Retro Game Mechanics Explained

Ever wondered how the SNES's audio subsystem, the SPC700, produced all the beautiful music and sounds in all of those SNES classics? It's all explained right here.

Castlevania Bloodlines for the Sega Genesis has a few fancy graphical effects that may have caught your eye. How do they work and how are they programmed? It's all explained right here.

How many kinds of instructions could a SPC700 series processor execute? It's all explained right here. There were actually several revisions of the 65C02, some had more instructions implemented than others. The Atari Lynx actually had a 65SC02, which didn't include the RMB, SMB, BBS, BBC, WAI, or STP instructions (SET1, CLR1, BBS, BBC, SLEEP, and STOP in SPC700 syntax). So it had even less in comparison to the SPC700 and was more similar to the 6502 in this regard.

Did you know there could be 4 different exits in each level in Super Mario World? How about that you can spawn a Reznor or message block to beat the level? It's all explained right here.

Is the Triforce truly obtainable in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time? I suppose so! How was it done though? It's all explained right here.

What is a BRR sample, and how does the SPC700 utilize them to play music? It's all explained right here.

How can you get to glitch worlds in Super Mario Bros. by using the game Tennis? It's all explained right here.

Why is level 9-1 an underwater version of 6-2? Why can you load a version of 1-4 that is underground and full of Bloopers? It's all explained right here.

Why do glitch levels in Super Mario Bros. look the way they do? And how are levels stored in the game's ROM anyway? It's all explained right here. Maps of all Levels: https://rgmechex.com/tech/smb1levels/