Mystery Zone

This article is about the header. For the card of the same name from the Skyridge expansion, see Mystery Zone (Skyridge 137).

	This glitch is in need of research. Reason: Clarification of details. You can discuss this on the talk page.

The Mystery Zone (Japanese: なぞの場所 Mystery Place) is a location header that is programmed into every core series game since Generation IV.

Generation IV

In the Generation IV games, location ID 0x0000 "Mystery Zone" is usually seen in some of the areas found in the void but it is also used for certain unused locations as well as the Underground.

The Japanese versions of Pokémon Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver identify the undefined areas as －－－－; however, they still identify a Pokémon's caught location set to the Mystery Zone as なぞのばしょ. This is because the two are different location IDs that share the name "Mystery Zone" in English games; whereas 0x0000 －－－－ is used for map IDs, 0x07DC なぞのばしょ is used for caught Pokémon.

Access

The Mystery Zone is normally inaccessible, but can be entered by means of tweaking. In earlier copies of the Japanese versions of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the Surf glitch is an alternative method. It can also be accessed with the use of cheating devices.

Music

In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, the background music theme is usually the unused copy of Route 206 (Day), which is identified internally as SEQ_DUMMY.

By 7GamerMinutes: Video Game Music

In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the background music theme is also SEQ_DUMMY but it is a copy of Route 29 instead. It is not affected by the GB Sounds.

Behaviors

Pre-release screenshot of Route 219, depicting the unused tileset.

Route 219 in Diamond and Pearl
Left: regular tileset
Right: Mystery Zone/unused tileset

Upon entering a map ID 0 "Mystery Zone" and accessing a location with a different map ID, the tilesets will not be updated even if the new area is programmed to use a different tileset. Simply refreshing the graphics will solve this. Sinnoh's Mystery Zone has its own tileset which can be seen by entering it from the overworld, refreshing the graphics there, and then returning to the overworld. This tileset is actually a slightly distorted depiction of the tileset shown in a pre-release screenshot of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, indicating that it is a leftover from the development period. It also remains within the internal data of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.

On the 1.0 release of the Japanese versions of Diamond and Pearl, both the menu and the Explorer Kit are usable in a Mystery Zone. On later releases, the localizations, and Pokémon Platinum, neither the menu or the Explorer Kit can be opened (in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the touchscreen menu is locked), although a registered Key Item like the Town Map can still be used to refresh the graphics in the area at any time.

Later generations

In the Generation V games, inaccessible sections of areas use the header and background music of the location from which they were entered. For example, in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, if the player keeps heading north of Route 19, going outside the boundaries of the map, the game will still recognize the location as being "Route 19" until the player arrives at another normally accessible location.

The "Mystery Zone" header (0x0001 in Generation V, 0x0002 in Generation VI and VII) in these generations is completely unused.

The Generation V equivalent to Generation IV's SEQ_DUMMY music theme is called SEQ_BGM_DUMMY and is a copy of Icirrus City.

Variants

There are many different variants of the Mystery Zone Across the series.

Pokémon Platinum

• 

  NULL - Empty Map (Black Void)

• 

  173 - ro_treec (West Forest)

• 

  174 - ro_seac (Sea)

• 

  175 - ro_mountc (Mountainous)

• 

  176 - ro_tree2c (East Forest)

• 

  177 - ro_tree3c (Snow Forest)

• 

  178 - ro_snowc (Flat Snow)

• 

  179 - ro_tree4c (Fight Area)

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver

• NULL - Empty Map (Black Void)
• 208 - ro_treec (Forested)
• 209 - ro_seac (Sea)
• 210 - ro_mountc (Mountainous)

Pokémon Black and White

• NULL - Empty Map (Black Void)
• 103 - map_outgrass (Grass Flat)
• 104 - map_outtree (Eastern Forested)
• 105 - map_outrock (Mountainous)
• 106 - map_outsea (Sea)
• 107 - map_outdesert (Desert Plateau)
• 204 - map_outtree1 (Western Forested)

Pokémon Black and White 2

• NULL - Empty Map (Black Void)
• 103 - map_outgrass (Grass Flat)
• 104 - map_outtree (Eastern Forested)
• 105 - map_outrock (Mountainous)
• 106 - map_outsea (Sea)
• 107 - map_outdesert (Desert Plateau)
• 204 - map_outtree1 (Western Forested)

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 神秘的地方 Sàhnbei-dīk Deihfōng Mandarin 神秘的地方 Shénmì-de Dìfāng French Endroit mystérieux (VII) Endroit Mystérieux (V, VI) Endroit mystér.PtHGSS Zone MystèreDP German Mysteriöser OrtHGSS Mysteriöse Zone Italian Zona misteriosa (VII) Zona Misteriosa (V - VI) Korean 수수께끼의 장소 Susukkekki-ui Jangso Spanish Lugar misterioso Zona MisteriosaDP

See also

• Tweaking

External links

• Void Knowledge Archive, by the members of HallofOrigin - Google Drive
  • GCLF thread

This article is part of both Project Locations and Project GlitchDex, Bulbapedia projects that, together, aim to write comprehensive articles on locations and glitches, respectively.