Konami Code

The Konami Code
Konami Code on the Bank of Canada's website plays the national anthem and drops $10 notes (April 2017)

The Konami Code (Japanese: コナミコマンド, Konami komando, "Konami command") is a cheat code that appears in many Konami video games,[1] although the code also appears in some non-Konami games.[2] The player could press the following sequence of buttons on the game controller to enable a cheat or other effects:

BA

The code has also found a place in popular culture as a reference to the third generation of video game consoles.[3] The code is also present as an Easter egg on a number of websites.[4][5][6][7][8]

History

The result of entering the Konami code on Facebook within Mozilla Firefox in November 2009.
One-time result of entering the Konami code on Marvel Comics' website, a squirrel version of Deadpool.

The code was first used in the 1986 release of Gradius for the NES[9] and was popularized among North American players in the NES version of Contra, for which it was also dubbed both the "Contra Code" and "30 Lives Code".

The Konami Code was created by Kazuhisa Hashimoto, who was developing the home port of the 1985 arcade game Gradius, a scrolling shooter released on the NES in 1986. Finding the game too difficult to play through during testing, he created a cheat code to give the player a full set of power-ups (normally attained gradually throughout the game).[2] The code was still present in the released Gradius after Hashimoto forgot to remove it. Players discovered and shared the code via word of mouth.

The Konami Code was thus included in the series' other sequels and spin-offs, with some key differences:

The code has been subsequently re-used in a large number of other games and a varied version of the code is now used in the Opera Browser to activate hidden advanced settings.[10]

The Band Deftones referenced the Konami Code in the title for the instrumental song "U,U,D,D,L,R,L,R,A,B,Select,Start" on their 2006 album Saturday Night Wrist.[11]

The code was also referenced by American Post-hardcore band Falling in Reverse in their song "Game Over". In the song, lead vocalist Ronnie Radke utters the line "Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Select Start".[12]

The 2012 film Wreck-It Ralph features a scene in which a character uses the code to open a secret passage leading to their game's programming.[3]

In 2017, the Bank of Canada placed an easter egg on its website[13] promoting its new $10 bill. Typing the Konami code on the website plays the national anthem and fills with screen with animated banknotes.[14]

In the trailer for Mad Moxxi's Underdome Riot, the second DLC for the popular first-person shooter Borderlands, the code can be seen running across the screen and killing Moxxi's first husband. [15]

Variations

The original version of the cheat code was designed for the NES controller. The exact sequence varies from game to game and has been adapted to fit the button layouts of different video game consoles, mostly the A and B buttons. For example:

These deviations may occur for purely operational reasons (e.g., if the code must be entered while the game is paused, the code might be altered to avoid resuming), to keep powerful upgrades better concealed while still referencing Konami, or through a programming error.

Curiously, the "B" and "A" buttons were switched for the code when used in the 1991 NES game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project.[16]

Despite the differences, though, these codes are still often referred to in general discussion as "Konami Code", "Conami Kode", or, less commonly, "Pseudo-Konami Code".

A common misconception is that the code ends with Start or Select Start. In many titles, the player must press Start after entering the code in order to start a game, or press Select to switch to two-player mode and then start the game, leading to the confusion.

List of Konami code games

Gradius series

Contra series

The Probotector versions of the games also allow use of the code.

Castlevania series

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series

Dance Dance Revolution

The Konami Code has been referenced in routines for some songs on Konami's Dance Dance Revolution series, and has also been an unlock mechanism on some versions:

Metal Gear series

Other Konami games (in alphabetical order)

Other games

References

  1. The editors of GamePro and GamerHelp.com, "The 'Contra Code:' We Must Never Forget," GamePro 235 (April 2008): 63.
  2. 1 2 "Cracking the Code: The Konami Code". 1up.com. Retrieved 2008-03-15.
  3. 1 2 Robinson, Tasha (November 1, 2012). "Wreck-It Ralph". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  4. Carvin, Andy (June 14, 2010). "Geek Trick Of The Week: Newsweek Vs. The Zombies.". NPR. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
  5. "The Konami Code Makes ESPN.com Magical!". Kotaku.
  6. "Konami Code triggers Easter egg on Facebook too". CNET. 2009-05-08.
  7. Moore, Matthew (September 17, 2009). "Google easter eggs: 15 best hidden jokes". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  8. "Alan Turing Google Doodle Source Code". Google. 2012-07-02.
  9. "Geek Trivia: The cheat goes on". techrepublic.com. Retrieved 2008-04-16.
  10. "Use Konami Code to Enable Power User Settings in Opera - Techdows". Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  11. Saturday Night Wrist#Continuation on production
  12. https://genius.com/Falling-in-reverse-game-over-lyrics
  13. "Explore the New $10 Note - Bank of Canada". Retrieved 2017-04-13.
  14. "'Konami Code' Unlocks Secret Features On Bank Of Canada's New $10 Bill Site". 2017-04-11. Retrieved 2017-04-12.
  15. http://borderlands.wikia.com/wiki/Mad_Moxxi%27s_Underdome_Riot#Trivia
  16. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III: The Manhattan Project Cheats, Codes, and Secrets for NES - GameFAQs". Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  17. "Tokimeki Memorial: Forever With You Cheats". ign.com. IGN. 2017-03-15. Retrieved 2017-07-05.
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