Mechanic · progression · roguelite, role-playing game

Metaprogression

Items, unlocks or upgrades that a run leaves behind for the next one, outlasting the run's loss or end.

stubAlso: meta-progression, persistent unlocks, persistent progression, carry-over, roguelite progressionUpdated 2026-11-08
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Metaprogression is what survives a run. In Lufia II’s Ancient Cave, entering takes everything from the party but its blue-chest items1, leaving keeps those and the Iris treasures and nothing else2, and a wipe loses that visit’s finds3. Between visits the game also keeps counts of entries and wipes, the time spent inside, and the deepest floor reached4.

See also

Games

GameYearHowNote
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals1995Carried itemsthe Ancient Cave takes all but the blue-chest items at the door; leaving keeps those and the Iris treasures
Every claim about this mechanic, by game (3)
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 1995Entering the Ancient Cave takes everything from the party except its blue-chest items. The game moves each item on the blue list from the bag and from the four party members' equipment to a list of its own, saves a copy of the party, then clears all but the first 14 bytes of each of the seven members' records, the bag, the gold and the play time, puts 10 Potions in the bag, gives back the blue items, and rebuilds the seven members from their default records; when the byte at $0A7F, which neither source names, is 7, it also returns every capsule monster to level 1, a step no probe has covered.Code
When an Ancient Cave visit ends without a wipe, the party keeps its Iris treasures and its blue-list items and nothing else: the game collects every Iris treasure in the bag, setting its event flag, then every blue-list item in the bag or in any of the seven members' equipment, restores the copy of the party saved at the entrance, gives the collected items back, and adds the time spent inside to the restored play time. Iris treasures are collected from the bag only, and blue items brought in but no longer held are not returned.Code
Between visits the game keeps, outside the copy the exit restores, a count of entries and one of wipes, the total time spent in the cave, and the deepest floor reached; what else carries over is the Iris flags and the blue items as the party holds them.Code

References

  1. ^ abCodevinheim3/lufia2-disasm · “Lufia II - Rise of the Sinistrals (USA)” · Cellenseres/Lufia2Decompbank_004.s 1136–1201, 1205–1235, 1274–1347; default_records.c 162–176; +3 files
    How we know
    code/bank_004.s at aab3894
    Our readingeach of the 96 bag slots: on the blue list: append it to $7F:BF00, empty the slot1136–1154each of the four party slots with a member: each of six equipment words at its record + $66, the same, marked $02001156–1198end the list with a 0 word1200–1201copy each range of the table at $84:8B20 to $7F:B000, then reset ($84:8888)1205–1235zero each range of the table at $84:8B591280–1306first bag slot = $1402: item 2 (Potion), 10 of it1309–1310a normal entry ($7F:E759 = 0): give each saved item back ($82:E746)1312–1340rebuild the members ($81:ED35) and the capsule monsters ($82:C2FD)1344–1345

    In the cartridge (“Lufia II - Rise of the Sinistrals (USA)”): $84:8B20 (the saved ranges) and $84:8B59 (the cleared ranges), five bytes each: address, bank, length. We don't reproduce the bytes.

    162Lufia2ExecutionResult Lufia2PartyResetDefaultRecords(
163    const Lufia2Memory *memory, Lufia2CpuState *cpu,
164    Lufia2PushedChildCall child, void *context) {
165    if (!child || !cpu->accumulator_is_8_bit || cpu->index_is_8_bit || cpu->decimal)
166        return ExecutionHandoff(cpu, 0x81ed35u);
167    PushDataBank(memory, cpu);
168    OpSetDataBank(memory, cpu, DEFAULT_RECORD_DATA_BANK);
169    SetDefaultRecordPointers(memory, cpu);
170    OpLdx(cpu, 0xb395u);
171    OpStz(memory, cpu, OpAbs(cpu, WRAM_PARTY_STAT_MEMBER_INDEX));
172    const uint32_t unpack_sites[] = {
173        0x81ed55u, 0x81ed5bu, 0x81ed61u, 0x81ed67u,
⋮
    src/system/default_records.c lines 162–176 at 6fc15bb · upstream ↗
    src/party/capsule.c at 6fc15bb
    Our readingthe capsule reset returns at once unless $0A7F is 7485–488
    src/cave/cave_entry.c at 6fc15bb
    Our readingthe blue test: the item's low 9 bits against each of the 41 words at $94:EEA023–40
    code/bank_002.s at aab3894
    Our reading$0A7F not 7: skip the capsule reset ($82:C351)10098–10100

    Claim page

  2. ^ abCodevinheim3/lufia2-disasmbank_004.s 1355–1392, 1395–1477, 1479–1617, 1620–1651
    How we know
    code/bank_004.s at aab3894
    Our readingadd the cave's minutes and hours to the cave's total time; add $0B5B to $0B721355–1387$7F:E759 nonzero (a wipe): skip the collecting1389–1392each bag slot against the nine Iris words at $91:FFCA: list it, set flag 200 + index1403–1439each bag slot: list it if blue ($84:8AF4)1441–1451six equipment words of each of seven member records: list them if blue1453–1474keep the count at $7E:E2001476–1477restore every saved range from $7F:B0001479–1513a wipe: give the saved list from the entrance1517–1546else give each collected item, at least 1 of it1548–1583add the cave's time to the restored play time1585–1610
    1620Call_04_8af4:
1621	sta $54                                                  ; $8af4 : $85, $54
1622	and #$ff.b                                                  ; $8af6 : $29, $ff
1623	ora ($18, X)                                                  ; $8af8 : $01, $18
1624	beq br_04_8b1f                                                  ; $8afa : $f0, $23
⋮
1626	ldx #$0000.w                                                  ; $8afc : $a2, $00, $00
⋮
1628br_04_8aff:
1629	cmp $94eea0.l, X                                                  ; $8aff : $df, $a0, $ee, $94
1630	beq br_04_8b0f                                                  ; $8b03 : $f0, $0a
⋮
1632	inx                                                  ; $8b05 : $e8
1633	inx                                                  ; $8b06 : $e8
1634	cpx #$0052.w                                                  ; $8b07 : $e0, $52, $00
⋮
    code/bank_004.s lines 1620–1651 at aab3894 · upstream ↗

    Claim page

  3. ^CodeCellenseres/Lufia2Decomp · vinheim3/lufia2-disasmcave_reset.c 136–170; bank_004.s 1727–1748; +2 files
    How we know
    src/cave/cave_reset.c at 6fc15bb
    Our reading$7F:E759 = $FF, then the reset, which skips the saved items when it is nonzero143–148the defeat count +1, held at $FFFF154–160set the map and the reload flags161–168
    1727	lda #$8fff.w                                                  ; $8b9c : $a9, $ff, $8f
1728	eor $7fe7.w, Y                                                  ; $8b9f : $59, $e7, $7f
1729	jsr Call_04_8888.w                                                  ; $8ba2 : $20, $88, $88
1730	rep #ACCU_8                                                  ; $8ba5 : $c2, $20
1731	lda $0b6c.w                                                  ; $8ba7 : $ad, $6c, $0b
1732	ina                                                  ; $8baa : $1a
1733	bne br_04_8bae                                                  ; $8bab : $d0, $01
⋮
1735	dea                                                  ; $8bad : $3a
⋮
1737br_04_8bae:
1738	sta $0b6c.w                                                  ; $8bae : $8d, $6c, $0b
1739	sep #ACCU_8                                                  ; $8bb1 : $e2, $20
1740	lda #$f0.b                                                  ; $8bb3 : $a9, $f0
⋮
    code/bank_004.s lines 1727–1748 at aab3894 · upstream ↗
    code/bank_003.s at aab3894
    Our readingafter a battle: result $7F:F8A2 = 1 on map $F1 or $F0: the defeat routine $84:8B9C597–609
    src/battle/battle_outcome.c at 6fc15bb
    Our reading$11 stays $FF only if every party record has status bit $04; $12 the same for the enemies30–56every enemy down: result 0; else every member down: result 166–76

    Claim page

  4. ^ abCodevinheim3/lufia2-disasm · Cellenseres/Lufia2Decomp · “Lufia II - Rise of the Sinistrals (USA)” · Kirvan/Lufia-II-AC-Usb2Snes-Livesplit-Definitionbank_004.s 1121–1128; bank_003.s 4780–4785; +2 files
    How we know
    code/bank_004.s at aab3894
    Our readingentries +1 at $0B6A, held at $FFFF1121–1128
    code/bank_003.s at aab3894
    Our readingfloor count at or above $0B75: store it there4781–4785
    266#define WRAM_ANCIENT_CAVE_TOTAL_HOURS 0x0b68u
267#define WRAM_ANCIENT_CAVE_TOTAL_MINUTES 0x0b69u
268#define WRAM_ANCIENT_CAVE_ENTRY_COUNT 0x0b6au
269#define WRAM_ANCIENT_CAVE_DEFEAT_COUNT 0x0b6cu
270#define WRAM_FIELD_REWARD_COUNT_A 0x0b6eu
271#define WRAM_FIELD_REWARD_COUNT_B 0x0b70u
272#define WRAM_ANCIENT_CAVE_TOTAL_COUNTER 0x0b72u
    src/system/wram.h lines 266–272 at 6fc15bb · upstream ↗

    In the cartridge (“Lufia II - Rise of the Sinistrals (USA)”): $84:8B20, the saved ranges: none covers $0B68-$0B75. We don't reproduce the bytes.

    33      "name": "Floor01",
34      "address": "0x0B75",
35      "value": "0x02",
    lufia-ac.json lines 33–35 at 5e5f556 · upstream ↗

    Claim page

Sources

Code

Secondary