Under the microscope: Assault Suit Leynos 2
Only one person can play, but another one can enter codes for you
Assault Suit Leynos 2 is, predictably, the sequel to Assault Suit Leynos. The earlier game was released on the Genesis in the U.S. as Target Earth, but the followup was a Japanese exclusive on the Saturn. It’s a “run and gun” shooter featuring mechs assault suits.
I found a previously-unknown cheat code for this game. Here’s how to do it…
At the title screen, using controller 2, hold L+X+Z+Right and press C. You’ll hear a click.
After that, switch to controller 1. Hold L+R and press Start.
At the data select screen, use controller 2 to hold L+A+B+C and then use controller 1 to press Start. You’ll hear another click.
Let the game start up. You’ll be greeted by the mech selection screen, which doesn’t normally display for a new game. Hit Right a few times to see that all of the mechs are unlocked!
Technical details
The code that handles the title screen is loaded at 06056ef4. At the bottom of that function is this section, which I’ve annotated:
The second part of the sequence is implemented here:
The third part is in the function at 060544c8. This time we’ll look at Ghidra’s decompilation, since the disassembly is rather unwieldy. Basically what’s happening is each held button is toggling unlock flags:
Outro
Feel free to add this information to your favorite reference site (TCRF, Sega Retro, etc.)! It will save me the trouble.
For previous coverage of newly discovered cheat codes, see:
Send me your suggestions for what to cover next! I’ve got articles in the works for Dark Savior, Savaki, and Dungeon Master Nexus, and lots more notes to write up.