Crash Dummies Native

A native Windows reconstruction of The Incredible Crash Dummies for Game Boy. Written in C++ and Win32, with no Game Boy CPU interpreter, JIT or emulator core. This is a manually reconstructed port, not an automatic static recompilation. It is unofficial and unaffiliated with the original rights holders.

0.1.0-alpha.1 is an experimental preview, not a complete or fully faithful port. All five stunts are connected to the campaign, but original timing, presentation and audio validation remain incomplete. Controller support has automated coverage; physical controller testing is still outstanding. See the feature and limitation table before downloading.

Download and quick start

1. Download the Windows x64 ZIP from Releases.

2. Extract the whole ZIP to a writable folder.

3. Install Python 3.10+ for one-time asset preparation. In PowerShell, run this from the extracted directory:

   ./Prepare-Assets.ps1 -Rom 'C:\path\to\your\original.gb'
   

4. Start CrashDummiesNative.exe. Python is not needed while playing.

The release contains no ROM or extracted game data. Supply your own original cartridge file. Only the 131,072-byte US/Europe revision with SHA-256 ef563c4a4b063ea045d71b435dd078c19d0738f85079928803167cee8f34a4ec is supported. No ROM download links are provided.

Keep crash.dat, air.dat, ski.dat, bomb.dat, cruise.dat, ui.dat and audio.dat beside the EXE after preparation. An incorrect ROM is rejected. If PowerShell blocks scripts, inspect the downloaded script and use Windows' file-unblocking facility for that file; no system-wide policy change is needed.

Features and limitations

Feature	Alpha status
Roof Jump, Air Bumper, Ski Slope, Bomb Factory, Cruise Missile	Implemented, four difficulty layouts each
Campaign, alternating two players, results, ending, name entry	Implemented; automated native campaign coverage
Original menus, passwords and music test	Implemented
Music and effects	14 songs / 26 effects; exact output parity unverified
Keyboard and Xbox-compatible XInput controller	Supported; one pad shared by alternating players
Resizable window, integer pixel scaling, focus-loss pause	Supported
High scores	Current application session only
Save states / campaign resume / persistent settings	Not implemented
Remapping / fullscreen / in-game volume settings	Not implemented
Complete original timing	Experimental diagnostic work; not integrated into the Windows scheduler

Air Bumper retains crash-recovery requests until the crash animation finishes. This intentional stability correction avoids a stall also reproduced in the original. See recovery analysis.

Controls

Action	Keyboard	XInput controller
Move / navigate	Arrow keys	D-pad or left stick
Original A	Z or A	A
Original B	X or S	B
Start / continue / pause	Enter	Start / Menu
Select / options	Tab	Back / View
Pause / resume	Escape	Start / Menu
Return to title; abandon campaign	F6	Keyboard only

The first detected controller remains selected until disconnected. Connect it at any time; release mapped buttons and center the stick before using it. Disconnecting pauses gameplay. Focus loss releases inputs and pauses gameplay; returning focus requires a fresh press to resume. A fixed per-axis deadzone filters the left stick. DirectInput-only devices, vibration and remapping are not supported. Physical controller testing remains outstanding; automated tests cover mapping, edges, reconnect/focus protection and Windows integration.

F1-F5 select development stunts. In development mode, R restarts and 1-4 choose difficulty. For high-score entry, Left/Right selects characters and A/B confirms; choose the original backspace/end symbols to delete/finish. On a stationary title page, Up, Down, Left, Right opens the password screen. Original passwords and the music test use locally extracted data.

Requirements and support

Windows x64 with GDI/Win32 and optional Windows audio output. XInput 1.4 or 9.1.0 is loaded from Windows if available; absence does not prevent keyboard play. Python 3.10+ is required only to prepare assets. Building additionally requires Zig 0.16.0. See build and test instructions.

This alpha has automated coverage on the development Windows installation; it is not qualified on a second installation or physical controllers/audio device removal. See release notes for validation and final acceptance for remaining work.

Use the issue template with version, Windows version, stunt/difficulty, input device and reproduction steps. Do not attach ROMs, generated data, original recordings or memory dumps containing them. For startup problems, check that all seven prepared files are beside the EXE.

Development, provenance and roadmap

• Changelog and release notes
• Reconstruction status and reverse engineering
• Code/data provenance and licensing status
• Separate original-reference tools

Next fidelity work: qualifying high-score/name entry, later player/campaign and stunt/reset paths, production scheduler integration, rendered image/audio comparisons and human/independent Windows tests. The direction-unlock comparison qualifies direction unlock with correct, held, wrong and combined input cases. The preceding music/picture comparison qualifies instruction music, active voices and directly observed picture tiles/maps in two Air/easy histories. Their first-instruction incoming fade and complete text, skip, prompt and exit are also qualified for those histories, with explicit stopped-driver voice-payload exclusions. The first password presentation is also qualified through initial cursor/digit reset. Editing and complete feedback now match all ten passwords and input-boundary cases. Their complete returns and music-test presentation also match. The music-test operations now match all 14 tunes and 26 effects, including navigation/stop/restart and ten complete returns to the title menu; this also corrects a pulse-envelope peak in production audio. Player selection now matches full presentation, one/two-player choices, held/combined controls, blinking and complete outgoing object clear/A-B return. Selected instruction comparisons extend one/two-player Start through instruction music/picture, full or skipped text, prompt/fade and the first Air game-entry displays. The five-page title carousel also matches credits, initial high-score formatting, automatic durations, fresh A/B advances on later pages and wrap. Separate later-page decisions also match Start, Select and password entry on pages 1..4. Their complete password presentations now match as well; Start/instruction music and picture also match; later player selections/returns and selected instruction starts now match in 176 further cases; complete later full/skip instruction text also matches in 48 cases. All eight selected one/two-player, full/skip Air/easy cases now match through 1,216 initial updates, including resource transfers, map deferral and interrupted scene work with mandatory partial-row byte comparisons. These eight first Air attempts also match through their distinct terminal waits (2,328..2,378 updates), preserving all earlier extents. Their result/life/turn continuations match through the next player's instruction picture; eighteen further following-instruction comparisons cover transition, complete/ late-skip text, confirmation/held exit and Start ignored during scrolling. Actual subsequent-player entry continues those controls through masked setup, LCD restart and the first 32 quiet Air/easy updates, retaining the actual next player, lives and preceding native global state. Sixteen active subsequent-player cases also match through 320 updates, including resource requests, uploads and completed frame/flag publication while preserving their accepted entry. Stable UI frame comparisons match the revealed instructions, complete text/prompt and title pages pixel for pixel in 28 frames. The broader game/menu comparisons remain in progress. Later gameplay/menu/player/stunt paths, transition/gameplay frames, PCM and qualifying name entry remain unqualified. Diagnostic timing is not yet integrated into the production Windows scheduler. Potential later conveniences include remapping, saved settings/high scores and campaign resume; these are not promised features of this alpha.

ROMs, extracted assets, recordings and reference-emulator binaries remain local.

See the publication audit for the checked repository and release scope. This is a technical inspection, not a legal approval.

License

Project contributions are provided under the MIT License, to the extent the contributors hold the rights to license them. The license does not grant rights to the original ROM, graphics, music, game data or trademarks. Reconstructed game code may involve third-party rights; MIT does not resolve that provenance question. See provenance. A ROM-free release is not a legal clearance.