Missing Areas

Although there exist remnants of a debug menu in the game, we still don't know how to access it... so for now, I hope you enjoy dicking about with Cheat Engine or a Memory Viewer! Or you can use these VisualBoyAdvance savestates in the US ROM.

The easiest method is probably using VisualBoyAdvance's Memory Viewer (found under Tools). Enter "300228A" in the search bar and hit "Go". The first two digits are the Mission value, and the second two digits are the area; by default the area value is "FF", but altering it will instantly transition to the new screen. The values are in hexadecimal, so subtract 1 from the numbers in the area titles below to find their values, and convert them to hex if they're 11 or higer: Mission 1 is "00", area 16 is "0F," and so on.
Also in the Memory Viewer, "300228F" determines the entrance the player enters from.

For Cheat Engine, you'll want to find the address that determines what area you're in (it usually ends in CD38?). It increases by 36 for every new area, and by 80 between every mission, though it's easiest just inputting one of the values below in the appropriate area, that'll get it for sure.
The new area will only be loaded when you leave a screen, begin a mission or continue from a game over. Continuing seems to be the most reliable method, as entering from the mission select may take you to Mission 1, no matter what the value was.

Cheers to candy76041820 for the name translations.

valuetitlecomment


Mission 1

134731972 1-01:ハジマリ ハ イツモ トツゼン
The beginnings are always sudden
Mission start.
134732008 1-02:ハイキョ ノ ギリダ
Girida-O in the ruins
Area 3: Metal Slug at the ruins.
134732044 1-03:カイキ!! キョダイメタスラ!?
Strange!! A huge Metal Slug?!
Boss (vs. Formor)
134732080 1-04:ザ ハングドマン
The hanged man
Secret cave (unlocked with Tutor's Love)
134732116 1-05:サクセン カイシ ジョウリク セヨ
Start the operation, and end it
Intro (storming the beach)
134732152 1-06:ノボレ! モーデン ノ ガケ
Climb! Morden's cliff
Area 2: Ascending the cliff


Mission 2

134732232 2-01:no title Mission start.
134732268 2-02:no title Area 2: Japanese treetops (unseen section)
134732304 2-03:no title Boss (vs. Emain Macha)
134732340 2-04:no title Side- room (dynamite cave)


Mission 3

134732420 3-01:no title Mission start. (unseen section)
134732456 3-02:no title Area 2: Cavern
134732492 3-03:グンヨウ レッシャ
Military train
Boss (vs. Kaladgolg)
134732528 3-04:no title Secret cave 2 (left)
134732564 3-05:no title Secret cave 1 (right)
134732600 3-06:ウラギリモノメ!
You traitor!
Intro (Allen Jr.'s betrayal)
134732636 3-07:no title UNUSED (underwater path)
134732672 3-08:no title UNUSED (underwater entrance)
134732708 3-09:no title UNUSED (underwater exit)
134732744 3-10:no title Area 3: Underground river


Mission 4

134732824 4-01:no title Mission start.
134732860 4-02:no title Area 2: Mountainside
134732896 4-03:no title Area 3: Elevator central
134732932 4-04:ヒコウセン
The flying boat
Boss (vs. The Keesi III)
134732968 4-05:no title UNUSED (underwater entrance)
134733004 4-06:no title UNUSED (underwater tunnel)


Mission 5

134733084 5-01:no title Part 3 (base entrance)
134733120 5-02:no title Route 1: Area 2
134733156 5-03:no title Route 2: Area 2
134733192 5-04:no title Route 2 dead end (urinal)
134733228 5-05:no title Route 3 dead end (toilet)
134733264 5-06:no title Route 1: Area 1
134733300 5-07:no title Route 1 dead end
134733336 5-08:no title Route 2: Area 1
134733372 5-09:no title Route 1: Area 3
134733408 5-10:no title Route 1: Area 4
134733444 5-11:no title Route 1: Area 5
134733480 5-12:no title Route 2: Area 4
134733516 5-13:no title Route 3: Area 2
134733552 5-14:no title Route 3: Area 4
134733588 5-15:ファイナルアタック
Final Attack
Boss (vs. Cabracan)
134733624

5-16:アレン ジュニア
Allen Junior

Route 2: Area 5 (vs. Allen Jr.)
134733660 5-17:no title Part 2 Route 2B (enemy docks)
134733696 5-18:no title Route 2 dead end (storage room)
134733732 5-19:no title Route 2: Area 3
134733768 5-20:no title Route 3: Area 1
134733804 5-21:no title Route 3: Area 3
134733840 5-22:no title Route 1: Area 6
134733876 5-23:ハリアー クウチュウセン
Harrier aerial battle
Part 2 Route 1A (Slug Flyer)
134733912 5-24:コウクウ パラシュート
High-altitude parachute
Part 2 Route 2A (the towers)
134733948

5-25:ハリアー オクナイセン
Harrier indoor battle

Part 2 Route 1B (landing strip)

134733984 5-26:ハリアー トウジョウ
Boarding the harrier
Mission start.


Dungeon

(this is gonna get hairy, apologies for the naff descriptions)

134734064 6-01:no title Mission start/starting point
134734100 6-02:no title Area 1: top-left
134734136 6-03:no title Area 1: right of 6-01
134734172 6-04:no title Area 1: below 6-01, vertical passage to 6-05
134734208 6-05:no title Area 1: bottom-left (below 6-04)
134734244 6-06:no title Area 1: Intersection with vertical chamber (below 6-03, above 6-07)
134734280 6-07:no title Area 1: Vertical chamber (below 6-06, above
134734316 6-08:no title Area 1: Intersection (above 6-09)
134734352 6-09:no title Area 1: below 6-08
134734388 6-10:no title Area 1: lower-middle (right of 6-05)
134734424 6-11:no title Area 1: bottom-left (lower-right of 6-10)
134734460 6-12:no title Area 1: top-centre-left (left of 6-14)
134734496 6-13:no title Area 1: middle slope (right of
134734532 6-14:no title Area 1: middle-centre (right of 6-13)
134734568 6-15:no title Area 1: slope (right of 6-08)
134734604 6-16:no title Area 1: lower-right (above 6-11)
134734640 6-17:no title Area 1: bottom-centre (Entrance A to Area 2)
134734676 6-18:no title Area 2: middle-right (Entrance A)
134734712 6-19:no title Area 1: middle-centre (right of 6-14)
134734748 6-20:no title Area 1: top-left of Entrance C (above 6-27)
134734784 6-21:no title Area 1: Intersection (left of 6-27, above 6-25)

134734820

6-22:no title Area 1: absolute bottom (Morden's portrait)
134734856 6-23:no title Area 2: right of Entrance C
134734892 6-24:no title Area 1: missile pods near Entrance B (below 6-27)
134734928 6-25:no title Area 2: middle centre-left (right of 6-23)
134734964 6-26:no title Area 1: far-right (entrance C to Area 3)
134735000 6-27:no title Area 1: left of 6-26, above 6-24)
134735036 6-28:no title Area 1: left of 6-31
134735072 6-29:no title Area 2: left of 6-34
134735108 6-30:デグチ + カード
Exit + card
Area 2: exit
134735144 6-31:no title Area 1: middle-far-right (entrance B to Area 2)
134735180 6-32:no title Area 3: top-far-left (entrance C to Area 2)
134735216 6-33:no title Area 2: middle intersection with vertical chamber
134735252 6-34:no title Area 2: vertical chamber (between 6- and 6-35)
134735288 6-35:デグチ テマエ
Before exit
Area 2: bottom-right (bottom of vertical chamber)

134735324

6-36:no title Area 2: top-left (entrance B to Area 1)
134735360 6-37:no title Area 3: top-left
134735396 6-38:no title Area 3: middle-left
134735432 6-39:no title Area 3: bottom-left
134735468 6-40:no title Area 2: below 6-41
134735504 6-41:no title Area 2: top-right (left of 6-49)
134735540 6-42:no title Area 3: top-centre (above 6-43)
134735576 6-43:no title Area 3: middle-centre
134735612 6-44:no title Area 3: vertical passage (between 6-43 and 6-45)
134735648 6-45:no title Area 3: bottom-centre
134735684 6-46:no title Area 3: top-right
134735720 6-47:no title Area 3: middle-right
134735756 6-48:no title Area 3: bottom-right (entrance D to Area 2, left of 6-50)
134735792 6-49:no title Area 2: top-far-right (entrance D to Area 3)
134735828 6-50:no title

Area 3: bottom-far-right (right of 6-48)


Test stages

134735908 デモ1-1
[7-01] Demo 1-1

Mission 1, area 1

134735944 デモ1-2
[7-02] Demo 1-2
Mission 1, area 3
134736024 デモ2-1
[8-01] Demo 2-1
Mission 2, area 1
134736060 デモ2-2
[8-02] Demo 2-2
Mission 2, area 2
134736140 HOW TO PLAY Mission 1, area 2
134736220 カイハツ テスト1
[9-01] Development test 1
Weapons test
134736300 カイハツ テスト2
[A-01] Development test 2
Slug test
134736380 カイハツ テスト3
[B-01] Development test 3
Enemy test

Don't worry, MSA's test stages are as exciting as you'd expect.


カイハツ テスト1 is an original area constructed from Mission 5's assets, and serves as a room for testing weapons and recording their damage. A large white/red blinking circle floats in front of the player and will absorb all damage, displaying what damage the attack does at the top right corner.
The items in order are Heavy Machine Gun, Shotgun, Rocket Launcher, Flame Shot, Laser, Iron Lizard, Enemy Chaser, Super Grenade, Drop Shot, Fire Bomb, Grenade, extra ammo and extra bombs.
However, without a proper level select command, you can't actually take these weapons anywhere. The doors at the end can't be entered either.


カイハツ テスト2 is assumedly a vehicle testing area. It's a room with a sole squid occupying it and lots of irregular platforms to test the Metal Slug's traction. The doors at the far left will lead you to Mission 1's third area.


A straight copy of Mission 5 route 3 area 3, this crams as many vehicular enemies as it can in... often so much so that some enemies don't load unless you backtrack. The missile launchers seem to fire several dozen missiles at once. There is no exit.

The five other test stages appear to be straight copies of the areas they take place in. Whether the demos were coded at all is unknown.

2-02


Metal Slug Advance stores 'modular' parts of its levels off-screen where the camera has no hope of seeing them; things like destructible terrain, animated scenery, and passages that are opened by cards.


That door above is stored left of the passage leading into 2-03, suggesting it would've been barred at first and either need destroyed or unlocked. It's notable that the Tutor's Love card resembles this door more than it does the one it unlocks in Mission 1...!

3-01


Below the stall point near the pit is this chunk of wall with log platforms, suggesting this is how you would've accessed the upper area instead of the elevator. These graphics are unchanged from the prototype, however, suggesting they dropped this idea even by then.


Also off-screen is this chunk of wall that's clearly meant to seal off the top-left chamber until you get the Ancient Soul card...


... except the game accomplishes this with a sprite instead, leaving the background chunk doubly unused.


===CLICK FOR BIG===

3-07

The first of two unused underwater areas!

As touted in the early footage, the game was to include undersea segments where you would pilot the Slug Mariner, but all evidence of this was cut from the game (but not the boxart)... which was easy, given how they were little more than alternate paths. You spawn in these areas on foot; as of yet, I haven't found a way of accessing the Slug Mariner itself, if it was ever completed.


This area is populated only by sea mines and a couple of rocks, both unused objects. There are no prisoners or hidden hot spots.
The mines behave as you'd expect them to, bobbing around and detonating if the player touches them; they will inch forward a little bit if the player is in range.
The rocks were to be roadblocks you'd need to destroy, but they only detect weapons, not players; you're free to walk through them without a care. They can be destroyed, but merely disappear without debris or sound effects.

Exiting to the right will lead you to area 3-09.

3-08

The entrance point to the Slug Mariner in Mission 3. It isn't there, though, and jumping in the water will kill you. Going left, however...


... will enter you from the bottom-right of the second area (entrance value 03), where you'll also fall off the screen and die. It's clear this was to be an alternate path, but was sealed up with that wall. The sneaky devils.

3-09

The exiting point from the Slug Mariner. Going right will take you straight to the boss.
As far as I'm aware, those water tiles go unused as well; they're different from the ones you'd see in the last area of Mission 3.

4-05

The boarding point for the Slug Mariner in Mission 4. Same deal as last time. Going left...


... will dump you out below Prisoner 050, in the bottom-right of the second area (entrance value 01). Yet another alternate path scrapped not even by walling it off, but by simply removing the exit code. Without this path, your only incentive to visit this area is to rescue two prisoners and get a Shotgun.


===CLICK FOR BIG===

4-06

The second unused underwater area! This one is quite vertical, so it's recommended you use the moonjump code to navigate.


Alongside the mines, this area introduces the unused squid enemies, using them during the vertical ascent in a manner similar to the giant eels in Metal Slug 3's first mission. They ordinarily swim through leisurely, but will turn red and zoom forward if the player gets too close. Although their hitbox is a little quirky (are they harmless until turned red?), they function perfectly fine.


Exiting this area will deposit you in area 3 from the same entrance as you would playing normally. However, there's an unused entrance that will spawn you at the bottom-left (best accessed by going right in room 6-40 and setting the level warp value to 4-03), where there's a convenient patch of water. It'll dunk you in the drink and kill you instantly, natch, but it's another clue towards the scrubbing of these alternate paths, leaving now-pointless chunks of level design.


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