At the risk of sounding like a broken record, Nintendo games are awesome. Very few video game companies have existed for as long as they have while still being a major contender in the gaming industry. Namco may have been big in the 80s, but the last best-selling game, Pac-Man, was in is still Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U.
A major reason why Nintendo has been able to outlast most of their competition is not only their innovative and groundbreaking hardware but their consistently amazing lineup of games. The Super Mario, Legend of Zelda and Pokémon series have ensured that gamers of all generations will continue to play Nintendo games for a l༺ong time, and even become curious enough to look into Nintendo's classic history of games.
There are different things that make these different games so popular, but one common aspect shared by many of their classic titles is their fondness for including hidden levels. Many games from the Super Nintendo to even the Wii U inc𝐆lude hidden or secret levels, rooms, or modes within them, some of which many gamers didn't find for a very long time.
The practice of iꦇncluding secret stages became so popular, that other developers began including them as well, such as Rare and Capcom. Today we're going to be looking at 25 Hidden Levels, Rooms, and Modes in Nintendo Games Most Players Still Haven't Found. Remember, if you do recognize any of these secret stages, then that just means you're a cut above the rest.
25 ﷺ Another Dimension, New Galaxy 𒅌
Star Fox was revolutionary for bringing 3D gr🥂aphics to the SNES, but it also contained a couple of hidden locations in the game, i♔ncluding one level known as "Out of This Dimension." This secret level can be accessed by destroying the second large asteroid in the Level 3 Asteroid Belt.
Doing so will summon a giant ♔bird, which, when flown into, will take you to a very surreal area with face-covered moons and carnival music. Finally, there's a boss fight against a giant slot m🥃achine. The level never actually ends, however, so this is often considered an alternate ending.
24 ♏ The Man From S.E.C.R.E.T.
GoldenEye 007 was the first great console shooter and became a 🍌multiplayer standard for any N64 owner. While most people played for the multiplayer, single-player mode was also really 🅰good, and even included a few secrets. If you beat the game in 00 agent difficulty, you unlock the Aztec level (based on the multiplayer map).
The level is based off the film Moonraker, with guards carrying guns, Moonraker l✤asers, and even grenades. The guards are also more accurate and faster shots than most other guards in the game, making this possibly😼 the most difficult level in the entire game.
23 ﷺ The Road To Star Road 🐠
Of course, if you're talking about secret stages, sooner or later you gotta talk about Mario. The series has become synonymous with hidden levels. One particular example are the Star Roads in Super Mario World.
In Donut Secreဣt House, you'll come across a door fl꧒oating underneath some blocks. When you press the blue switch, blocks will appear under the door. Instead of entering the door, hit the block directly above it. This will cause a vine to grow, which will take you to a secret miniboss fight. Once you defeat the miniboss, Star Road 1 will be unlocked.
22 ♉ Leap Of F🌟aith
Not all hidden levels can be unlocked by playing, though. Some are hidden within the game's code. Super Mario World has several hidden "test" levels left behind by the developers. These levels can only be accessed 🌜using a Game Genie Code or similar program.
One such level is known as "Big Leap." This level i𝕴s noticeably incomplete, as there are areas where platforms should be, resulting in the player having to leap off the edge. Even if you use cheat codes to reach the end of the level, there's no exit to be found🌌.
21 ෴ Super Mario World: Boss🅺 Rush Mode
While most of the test levels in Super Mario World are short and uninteresting, there is one notable secret. Accessible only with a Game Genie Code is a level that sort of acts as a "Boss Rush" mode. You enter a castle filled with doors, each one takinꦯg you 🔜to a different boss, starting with Bowser himself.
While t༺his is a very ne♑at secret level, it's a shame it wasn't included in the completed game as an unlockable mode or level.
20 𓆏 The Lady Fܫighters' Room
While Capcom is mostly known for action games like Mega Man and Street Fighter, they've also developed an RPG series called Breath of Fire, wh📖ich debuted on the SNES. However, Capcom has hidden one of their more famous characters in this game.
In the town of Bleak, there is a magician who s﷽ays he can make 100g disappear. In order to pull this "trick" off, he asks you to turn a🔴round. If you say no to this obvious scam twice and then yes on the third time, you'll uncover a hidden room with Chun-Li practicing her kicks.
19 The Legend Of Chris Houlihan 🦩
In September of 1990, Nintendo Power held a contest in which the winner would get their name programmed into a future NES game. That winner was Chris Houlihan. A year later The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was released and, unbeknownst to many plaꦚyers, included Houlihan's secret room.
There are a few different ways to access this room. One ofღ the best ways is to use the Pegasus Boots to dash all the way from Sanctuary to the Sewer Passageway's entrance. Lin🎃k will then fall into a room filled with 45 Blue Rupees and a message from Houlihan.
18 ꦏ ♑ A Puzzling Fantasy
The Final Fantasy series has been running for so long, they should've changed their name yea🔴rs ago. Like many RPGs, it holds its fair share of secrets, but one of the best is the 15 Puzzle from 🃏the very first game. While in the ship, you must hold the A button and then press B several times (22 to 55 times, depending on the version).
You then unlock a puzzle in which you must organize 15 squares in numerical order. Upon solving the puzzle, you will be rewarded with either gil or items, depending on the versio🔥n and how fast you solve it.
17 Yoshi And The Bandit ಌ𓄧
Though Mario is often considered the king of platformers, Yoshi got a pretty amazing first solo game in Yoshi's Island. And like Mario's games, it's got plenty of hidden levels as well. Some of those are the min🃏i battles that are found throughout several stages in the game. However, there is a way to access them in the level select screen.
In the World 5 fort, there's a hidden hint block that will tell you the code. Just hold select and press X, X, Y, B, and 🍰A, and you'll unlock all the minigames. Best of all, two of these games have a two-player mode if a second controller is plugged in.
16 Level 8-Crown ✃
We've been mainly focusing on older Nintendo titles here, but that's not to say secret levels fell off with 2D graphics. Super Mario 3D Land continues the grand tradition of hidden secrets with t🍌he Level 8-Crown, the game's true final stage and the most difficult in what is otherwise a fairly easy game.
Just unlocking the stage is a feat on its own. You have to collect 290 Star Medals, beat each stage as both Mario and Luigi and get a Gold Flag Pole every time. Just consider it prac🗹tice for trying to actually beat this stage.