The Konami Code is a special combination of buttons that appears in several Konami games, including those from the Bomberman series (since they now own the IP). Since it was first revealed, the code has become part of popular culture in general, even appearing in many non-Konami games and diverse media, like clothing, advertisements and non-gaming related software.
History
The code was first used in the 1986 release of Gradius for the Nintendo Entertainment System but 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", because of its nearly necessary use in the game.
The Konami Code was created by Kazuhisa Hashimoto, who was developing the home port of the 1985 arcade game Gradius, an horizontal 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). The code was still present in the released version after Hashimoto forgot to remove it. Players discovered and shared the code. The Konami Code was thus included in the series' other sequels and spin-offs.
The code has been subsequently re-used in a large number of other games and is now used in the Opera web browser to activate hidden advanced settings.
Input
The code is usually entered during the title screen before the game demo begins, and the player must press the following sequence of buttons on the game controller to enable the cheat:
Usage in the Bomberman series
- Bombergirl (AC) — Inputting "↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← →" with the stick on the character selection screen, B and A will appear in the skill button window. If you complete the command as it is, the selected character with the cursor on it will shout "Bomber Girl!" (note: need verification)
- Bombergirl Pachislot (AC) — Inputting "↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← →← →" on the mode selection screen will unlock the "Oki Bomb Mission".
- Super Bomberman Collection — Inputting "↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A" on the Title Screen will unlock all the secret Battle Stages for Super Bomberman 2, Super Bomberman 3, Super Bomberman 4 and Super Bomberman 5.
External links
- Konami Code at the Konami Wiki.