gbtoolsid - Game Boy Toolchain ID

A command line app for identifying tools used to build Game Boy ROMs

For the web version see:

• https://bbbbbr.github.io/gbtoolsid_web/
• (html + js wrapper source for wasm build): https://github.com/bbbbbr/gbtoolsid_web

It attempts to identify the toolchain and engine through binary fingerprints:

Toolchains:

• GBDK 2.x and GBDK-2020
• Turbo Rascal Syntax Error
• GBForth
• GBNim
• Matlab GB Rom Creator
• llvmgb / libgb++

Game Engines:

• ZGB
• GBStudio
• GBBasic

Audio Drivers:

• Carillon Player, DevSound Classic/Lite/X2, Freaq, GHX, GB Sound System, GBT Player, hUGETracker & fortISSimO, Lemon, LSDJ, MPlay, Music Box Black Box, MusyX, Trackerboy, Visual Impact's, MMLGB, GBMC, QuickThunder (Audio Arts), IMEDGBoy, Cosmigo, Makrillon, DefleMask, TonicFur Audio Engine, GBMod

Sound FX Drivers:

• FX Hammer, CBT-FX, VAL-FX, VGM2GBSFX, DevSFX

Output is available in several formats:

• standard text (only this mode shows multiple entries for a given category if found)
• json (-oj)
• csv row (-oc and -oC)

gbtoolsid [options] infile.gb[c]

Use: Try to identify the toolchain used to build a
     Game Boy game the result is printed to stdout.

Options
-h   : Show this help screen
-oj  : json style output
-oc  : csv style output
-oC  : Bare csv style output (no field names)
-s   : Strict mode: require GBDK match before testing ZGB or GBStudio
-pF  : Show full path to file in output (default: filename only)

Example: "gbtoolchainid petris.gbc"

Some example output:

File: deadeus.gb
Tools: GBDK, Version: 2.x - 2020-3.2.0
Engine: GBStudio, Version: 1.0.0 - 1.2.1
Music: GBT Player


File: POWA! DEMO.gbc
Tools: GBDK, Version: 2.x - 2020-3.2.0
Engine: ZGB, Version: 2020.1 - 2021.0
Music: GBT Player


File: IndestructoTankGB.gb
Tools: GBDK, Version: 2020.4.0.2
Music: GBT Player


File: Super_JetPak_DX_DMG-SJPD-UKV.gbc
Tools: GBDK, Version: 2.x - 2020-3.2.0
Music: GHX


File: Tuff.gb
Tools: <unknown>


File: Last Crown Warriors (Demo) 1.1.1.gb
Tools: <unknown>
Music: Carillon Player
SoundFX: FX Hammer

To scan in bulk, it can be combined with other tools, for example:

find path/to/some/ROMs/* -iname "*.gb*" -type f -print0 | xargs -0 -n1 path/to/gbtoolsid

Or, scan in bulk and dump to csv:

find path/to/some/ROMs/* -iname "*.gb" -type f | xargs -I {} path/to/gbtoolsid -pF -oC "{}" > path/to/someoutputfile.csv