MediEvil Rolling Demo

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. Files on the discs suggest that the demo finished development around August 14, 1997.

Rolling Demo splash screen.

Gameplay

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The 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 to skip any of the demo's segments and pressing SELECT can be used to return to the demo disc's main menu.

Sequence

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 - Sir Dan starts at the beginning of the level with three Lives and two Energy Bones. He wields the Small Sword. He fails at fighting the first zombie he encounters and loses an Energy Bone. He obtains a shield from a chest. Afterwards he successfully kills two zombies for a total score of 250 points. Then he proceeds up a hill to collect the Chaos Rune.
2. The Desecrated Church - Dan begins in the catacombs underneath the church with three Lives and three Energy bones. Here he trades his Small Sword for the Crossbow. He successfully kills an Imp for 125 points. Soon after his crossbow is stolen by another Imp. He is forced to use his Own arm. He uses it to destroy a Skull Chest which unleashes a Smart Bomb. The Imps are killed but not before Dan takes some damage from an Imp's torch.
3. The Ant Caves - Dan has three Lives and five Energy Bones and is wielding a Club. He uses it to crush an ant for 300 points. He picks up a Power-up Potion which makes the Club emit shockwaves. He then kills an ant larva and unleashes a Smart Bomb which kills even more of them. Afterwards he proceeds to kill another ant with the Club for a score of 700 points, though he loses two Energy Bones in the process.
4. The Ghost Ship - Here Dan begins with three Lives and five Energy Bones again. He also has the Magic Sword and immediately picks up the Star Rune. He manages to lose three Energy Bones while making his way past the pirates on the ship.
5. The Asylum Grounds - Dan has three Lives and three Energy Bones. He carries the Axe which he uses to dispatch Mad Monks and a hedge dragon. He picks up a Power-up Potion which envelops him in a barrier that deals damage to enemies. After killing more Mad Monks, Dan's total score at the end of the segment is 1425 points.
6. Pools of the Ancient Dead - Dan has three Lives, nine Energy Bones and the Crossbow. He fends off a tentacle and three Armoured Knights for 475 points in total. However, he does also lose an Energy Bone.
7. Pumpkin Gorge - Dan begins with three Lives and two Energy Bones. He wields the Big Sword. He is immediately assaulted by exploding Pumpkin Bombs and loses an Energy Bone. He fights his way into the cave in front of him where he picks up the Moon Rune. He then makes his way out of the cave and further into the gorge.
8. Scarecrow Fields - Dan has three Lives, three Energy Bones and the Small Sword. He picks up the Serpent Potion which summons Kul Katura. He is attacked by a crow which makes him lose a Life. He opens a Chest and takes the Longbow contained within. Using the Longbow he destroys a Random Chest which contains the Big Sword. He loses another Energy Bone to a wicker man and then unleashes a Smart Bomb from a nearby Skull Chest which robs Dan of his last Bone. The level ends as he is about to be revived.
9. The Ant Caves - Dan has three Lives and eight Energy Bones. He carries the Big Sword. He successfully dispatches an Ant and two Larvae with it for 500 points. Heading down a tunnel he manages to find an Energy Bone. After picking it up he is attacked by several Ants. He kills them, bringing his points up to 2000. However, he loses two Energy Bones.
10. Pumpkin Gorge - With three Lives, three Energy Bones and the Longbow, Dan makes battle with some Pumpkin Plants. He kills two of them for 200 points, but loses an Energy Bone. Then he finds and picks up a Power-up Potion. Using the now powered-up Longbow, he kills two more Pumpkin Plants and a Pumpkin Bomb for a total of 500 points.
11. The Ghost Ship - Dan has three Lives and three Energy Bones. He wields the Longbow. He makes his way past the barrels on the ship, but not without losing an Energy Bone. He kills a member of the Pirate Crew and a Pirate Officer for 300 points. He skilfully manoeuvres past the ship's cannons and picks up a Moon Rune.
12. The Graveyard - Dan fights off some zombies with the Big Sword for 225 points. He picks up a Power-up Potion and goes to town on some Graveyard Wolves. He picks up the Star Rune at the top of a small hill. He makes his way back down where he kills some more Zombies and Wolves. Dan ends with a score of 975 points.
13. The Asylum Grounds - Dan is at the chessboard near the entrance to the Asylum. He is using the Lightning to try and make the Chess Pieces fall into place. When he is finished, the middle of the chessboard reveals a passageway.
14. The Haunted Ruins - Dan begins with three Lives and four Energy Bones. He uses the Magic Sword to dispatch a Shadow Demon for 300 points. He gets on the castle's battlements where he stands in front of a cannon which shoots him in the face, making him lose an Energy Bone. He then runs past the cannon and collects a Moon Rune.
15. Pools of the Ancient Dead - Dan has three Lives and three Energy Bones. He wields a powered-up Spear. He uses it to kill some Armoured Knights and Undead Warriors for 1025 points. A rogue tentacle robs him of an Energy Bone.
16. Pumpkin Gorge - Dan, who has three Lives and three Energy bones, throws the Dagger at a Pumpkin Plant, which he kills for 100 points. He runs away only to run into a group of Pumpkin Plants. They deprive him of two Energy Bones. Wisely, Dan runs away afterwards.
17. The Sleeping Village - Wielding the Crossbow, Dan makes his way into the village. He uses the weapon successfully to kill Mr Mad. He enters a nearby house and kills Mrs Mad. He makes his way further in where another Mr Mad attacks him. Dan kills him, bringing his total score up to 525 points. He turns around to make his way back. The demo ends.

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

Differences from the retail version

Being over a year older than the final game, the gameplay in the MediEvil Rolling Demo resembles the arcade classic Ghosts 'n Goblins more closely than the Zeldaesque gameplay of the final product. Elements like the Chalices of Souls, Help Gargoyles, Merchant Gargoyles, books and the inventory do not exist yet. Potentially offensive religious references have yet to be censored. Development is in full swing and most levels are only half-finished.

Chests

Chests are containers that contain various items. There are three types of chests in the MediEvil Rolling Demo:

• Normal Chests - A normal chest will always contain the same thing every playthrough. It can contain weapons and shields.
• Random Chests - A random chest also contains weapons and shields like a normal chest, but its contents are randomised; the contents of the chest are not guaranteed to be the same on another playthrough. The chests can be recognised by their reddish colour and question mark on the front and back.
• Skull Chests - These chests house Smart Bombs which explode to damage anyone caught in their blast, including Dan himself. Enemies killed by a bomb will not be added to the total score even if Dan is the one to trigger it.

Controls

The MediEvil 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)
Jump (hold for higher jump)
Turn around
Block
Walk
Walk backwards
Turn left
Turn right
Sneak	+		+
Run	+ /L3	/L3	+ /L3
Jump left		+
Jump right		+
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.

Energy

Dan's energy is represented by semi-transparent green bones known as Energy Bones. These were replaced by Energy Vials and Fountains of Rejuvenation in the final game, while the Energy Counter, which keeps track of the bones, was replaced by the Life Bar.

At the beginning of the game, Dan will have three Energy Bones. More Energy Bones can be found in the environment or dropped by enemies, especially the final enemy in a wave of enemies.

Losing all Energy Bones will cause Dan to lose a Life. A single Energy Bone is lost when Dan sustains damage from an enemy attack. If Dan suffers a fatal event, such as falling or drowning, then he will lose a Life and his bones will be reset to three.

The Energy Counter will display the first three bones individually. After Dan collects a fourth bone, the bones are stacked and a number will show the current amount. Although Dan can carry a large number of Energy Bones, the Counter will not update beyond the first nine, much like the Life Counter.

Full motion videos

Although no FMVs 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 do not appear in the lists, meaning they were probably not finished or planned yet.

Levels

Starting at offset 0x8E00C in MEDIEVIL.EXE is a numbered list of levels. This list also appears in later versions, including the final game version.

MediEvil Rolling Demo 0x8E00C in MEDIEVIL.EXE

MediEvil (SCUS-94227) 0xA4C94 in MEDIEVIL.EXE

*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

*Programmers's Playground Zarok's Lair The Lake The Time Device The Entrance Hall The Ghost Ship Hall of Heroes The Haunted Ruins The Gallows Gauntlet The Enchanted Earth Inside The Asylum The Asylum Grounds Pools Of The Ancient Dead The Sleeping Village The Pumpkin Serpent Pumpkin Gorge The Crystal Caves The Ant Caves Dan's Crypt Scarecrow Fields The Hilltop Mausoleum Cemetery Hill Return to the Graveyard The Graveyard *Title Level

Levels in the list that are preceded by an asterisk are unavailable to play in the MediEvil Rolling Demo. However, despite not being marked with an asterisk, The Pumpkin Serpent and The Crystal Caves are also not playable.

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.

Lives

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

Dan begins the game with three Lives. More Lives can usually be found in areas off the beaten path within levels. If Dan loses all of his energy he will lose a Life.

Although Dan can carry a large number of Lives, the Life Counter will not update beyond the first nine.

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:	Digital - 0 Digital - 1 Digital - 2 Analog - 0 Analog - 1	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.

Points

Points are awarded for picking up moneybags, which are worth 50 points, and dispatching enemies. The Score Counter in the top right corner of the screen keeps track of points. Points were eventually scrapped and replaced with the Chalice of Souls and Gold systems.

Dan only earns points for enemies he kills directly, i.e. enemies who died by drowning or a Smart Bomb do not award any points. Each enemy type awards a different amount of points:

• Ants - 300 points
• Ant Larvae - 100 points
• Ant Queen - 1500 points
• Armoured Knights - 125 points
• Bats - 100 points
• Crows - 75 points
• Ghouls - 300 points
• Headless Zombies - 175 points
• Hedges - 100 points
• Imps - 125 points
• Mad Monks - 200 points
• Mr Mad - 175 points
• Mrs Mad - 175 points
• Patients - 125 points
• Pirate Crew - 125 points
• Pirate Officers - 175 points
• Pumpkin Bombs - 100 points
• Pumpkin Plants - 100 points
• Scarecrows - 200 points
• Shadow Demons - 300 points
• Stained Glass Demon - 1000 points
• Tentacles - 100 points
• Uncle Mad - 125 points
• Undead Warriors - 200 points
• Wickermen - 100 points
• Wolves - 200 points
• Zombies (Type A) - 100 points
• Zombies (Type B) - 125 points

Potions

Potions are pick-ups found throughout the levels. They cause a variety of effects:

	Dragon Potion Although the potion has no effect in the Rolling Demo, it is likely it would have served to transform Dan into Dragon Dan. The potion cannot be found in any of the Rolling Demo's levels, but can be accessed via hacking. The potion was repurposed for the Dragon Armour, but was eventually superseded by the Serpent Potion.
	Growth Potion Upon drinking this potion, Dan grows in size for a very short time and then shrinks back down to his regular size. This potion cannot be found in any of the Rolling Demo's levels, but can be accessed via hacking.
	Invisibility Potion Nothing seems to happen when Dan drinks this potion in the Rolling Demo. However, given its appearance, it is likely that the potion would have made Dan invisible. This potion cannot be found in any of the Rolling Demo's levels, but can be accessed via hacking. A retextured version of the potion model eventually became the Life Bottle.
	Yellow Potion This potion cannot be found in any of the Rolling Demo's levels, but can be accessed via hacking. The potion seems to have no real effect when it is picked up.
	Serpent Potion This potion summons the powerful Serpent Lord Kul Katura to fight at Dan's side. Kul Katura was eventually moved into chests while the Serpent Potion became the design of the Dragon Potion instead.
	Shrink Potion It is likely that this potion would have made Dan shrink. However, it appears to have no effect in the Rolling Demo and cannot be found in any of its levels. Dan is shrunk by the Forest Witch in the final game.
	Shrink Enemies Potion This potion shrinks all nearby enemies for a brief time period. There is no equivalent mechanic to this in the retail version of the game.
	Weapon Power-up Potion Makes Dan's current weapon deal double damage for a short amount of time. Some weapons also get additional effects, such as releasing shockwaves or enveloping Dan in a protective barrier. Power-up moves were incorporated as secondary attacks in the final game.

Weapons

Similarly to how it works in Ghosts 'n Goblins, Dan can only carry a single weapon at a time. New weapons can be obtained from chests or found on their own in the levels. Each weapon can be powered-up using the Weapon Power-up Potion. Weapons can also be stolen by Imps, in which case Dan will tear off his own arm to defend himself. Unlike in the final game, ranged weapons are unlimited and cannot be used up. There are 13 weapons in total:

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

Cheats

Main article: Cheats in MediEvil

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

DEBUG1

"LOST TROLL"
While holding , press , , , , , , , , . New options will then appear in the pause menu.

DEBUG2

"STOUT LORD"
While holding , press , , , , , , , , . New options will then appear in the pause menu. This cheat unlocks all DEBUG1 options as well.

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.
Pause Menu
Code	Name	Effect
D0096864 800D 300CFCEC 0000	PAUSE	Reverts to the default pause menu.
D0096864 800D 300CFCEC 0001	DEBUG1	Unlocks additional options in the pause menu.
D0096864 800D 300CFCEC 0002	DEBUG2	Unlocks additional options in the pause menu (including DEBUG1 options).
Control Settings
Code	Name	Effect
D0096864 800D 800D0818 27F8 300D4008 0000	Digital - 0	Sets the current control scheme to Digital - 0.
D0096864 800D 800D0818 281C 300D4008 0001	Digital - 1	Sets the current control scheme to Digital - 1.
D0096864 800D 800D0818 2840 300D4008 0002	Digital - 2	Sets the current control scheme to Digital - 2.
D0096864 800D 300D400C 0000	Analog - 0	Sets the current control scheme to Analog - 0 (analog controller required).
D0096864 800D 300D400C 0001	Analog - 1	Sets the current control scheme to Analog - 1 (analog controller required).
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.
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.
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.
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.
D0096864 800D 300D4024 0009	Pumpkin Gorge	When picking the restart level option in the pause menu, restarts to Pumpkin Gorge. DEBUG2 must be enabled.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.

See also

• MediEvil 0.32 Demo
• MediEvil Demo
• MediEvil Japanese Demo
• MediEvil Late Japanese Demo

External links

• MediEvil Rolling Demo on The Cutting Room Floor.