Glitch List
What exactly is a glitch? Two common opinions are:
- If it's unintentional it's a glitch, such as "Cannonless" in Super Mario 64.
- The game has to load nonexistent or wrong data for it to be a glitch, for example "MissingNo." in Pokémon.
This list MOSTLY contains Glitches that are not used in any Yoshi Speedruns (yet).
Exceptions:
Semi-Useful Glitches
These are the sort of Glitches that might eventually find their way into speedruns or have already on a small scale.
Tongue Glitch
| Tongue glitch |
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Yoshi needs to spit out an enemy at the same time as entering a save ring. The enemy turns into a star as usual. However, the game thinks Yoshi has both the enemy and the star held in his mouth, which leads to a glitched state. Yoshi's cheeks are bulged, but pressing Y results in the tonguing action. Using the tongue is pointless, as nothing new can be eaten. Getting hit and reclaiming Baby Mario fast may softlock the game.
The glitch can be resolved in one of two ways:
- If the enemy could normally be swallowed, pressing down will "eat" it, but will not give an egg. (Note: Does not work on uneatable things like koopa shells).
- Leaving the room or entering the goal ring will return Yoshi's mouth to a normal state.
This glitched is used in 2 different ways for Yoshi Speedrunning:
- Can be used to rearrange the map and skip obstacles, see 3-3 Glitch (submarine skip) used in Any% Warps, No Null Egg
- Arbitrary Code Execution in Any% (Credits Warp)
Tongue Glitch Softlock
A combination of the Tongue Glitch and getting hit. The tongue glitch seems to rearrange important memory addresses, and getting hit makes it worse. If you accidentally perform the tongue glitch, just avoid getting hit since you can't eat anything in the current room anyway.
Walljumping
| Corner Walljump |
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Only corner walljumps are possible for real-time. Wall-jumping is performed by just barely missing an edge to delay Pixel Porting, going at least ~3.068 pixels into the wall, getting velocity like you're travelling out of the wall to avoid Pixel Porting, and then jumping on the tile below (16 pixels lower).
Technically clipping through a wall and jumping from it or jumping from a Flatbed Ferry to achieve high speed to go more than 3 pixels into a wall and then jumping are also walljumps.
For more information, visit the TAS tricks page regarding walljumps.
Clipping
| 1-1 Piranha Clip |
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Wall Clipping
The game has many variations of clipping or travelling through walls. Keep in mind that the game pushes you to the left while standing inside walls. Pressing right/left will only make Yoshi push against the tiles. If you travel beyond the level width, the game kills you instantly.
| 1-5 Clipping Swag |
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Some objects that are known to cause clipping are: Arrow Lifts, Chomp Rocks, Melon Bugs, Crates, Piranha Plants and Spinning/Moving Platforms. Salvo the Slime and Poochy are unconfirmed. Combinations of those may also increase chance of clipping. One of the more useful clips is performed in 3-E, and is used in pretty much every 100% run.
| 3-E Wall Clip |
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Shortly into the level, there is a rotating pinwheel directly below a wall. Yoshi can pass through the wall by simply standing on one of the pinwheel's platforms, and when he collides with the wall, the player can tap left a couple of times. Tapping left makes Yoshi walk on the platform, and the game tries to keep him there while disregarding the wall. When done properly, Yoshi will not be hit by the watermelon seeds spit from the right. Once the wall has been clipped through, Yoshi can jump up into the secret area.
Item Clipping
Many levels have eggs that are completely walled off, and appear to be unable to grab. However, Yoshi's tongue can pass through walls. If the egg is directly above Yoshi, the player must hold up, press Y, and then jump shortly after. The trick can initially take a bit of practice. A major skip can be done in 6-6 using this, resulting in getting the level's first key early.
| 6-6 Key Clip |
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The rock needs to mostly obscure the keyhole. Yoshi must then get below it and stand slightly on the incline. The player must then hold right, hold Y, and then jump in roughly the same manner as the egg-grabbing section. The key should now be much closer, possibly inside the wall, or have come all the way back to Yoshi. If it is stuck in the wall, simply push the rock to the left and tongue at the key again. It should now be able to pick up, thus saving a lot of time. There are several methods to getting the key with and without the rock, with varying degrees of difficulty.
Stair Clipping
Holding a direction (towards stairs) and tapping tongue very quickly multiple times can clip you through stairs. The tongue animation allows up to a couple pixels of movement before "remembering" that Yoshi is on stairs. See TAS_Tricks#Stairs for more information.
| Stair Clip (Tongue) |
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Stairs can also be clipped through by fluttering at the right time, similar to cape flying through stairs in SMW.
| Stair Clip (Flutter) |
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Arrow Teleporting
Stand on the far right side of a spinning arrow, and tongue it while stopped standing on it. If the arrow is pointing the right way, you will eat the arrow while standing on it. Up spit the arrow and stand below it, and you will teleport on top of it.
| Arrow Teleporting |
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| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njeRPrd3NF |
This Trick is has not found its way into speedruning since it is seen as too hard to be consistent at. But who knows, maybe this will change in the future.
Dr. Freezegood Teleporting
Pushing a snowman in 5-2 while it's sliding towards you can sometimes teleport Yoshi to the far right side of the map, similar to the glitches in Sonic 2.
| Dr. Freezegood Teleporting |
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| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OebL4FDXGds |
This has no practical use (yet), because the screen scrolls slower than it would take for you to finish the level normally, and the goal ring would not have spawned yet (camera position).
More Glitches
Zombie Yoshi
Zombie Yoshi is a glitch that can be used to avoid death and max out lives. The player must be in 6-8 and have entered door 1.
| Zombie Yoshi |
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Yoshi must touch the lava while against the wall. The game allows Yoshi to press the button during the death animation, which revives him and returns control to the player. After performing the glitch, the level music stops, and the life counter in the pause menu is subtracted by one. The glitch can be repeated by going offscreen to the left to respawn the button. Lives can be maxed out by doing the glitch while the amount of lives is zero, rolling it back to 999 lives. While this has no practical use in a speedrun, it is useful for practice.
Fuzzy Menu
This glitch is caused by exiting a level using start+select while getting hit by a Fuzzy. The effect can be fixed by entering a level and either completing it or start+selecting out.
| Fuzzy Menu |
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Drunken Mode (Fuzzyless)
Normally, Yoshi must touch a Fuzzy to become dizzy/drunk. However, it is possible for Yoshi to behave like that in levels with Big Shy Guys (2-7).
| Drunken Mode (Fuzzyless) |
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When Yoshi is preparing to throw a big egg, he stumbles around as if he touched a Fuzzy. (Note: It can be annoying to aim a big egg for any length of time, as Yoshi wants to constantly run forward due to inebriation. Either use fluttering to minimize that, or cancel the egg.) As demonstrated, Yoshi must be aiming a big egg and run into something that pops it. In this case, a falling stone block is used. This destroys the egg, even though the aiming reticle is still visible. Pressing either A or Y will cancel aiming. Yoshi will remain "drunk" until exiting the current room.
Drunk mode is useful for getting a little extra level optimization. Yoshi runs slightly faster at full speed, but acceleration seems to decrease. Try aiming a giant egg while running to save precious frames.
Eating Baby Mario
In any room with enemies and a transformation bubble, Baby Mario can become glitched and eaten. Yoshi cannot leave the current room, transform again, or enter the goal ring without Mario. In preparation, the player should have a +10 or +20 stars item from a bonus game.
| Glitched Baby Mario |
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| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNxBg63cR70 |
Yoshi must be hit by an enemy, which starts the timer. Wait for the timer to zero, and retrieve Baby Mario. While the timer is still zero, enter the transformation bubble. When the Toadies grab Mario and pop the bubble, pause the game and use the additional stars item. This will cause them to drop Mario, and Yoshi can retreive him while still in transformation. Baby Mario will then be in a glitched state, and the player must wait until the transformation ends.
Once the transformation is over, Yoshi can do a couple different things.
- Baby Mario can be eaten and turned into a regular egg.
- If Baby Mario is in Yoshi's mouth and a help box is hit, it will return Mario to Yoshi's back, although with very glitchy graphics. Running into an enemy in this state will result in the timer not appearing, and Baby Mario will be in the bubble forever until grabbed by Yoshi.
The glitch can be undone by one of three ways while carrying the glitched Mario sprite.
- Yoshi can simply leave the room or enter the goal ring.
- Yoshi can get hit, triggering the timerless Mario bubble, and re-grab Mario.
- Yoshi can enter the transformation bubble again.
All of these will return the sprite to normal and the level can be completed.
Piranha Slide
The piranha slide is only known to occur in 2-2.
| Piranha Slide |
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Performing the glitch is believed to be a combination of the 2-2 Null Egg and 3-8 Softlock. However, this does not appear to freeze the game, only providing entertainment value. It appears to be caused by the null egg glitch, followed by a frame-perfect hit on the piranha plant right before the goal ring. Yoshi must be eaten by it at the same time an egg hits it. Doing so causes the piranha's sprite to glitch out, spit out Baby Mario and Yoshi, then slide away. This glitch has only happened to Hyperzoot and has not been reproduced.
Super Bounce
The stretched, taller shy guy in 3-3 can cause Yoshi to jump very high.
| Super Bounce |
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When Yoshi is on top of him, he compresses down and shoots melon seeds. A normal jump/flutter will act as if Yoshi had been on the ground (i.e. not an extended flutter). Holding A will make Yoshi jump, even if there are no eggs to throw. After a jump due to aiming or dry firing, pressing B will make Yoshi do an extended flutter. The glitch is done by pressing (and holding) A and B in quick succession. It is not believed to be frame perfect, but likely a couple frame window. Yoshi will then launch high into the air.
Note: This trick also works on the "Boo Blahs" in 2-4, although there is not enough room in the level for it to be useful. Some romhacks provide enough room to do this effectively (sometimes on purpose).
Infinite Shy Guy Rolling
Caused by hitting a rolling shy guy with another sprite on the same frame as his roll stops.
| "Hikkup" - Infinite Sprite Rolling Glitch |
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Shy Guy Spit Despawn
Most notably seen in 1-2. Spitting a Shyguy makes the goal ring not spawn until going offscreen and returning.
| Shy Guy Spit Despawn |
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| https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DOkR9Xj3dSA |
This glitch needs more testing. One theory is that spitting either Shyguy (rolls after being spit), in addition to the Chomp about to spawn up close (sprite scaling from background), results in a sprite overload. The idea is supported by the Chomp and rolling Shyguy both using Mode 7 for their animations (maybe also the goal ring?). You can also despawn the info box above the chomp rock in 1-1 using this glitch. This glitch is also said to occur in 6-3.
Upside-down/Floating Shy Guy
The cause appears to be spitting or shooting a shy guy as a moving object is spawning. May be related to Mode 7 issues, as seen with the shy guy spit despawn.
| Upside Down Shy Guy in 1-2 |
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Upside-down Bowser
Let Giant Bowser get to you and keep fluttering to survive. After a while, he will start walking backwards and upside-down.
Glitchy Artificial Intelligence
Scrolling the screen up (by holding up) and jumping for even more screen scroll during 6-4 Slime fight, may cause the Slime to appear glitchy and "teleport" around the room.
Bad Sprite Load
Some seem random; some don't. Below is a list of bad sprite loads seen so far:
- Lava bubble in 4-4 to a Door when being tounged
- Riding a cloud into 5-1 goal ring
- BG1-Slime part in 6-4 not completely gone after starting Slime fight
- Exclamation Mark Switch in 6-8 to a Spike Ball
| 1-2 Bad Sprite |
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| 2-5 Bad Sprite |
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| 5-1 Bad Sprite |
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| 6-2 Bad Sprite |
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| 6-4 Bad Sprite |
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Softlocks/Crashes
The game can be "softlocked" in a few different ways. This means that the player permanently loses control of Yoshi, and must reset the console.
Goal Ring Softlock
| Goal Ring Softlock |
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Entering a goal ring simultaneously as taking a hit causes the game to softlock. Upon jumping into the goal ring, the game transfers control to the other Yoshi, so initially the game is fine with losing Baby Mario and continues the GOAL! animation. The problem is that Mario's bubble tries to return (similar to getting hit while beating a boss), and tends to miss the second Yoshi. It may be possible to do a "Baby Mario Baxter" and transfer Mario to the other Yoshi.
Message Box Softlock
Triggering the same textbox twice on the same frame(eggshot and head bonk) softlocks the game. Triggering the flower textbox and hint textbox in 1-1 on the same frame causes different results almost every time. Throwing either a big egg or a chicken into a message box can result in the help text becoming glitched and "stuck" on the screen. The text box will repeat itself over the course of the level, causing the level to be much harder to complete. The glitch also has the potential to render all sprites invisible.
| Message Box Glitch (Chicken) |
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1-4
This glitch is more of a crash than a softlock, but entertaining nonetheless. At the beginning of the level, there are a couple walls in the background that will fall when Yoshi runs past them. If you somehow get hit and then tongue Baby Mario at about the same time as being crushed by a falling wall, the game will crash, with varying glitchy results.
| 1-4 Softlock |
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2-2
This level was infamous for ending runs before anyone knew what was causing it.
| 2-2 Softlock |
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The player must steal the egg from the rat near the end of the level without killing the rat. It is believed that the rat falls offscreen thinking it is still holding the egg, causing Yoshi to receive an invisible egg. If the player is unaware of collecting the egg and proceeds normally, it is very likely that the game will crash when entering the goal ring. It is possible to avoid the crash by "throwing" the invisible egg, though this may waste time. See Null Egg Information page for more details on how this invented a new category.
3-7
The cause for this glitch is still being researched. So far this has only happened to Trihex who has experienced other odd glitches on that particular cartridge. It could be a glitch specific to a corrupt cartridge. As shown in the gif, the next level's Yoshi spawns below the ground and is unable to catch Baby Mario.
| 3-7 Softlock |
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3-8
This level can end the run of people not expecting a fish to appear. This commonly happens to new players/blind runners.
| 3-8 Softlock |
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The player must run into the fish at approximately the same time an egg hits it. Control is removed from the player due to being "eaten", and Yoshi becomes stuck. The fish is known to do several different, and very strange, actions as a result of the glitch.
It is also possible to softlock at the 3-8 boss (Naval Piranha). Needs more testing, but the theories are:
- Scrolling the screen to the left at the same frame as starting the boss fight.
- Having the screen scrolled to certain x-positions while starting the boss fight.
NOTE: regarding the 3-8 Piranha softlock, if this is the softlock wherein the Kamek music plays yet he never comes on screen, he will in about 25-30 minutes. Of course, this isn't at all useful for a speedrun, but is technically not a softlock as the game will resume eventually (albeit with a glitched boss room).
4-4
During the 4-4 boss fight, some runners fire eggs at the bigger Milde forms to bunch them up so they can be ground pounded faster. In some cases, the Milde can fall through the floor when hit by the egg. It appears to be impossible to complete the level because the enemy does not die, although some runners have reported that it may eventually die. It seems to happen as a result of pixel-perfect positioning and the egg causing a speed that makes walljumps (clipping into solid objects) possible.
4-8
This glitch is only a softlock if you're crazy enough to do it during a run. After the save ring before the boss fight, you can fall through the hole and flutter until the fight spawns. Since Yoshi is not at the correct Y position, nothing will happen for a while. The screen very slowly scrolls to the left until eventually Kamek appears, says his message, and casts magic on nothing. Yoshi will die shortly after. It is possible to start+select while waiting for Kamek, which you wouldn't be able to do in a run so if you find yourself below the floor for some reason, it is much faster to just die.
5-4
It is possible to flutter below the floor of the boss fight, similar to 4-8. It appears to have the same result and same options to avoid wasting a lot of time.
