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View topic - Fix the final boss graphic data corruption issue in TW Hokuto no Ken

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  • Joined: 26 May 2017
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Fix the final boss graphic data corruption issue in TW Hokuto no Ken
Post Posted: Sat May 27, 2017 5:07 am
This is about the game "G-1303 Běidǒu shén quán (北斗神拳)"

As some of you SMS lovers already knew, the final boss graphics in the game is sadly corrupted.

I checked the graphics tiles and Z80 code in hope to fix it. The root cause is ROM code corruption at offset 3188, where the code tries to use a wrong address to change the memory bank. You can easily fix it in a hex editor by changing the byte at offset 318A from 7F to FF.

It is difficult for me to believe that it was done by whose who modified the graphics logo because the code at 3188 has nothing to do with the logo. There are more errors in the ROM, no obvious effects except the one that brought two white dots on Ken's body when Ken failed the boss fighting. It could be more possible that the ROM image had been damaged, probably due to improper handling before it was passing to them.

By the way, the original Japanese release can have the same issue if the byte at 318A was changed to 7F.

Please also check the attached MEKA save file for the Hokuto no Ken (TW) right to meet the final boss quickly.

Thank you.
saves.zip (9.39 KB)
Mekaw save file, Hokuto no Ken (TW) final boss

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Post Posted: Sat May 27, 2017 11:06 am
Interesting find, thank you!

Note that a change from 7F to FF is more likely to be caused by an hardware issue than a change from two arbitrary byte values.

I have personally redumped the original cartridge and confirmed the data that was already published, just to rule out the possibility that the dump is incorrect.
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