Run objectives

  • Emulator used: BizHawk 1.12.1
  • Aims for fastest any% completion
  • Major skip glitch
  • Uses a game restart sequence
  • Heavy glitch abuse
  • Genre: Action
  • Genre: RPG

About the game

E Mo Dao (惡魔島) aka Devil Island aka Devil Land aka Alcatraz Island aka Forget Everything You Know About TASing, is a GBC bootleg game by Vast Fame.
The game is basically a port of the NES game Getsu Fuuma Den, but with graphics changed in order to make it similar to a Castelvania game. The pseudo-3D levels were omitted entirely. The sound engine is taken from Mega Man V, while the musics are original compositions by Yishen Liao.

About the run

In my opinion, the branch name should be "demo glitch" or something similar, in order to distinguish from possible future submissions that will forgoe using this major skip glitch.
For making this run, I got inspiration from these movies: [984] NES Arkanoid "warps, demo glitch" by Baxter in 04:26.28 and [2285] GBA Densetsu no Stafy "demo glitch" by jlun2 in 03:28.68. So I've researched for a method to gain control during the demoplay in order to start with later stages already unlocked. And at some point I found a way, a very lame one.

Glitches

Demo unlock
There are four different demoplays. The first two feature use of the pause menu. If you press any key while the pause menu is open, the game will unlock control and start treating the demo like if it was an actual play. Luckly, every demoplay feature all items unlocked, so this means you can access to any level, including the final boss stage.
Level skip
Discovered by Noxxa. While on the overworld, you can press Select at any time for quicksaving the game. Since it is possible to do this even while the player is walking in between tiles, it is possible to save with the player's position on the spot of a level entrance. Then, after rebooting the console you will end up standing on the level entrance, but without actually entering it. Then you can just continue walking past that point. This must be done twice, because every level has two entrances. This can't be done with levels that have the other entrance past unwalkable overworld tiles.

The fight

The final boss stage can be accessed only after having unlocked a special weapon, that does require clearing 3 different stages with a boss at the end; it's basically a whip that does project an air blade. This is also the only weapon that can reasonably damage the final boss.
I also used the gauntlet, an item that does temporarly double damage dealth to enemies.

Optimizing

This game's engine is incredibly broken and makes little sense. The invicibility times between hits to the final boss are always different, and it looks like they can't be manipulated, except with lag management. But here goes the problem: the emulator doesn't detect lag at all, because of how messed is input polling and VBlank in this game. After doing some tests with lsnes, I've seen that sometime the game does poll inputs twice during a frame, and skip during the following one. The game does often slow down for a frame or some more, and there is no conclusive reason that causes it: for example, it often happens during landing or when attacking, but not always, while sometimes can get worse. So, in order to kill the boss as fast as possible, I've used trial and error. I think I've done a good job, but I really can't be sure to have optimized it to perfection.

Possible improvements

Maybe a frame or two could be saved with some solid bruteforcing or some hardcore reverse engeneering.

Special Thanks

To Noxxa, for telling me about the level skip glitch.

What's next

Since this run, while is Vault eligible, does not show much of the game, I'm going to make a run that forgoes using the demo unlock glitch, which will aim for the Moons tier. Actually, I've already started, but it's going to take a while to finish.

Fog: Judging.
Fog: This is an unofficial game, but the makers of this game (Vast Fame) are notable enough to have this run be acceptable.
About the run itself, this is a really, really stupid oversight by the makers of this game. However, it is hilarious to see how broken their demo system is.
Other than breaking the demo system, the actual run is underwhelming.
Accepting to Vault.
feos: Let's pub some tiny ones while Sabre Wulf is being sorted out.

TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 14776
Location: 127.0.0.1
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #5587: ThunderAxe31's GBC Devil Island "demo glitch" in 02:10.27
Post subject: Re: #5587: ThunderAxe31's GBC Devil Island "demo unlock glitch" in 02:10.28
Skilled player (1403)
Joined: 10/27/2004
Posts: 1976
Location: Making an escape
ThunderAxe31 wrote:
The game is basically a port of the NES game Getsu Fuuma Den, but with graphics changed in order to make it similar to a Castelvania game.
With the final boss being ripped directly from Demon's Crest. What other sources were cribbed to make this game?
A hundred years from now, they will gaze upon my work and marvel at my skills but never know my name. And that will be good enough for me.
Judge, Skilled player (1275)
Joined: 9/12/2016
Posts: 1645
Location: Italy
http://bootleggames.wikia.com/wiki/Devil_Island#Piracy wrote:
In-game, some of the enemies bare a striking resemblance to the Generation I Pokemon. More notably, the opening cutscenes are clearly stolen from various SNES games.
  • Batoru Raiden - A group of red-eyed robed people approaching a rock dragon's mouth
  • Castlevania: Dracula X - An upwards shooting beam of light and a group of zombified villagers
  • Demon's Crest - A green dragon that briefly appears just before the narration text
I don't know about the rest. By the way, Vast Fame is known to be one of the most original pirate game developer; in fact, I've just discovered that the musics were made by one company member.
my personal page - my YouTube channel - my GitHub - my Discord: thunderaxe31 <Masterjun> if you look at the "NES" in a weird angle, it actually clearly says "GBA"
Skilled player (1703)
Joined: 9/17/2009
Posts: 4952
Location: ̶C̶a̶n̶a̶d̶a̶ "Kanatah"
Since this run, while is Vault eligible, does not show much of the game, I'm going to make a run that forgoes using the demo unlock glitch, which will aim for the Moons tier. Actually, I've already started, but it's going to take a while to finish.
I envy you. I have ideas similar to this for different games more than once, but usually end up backing off due to the sheer complexity of either the game, the route, or "what constitutes as not broken if everything is broken". lol Regarding the run, it was short, but rather boring due you walking from 1 castle to the next with pauses in between. Voted no. Also should this be branchless since it's an any%?
Judge, Skilled player (1275)
Joined: 9/12/2016
Posts: 1645
Location: Italy
jlun2 wrote:
Also should this be branchless since it's an any%?
I'm not sure, because many Vault runs have a branch name that describes the type of glitch they are using in order to beat the game as fast as possible. Also, I wanted to make clearer the difference from the other, non-main skip run I'm going to submit in future.
my personal page - my YouTube channel - my GitHub - my Discord: thunderaxe31 <Masterjun> if you look at the "NES" in a weird angle, it actually clearly says "GBA"
Active player (405)
Joined: 2/5/2012
Posts: 1677
Location: Brasil
some stuff was taken from megaman xtreme2, the one with tunnel rhino
TAS i'm interested: megaman series: mmbn1 all chips, mmx3 any% psx glitched fighting games with speed goals in general
Experienced player (945)
Joined: 10/13/2014
Posts: 408
Location: nowhereatthemiddleofnoone
For me, it's not very entertaining to watch, because game is very broken by pause glitch to skip castles. Vote "meh" for entertaining, but good technic for finish very fast! Well for vault.
GAW sms... Totally destroyed
Post subject: Movie published
TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Moderator
Joined: 8/3/2004
Posts: 14776
Location: 127.0.0.1
This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [3471] GBC Devil Island "demo glitch" by ThunderAxe31 in 02:10.27
Post subject: About the game name...
Judge, Skilled player (1275)
Joined: 9/12/2016
Posts: 1645
Location: Italy
Sorry guys, I just discovered that the game name "Devil Island" is completely unofficial. Also, there are no reports about this game being published in English language at all. The game name is written "惡魔島" of which the correct romanization is "Èmó dǎo", according to Google Translate. However, there are reports of this game being labeled as "Devil Land" in the game list screen of a Vast Fame 8-in-1 multicart. So in the end the correct title for the game would be either "Emo Dao" or "Devil Land". Sorry for not telling earlier, but I was still waiting to receive an answer from a person about this matter.
my personal page - my YouTube channel - my GitHub - my Discord: thunderaxe31 <Masterjun> if you look at the "NES" in a weird angle, it actually clearly says "GBA"
Site Admin, Skilled player (1234)
Joined: 4/17/2010
Posts: 11251
Location: RU
I'm not so sure about which should be preferred here since the game is unofficial by its nature, and its use of English seems to be as proficient as this: #4506: Noxxa's GBA Digimon Sapphire in 31:59.40 So while it's "their own", it's still arbitrary. I personally like the current name, but I guess by our rules we need it to be Emo Dao instead.
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting.