Title screen glitch

The title screen glitch in Final Fantasy VI Pixel Remaster occurs when the player returns to the title screen in the middle of an event and loads a different save file, causing the event code to continue executing in the newly-loaded save, which has a wide range of effects. This glitch can only be fully utilized in the PC version due to requiring the mouse to navigate some glitched screens.

See also: Title screen or List of bugs and glitches

Origins

The glitch was first found in April 2022 by Japanese YouTube streamer Eddie during his Pixel Remaster FFVI Free Debugging #22 stream, where it was given the name Bakuen Kentei ("trial by explosion"). Over the course of later debugging streams, he found many creative uses of the bug.

Methodology

Normally the menu button is locked during battle or when an event is playing. However, if an event starts on a timer rather than due to the player interacting with an NPC or event tile, it is possible to open the menu at the exact same time the event starts, causing the event to continue playing under the menu. This allows menu options to continue to be available while the event is playing. If the player returns to the title screen before a scripted event completes, the event queue does not get cleared, and the remaining event actions resume execution the next time the event queue is restarted, even in a different save file.

The general steps of the glitch are as follows:

1. Create a Quick Save on the airship deck after selecting the party for the Floating Continent for the first time, but before the first battle with the Imperial Air Force starts. Also, the Cursor Memory in the Configuration Menu needs to be set to "On" in this save. This Quick Save only needs to be created once.
2. Create an Auto Save right before triggering the desired "source" event (adding a party member, granting an item, warping to a certain location, etc.). Auto Saves are generated by entering a new map screen and then quitting to the title screen.
3. Reload the Quick Save on the airship deck. Immediately open the menu and place the cursor on "Configuration", then "Return to Title Screen", then close the menu. The event that triggers the "Uh-oh! It's the Imperial air force!" dialogue box starts on a timer. Open the menu at the exact same time as this dialogue box triggers, and the dialogue box will open over top of the menu. If the timing is wrong and the menu isn't open, simply quit back to the title screen and reload the Quick Save to try again.
4. Once the menu is open with the dialogue box overlaid, select the saved cursor selections at Configuration > Return to Title Screen. Each keypress will also advance the overlaid dialogue boxes by one page. Once the "Return to Title Screen?" dialogue box is open, it should advance to the first Imperial Air Force Battle, but the "Return to Title Screen?" dialogue is still open.
5. Once in the battle, game control has returned to the game screen and not the overlaid menu screen. Have the party die in the Imperial Air Force battle.
6. Once the party dies, there will be a window behind the overlay window suggesting to load recent save data. The recent save data it's suggesting is the previously-created Auto Save. The suggested save data window will not be visible, but pressing the "Confirm" button will load the Auto Save as the selection defaults to "Yes".
7. The Auto Save will load at the entrance to the map where it was created, with the "Return to Title Screen?" dialogue still overlaid. At this point, trigger the desired event.
8. Before it reaches the desired step of the event, use the mouse to click "Yes" on the "Return to Title Screen?" overlay to prematurely escape the event.
9. Load a saved game where you want the stolen event queue to play. Do not get in any battles, as it will clear the glitched state.
10. Activate an event that consists of a single dialogue box. Talking to an empty treasure box or an NPC with only one line are good options. This will restart the event queue and cause the remaining event commands from the Auto Save to execute, but within the context of the new save file. This can then have the effect of granting you a character or item, or warping the party to a different location, depending on the event commands that were used.
11. Often it will be necessary to get in a random battle, or Auto-Save and reload the game, after completing the event in order to restore the game to its proper state and continue playing normally.

Example usage

Japanese YouTuber "Rain's Gaming Channel" posted a video called How Crazy Strong Can You Get General Leo by Glitching Him into the World of Ruin?. They illustrate a specific use-case of using the title screen glitch to warp General Leo into the World of Ruin, as well as variants on the glitch to also allow him to equip espers for stat gains and magic, as well as updating him to even better equipment such as Lightbringer and the Paladin Shield.