AKheon | Xena Warrior Princess (PS2) - glitches and observations @AKheon | Uploaded January 2021 | Updated October 2024, 7 hours ago.
I tried this game at random, and it turned out to be surprisingly fun time. The game has some nice glitches to mess around with, as you'll see on this video.
0:00 - super speed glitch.
When you interrupt an action during which Xena has a lot of speed using L1 (sheathe / unsheathe) while keeping L-stick neutral, the existing momentum makes Xena slide for a few seconds. Doing this repeatedly, you accumulate glitchy momentum and begin moving extremely fast.
All the suitable actions for this glitch are done from running. Fortunately you can chain them after L1 even without using L-stick in between. Triangle is the best for gaining speed, but you can't easily steer during it. Circle (evade) is helpful for steering, but it can be tricky to use at a high speed, especially since the animation is cancelled early if Xena hits a wall at any point.
Holding L-stick at any point Xena is idle and sliding will reset her momentum, ending the glitch. Learning to build up speed and then steer takes a lot of practice, and the game's weird input delay and lag don't help either. Still, I think this is the preferred way to move around both in TAS and regular speedruns as well.
You can also do this with R3 (aim), but the input is much more awkward.
Accumulating super speed against walls for long enough causes a lot of lag, but generally the collision is so sturdy that it keeps Xena out.
1:03 - you can take super speed into air by combining a jump and a ground action by pressing their buttons simultaneously. Jump + evade is the most useful combination as it allows Xena to steer in air.
1:18 - the box pushing mechanics are weird in this game. You can continue doing most other actions while pushing a box, and this means you can also gain super speed while at it. With enough speed, Xena sends the boxes right through walls into lands unknown.
1:52 - if you hold triangle near a box and jump, use chakram, etc. you can detach Xena from the box entirely. This allows you to push the box while standing on top of it, among other small things, but it doesn't seem too useful so far.
2:08 - you can use the collision of a box to clip through walls. Push it at a right distance from a wall and try to jump behind it. This doesn't seem to work at all walls, for instance, the portcullis gates seem to be so thick that you can't get through. It's also possible to get Xena stuck inside the box instead of clipping through a wall, which causes you to get stuck.
Anyway, doing the wall clip shown on the video allows you to skip most of Level 1. It's the largest sequence break in the game so far, as of writing this description.
2:38 - another wallclip tactic, this time with urns. This may be rather inconsistent - it could still use some more testing.
If Xena gets killed while carrying an urn, it will fall out of her hands nearby. The fall is not random, as far as I can tell, so you can have the urn drop at a specific distance from a wall, then use it to clip through. This might only work at very thin walls, or the positioning simply has to be very precise.
3:23 - another urn-related wallclip in the garden maze. There is an urn placed next to a corner to the right from the entrance. Jumping on top of it can push Xena inside the wall - sadly, there's nowhere to go from there.
I tried this game at random, and it turned out to be surprisingly fun time. The game has some nice glitches to mess around with, as you'll see on this video.
0:00 - super speed glitch.
When you interrupt an action during which Xena has a lot of speed using L1 (sheathe / unsheathe) while keeping L-stick neutral, the existing momentum makes Xena slide for a few seconds. Doing this repeatedly, you accumulate glitchy momentum and begin moving extremely fast.
All the suitable actions for this glitch are done from running. Fortunately you can chain them after L1 even without using L-stick in between. Triangle is the best for gaining speed, but you can't easily steer during it. Circle (evade) is helpful for steering, but it can be tricky to use at a high speed, especially since the animation is cancelled early if Xena hits a wall at any point.
Holding L-stick at any point Xena is idle and sliding will reset her momentum, ending the glitch. Learning to build up speed and then steer takes a lot of practice, and the game's weird input delay and lag don't help either. Still, I think this is the preferred way to move around both in TAS and regular speedruns as well.
You can also do this with R3 (aim), but the input is much more awkward.
Accumulating super speed against walls for long enough causes a lot of lag, but generally the collision is so sturdy that it keeps Xena out.
1:03 - you can take super speed into air by combining a jump and a ground action by pressing their buttons simultaneously. Jump + evade is the most useful combination as it allows Xena to steer in air.
1:18 - the box pushing mechanics are weird in this game. You can continue doing most other actions while pushing a box, and this means you can also gain super speed while at it. With enough speed, Xena sends the boxes right through walls into lands unknown.
1:52 - if you hold triangle near a box and jump, use chakram, etc. you can detach Xena from the box entirely. This allows you to push the box while standing on top of it, among other small things, but it doesn't seem too useful so far.
2:08 - you can use the collision of a box to clip through walls. Push it at a right distance from a wall and try to jump behind it. This doesn't seem to work at all walls, for instance, the portcullis gates seem to be so thick that you can't get through. It's also possible to get Xena stuck inside the box instead of clipping through a wall, which causes you to get stuck.
Anyway, doing the wall clip shown on the video allows you to skip most of Level 1. It's the largest sequence break in the game so far, as of writing this description.
2:38 - another wallclip tactic, this time with urns. This may be rather inconsistent - it could still use some more testing.
If Xena gets killed while carrying an urn, it will fall out of her hands nearby. The fall is not random, as far as I can tell, so you can have the urn drop at a specific distance from a wall, then use it to clip through. This might only work at very thin walls, or the positioning simply has to be very precise.
3:23 - another urn-related wallclip in the garden maze. There is an urn placed next to a corner to the right from the entrance. Jumping on top of it can push Xena inside the wall - sadly, there's nowhere to go from there.
