the halloween hack: a mini-documentary

"radiation's halloween hack" is one of the most famous earthbound ROM hacks of all time. better known as the earthbound halloween hack, it's somewhat infamous "bad fur day edition" was made by the to-be creator of undertale. toby fox released the project in 2008 for starmen.net's 'halloween funfest' - and nearly 15 years on, i'm here to prove how it's creative influence carried over into his later works.
CHAPTERS:
0:00 an introduction to the funfest
0:56 arn's winter quest
2:08 BRANDISH (ブランディッシュ, 1991)
2:52 the lazy start...?
4:14 andonuts: the making of (.html)
5:54 the player's morality
9:22 megalo strikes back!
11:02 seen again in the underworld
13:08 toby's own retrospective
14:30 credits
special thanks to lolmeowaj and reidman. whether they realise it or not, without them, this video wouldn't exist.
extra special thanks to Kannibal. dude's music got me through my bachelor's dissertation. keep doing what you're doing, brother.
---
meikkon, 2023. some rights reserved.
meikkon.io

[@andrew_cunningham]

I like to take Toby's words about "accepting his bad romhack with swears as part of his eternal legacy" as encouragement not to delete my own old work. If this world-famous dude can get out of bed each day knowing the Halloween Hack and "Fuck You Squidward" are still floating around the internet, none of us have any excuse.

[@meikkon_]

hey andrew, hope you don't mind me using all of your footage for this video lol, was a very big help. i would concur though: not everything we make will be a hit, but you gotta get out there and give it a shot anyway.

[@andrew_cunningham]

@meikkon I don't mind at all, I'm just surprised there's not a high-speed gaster arm shooting through the bottom corner every couple seconds.

[@meikkon_]

haha he was in some of the later cuts but managed to clip him out for the final. rip gaster 😔

[@polocatfan]

he hasn't accepted it though? he's disowned it. I love Toby, but disowning something that makes people happy and saying people who like it "aren't real fans" is kinda shitty.

[@lennystudios3.14]

Agreed, I don’t delete any of my old stuff (except for if a friend in it says to) because I like having the good and the bad on my channel. It just shows how long I’ve come since “cool gd showcase 1” to now making ~10 minute personality based videos.

[@HaydenLikeHey]

Toby really is an interesting character. I didn't know he got into game design at that early of an age

[@clust3rpepis]

Toby really is an interesting character. I didn’t know he got into game design at that early of an age

[@LoiValdes]

Despite saying that he's embarrassed of the hack. He still draws inspiration from it, MEGALOVANIA originated here, the lg concept of Flowey and specially the whole player- protagonist dynamic

[@yosh9192]

To be fair him being embarrassed of it and also wanting to revisit some old ideas from it aren’t mutually exclusive. I’m pretty sure the concept for the Amalgamates also originated from Halloween Hack (though it also could just be a coincidence that both use the same name)

[@twindrill2852]

Seeing Andonauts’ arc in this story made me…actually quite sad. You can definitely see Toby’s penchant for surprisingly intense characterization shine in through this rendition of him, even if it’s a bit rough around the edges at this point.

[@hubdweller9969]

God I even remember the implied context for that Toby Tweet-MatPat was trying so desperately to ride the Undertale train into further popularity, and had cooked up his infamous Sans theory. And he used the Halloween Hack as a way to justify it. Toby wouldn’t give pushback to good ol’ RugFlop again until the Heartbound incident.

[@amentco8445]

the heartbound incident? do i want to know?

[@TheForbiddenChode]

@@marrow1243Ok you’re a liar. He explained his editor made the hashtag could this be a sequel to Undertale? Because the game was obviously just a fan game of Undertale. And he explained he’ll talk to them and see if they can make it so he’ll get the credit he deserves. But Toby Fox came out of nowhere and inserted himself into the conversation straight up aggressively to Matpat saying he took it too far… for not being able to credit him properly which he was already trying to do.

[@TheForbiddenChode]

Also original commenter. Matpat wasn’t riding the hype train. He was obviously a fan of both Earthbound and Undertale and found obvious similarities in both the Halloween hack and Undertale which is why he was shocked when Toby Fox made fun of him on twitter causing the Undertale fans to send tons of hate towards him to the point he cried in his next video.

[@JanMichael2003]

Whats wrong with the Sans its Ness theory, I mean Sans it's just a meme so there nothing to be mad abo--- are you guys really getting p***** off over a meme?

[@paperhat_boi]

​@@TheForbiddenChode 2016 undertale fandom, me thinks

[@danielmovieproductions316]

Spot on review, my friend. Very well edited and written. I’m glad that a lot more people are appreciating the Halloween Hack (and Brandish as well) for what it is, because you are right. Undertale and Deltarune wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for this. Although I must say…I’m kinda interested to see a Brandish remake made in Earthbound now….

[@lolmeowaj]

Don't know exactly how well Brandish would work in EB being a dungeon crawler in all. Unless it did smth like chain of memory's battles.

[@danielmovieproductions316]

@@lolmeowaj well I mean you probably could edit the enemy sprites in EB into the enemies in Brandish

[@gamerdomain6618]

8:53 Correction: The player can take any path ranging from pacifism to genocide. UnderTale's endings are deeper by virtue, or rather, by sin of the fact that you can kill any specific range of monsters to learn entirely new things about everyone alive, like the fact that Sans and Toriel will live together in the Ruins if you murder Papyrus and ten other monsters or how the best ending in all of UnderTale is the bedlam ending where all unique, significant encounters (Toriel, Papyrus, Undyne, Mettaton, technically Asgore but he always dies anyway) are killed and all others are spared.

[@zedxcu]

what is this "bedlam ending" ive never heard of it before

[@gamerdomain6618]

@@zedxcu You get five kills to eiminate everyone eligible to be king and the entire underground finds happiness and serenity under the rule of a certain annoying dog. Look up UnderTale bedlam/dog ending. I've done it myself before.

[@MontycelA]

⁠@@gamerdomain6618 We’re you being sarcastic when referring to the bedlam ending ad the best?

[@aidencalhoun4893]

​@MontycelA No, all the other ruler endings have some sort of issue, but with the dog, it literally just sits on the throne and everyone is just happy somehow.

[@gamerdomain6618]

@@MontycelA The ending is so happy for monsterkind that Sans even somewhat forgives you for killing Papyrus, which he does in no other ending whatsoever.

[@RandomDude1487]

forget how edgy it is, just appreciate that 10/10 speech at the final boss

[@danielmovieproductions316]

I forgot to mention this in my first comment, but I just realized that Toby composing the song “synchronicity” for EBHH might have derived from his idea of hacking Earthbound into Brandish, since the original song from that game is called “stage clear”

[@meikkon_]

listening to it now, they are very similar. it's kinda cool how well suited these tracks are to earthbound's environment.

[@danielmovieproductions316]

@@meikkon_ it definitely is, but I think for some reason I feel like I remember Toby stating that he based it off of the Brandish 2 version, which probably sounds more like the EBHH cover

[@xd1498]

I've heard about this hack after I had finished Undertale for the first time, just havent't been curious enough to play or even search more about it... better late than never I guess. Good job with your video!

[@yazshu]

great video, being a creator in the age of the internet is always going to be sort of challenging and embarrassing but i think at the same time for those who are willing to critically engage being able to see how a persons art started and evolved throughout their career is invaluable. seeing how the overarching themes of the halloween hack and even homestuck influence undertale and deltarune is something im super glad im able to experience

[@manly_toilet]

Btw the Amalgam sound is actually the opening harmony to The Beach Boys' Deirdre

[@XanderAxid]

Dude I just found your channel and binged your content and like damn you deserve more subs and views, you're content is amazing

[@but_heres_the_homestuck]

This is seriously some of the coolest shit. It’s so terrifying. What makes it all the more unsettling is it’s characters you know too.

[@prosto_a_user]

3:23 I've never encountered this stone Yet again, Toby inspires himself and takes this talking rock into the Ruins, although much smaller And also that line... "Get out of here!" "Jesus, how many monsters does it take to stop people like you?!" ...hits unbelievably hard after playing UT

[@user-bkey]

"Plus angry gay guys using psychic attacks is cool to think about." everything makes sense now

[@roseboil7713]

also, if you already didn't know, before the undertale variation, but after the halloween hack, megalovania was used in homestuck. you probably already knew tho lmao

[@stormyandsnowy]

Thank you for making an in-depth mini documentary that I’m not bored of almost immediately. I actually started off by watching a 50+ minute video that was partially well-made, and only about half commentated.

[@yeetlejuice7181]

very nice video, the halloween hack has always been strangely intriguing to me and so it's cool to see people talk about it. hearing what i assume is young toby's developer commentary on certain creative choices adds a layer of context you don't really see otherwise, and i genuinely never would've heard about how the whole "the player themself is a force in the game's world" thing actually started with this rom hack if you didn't include it. good stuff! also the way you delayed the drop of megalo strikes back at the end was fucking awesome

[@meikkon_]

strangely intriguing is a perfect way to put it - one of those highly bizarre butterfly effect moments given that megalovania is in smash now. and megalo strike back is a sick track. the whole compilation album it's from is amazing, very faithful to earthbound thematically speaking. originally I wanted to talk about that, believe it or not, but I'm not a music theory guy so I was just floundering.

[@zymen33]

I thought I was a Toby expert but I managed to acknowledge quite a few new facts. Thank you, very interesting!

[@Belliqua]

Fantastic video. As someone a month older than Toby who also grew up terminally online, the "edgy" parts of HH are 0% surprising and honestly not bad at all considering online culture (particularly gaming circles) and the language at the time. I don't expect a sixteen year old to write perfect prose, I also don't expect a sixteen year old to use an extremely finicky hacking tool to create a five hour game with custom assets so he's already a cut above with that. Also I love the making of page so much, he had to start using more professional language publicly after UT gained popularity but just like his older tweets and blog posts during Homestuck era you can see the reflective, enthusiastic, passionate problem-solver he is in how he used to express himself.

[@PowerUpT]

14:23 Awwww totally missed the ability to make a PK Rockin joke.

[@meikkon_]

pk rocked a generation, that would've been a good one as well

[@tess007]

Thank you for making this video, I appreciate the effort put into it, it's very informative

[@spilledmilkii]

Your videos deserve a lot more attention, I was shocked to see that this video only had a little >800 likes

[@no_tv4464]

that outro was fire, keep up the good work

[@julester]

i was already surprised by how good and kinda tailored to my specific tastes ur channel was and then i got this video in my recommended like ok awesome and then i realized ur the same guy who did the poker night and bike basket videos !!!!! i swear coverage of the halloween hack in any way much less one that isnt 100% derogatory is such a rarity im so glad you made this keep bringin out that weirdo video game passion it makes me smile

[@gabrielgreytber4644]

great video, though i knew like about everything besides cut content and winter quest (being a varik freak like I am), it's nice to find someone who appreciates it too

[@gracep2910]

10:14 this is mindblowing!

[@avcables_]

When you said tl;dr at the end I really thought you were going to verbally say the famous line that happens right before MeGaLoVania

[@stoplookingatthisyougleepy]

Arn’s Winter Quest isn’t that good gameplay-wise, but I think it’s pretty wacky and silly. The story ain’t that great either compared to other works of his but it’s the funniest for sure. “Sounds like a rat problem to me” has become something I’ve quoted near daily. Man, I need friends.

[@WannabeMarysue]

Toby's right. Halloween hack is an embarrassing early work, only of note because of Toby's future works. But Halloween Hack really deserves a trial of its peers in the Earthbound Romhacking community, and not rose-tinted auteur evangelizing. And in the context of its Starmen contemporaries, Halloween Hack looks a lot less shiny.

[@Link3000XD]

when i hear "brandish" i think of something else....

[@themoonrivergalaxy]

Would love to hear your opinions on LISA and it’s sequels LISA the painful

[@gabbls_]

Good video 👍

[@Raxacoricofallapatorius]

Great video man, cool to get more detail on the hack itself. Do you know anything about the coding aspect of the hack or how he put it together? Because being able to make a game like that at 16 is mind boggling lol

[@meikkon_]

admittedly I am not very technically minded - but I do know the hack was made entirely in PK Hack, which is notoriously difficult to use. if you'd like some more info on it, you can see the .HTML file toby used to document his works - it's in the zip folder for this download of the game: archive.org/details/radiationhalloweenhack

[@Raxacoricofallapatorius]

@@meikkon_ Cheers man, I'll have a look!

[@lolmeowaj]

I have to ask, where did you get the source that he originally planned to remake brandish? I have heard about this before and that is why Varik is in ebhh however I cant find where this is sourced from. Is it from the starmen fourms?

[@lolmeowaj]

ALSO HEY WAIT IM IN YOUR DESCRIPTION NEAT.

[@lolmeowaj]

Also also, GOD DAMN AM I HAPPY YOU MADE THIS. Im probably the hugest ebhh fan thats alive atm and I feel im always trying to convince people why its such and important game but no one belives me. And honestly youve layed out in a better way I ever could! (Like ive been trying to do a vid on his starmen acc for months but I just cant finish it). So thankyou!!! I think personally the only thing I would've added it's influence on deltarune and mention ness's bangin hot Halloween with awq but... im sure you dont know about that fic cause I never finished my vid on it! But dont worry I plan to write an essay about the full history, importance, and analysis of ebhh....coming... eventually..... Anyways epic vid man!!!!!!

[@meikkon_]

hey lolmeowaj! your iceberg video was a huge help during the initial stages of making this, so i thought you were certainly worthy of thanks for it. i believe toby said he originally wanted to make a brandish hack in "the making of.html", although looking back it's not totally clear what he meant by this: "originally I just wanted to make a Brandish hack because Brandish is pretty Halloweeny already" - he could have just meant a brandish theme, not necessarily a remake like i said. afaik this is the only evidence of this claim; andonuts' character was probably more important to the overall plot and theme ultimately (as toby goes onto say: "Then I thought of the Andonuts thing and I figured that Varik was as good of a silent protagonist as any to fill the role"). and yeah, there's lots more that i wanted to talk about - i've actually still not played the second chapter of deltarune (which i have no good excuse for really) so i thought i'd leave that portion behind and focus on undertale instead. i was going to play it specifically for this video, but the time constraints of life keep getting in my way sadly. best of luck with your work and thanks for stopping by!

[@lolmeowaj]

@meikkon_ np man, glad u liked my silly video. Anyways yeah the making of is unclear, personally when I read it I belived it meant he wanted to do a hack of brandish, but perhaps not, maybe it will always stay a mystery lol

[@theomegapyrope9715]

decently sized; did watch have a nice day, felloe

[@woot000]

why did you put a scanline filter over the emulator footage

[@meikkon_]

for consistency - iirc some of the rom hack footage from arn's quest is lower quality than the EBHH footage. the scanlines made them look a little more seamless when transitioning, and kinda retro i suppose. i also chroma keyed them!

[@stagelights_]

it was honestly a disappointment to hear "did you know about the many other places megalovania can be heard?" and then not mention homestuck, the other most notable instance of megalovania, playing on the sound page simply titled "wake" (page 3297)

[@meikkon_]

i was gonna go over all the places it has appeared since it's original iteration, but it was gonna take a looooong time, it's been used in a lot of media since

[@nathantheman5572]

I remember playing this when I was 12 back in 2013 in my school computer got freaked out by the gor3

[@too_online.3441]

how do i beat NO, NO, and NO

[@kirbyfreakyt4695]

8:52 What was this song again?

[@andremckenna2007]

What's this sanctuary guardian remix?

[@eugenealejandro1003]

What is the name of the credits music used?

[@polluxarcturus5260]

Megalo strike back.

[@teamok1025]

9:23

[@cloverkip]

toby stole everything earthbound made like first person rpg battle system and the funny easter egg stuff

[@Henri610]

The game is so edgy and odd

[@axnlogix]

If I was Toby, I would be embarrased about it too. Seeing as there are a few of homophobic slurs fighting the final boss. Probably mostly that.

[@maverickREAL]

Halloween Hack has aged awfully IMO. Slurs and edge.

[@TheSkyGuy77]

Everyone has had edgy moments.

[@KyrieFortune]

Toby did it when he was 16, Megalovania included. What were YOU doing when you were 16? Personally, I was just very angry at my parents and my ex.

[@valentine_sandwich]

Agreed. The hack is really good but the dialogue in the final boss fight was... interesting to put it lightly😅

[@backupschmliff1156]

What kinda slurs? Hardcore slurs or the new ones?

[@speeder5118]

i feel its really unfortunate this game has a slur in it like if he wanted to be edgy or something just use the c u n t word instead

[@amentco8445]

lol

[@shrilleth]

dont worry im gay i gave him the pass

[@raax7647]

ppl who are actually calling it edgy or problematic confused the shit outta me, like have you not played any of the games released in modern era especially shit like GTA. what was so bad about it exactly or edgy. swearing isn't edgy, like how much of a narcissistic holy bastard do you have to be to complain about swearing. ppl critiquing this like they are teachers in a highschool its cringe. and for a 16yo to write something so deep and with actually story and flesh out a character like this, that's an achievement plus you know most ppl now are pansies when it comes to content they will get pissed if you even say one word that they think is a slur

[@animalcollectiveporn]

the baby is you is way edgier and more problematic than the halloween hack