LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy for the Nintendo DS is an action-packed LEGO-themed video game based on the original Star Wars films made by George Lucas. It features 80 playable characters, 17 playable courses, and the ability to make your own customizable characters. Several of the game's characters have their own unique abilities.
Game objectives
- Emulator used: DeSmuME 0.9.9
- Advanced Bus-Level Timing is Turned Off and Use Dynamic Recompiler is Turned Off
- Completes the game as fast as possible (Any%)
- Avoids collecting studs whenever possible
- Uses glitches to save time
- Uses infinite jump glitch
- Uses door-clipping glitches
- Uses a glitch to make boss fights faster
Main Route
In this run, I complete all five levels in the first episode, (Episode IV) and then head straight to the last episode (Episode VI) so I can go to the last level in the game and complete it, therefore finishing the game.
The Blockade Runner
This stage is pretty straightforward. The main objective is to have C-3PO join our party, so he can activate a door panel and deactivate a forcefield to rescue R2-D2. As soon as they are in my party, I exit the room I found them in and use R2-D2 to open a door in a previous room. Then I switch to C-3PO, as he is required to beat the level. I have to be careful though, because taking one hit from the Stormtroopers will kill me. Once I get down to the end of the alleyway, I activate another door panel, which will complete the level.
Mos Eisley Spaceport
This is the first level that abuses glitches, including the infinite jump and door clipping glitches. The main objective is to get to the Millennium Falcon, activating the end of the level. At the beginning, I go down this huge slide while playing as Luke, carefully avoiding the Studs whenever I can. Once I reach the bottom, I shoot the two platforms so Obi-Wan can join my party. Before I switch to Obi-Wan, I shoot all of the enemies as fast as I can so I can use the Force on the broken platform as Obi-Wan without taking the risk of getting hit by enemies. I then do a double jump onto an invisible floor and walk straight into the loading zone. This invisible floor actually ends up saving a few seconds, so it is very useful. Then in the next section, I use the Host Wireless function to do the infinite jump glitch, which puts me on the higher platform earlier, ultimately saving about 10 seconds or so. In a later part of the section, I double jump onto another invisible floor so I can get across the quicksand pit. The intended way to get past this section is to use R2-D2 to rescue C-3PO from a nearby cliff so he can drain another quicksand pit. But, with Obi-Wan, I can jump on the machine used to drain the quicksand, and jump across the quicksand pit, saving a lot of time. In the next section, I take control of Luke so I can use the Host Wireless function to clip through a door, which saves about 2-5 seconds from getting through the door normally. (See the Glitches section for more info on the Host Wireless function.) After going through that section, I reach the final part of the level, which is where I perform another door clip, and then touching the trigger in the room plays a cutscene and completes the level. This door clip saves about a minute or so from the intended method of beating the final section.
Rescue The Princess
Just like The Blockade Runner, this stage is pretty straightforward. At the beginning, I pull a switch that puts a Stormtrooper helmet on my player's head, because there is a door up ahead that only Stormtroopers can enter. (Technically, you could clip through it using the Host Wireless function, but I'm pretty sure this is slower.) After I pull the switch, I immediately switch to Luke, and then back to Han Solo. I did this because when you pull a Stormtrooper switch, your character will be stuck in place for a few seconds before you can move again, so switching partners prevents that from happening. After the next two sections, I do very precise jumps off the very edges of the platforms in the room to get through it faster. Then, in the final section, I do a quick series of switching partners so I can build and pull the switches as fast as possible. I build the switch on the left, switch to Luke so he can build the switch on the right, change back to Han Solo so he can pull the left switch, and finally change back to Luke so he can pull the right switch. Then, I go down the hallway to the very last door on the left and pull the two switches connected to it, completing the level.
Death Star Escape
This stage utilizes more glitches, saving about a minute or two from doing it intentionally. First off, I'm in a section where I play as C-3PO and R2-D2. I use C-3PO to open the first door, then immediately switch to R2-D2 so he can hover over a pit and activate a bridge for C-3PO to cross. I then head back towards C-3PO so he can cross the bridge and open the next door. Again, I immediately switch to R2-D2 so he can activate another computer station, which instantly places me in the next section when activated. I then jump in the doorway and build the left computer, and switch to Chewbacca so he can build the last computer, which opens the door. Now, you'll notice that I pause the game and select the Host Wireless, even though I'm not clipping through any doors or using the infinite jump. The reason I did this was so I could skip a small cutscene where Han Solo and Chewbacca exit the room, which saves 60-80 frames. Then, I make my way to a door that only Stormtroopers can open, so I can do a Door Clip through it, saving about 2 minutes or so. This door takes me straight to the final section, where the boss fight takes place. Instead of triggering the boss fight, I run into the door with the pit inside the room. I lure the boss over to the pit, and simply push him inside of it, killing him instantly, and saving 82 frames.
The Trench Run
This stage is pretty straightforward, too, I just go about the level normally, carefully avoiding as many Studs as possible, until I get to the end of it. That's when I use the Host Wireless trick to lower the boss's health from 10 hearts to 4 hearts. Then, I fire four red lasers at it, defeating the boss. In retrospect, I should have also fired some pink orbs at it, which deal twice as much damage as red lasers.
Destiny
This level is extremely short, only lasting about 8 seconds. This is because I instantly use Host Wireless to lower the boss's health from 14 hearts to 4 hearts. Defeating the boss this way causes the game to cut to the cutscene that shows the boss dying. When fighting the boss normally, he usually has three phases, and after you defeat the third phase, the cutscene of him dying plays.
Studs and Minikits
Studs
Studs is the form of currency that is used in the game. They allow you to buy new characters, new Extras, or even give you hints to help you play the game. In this run, however, I try to avoid collecting studs within the levels whenever I can, because the game checks how many studs you collected in the level after you beat it. So, the more studs you collected in the level, the more time the game uses to count your studs. So essentially, time is money.
- 1 Blue Stud = 1,000 Studs
Minikits
Minikits are collectable items hidden all over the levels within the game. There are 10 minikits per level, therefore making 50 minikits per Episode, with the exception of Episode VI, which has 60 minikits. Minikits unlock new characters and Extras to use in Free Play once you collect all 10 of them in a single level. But just like Studs, I avoid collecting them because the game also checks how many Minikits you collected in the level after you beat it. The more Minikits you collected, the more time the game takes to count them all. It takes the game about 1-2 seconds to count one Minikit.
Glitches and Tricks
Host Wireless Glitches
In this game, you have access to the Host Wireless function whenever you pause the game. The Host Wireless function allows you to host multiplayer games and play with other players. However, it can also make it possible to clip through closed doors, lower bosses' health, and even double jump infinitely. Here's a step-by-step process on how to do it:
Infinite Jump
1. Perform a double jump by pressing B twice. (Only certain characters are able to double jump)
2. Pause the game by pressing START.
3. Select the Host Wireless option on the bottom screen.
4. When the game asks you to save, press B and abort the save.
5. Press B again and hold it until the level fades back in again.
Door Clipping
1. Perform a dive into a door by pressing B twice and facing the door. (Only certain characters are able to dive)
2. Pause the game by pressing START.
3. Select the Host Wireless option on the bottom screen.
4. When the game asks you to save, press B and abort the save.
5. Press B again and hold it until the level fades back in again. Though, it usually takes more than one clip to fully pass through the door.
Lowering Bosses' Health
1. Pause the game by pressing START.
2. Select the Host Wireless option on the bottom screen.
3. When the game asks you to save, press B and abort the save.
4. Wait for the level to fade back in again, and the boss's health will go down to 4 hearts. (This only works on certain bosses)
In certain parts of the run, I'll alternate between pressing a forward input and a diagonal input every frame. For example, I'll press Up for two frames, and then press Up-right for another two frames. This helps me do precise movements, and allows me to move in a forward and diagonal direction simultaneously.
Partner Switching
In almost every level of the game, you have one or more partners by your side, and you can gain control of them by facing them and pressing X. But, sometimes switching to another partner lets you perform certain actions quicker, like in Rescue The Princess and Death Star Escape.
Glitchy Box-pushing
If you push boxes, or crates, at the right angle, you can end up pushing the box in the wrong direction. For example, if you hold Up into a box at the right angle, you'll do a glitchy box push and push the box backwards instead of forwards. You can see me do this in The Blockade Runner.
Rerecords
Here is a table of rerecords used in each level:
| Level | Frames | Accumulative Frames | Acc. Frames Saved |
|---|
| The Blockade Runner | 15375 (-167f from prev. TAS) | 15375 | 167 |
| Mos Eisley Spaceport | 10679 (-82f from prev. TAS) | 26054 | 249 |
| Rescue The Princess | 7565 (-100f from prev. TAS) | 33619 | 349 |
| Death Star Escape | 6985 (-105f from prev. TAS) | 40604 | 454 |
| The Trench Run | 5382 (-121f from prev. TAS) | 45986 | 575 |
| Destiny | 7977 (-206f from prev. TAS) | 53963 | 781 |
General Improvements
Level Improvements
Death Star Escape
In the boss fight with Darth Vader, I lure him to a nearby pit and push him into it. But before his death cutscene starts, I purposefully run into the pit and die so I can lose 100 Studs. This saves time after the level ends when it counts all my Studs.
The Trench Run
Similar to what I did in Death Star Escape, I kill the boss and purposefully get shot by lasers in order to die and lose 20 Studs before his death cutscene starts.
Destiny
In the cutscene where Luke watches Darth Vader die, you still have full control of Luke. If you hold Right and fall into the pit, Luke will die but will respawn on the platform. But for some bizarre reason, if you push the other Luke into the pit at a specific time, the cutscene will end about 200 frames earlier than usual.
Special Thanks to:
Zulice: for finding the route that is currently used in Any% speedruns and, of course, in this TAS.
FishamanP: for teaching me everything I need to know about DS encoding, and helping me encode the video, which I linked near the top of the page.
Possible Improvements
- In general, this run can probably be improved by collecting less studs, or maybe even using different strats that could be faster than the ones used in this movie.
- The Blockade Runner Entrance: In the Mos Eisley Cantina, I enter the door to The Blockade Runner a bit awkwardly, so maybe I could take a straighter path to the door to save time.
- Rescue the Princess: After I pull the two switches to open the door to the hallway in the final section, I enter the hallway at a slightly crooked angle and I used diagonal inputs to straighten myself out. But this looks a bit slow, so maybe I could enter the hallway at a straighter angle to save time.
- The Trench Run: In the boss fight for this level, I only shot the spaceship with red lasers rather than pink orbs, which deal 2 hearts of damage. The red lasers only deal 1 heart of damage, so I could probably save time by firing pink orbs with red lasers instead of only firing red lasers.
Screenshot
Frame 48148
Fog: Nice small optimizations to an already entertaining run.
Accepting as an improvement to the previous publication.
