The Jungle Book (Genesis)

The Jungle Book
Developers: Virgin Games, Eurocom Publishers: Virgin Interactive (US/EU/AU), Tec Toy (BR) Platforms: Genesis Released in US: July 14, 1994 Released in EU: July 1994 Released in AU: 1994 Released in BR: 1994 This game has a hidden developer message. This game has debugging material. This game has a hidden level select. This game has a prototype article This game has a notes page

Look for the, Baaaaaaare, Necessities, the simple Bare Necessities, forget about your worries and your... Oops. Sorry, got lost in song there for a second.

Sub-Pages

Prototype Info

Notes

Debug Menu

To do: Document the options.

The access method for the debug menu is quite unusual as you must jump off the ledge at this specific location (shortly into the first stage). For reference, memory address $FFF7F0 contains #$FF while you're falling within the correct spot between the ledge and the tree. Pause the game in mid-air as pictured and enter the button cheat B, A, Down, C, Right, A, B, Left, A, Right, Down, B, A, Left, Left, C, Up, Right, Left (i.e., BAD CRAB LARD BALL CURL). The debug menu opens. Most of the debug options are the same as the NES version of the game and made by the same developers. Unlike most games with a debug mode, this one is still active even if the game is reset.

• Map View Mode Like in Aladdin, the D-Pad now controls the camera in order to view the entirety of the level.
• No Energy Loss - Infinite energy.
• Infinite Lives
• Infinite Time
• Single Gem Mode - Only one gem required to complete each level.
• Force Bonus Level - Play bonus level after each stage without having to find all of the gems.
• Palette Editor - Cycles through palettes during gameplay.
• Solid Floor - Closes off the bottom edge of a level so it can't be fallen through.
• Level - Use Left or Right to select a level to start on.

(Source: GameFAQs (Retro))

Developer Messages

Pause the game and enter one of the following button combinations to display these screens:

BAD LAD BULL CRAB

B, A, Down, Left, A, Down, B, Up, Left, Left, C, Right, A, B

RUB A BALL

Right, Up, B, A, B, A, Left, Left

RAD CRAB RADAR LAB

Right, A, Down, C, Right, A, B, Right, A, Down, A, Right, Left, A, B

Checksums

The game contains two checksum checks similar to the ones in Spot Goes to Hollywood (Genesis), another game by the same developer.

$1A16DC

If the word at $1A16DC is non-zero (e.g., Pro Action Replay (PAR) code 1A16DC:0001), the game runs a checksum and displays the result on this screen at bootup. The checksum calculation ignores the words at $1A16DC and $1A16DE. The checksum for the North American version is 47459 decimal, which matches the stored value at $00018E (#$B963).

$1A16DE

If the word at $1A16DE is non-zero, the game runs a checksum (ignoring the words at $1A16DC and $1A16DE) and compares it to the stored value at $00018E. If the values don't match, the game displays the standard solid red screen seen in many Genesis games.

Mystery Bonus Points

When a level is completed, the game awards "MYSTERY" points on the tally screen. They are not described anywhere in the manual. Upon checking the game's code, here is what they actually do.

MYSTERY1

This bonus has strange conditions. They are as follows:

• After level completion, if the remaining time is 0:00, then award 20000 bonus points and exit.
• If the remaining seconds are 00, then award 15000 bonus points and exit.
• If current level is 10 (final level), then let X = 0x3100, else let X = 0.
• If (current level - 1) + 0x31 + X == remaining seconds in ASCII format, then award 10000 bonus points and exit.

However, the remaining time is converted to points and reset to 0:00 before the MYSTERY1 bonus points calculation routine is called, so this bonus always gives 20000 points. The last condition is also constructed in a way it would never be satisfied even if the previous conditions weren't true.

MYSTERY2

If the player did not fire any of his weapons in the level, this bonus awards the player 20000 bonus points and an extra life.

MYSTERY3

Although a subroutine for this bonus exists in the code, it is never called. Because of this, it's impossible to get this bonus.

The subroutine buried in the game's code has the following condition:

• If the variable 0xFFF957 == 0, then award 15000 bonus points and exit.

The variable 0xFFF957 is never accessed by the game's code in any way, so it is unknown what this bonus was intended to award points for.

MYSTERY4

If the current level is 1 and current player lives is 0, this bonus awards the player 10000 bonus points and 3 extra lives.

Extra Lives

Due to a bug in the game's code, the mystery bonuses will only give the player 1 extra life maximum, even if more than one 1-Up is shown on the tally screen.