Where were these hacks in 1989 when I was spending all my time playing Kung Fu, Excitebike, and Metroid? Dammit!
Unless you were in on some top-secret info, you had no ideas these hacks and tricks existed. UNTIL NOW.
Take a look at these secrets from some of Nintendo’s most beloved early games.
1. Super Mario Bros.
Photo Credit: Nintendo
One of the greatest Nintendo games of all time! In level 1-2, if you jump on top of the bricks above the pipe and run to your right, you’ll find pipes that will bring you to stages 2, 3, and 4. Oh yeah!
2. The Legend of Zelda
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A classic. It wasn’t until 30 years after it was released that someone found out the game was supposed to be twice as big as everyone thought it was and it was covered up by code.
The larger area of the game is below where you originally start and takes a series of steps to unlock.
3. (More) Super Mario Bros.
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More from this original hit game. You can find access to levels 6, 7, and 8 if you’re in world 4-2, but you don’t want to go too far in 4-2 or you won’t be able to come back.
If you hit the invisible blocks by the pipe with the piranha plant, a leaf ladder will appear and you can climb up into another world.
4. Castlevania
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If you happen to make it to the end and battle Dracula, the game will spit you out at the beginning and you have to complete the whole thing again. But it will be even more difficult the second time around…
5. Duck Tales
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If you can get to the money number above, $170,000, you can then find Launchpad within a level that will take you sky high for a diamond collecting adventure.
6. Super Mario Bros. 2
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This game had two versions, one for Japan and one for the U.S. (the Japanese version was more difficult).
In world 1-3, you can find a “door potion.” If you run with it for a while and throw it on top of a pipe you will be taken to world 4.
7. Bubble Bobble
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There is a secret room in this game, but it’s hard to get to. You have to make it stage 20, 30, and 40 without losing a single life. If you can manage that, a door will open and you’ll be taken to a secret room.
8. Super Mario Bros. 2
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In world 3-1, a giant waterfall appears. You need to jump down the waterfall (don’t be scared!) and you’ll land on a platform. There’s a door on the platform. Go through it and you’ll find a potion you can toss on top of a pipe. Enter the pipe and you’ll head to Level 5.
9. Metroid
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Metroid had a ton of secrets. My brother and I used to play this game nonstop (even though we didn’t get too far), and I actually remember this “hidden room.”
It wasn’t discovered until well after the game’s release, but the hidden room was supposed to be blocked off. There’s nothing in there, but it’s cool to discover a little hack once in a while.
10. Double Dragon
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I loved this game! Here’s a pro tip: on level 2, when the boss appears, instead of fighting him to the death, crawl down the ladder and you can bypass the entire sequence. That was easy!
11. Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest
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The sequel to the hit game had nearly impossible puzzles to figure out. If you complete the game in 7 (game) days, you’ll get an ending that most people never had a chance to experience.
12. Solomon’s Key
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This game was filled with hidden rooms, too many to list here. If you are meticulous with your moves, you could unlock all kinds of hidden treats.
13. Gauntlet
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This was a fun game. If you can find it, there is a hidden area in Level 1 that will transport you all the way to Level 5.
In the screenshot above, you’ll see a bunch of ghosts in the top right-hand corner. If you shoot the wall by these ghosts, you’ll find the hidden exit.
14. Dragon Warrior
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This one features a lot of hidden gems. Here’s one example: there are two locked doors in the village of Kol where you might just discover a fairy flute.
15. Super Mario Bros. 3
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Time to get that warp whistle! In the world 1 fortress, you can get a mushroom and then you need to find the mystery block in front of the door with the skeleton Koopa.
You can crush Koopa, grab the Tanooki suit, and fly up to and around the top of the level to get to the hidden area. There you’ll find your second warp whistle. Wow!
Time to get that NES out of Mom’s attic and relive my childhood!
