The prototype of Skies of Arcadia Dreamcast with Debug Menu (Sep 12, 2000)
Several builds of Skies of Arcadia have been released (three, including an E3 demo to download here on the game's home page). The version of the game featured in this article contains a Debug Menu, enabling you to explore the game in a new way.
20 years ago, the Dreamcast was home to one of its major games, a game that would become cult for all RPG lovers, the famous Skies of Arcadia, codenamed Project Ares in its early days. Fans are still waiting for a remake on today's consoles.
The Overworks studio has done an excellent job and delivered a game that many would describe as magical, a work of art worthy of a masterpiece.
The prototype with Debug on video
If you've always dreamed of being a pirate in a fantasy world, you're sure to enjoy an epic adventure alongside our heroes Vyse, Aika, Fina, Drachma, Gilder and Enrique.
The game takes place in a world where continents, cities and forests levitate in the air like floating islands. To explore this enchanting universe, you travel by boat. The naval combat sequences are a rich idea and cut through the monotony of travel.
The soundtrack is simply magnificent. It took a 41-piece orchestra to compose the 2-hour theme song. They didn't do things by half.
The prototype with Debug Menu (Version 0.830)
The build contains a Debug Menu that's exactly the same as the Pal version you'll find online at Hidden Palace.
Although the debugging tools in this new build are Japanese, the prototype is much better than the Pal version, as it uses the correct Japanese characters (Shift_JIS) rather than the European ones (Windows-1252).
It's worth noting that the Debug Menu is also present in the playable version of Skies of Arcadia found on the CD demo US volume 9 of the official magazine. Did they forget to lock it?
How to use the Debug Menu:
Controller connected to port A:
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Main menu Debug: Hold L + R then click on homepage on the title screen. You will access a menu where you can choose the map, battle, naval battle, test sounds and modify the content of your inventory.
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Turn off collisions: Press L + R + Y.
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Battle Debug Menu 1: Hold L + R. Allows you to change party member and enemy stats (only in combat).
Controller connected to port B:
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Mouse Debug Menu: Press B to open it. You will be able to open a window for textures, information about Dreamcast devices, a performance monitor ect.
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Increase character level: Press Y to increase character one level on the team stats page.
Controller connected to port C:
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Camera menu: hold X + Y. Adjusts angle, position, zoom, etc. of the camera.
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Collision Info Menu: Press L + R + X to turn it on or off. When active, press A to cycle through the different options.
Controller connected to port D:
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System Debug Menu: Press X. The first four screens show different tables and editable values on the left side and a debug log on the right side, with most in-game actions printing something. The fifth screen displays the work in progress and the sixth screen indicates the MLDs currently in use.
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Battle Debug Menu 2: Press Start during a battle. Has multiple functions and information displays (only in combat)
Translations and explanations in photo to use the Battle option of the main debug menu. These photos were taken from the Pal version by Taikocuya. You can get an idea while waiting for the pictures relating to 0.830.
You can download it below:
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