Bionicle: The Game DEBUG_CHEATS (PS2)

So, these are real. For context, I found references to multiple cheats in the pause menu wad (9-96.pss) a while back. The wad contains various debug strings like "Unlock all levels cheat activated" and "Complete level cheat activated". Back then, it seemed like the associated strat code for the cheats was dead, and would require extensive modding to get working. But this year I learned more about input reading and pure ASL subroutines, and decided to give the cheats another look. Here's where things get weird:

It looks like the devs intended for the cheats to only be accessible when DEBUG_CHEATS is ON in cdgame.txt, and activated with different inputs on controller 1. The game uses a special native function for reading and detecting these cheat inputs, which was removed to ensure the cheats would be permanently disabled under any circumstances. But believe it or not, the engine actually supports two controllers! The ASL subroutines for the cheats were reused and bound to controller 2, and the input detection does not rely on the gutted native function.

This means that on the PS2 version, you can plug in a second controller and activate these debug cheats with no modding! Whether or not this was intentional is up for debate, but I'm leaning toward it being a massive oversight.

In terms of the cheats themselves:

Unlimited Energy cheat (Does not work): D-Pad Up
Complete level cheat: D-Pad Left
Unlimited Health cheat: D-Pad Down
Unlock all added content cheat: Triangle
Unlock next level cheat: Square
Unlock all levels cheat: Circle

All of the cheats are accessible from the pause menu by holding L1 and L2 on controller 2, and then pressing one of the designated buttons on controller 2 ten times. All but one (Complete level cheat) can also be activated from the frontend using the same technique. Apologies to all BTG speedrunners.

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