The PSX version of *Q-bert* has an undocumented cheat code that enables level skip, invincibility, and more. Some of these features are in the Dreamcast version, but they're inaccessible. I patched it to restore them. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Last week I published a patch that enabled debug mode in a prerelease demo build of *Tales of Destiny* for PSX. This week I'm doing the same things for two more games in the *Tales of* series! 32bits.substack.com/p/extending-...

Hidden Palace Podcast is back! Episode 5 covers: * More on demo discs, and the prerelease builds of games they often include. * Cut content and scrapped game features. * Cheeky debug menus from time-strapped developers. * And more! hiddenpalace.substack.com/p/hidden-pal...

Today, @bbayles.bsky.social published new findings on cheat codes hiding in #Sega #Saturn 3D battlebot arena shooter Gebockers! Get the lowdown on a debug mode, plus a patch to play the prerelease demo: www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/06/01/u... #segasaturn #retrogaming #videogames #セガ #セガサターン

Released patches for Crypt Killer and Mighty Hits on Saturn that disable the flashes triggered by all supported peripherals, for the benefit of modern setups that don't require it for hit detection (e.g. MiSTer + GUN4IR or Sinden) and controller/mouse users that don't require the flash on any setup

I found new cheat codes for an old game, *Hyper 3D Taisen Battle Gebockers * on Saturn. They show the build date, display commands, and enable debug mode. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Some cheat sites have codes for *Warhammer: Shadow of the Horned Rat*, but their lists are incomplete. I found the full set in the game data - some have stayed hidden for 30 years! For example: "At the movies" - highlight the guy's nose, press Square nine times. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Here's an unpublished code for *Die Hard Trilogy* on Saturn. Hold R at the game select screen and enter this sequence: Right, Up, Down,B, C, Right,Up, Down, B. The build date, Nov 8 1996, will be displayed.

I made patches for the two prerelease demo versions of *Tales of Destiny* for PlayStation. The patches enable debug mode, which allows you to explore beyond the usual demo limits. 32bits.substack.com/p/extending-...

Did you know the Saturn version of Samurai Shodown RPG has the PS1 port’s exclusive bonus material hiding in it? No one did before last week, and now Bo Bayles made a patch to make it accessible in this week’s Under the Microscope: www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/05/25/u... #sega #saturn #segasaturn

Fans of *Samurai Spirits RPG* know that you can play the Saturn-exclusive "Omake" scenes on the PSX version with a hacked save file. But what about the reverse? Yes! I've made a mod for the Saturn version that makes the PSX bonuses available from the main menu. 32bits.substack.com/p/expansion-...

@priceofreason.bsky.social @danthrax.bsky.social Is this the PSX bonus content that you found on the Saturn version?

I put *Steel Reign* for PSX under the microscope and found: * A batch of previously unreported cheat codes * A hidden "Secrets" menu with debug features * A prototype build with some hidden extra hiding out on a Toys "R" Us demo disc. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Here's a previously-unreported cheat code for *Blast Radius* (Psygnosis, 1999) on PlayStation: * Go to the main menu * Enter Up, Down, L2, L1, Select, R2, Down, Select, Up, Up, Down, L2 Now you can select your starting level with the shoulder buttons.

I found a batch of new cheat codes for *Heroes of Might and Magic: Quest for the DragonBone Staff* - you can use them to get extra gold; boost your stats; and (checks notes) play as characters with giant heads. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Last week, Hemulen released an English translation patch for Sega Saturn strategy game Iron Storm: Operation Files, and today, @bbayles.bsky.social reveals the cheat codes he found that made Hemulen's job easier! www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/05/18/u... #sega #saturn #segasaturn #retrogaming

I found a batch of cheat codes for *Iron Storm: Operation Files*, the Saturn strategy game with the new fan translation. These somehow escaped notice for 30 years: * Make/Allocate anywhere * Enable cheat options * Enable scenario select * and more! 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

@seanseanson.bsky.social Do you happen to have a manual for Formula One Arcade? It's in your "Every Psygnosis PS1 game" video, so I thought you might.

Happy 35th anniversary (on the Mega Drive), boys.

There's a demo of *Psybadek* for PSX that's based on a build from a month before the final. It limits what you can play, but I patched out the restrictions. There are some cool differences! Even the cheat passcodes got re-worked in the last weeks of development. 32bits.substack.com/p/extending-...

I found a batch of new cheat codes for the PlayStation 2 version of Sega's *F355 Challenge*. They unlock the bonus items in the gallery - photos, videos, an "F1 catalog," and more. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Many countries celebrated Mother's Day yesterday, so it's fitting that one of the previously unknown passwords @bbayles.bsky.social found in the Sega Saturn's Virtual Golf is "MOM"! See what it does in Under the Microscope: www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/05/11/u... #sega #saturn #segasaturn #セガサターン

I found some previously unreported cheat codes and hidden leftovers in *Virtual Golf* for Saturn and PlayStation: * A cheat for unlocking pro status * A cheat that makes the golf balls comically large * A Sega screen in the PSX version * The name "SwagGolf?" 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Here's a cheat code for *Dynasty Warriors* on PlayStation that stayed secret for 29 years. Enter it at the main menu: Up, Down, Down, Right, Right, Left, Down, Square, Circle, Up, Up, Triangle. It unlocks every character except Toukichi. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

Luxoflux developed 3 games: * Vigilante 8 for PSX and N64 * Vigilante 8: Second Offense for PSX, N64, and Dreamcast * Star Wars Demolition for PSX and DC I reverse engineered the cheat systems for these games and found new codes for all three! 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

A 1997 Saturn prototype of the previously unknown PC port Pyramid: Challenge of the Pharaoh's Dream has been preserved and released by Hidden Palace. retrohandhelds.gg/a-saturn-pro...

After an "unreasonable" amount of time digging through MechWarrior 2, @bbayles.bsky.social discovered two previously unknown cheat codes for unlimited jump jets and an on-screen compass! See how he did it and a full list of cheats: www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/05/04/u... #sega #saturn #segasaturn

MechWarrior 2: 31st Century Combat for Saturn and PlayStation has a passcode system that can enable cheats. Most of them have been documented... but not all of them. I reverse engineered the passcode obfuscation scheme to uncover a few more. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

It finally happened - Sonic Weekly podcast interviewed Ken Penders about Buffalo, New York. podcastaddict.com/sonic-weekly...

There's a preview of *Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX* on the September 2000 Official PSX Magazine demo CD. It normally drops you straight into gameplay, but I made a patch to restore the menus. They show what the devs were working on in the last months of production. 32bits.substack.com/p/extending-...

Episode 4 of the Hidden Palace podcast is out now! This one is tied to a new release, Pyramid - a previously-unknown Saturn project from 1997. hiddenpalace.substack.com/p/hidden-pal... (Thanks to @wormsarchive.bsky.social for the art!)

Oh, I can finally release my sketches used for the Pyramid release! #sketch #art #hiddenpalace Please check out @bbayles.bsky.social more information, including an interview with one of the developers involved on the scrapped project. Worth the listen/read, for sure!

@timeextension.com you may enjoy... bsky.app/profile/bbay...

A prototype of a never-before-known Sega Saturn game has been found and preserved — read @bbayles.bsky.social 's story about "Pyramid: Challenge of the Pharaoh’s Dream"! www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/04/30/p... #sega #saturn #segasaturn #retrogaming #retrogames #videogames #セガ #セガサターン #prototype

A mysterious Saturn disc recently appeared on an auction site. It was labeled "Pyramid," but what game is that? It turned out to be a prototype port of *Pyramid: Challenge of the Pharaoh's Dream* for PC. It's early - a tech demo with a few controls implemented. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

The *Super Magnetic Niu Niu Promotion Disc* has a pre-final build of *Super Magnetic Neo*. It's not playable, but I made a patch for taking control. It's got a full set of files, so you can see what the devs were finishing in the final weeks of production. 32bits.substack.com/p/extending-...

The third episode of the Hidden Palace podcast is now available! hiddenpalace.substack.com/p/hidden-pal...

It's time for another episode of the Hidden Palace podcast! * HP's first canceled build: Prince of Persia 2 for Genesis. * Scene releases and the Sonic 2 CENSOR build. * Behind the scenes of 2019's "Sonic Month" releases hiddenpalace.org/Podcasts/Epi...

I found two cool things for *Micro Maniacs Racing* for PSX: * There's a cheat code for the retail version that's stayed secret for 25 years. * The "75% complete" version that appears on a demo disc has prototype content that can be accessed with a patch. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

*Tekken 2* has several alternate backgrounds for the main menu that refer to the "1996 Tekken 2 Area Championship". You can activate them in the NTSC-U version by setting 800a3646 to something nonzero.

Here's a cheat for *Swingerz Golf* on GameCube that seems to have stayed hidden for almost 24 years. Enter it at the title screen: (Holding Z) L, L, R, Y, X, Left Analog up, Left analog up, Left Analog down, B It unlocks all characters, courses, & more. 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

The demo disc for Saturn 3D shoot-em-up Layer Section II hides a debug menu that isn't in the final game! See what @bbayles.bsky.social found in there in today's Under the Microscope: www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/04/20/u... #sega #saturn #segasaturn #retrogaming #retrogames #videogames #セガ #セガサターン

There's an unused level select menu in *Ms. Pac-Man: Maze Madness* for Dreamcast and PlayStation. I made patches that make it available. Interestingly, it allows access to a number of unused and incomplete stages! 32bits.substack.com/p/expansion-...

What code unlocks all missions & special features in *Medal of Honor: Rising Sun*? For Xbox, it's TUSKFISH. For GameCube and PS2... nobody knows! I reverse engineered the game's hashing system, but finding the answer required a surprising amount of biology... 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

The long-awaited cheat codes for Mighty Hits are revealed at last! @bbayles.bsky.social tells us how to unlock the stage select and master difficulty in Under the Microscope: www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/04/13/u... #sega #saturn #segasaturn #retrogaming #retrogames #videogames #セガ #セガサターン

I found some heretofore-unreported cheat codes for the various versions *Mighty Hits*: * Stage select (Saturn) * Unlock Master mode (Saturn PAL version) * Auto fire mode (PlayStation Special Edition version) * Wide 4:3 mode (PlayStation NTSC-J version) 32bits.substack.com/p/under-the-...

There was a pre-release preview of *Test Drive 5* on a PSX demo disc. I patched out its restrictions and found that it's got some cool hidden stuff, like a hidden menu labeled "Oh Arse" that lets you toggle special debugging functions. 32bits.substack.com/p/extending-...

*CART: Flag to Flag* for Dreamcast has a hidden debug menu. Alas, it's inaccessible – there's not even a cheat code for it. Never fear: I've made a patch that enables it. Among the debug features are a 3D model viewer, a track editor, and a free camera mode. 32bits.substack.com/p/expansion-...

Our friend @bbayles.bsky.social considerately waited until after our March community challenge ended before revealing a never before known cheat code for Virtual Casino. Check it out in Under the Microscope: www.segasaturnshiro.com/2026/04/06/u... #sega #saturn #segasaturn #retrogaming #セガ #セガサターン