Konami Code
The Konami Code (also known as the Konami Command and the Contra Code) is a cheat code that can be used in many Konami video games, usually enabling some sort of secret option. The code was first used in the 1986 release of Gradius for the Nintendo Entertainment System. During the game, the player presses the following sequence of buttons on the game controller:
- ↑ ↑ ↓ ↓ ← → ← → B A
This is the original version of the code, designed for the NES controller. In common usage, many players will include Start at the end of the code, but this merely serves the function of beginning or unpausing the game and is not part of the actual code. The exact sequence varies from game to game, and has been adapted to fit the button layouts of different video game consoles. The original Konami Code endures as one of the most widely-known cheat codes in the gaming community.
History
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 Famicom and Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. Finding the game too difficult to play through during testing, he created a code which gives the player a full set of powerups, which are normally attained gradually throughout the game. Also, the code entered backwards would award the player 30 lives. For whatever reason, he did not remove the code when testing was finished. The code has continued to be present in Gradius sequels and spin-offs, including Gradius III, which actually destroys the player's ship upon entering the original code (however, substituting Left and Right with the L and R buttons, respectively, powers up the ship).
Arguably the best-known example of the Konami Code is in the 1988 Famicom/NES version of Contra, where using the code increases the player's lives from 3 to 30. Due to the game's intense difficulty, many Contra players became reliant on the code to finish the game, earning it the title "The Contra Code".
The popularity of Gradius and Contra has closely associated the Konami Code with the gaming era of the 1980s, and some "old-school" gamers even consider it a badge of pride to be able to recite the code from memory. The code, however, has appeared in several newer PlayStation 2 games, including Silent Hill 3 and Metal Gear Solid 2. It even shows up in Konami's Bemani line of music games, such as Dance Dance Revolution and DrumMania. The code has further been featured on various t-shirts and other merchandise.
Mentions in popular culture
Although the Konami Code was not the first video game password (that distinction belonging to "xyzzy" from Colossal Cave Adventure), it is probably the most well-known video game code. Because of its popularity, it has been referenced in many different pop-culture contexts. Several bands, cartoons, TV shows, and even a professional wrestler (Jimmy Jacobs), have made reference to the code. Recently on The Daily Show with John Stewart, correspondant Nate Cordry asked a hunting guide if the code would grant him unlimited ammo with his issued gun.
See also
- List of Konami code games - A list of all known games where this code has an effect.