBUG1 or DEBUG2 cheat.
    ** Unlocked with DEBUG2 cheat only.

    Cheats

    Main article: Cheats in MediEvil

    The following cheats will only work after Dan has been made controllable.

    DEBUG1

    "LOST TROLL"
    While holding L2 button, press Left button, Circle button, Square button, Triangle button, Triangle button, Right button, Circle button, Left button, Left button. New options will then appear in the pause menu.[2]

    DEBUG2

    "STOUT LORD"
    While holding L2 button, press Square button, Triangle button, Circle button, Up button, Triangle button, Left button, Circle button, Right button, Down button. New options will then appear in the pause menu. This cheat unlocks all DEBUG1 options as well.[2]

    GameShark codes

    The following codes are compatible with both releases of the demo:

    Demo Mode
    Code Name Effect
    D0096864 800D
    300D4490 0000
    Player Controlled Lets the player control Dan.[3]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4490 0040
    Demo Ready Signals that demo mode is ready (can cause strange behaviour).[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4490 00C0
    Demo Playing Demo mode plays (can cause strange behaviour).[4]
    Pause Menu
    Code Name Effect
    D0096864 800D
    300CFCEC 0000
    PAUSE Reverts to the default pause menu.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300CFCEC 0001
    DEBUG1 Unlocks additional options in the pause menu.[3]
    D0096864 800D
    300CFCEC 0002
    DEBUG2 Unlocks additional options in the pause menu (including DEBUG1 options).[3]
    Control Settings
    Code Name Effect
    D0096864 800D
    800D0818 27F8
    300D4008 0000
    Digital - 0 Sets the current control scheme to Digital - 0.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    800D0818 281C
    300D4008 0001
    Digital - 1 Sets the current control scheme to Digital - 1.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    800D0818 2840
    300D4008 0002
    Digital - 2 Sets the current control scheme to Digital - 2.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D400C 0000
    Analog - 0 Sets the current control scheme to Analog - 0 (analog controller required).[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D400C 0001
    Analog - 1 Sets the current control scheme to Analog - 1 (analog controller required).[4]
    Restart Level
    Code Name Effect
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 0001
    The Graveyard When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to The Graveyard. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 0004
    The Desecrated Church When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to The Desecrated Church. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 0005
    Scarecrow Fields When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to the Scarecrow Fields. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 0007
    The Ant Caves When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to The Ant Caves. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 0009
    Pumpkin Gorge When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to Pumpkin Gorge. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 000B
    The Sleeping Village When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to The Sleeping Village. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 000C
    Pools of the Ancient Dead When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to Pools of the Ancient Dead. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 0010
    The Asylum Grounds When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to The Asylum Grounds. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 0014
    The Haunted Ruins When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to The Haunted Ruins. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]
    D0096864 800D
    300D4024 0017
    The Ghost Ship When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to The Ghost Ship. DEBUG2 must be enabled.[4]

    See also

    References

    1. Goring, Graham, ECTS - Lotta BBW's on uk.games.video.playstation. Published September 7, 1997. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
    2. 2.0 2.1 Original research by SolidSnake11.
    3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Codes by Hacc.
    4. 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14 4.15 4.16 4.17 Codes by Lazlo52.

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