If you're following me on X / Twitter (@memory_fallen) for my posts about reverse engineering retro games, check out RINGS OF SATURN, my Substack blog. Each week I take apart a different game and report my findings.
January 23rd's article covers Road Rash 3D and Road Rash Jailbreak for PlayStation.
Both of these games have cheat codes that are activated by entering special strings. For 3D, entering a certain player name will unlock all bikes and give you extra money to spend. For Jailbreak, you can enable four special effects with the right input into the hidden cheat menu.
Details on how the codes work are in the Substack post!
January 21st's article is about A Bug's Life for PlayStation.
This game has an unusual cheat code. Instead of having you enter a button sequence like most games, this one makes you complete a training course, collect seven pieces of grain, spin in a circle, and then quit while holding certain controller buttons. It's no surprise that it doesn't seem to have been discovered before!
Details on how the cheat works and the reverse engineering involved in finding it are in the Substack article.
Did you know that there are bonus puzzles in Lode Runner: The Legend Returns and Lode Runner Extra for Saturn? I found three of them – one in the first game and two in the second game.
Hiding in the data for these games are special strings that grant access to these bonus puzzles and to the staff credits. Check out the Substack post for details on how to use them!