Introduction
Alwa's Awakening was an indie Metroidvania game developed by Elden Pixels in 2017 for modern systems, styled around NES aesthetics. In 2022, Elden Pixels teamed up with Brad Smith, the developer of the homebrew NES game
Lizard, to port Alwa's Awakening to the NES with additional content.
The game is follows Zoe, summoned from another world to free the land of Alwa. The game has lots of collectables and secrets strewn throughout its world. This TAS aims to beat the game without the use of the screen wrapping and out of bounds glitches as fast as possible. Despite having more content, the NES version is noticeably faster than the original PC release by virtue of faster loading and smaller rooms.
Run notes
- Emulator used: BizHawk 2.8
- NESHawk core
- Takes a lot of damage to save time
- Uses the NES soft reset to save time
- Foregoes a time saving death
- Foregoes the use of screen wrapping and out of bounds glitches
Mechanics and techniques
This is a rundown of mechanics and techniques, used or unused, explained to the best of my ability.
Used mechanics and techniques
Resetting to save time
The SRAM is updated completely 6 frames after hitting the Start button to pause successfully. This saves item progression but the checkpoint location is whichever the last torch was lit. Going back to the main menu to warp back to the last checkpoint saves navigation time. This can be done via either the Quit option in the pause menu or soft resetting. Soft resetting is 22 frames faster than using the Quit option.
Staff swinging
Staff swinging locks Zoe's facing direction and locks her to the ground when she's on there. The active hitbox of the staff takes some time after the B button press. Repeated swings are 18 frames apart at minimum though enemies have i-frames that last longer than the fastest swinging pattern so the fastest swing is only useful for blocks.
Jumping
Maximum jump height is achieved by holding A for 13 frames. Horizontal movement with jumping is slightly faster than not jumping, roughly 1 frame faster per jump when traveling straight horizontally. There is some variance to vertical acceleration from jumping and is the main cause for desyncing rooms when adjusting input in earlier parts.
Ladders
Jumping up ladders for the most part is faster. Ladders also can be grabbed early horizontally for an extra forward boost with a quick grab-release. At the top of a ladder Zoe will do a dismounting hop. Pressing left or right will instead let her get off without a hop, which gives slightly more horizontal movement and allows for a more controllable jump a frame after dismounting. For the most part this is the preferred method of getting off the top of ladders. Dismounting from the top of ladders can take 1 or 2 down input frames, depending on how long jumping has been done before doing the input. I didn't catch this until the end of the run,
Green gem - Block spell
The green gem grants Zoe the ability to summon a green block that can be pushed around and dropped. This is used to reach higher areas and press green buttons. The upgrade for the green gem gives the blocks the ability to float in water as well. There are some hazards that will destroy the green block.
Blue gem - Bubble spell
The blue gem grants Zoe the ability to summon a blue bubble that floats upwards. Zoe can ride this bubble for extra height to reach higher areas. The upgrade for the blue gem makes the bubble last until it's popped either by a ceiling or by Zoe's staff swing, rather than on a timer. There are rooms that will not allow the use of the bubble, marked by a blue face block that will shoot a bubble down as soon as it's summoned.
Yellow gem - bolt spell
The yellow gem grants Zoe the ability to shoot a projectile forward that can take out enemies and open lightning doors. There is no upgrade for this spell.
Spell cooldowns
When Zoe casts a spell, there's a cooldown before casting another spell. This is dependent on which spell is cast.
- Block spell - 109 frames
- Bubble spell - 135 frames
- Bolt spell - 285 frames
Whenever the bolt spell needs to be cast, it's done as soon as possible to make other spells available as soon as possible. In some situations where both the bubble and block spell suffices for one part but another spell is needed shortly after, the block spell is preferred for getting another spell out.
Block jumping
Casting the block spell in midair shortly after releasing A from jumping, generally 3 frames after but sometimes 2 frames, will let Zoe get on top of the block when moving towards it. When on top of the block another jump is possible, allowing access for a number of higher areas without the need for the bubble spell. Zoe can also stay on the block as it falls, which allows her to jump in lower areas not normally possible which can speed some areas up.
Bubble hopping
Before getting the bubble upgrade, Zoe will weigh down the bubble while she's on it. Jumping will let the bubble move up much faster than just standing on it, and also allows for a slightly higher reach before the bubble pops. Jumping also seems to slightly affect the upgraded bubble but not at the level of the unupgraded bubble.
Block pushing
Block pushing is a little faster without jumping compared to jumping. Pushing multiple blocks is slower and is avoided as much as possible.
Blocks and big shield havers
Blocks can be placed on top of the shield enemies. Sometimes this can result in Zoe also clipping into the block. Waiting some frames will zip Zoe on top of the block. This is used in one room to jump higher up before grabbing a ladder.
Unused techniques
Screen wrapping
Thanks to TheStrahl for the clarifying info. I'll directly link their
post here. Basically, summoning a bubble at the right edge of the screen and getting Zoe inside the bubble allows for her to screen wrap to the left side of the screen. Think of it similar to Zelda 1 screen wrapping.
Out of bounds
If the screen wrapping is done to access a screen transition to a room that doesn't exist, an out of bounds area can be accessed. In this area, all tiles are ladders and with some time and navigation the final boss can be reached with only the block (to get the bubble0 and the bubble (to perform the screen wrapping). The combination of screen wrapping and out of bounds navigation can beat the game in
less than 10 minutes.
Assist mode death warping
Assist mode makes it so that Zoe will respawn at the start of the room upon death, rather than at the last lit checkpoint torch. There's one room where it would save time that I forego since it's not a big time save and I feel it makes for a more interesting damage route.
Blue orb usage
Blue orbs are scattered throughout the game and at certain numbers will do a free point of damage to bosses per orb level. The first orb level can be reached at 10 orbs but I made the TAS foregoing them.
Forsaken Valley
After the intro cutscene, there's another cutscene where an old lady slowly walks up, tells Zoe what to do, slowly walks away, and after a wait Zoe gets up and is controllable. This can be skipped by resetting to gain control as soon as possible. Once the magic staff is obtained, another reset is done to save time over climbing back down. The save torch at (8, 10) right before the Amber Sacellum is entered so another reset warp can be done after obtaining the map, required to enter the Amber Sacellum.
Amber Sacellum
The save torch at (10, 11) is lit to reset warp after collecting the copper coin and the green gem, in that order, to save travel time to the Vicious Keeper. It's slightly faster position-wise to go for the copper coin first since loading from a save sets Zoe's position in the center of the save room. Entering the boss room from the wrong side allows for placing a green block ahead of time for a slightly faster fight. Intentional damage is taken to get a hit in on the boss. After beating the boss, the right exit to Central Alwa is used.
Central Alwa and the Underground Chamber
Block jumps are used to get past (17, 10), the one Cetral Alwa room visited at the moment, that otherwise would need going around to access. A block jump is perfomed in room (21, 10) to skip waiting on the first bubble that spawns. The second, and only other, warp used for this run is activated here. A block jump setup using 2 blocks is used at (25, 11) to enter the Shrine of the Sea Monk through the Stone Cellar.
Shrine of the Sea Monk
The save torch at (29, 11) is lit for reset warping later. After obtaining the blue gem, 2 keys are obtained for a shortcut in the Altar of Echoes later before performing a reset warp. The Sea Monk's shots can be blocked with a green block. Damage was taken to get a hit in as well. The flask is obtained after beating the Sea Monk, which can only be obtained with the copper coin. A reset warp is done after getting the flask to then proceed to the Stone Cellar by going further down the Sea Monk's Shrine.
Stone Cellar
The Stone Cellar is supposed to be done later but with block jumping and bubble hopping can be done earlier than intended. Three doors must be entered and their barrier crystals destroyed to gain access to the blue gem upgrade for better bubbles. A block is used in room (31, 17) to jump at a lower area and save a bit of time going right. The moving platform in room (33, 17) is intentionally blocked to make the jump possible when the spell cooldown is over.
The first barrier room at (33, 18) could be faster using a death warp with Assist mode on, but the time difference isn't that big and the damage route is more interesting to me without dying here. A bubble is used in the second barrier room to skip on waiting on the moving platform cycles. I couldn't find anything that could be done to make the third barrier room faster, though. once the blue gem upgrade is obtained, a reset warp is used to get back to the Sea Monk's Shrine.
Forsaken Valley revisit and Void Tower
Exiting the Sea Monk's Shrine from where Zoe entered is done to quickly access the warp in the Underground Chamber. Using the warp to return to Forsaken Valley, the save torch at (8, 10) is reactivated. Once done, a trip to the leftmost part of the map is done for a key item. On the way, the flask is filled with water at a well in room (5, 13). This water is given to the person storing the Passage Key, needed to access the Amethyst Passage and the Solstice Mountain. A reset warp is performed and then the Void Tower is entered.
The Void Tower introduces blue wall faces that will pop any bubbles summoned in the same room as them, so some rooms have to be approached differently with that in mind. The key in room (09, 07) is obtained for the last key needed for the shortcut in the Altar of Echoes. A block is used to get to the lower platform in room (10, 7) to save a bit of time. The vertical climb upwards is sped up a little by summoning bubbles higher up when possible and summoning blocks near the top of platforms for the faster cooldown. Block jumps at room (05, 03) are used to cross the gap that's supposed to be used for backtracking.
Once the yellow gem is obtained, it's off to the boss through the back entrance. This is faster than lighting the 4 small, unbroken lanterns found throughout Void Tower. Getting up on the higher platform before the Crimson Guardian fight allows for some early hits using said platform and the bolt spell. A reset warp is done after beating the boss and picking up the spoils.
Sacellum Depths
Re-entering the Amber Sacellum with the bolt spell is needed to access the Sacellum Depths. Using a block and a bubble, the gap that would otherwise require going the long way around is passed, leading to obtaining the green gem upgrade much quicker than intended. A reset warp is done again here.
Amethyst Passage and Solstice Mountain
The warp back to the Underground Chamber is done here and the save torch at (23,11) is lit for later. Going back up to Central Alwa, the flask is refilled at (23, 08) for damage boosting later before entering the Amethyst Passage. Once in Solstice Mountain, the Eye of the Beholder is obtained quickly by dropping a green block into the water to get around the spikes. This saves a lot of time over going the long way around and dropping from above. The Beholder's Eye is required to make the door to the boss at (19, 05) visible and usable. One the Beholder is defeated and the spoils obtained, one last reset warp is performed.
Altar of Echoes
Climbing back up through the Underground Chamber and heading right in Central Alwa, the now activated teleport to the Altar of Echoes is found at the left side of Gloom Lake. The first save torch in the Altar of Echoes is used to top off Zoe's health for some damage boosting. For the most part this is a long obstacle course so I'll just list the rooms with something notable.
- The 3 extra keys are used in room (30,07) to skip a significant portion of the area. There's another area that requires using 3 keys to skip a section but it's not really faster and only ever visited for 100% map completion.
- As pointed out by Rayquaza911 after I completed this TAS, room (27, 06) could be done without slowing down by jumping and attacking in midair at the right time to make the enemy stop and shoot. This saves 13 frames but implementing this would mean having to resync everything afterwards due to how vertical movement is a bit weird.
- For room (26, 06) I couldn't find a 1-cycle that was possible, making this room faster in the 2017 PC version. The main reason from what I can gather is simply because the moving platform has less of a travel time between its two waypoints.
- As pointed out by Rayquaza911 after I completed this TAS, room (28, 04) can be sped up by foregoing the second block and just jumping at the right time to save 12 frames. Again, that would require lots of resyncing.
At the top, the water fountain is used to refill the flask and top off Zoe's health to encounter the Vicar. In the original 2017 PC release this would be where the final boss fight would be but for this version...
Nexus
...there are refights, Mega Man X style. I could leave it there but I can't since the approach to these fights are actually slightly different. Sea Monk doesn't require a damage boost thanks to using the bolt spell's range for a hit. The start of the Crimson Guardian fight requires jumping for a frame before using the bolt spell to hit them as soon as possible. A damage boost is used in the Crimson Guardian fight due to slightly different movement by the boss. There's no setting up a block for the Vicious Keeper fight so it ends up slightly slower but no damage boost is needed thanks to using the bubble for extra vertical height rather than using the left platform.
Frozen Outpost and Ursem Keep
Much like the Altar of Echoes, these new areas are mostly platform challenges so I'll just note certain rooms.
- The save torch at (38, 08) is lit here to top off Zoe's health for a couple of extra damage boosts.
- Landing in the spikes in room (38, 06) gives i-frames long enough to avoid taking an extra hit.
- As pointed out by Rayquaza911 after I completed this TAS, room (37, 06) has a hidden passage that avoids using the ladders. Somehow I missed that easy 103 frame time save but it would take resyncing to get right.
- In room (38, 05) is where I learned about how the shield enemies can have blocks put on top of them and the side effect of allowing for a small zip upwards on top of the block. This might be more usable in a 100% run. Here, it's just used to jump up higher onto the ladder.
- The water fountain in room (47, 11) is used up to heal up for later damage boosts.
- A block jump is used in room (43, 12) to skip having to go around to hit the switch. While waiting on spell cooldowns, the water fountain is used here for the last health refill needed for the rest of the game.
- Putting the bubble too high in room (47,13) makes it impossible to jump on at the top, so its placement has to be done at the right place.
- Using the block jump and landing on the spikes in room (48, 12) saves time over having to go down and around.
- Using 2 blocks to get up higher in room (48, 11) saves time over going left and up.
The Vicar fight is seemingly straightforward. If hit on the ground they will immediately change places. If they're above the ground then 3 hits can be done before they move again, so the preferred locations would be anywhere at the upper levels. The last input is done to clear the final textbox before the credits, though there is an extra line of text if a button is pressed after the statistics screen shows up.
Potential improvements
Considering that this TAS was done within, as of this writing, two weeks of the NES version's release the fastest possible route could still potentially change. There's also known improvements but at this point would likely mean probably starting from the ground up to further refine the entire run.
- Known improvements,
- ViGreyTech got to the magic staff faster than this TAS but it seems related to how complex vertical movement manipulation is. This is some frames that are very savable.
- The three time saves pointed out by Rayquaza911 in rooms (27, 06), (28, 04), and (37, 06) that can save 13, 12, and 103 frames respectively
- Possible improvements
- A different damage boosting route. Most notably the idea of saving the filled flask for the Altar of Echoes.
- Other room navigation changes. The biggest potential is getting a 1-cycle in room (26, 06)
- Swapping when to use a block and a bubble in places might save time
- There's a potentially faster route involving taking out the Crimson Guardian after the Beholder via going left in Solstice Mountain but that requires extensive timing considering both room transitions and room navigation. Ladder climbing is faster than riding bubbles but it's another question of that faster time is enough to make up for everything else.
- ViGreyTech found and confirmed with the developers that the boss RNG value is found at address $A2. More info can be found in this post here. It's possible to get a more favorable final boss pattern so they they only ever teleport to the upper levels which can save a fair amount of time.
- Routing in a few extra blue orbs to save time on bosses is possible. While there are a few essentially freebies I skip over getting the remaining ones would require more time.
For now, I'm fine with where this TAS is since I feel it's very solid.
Suggested screenshots
- Frame 50856 - Crimson Guardian fight
- Frame 86275 - standing in the block on top of shield enemy
slamo: Claiming for judging.
slamo: Excellent TAS of a really high quality homebrew. The optimization looks great as usual and I liked the block and bubble usage.
The goal fits our No Major Skips branch nicely. We handle the conditions for this branch on a game-by-game basis, and I think the most sensible thing to do for this game is to ban screen wrapping, as it's the primary mechanism for getting out of bounds. Any attempts to obsolete this branch should not use screen wrapping and should use intended screen exits. An out of bounds run will be good for the Fastest Completion branch.
Accepting to Standard under the No Major Skips branch.
Publishers should consider adding a branch name for this. There is an
out of bounds run in the works, so this will have to be addressed eventually. Past naming conventions have labelled a run like this "in bounds" and the glitched run as branchless, but I'm not sure how consistently this is applied.
