oracle-of-secrets/Docs/Sprites/Bosses/Manhandla.md

Manhandla / Big Chuchu Sprite Analysis

Overview

The manhandla sprite (ID: Sprite_Manhandla, which is $88) is a multi-phase boss. It begins as Manhandla, a multi-headed plant-like enemy, and upon the defeat of its individual heads, it transforms into a Big Chuchu. This design creates a dynamic and evolving boss encounter.

Key Properties:

• Sprite ID: Sprite_Manhandla ($88)
• Description: A multi-phase boss that transforms from Manhandla to Big Chuchu.
• Number of Tiles: 3
• Health: 00 (Health is managed by its spawned heads in the first phase and then by its own SprHealth in the second phase.)
• Damage: 00 (Damage dealt to Link is likely handled by its heads or spawned projectiles.)
• Special Properties:
  • !Boss = 01 (Correctly identified as a boss.)
  • !DeathAnimation = 01 (Indicates custom death handling rather than a standard animation.)
  • !Hitbox = 00

Custom Variables:

• Offspring1_Id, Offspring2_Id, Offspring3_Id: Global variables used to track the sprite indices of the spawned Manhandla heads.

Main States/Actions (Sprite_Manhandla_Main Jump Table):

The boss's behavior is governed by a detailed state machine across its phases:

• Manhandla_Intro (0x00): Initial state. Spawns the three Manhandla heads (SpawnLeftManhandlaHead, SpawnRightManhandlaHead, SpawnCenterMandhandlaHead) and transitions to Manhandla_Body.
• Manhandla_FrontHead (0x01), Manhandla_LeftHead (0x02), Manhandla_RightHead (0x03): These states are likely executed by the individual Manhandla head child sprites, managing their movement, damage, and contact with Link.
• BigChuchu_Main (0x04): The primary state for the Big Chuchu phase. Handles movement, damage, and can spawn Chuchu blasts.
• Flower_Flicker (0x05): A transitional state that flickers the background (BG2) and spawns a new Sprite_Manhandla (with SprSubtype = $08, representing the Big Chuchu head) after a timer, as part of the transformation.
• Manhandla_Body (0x06): The main state for the Manhandla body. Handles movement, damage, updates the positions of its spawned heads, and can spawn Mothula beams.
• BigChuchu_Emerge (0x07): Manages the emergence animation of the Big Chuchu.
• BigChuchu_Flower (0x08): A state for the Big Chuchu, possibly related to its visual appearance or an attack.
• BigChuchu_Dead (0x09): Handles the death sequence of the Big Chuchu.
• ChuchuBlast (0x0A): Manages the movement and damage of the spawned Chuchu blast projectile.

Initialization (Sprite_Manhandla_Prep):

• Sets initial movement speeds and enables BG1 movement.
• Configures deflection properties (SprDefl = $80).
• Sets initial health to $80.
• Initializes SprAction, X based on SprSubtype, X.

Phase Transition and Death Check (Sprite_Manhandla_CheckForNextPhaseOrDeath):

This critical routine orchestrates the boss's transformation:

• It checks if all three Manhandla heads (Offspring1_Id, Offspring2_Id, Offspring3_Id) are dead.
• If all heads are defeated, it triggers the transition to the Big Chuchu phase:
  • Sets SprMiscD, X = $01 (phase flag).
  • Refills health (SprHealth = $40).
  • Adjusts OAM entries (SprNbrOAM = $08).
  • Sets SprAction = $07 (BigChuchu_Emerge).
• It also manages the Big Chuchu's defeat, transitioning to BigChuchu_Dead when its health drops below $04.

Head Spawning (SpawnLeftManhandlaHead, SpawnRightManhandlaHead, SpawnCenterMandhandlaHead):

• These routines spawn Sprite_Manhandla ($88) sprites as child heads.
• They assign specific SprSubtype values ($03 for left, $02 for right, $01 for center) to differentiate the heads.
• They store the IDs of the spawned heads in global variables (Offspring1_Id, Offspring2_Id, Offspring3_Id).
• They set the initial position, health, and properties for each head.

Head Positioning (SetLeftHeadPos, SetRightHeadPos, SetCenterHeadPos):

• These routines dynamically calculate and set the positions of the spawned heads relative to the main Manhandla body.

Movement (Sprite_Manhandla_Move, Manhandla_StopIfOutOfBounds):

• Sprite_Manhandla_Move: The core movement logic for the Manhandla body, utilizing a jump table for StageControl, MoveXandY, MoveXorY, and KeepWalking states.
• Manhandla_StopIfOutOfBounds: Prevents the boss from moving beyond predefined screen boundaries.

Attacks (Chuchu_SpawnBlast, Mothula_SpawnBeams):

• Chuchu_SpawnBlast: Spawns a Chuchu blast projectile (Sprite ID $88 with SprSubtype = $0A).
• Mothula_SpawnBeams: Spawns beam projectiles (Sprite ID $89), called from Manhandla_Body.

Drawing (Sprite_Manhandla_Draw, Sprite_BigChuchu_Draw):

• Sprite_Manhandla_Draw: Renders the Manhandla body and its heads.
• Sprite_BigChuchu_Draw: Renders the Big Chuchu form.
• Both utilize standard OAM allocation routines and handle animation frames, offsets, character data, properties, and sizes.

Graphics and Palette (ApplyManhandlaGraphics, ApplyManhandlaPalette):

• ApplyManhandlaGraphics: Handles DMA transfer of graphics data (manhandla.bin) to VRAM.
• ApplyManhandlaPalette: Sets the custom palette for Manhandla.

Discrepancies/Notes:

• The !Health property is 00, indicating that the boss's health is managed by its heads in the first phase and then by its own SprHealth in the Big Chuchu phase.
• The Sprite_Manhandla ID ($88) is efficiently reused for the main boss, its heads, and the Chuchu blast projectile, with SprSubtype differentiating their roles.
• The reuse of Mothula_SpawnBeams for Manhandla is an example of code reuse.
• Hardcoded values for timers, speeds, and offsets could be replaced with named constants for improved readability and maintainability.
• A commented-out org for Sprite_DoTheDeath#PrepareEnemyDrop.post_death_stuff suggests potential modifications to the death routine.