Konami Code
The Konami Code is a button sequence consisting of ↑, ↑, ↓, ↓, ←, →, ←, →, B, A. The code was created for debugging purposes in order to make testing games easier, and, as its use in games became more common, it eventually became a popular aspect of gamer culture.
In Japan, the Konami Code is referred to as コナミコマンド [Konami Komando], or "Konami command." Also, because the buttons on the Famicom Controllers are labeled Ⅱ and Ⅰ instead of B and A, the code is written as ↑, ↑, ↓, ↓, ←, →, ←, →, Ⅱ, Ⅰ.
Personal
I learned about the Konami Code the first time I played Contra on the NES in the late 1980s. My step-brother was visiting from Illinois for a week and he brought his copy of the game and taught me the code. Later, when I first played Super C, I tried the code and was disappointed that it didn't work, but my brother discovered the variant code from Nintendo Power. My cousin Brian had Life Force on the NES, and he and I made frequent use of the code on that game as well. By the mid-1990s, I made much less use of cheat codes, so I didn't really think about it much until I started seeing it used as Easter eggs in Web sites and non-Konami games. I enjoyed the nostalgia it caused. When I was researching the code for this page, I was surprised to see just how popular it had become.
History
When Kazuhisa Hashimoto was programming the Famicom port of Gradius in 1985, he realized the game was far too difficult for him to test it effectively, so he programmed in multiple debug commands to make the game easier. These debug commands included a way to continue from a game over screen, and a way to activate all of the game's power-ups. The power-up debug command is used by the player pausing the game and entering the Konami Code. Hashimoto intended to remove all his debug commands before the game was released, but forgot to do so until just before cartridges were scheduled to be made. After explaining the remaining debug commands to his superiors, they opted to leave them in the game rather than risk introducing a new bug in the removal process since there wasn't any time to retest the game. They figured, since each of the debug commands used such unlikely combination of button presses, nobody would ever stumble upon them randomly. However, the codes did eventually become known to the public, probably by being leaked by one of the testers, and they became common knowledge to those who played the game, the Konami Code especially.
Programmers at Konami continued using the code for debugging purposes in subsequent games, most notably the Famicom port of Contra where it gives the user 30 lives instead of 3 to finish the game. Contra became significantly more popular in the USA than Gradius, so, in the late 1980s, the code was sometimes referred to as the "Contra code," or, because it also yielded 30 lives in the NES port of Life Force, the "30 lives code."
As more Konami games used the code, it became a symbol of gaming in general, and developers at other companies began implementing it in their games as a form of tribute. After that, it started showing up not just in games, but in a wide variety of software, web pages, and more.
Examples
There are over 60 video games and dozens of other applications that make use of the Konami Code. This isn't meant to be an exhaustive list, just the ones important to me.
Video games
| Title | Platform | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance | Game Boy Advance | After unlocking boss rush mode, you can enter the code to play as an 8-bit Simon Belmont. |
| Contra | NES | Enter the code at the title screen to start with 30 lives instead of 3. |
| Gradius | NES | The first game to use the code. Pause the game and enter the code to get all ship upgrades. However, once it's used, you can't use it again until you defeat the next boss. |
| Life Force | NES | Enter the code at the title screen to start with 30 lives instead of 3. |
| Operation C | Game Boy | Enter the code at the title screen to activate stage select in the US version, or get 9 lives in the Japanese and European versions. |
| Super C | NES | Uses a backwards variant consisting of →, ←, ↓, ↑, A, B. Enter it at the title screen for 10 lives instead of 3 in the US version, but 30 lives in the Japanese or European versions. |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Fall of the Foot Clan | Game Boy | Pause the game and enter the code to raise your energy to full. |
| Tetris (Tengen) | NES | Pause the game and enter the code to convert the current piece into an I block. Can only be used once per game. |
Other examples
- Entering it on any 404 server error page on Discord unlock a secret game of Snake.
- Entering it at the Bank of Canada web site would play a chiptune version of the Canadian national anthem.
- Entering it to AI assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, or Siri will result in a snarky comeback.
- Several things use the code to unlock their advanced menus like some versions of webOS, Twitch, and older versions of the Opera web browser. It was even used as a password in the animated video game film Wreck-It Ralph.
- It's used to exit kiosk mode on the Retropie.
- It's mentioned in the lyrics of The Moldy Peaches song, Anyone Else but You.
- There is a video game music cover band called The Konami Kode.
Links
- dmarket.com/blog/cracking-konami-code - More games which use the code.
