Nintendo has been around since nearly the beginning of video games, and it’s a company that is still going strong since its start in the 1970s. For several decades, the company has brought us characters we all love like Mario, Link, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, Kirby, and more. For many of us, Nintendo was our first look into video games. We have spent hours navigating platforms as Mario, fighting monsters as Link, and swallowing up enemies like Kirby.
Nintendo was my introduction to video games, and it still remains my favorite video game company. I loved playing its games when I was a kid, and I love playing the new games now. To put it mildly, Nintendo has been a big part of my childhood, and I know I’m not the only one. It has shaped many generations of gamers.
That being said, Nintendo is not infallible. Its games will sometimes have the occasional glitch and mistake, or sport a translation error that can make for some interesting dialogue. Some of the mistakes are funny, some are a bit strange, and others could potentially cause a big problem in the game. Granted, many of these mistakes and glitches only show up under very specific circumstances, making them a bit difficult to find.
But they do exist, and they can potentially create a huge problem for gamers, or they can be a source of great entertainment. So here are some mistakes in Nintendo games that you likely didn’t know about. Do you think we missed some big mistakes? Be sure to let us know!
20 An Archery Pro He Is Not
Throughout every game in the Zelda series, the bow and arrow has been one of the big staples of items that Link has used to save Hyrule. No matter what game you’re playing, you were usually excited to get this particular item. But did you know that there have been some inconsistencies with how Link uses the bow?
Apparently, Link can’t use the bow properly. In several promotional things for the Zelda games, Link is shown using the bow incorrectly with the cock vane facing inward instead of outward. There are also images of Link holding and drawing the arrow from his chest, when it really should be up more towards his face. So, either Link doesn’t actually know how to shoot a bow and arrow correctly, or the designs were a little off on accuracy.
19 Don’t Leave The Room
Metroid Prime 2: Echoes followed its predecessor in popularity, though it was notably much harder than Metroid Prime. The game introduced the concept of traveling between a light and a dark world, which was something the Metroid games hadn’t really dealt with before. Despite its difficulty, it was received well by players and critics. However, this addition to the Metroid Prime series did have a few glitches that could potentially make the game unwinnable.
One big glitch happens with a series of rooms that have several switches that have to be shot in order to progress. If you trigger some of those switches and then leave the room, the game will reset the counter, but won’t reactivate the switches. The game then becomes unwinnable. This game apparently really doesn’t like it when you leave things unfinished.
18 Say That Again?
A lot of the early Zelda games often would have some issues with translation errors and typos. For example, in The Legend of Zelda, “Ganon” was spelled “Gannon,” and the “Triforce of Power,” was written as the “Triforce with power.” There are also various typos and spelling errors you could find throughout the games. But did you know that these typos continued even to Ocarina of Time?
In the original 64 version of Ocarina of Time, the dialogue of the Carpet Merchant has a typo. When you first speak to the Carpet Merchant, his dialogue reads as “Well Come” instead of “Welcome.” Thankfully, this mistake was corrected when Ocarina of Time was released for GameCube. In their defense, translating a game that relies on written dialogue from Japanese to English can be difficult.
17 Don’t Forget To Collect!
In the game Metroid Prime, you must gather a series of Chozo artifacts in order to gain access to the final boss. If you don’t collect these artifacts, you can’t go forward in the game. Some of the artifacts are found by solving puzzles, while others are found after you defeat a great enemy. But what happens if you don’t collect the artifact?
In one case, not collecting the artifact can cause the game to glitch. After you defeat the Phazon Elite, you can then get one of the artifacts. But if you don’t collect the artifact and leave, it will disappear and you won’t be able to see it again. You then can’t collect all the artifacts, and you can’t continue in the game, making it unwinnable.
16 Don’t Forget The Suit
Super Mario Bros. 3 had its own share of interesting glitches and mistakes, some of which are funny and some can make the game unwinnable. One particular glitch relies on Mario getting an item in a certain amount of time. If you fail, you can’t progress any further and you’re stuck in that level. However, getting the item is relatively easy, so this glitch likely happened since the developers didn’t anticipate a player failing to get it.
In one of the fortresses, you’re required to get the Tanooki Suit so you can become Raccoon Mario. Without this item, you can’t progress any further in the level. You can get the suit from a secret room accessed by P-switch. If you flip the switch but don’t get the suit, it becomes unobtainable and you can’t beat the level. Essentially, you’re stuck.
15 You Don’t Want To Get Stuck Under This Bridge
Super Metroid was a revolutionary platform game that showed us that yes, girls can kick alien butt too. It’s a great game that gave players a challenge as they navigated different areas, fought off aliens, and took on some great enemies. Since it came out in 1994, Super Metroid has remained a classic for gamers and has stood the test of time well.
But this game is not without flaws and a few glitches are bound to happen. One particular issue happens if you blow up the bridge to Tourian. If you do that, you will become trapped below the bridge and unable to get out of there before the bricks rematerialize. So, you are basically trapped in the lava/acid with no way out until you die. Talk about getting caught in a deadly glitch!
14 What’s In A Name?
In The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, you often come across ancient technology from an advanced civilization that has been gone for centuries. Part of this technology includes some robots that can either help you out or cause you some trouble. These Ancient Robots have a serial number that’s prefaced with the letters LD. It’s been confirmed that LD stands for Lanayru Desert. This does make sense since the ancient civilization was where the Lanayru Desert is now.
But here’s the problem. The Lanayru Desert didn’t exist when this civilization was around. In fact, there was even an ocean there during that time, so it’s about the furthest thing from a desert. So how is it possible that these robots were named after a geographical area that didn’t exist when the robots were built?
13 Let Them Fight
Luigi’s Mansion is a spooky game that gave Luigi his own spotlight. In this game, Luigi explores a haunted mansion he and Mario had supposedly won, searching for his brother who has mysteriously disappeared. The game was popular for its unique twist on the horror genre, making a game that was spooky but family friendly. The sequel, Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon takes it further with even more ghosts and adventures.
But apparently, the game had a few glitches. There was one problematic glitch in particular, according to one player. This player found that if they saved in between the battles of Tough Possessor and King Boo, the game counted the former battle as complete but not the latter battle. As a result, the player could never progress in the game and to the final boss.
12 Don’t Touch The Springs
Super Smash Bros. Brawl brought a lot of new features to the popular series. Many new characters were brought to the fighter roster, such as Ike from Fire Emblem and Wario. There were also fun features like new items and customizable stages. But along with the new good stuff, a few issues came along for the ride. In particular, the game does have a few glitches here and there.
One particularly interesting glitch happens during Meta Knight’s Final Smash move. This glitch only happens if you’re on the customizable stages and have the spring items present. If these conditions happen during Meta Knight’s Final Smash, any player that touches the springs will be frozen there during the entire smash. That’s bad luck for the players, but great for the person playing Meta Knight.
11 Go Home Sign, You’re Not Yourself!
In Majora’s Mask, you can go a place called Romani Ranch. At the entrance to the ranch, you’ll see a sign overhead that has some Japanese characters written across it. Many gamers assumed that the characters said something related to Romani Ranch, which was a solid assumption. However, that’s not the case. The characters actually say “Welcome to Kakariko Village.”
Confused? Well, here’s the explanation. The developers for Majora’s Mask actually used a lot of the models from Ocarina of Time. So, the overhead sign was actually taken from Kakariko Village, and the characters on it were never changed. Whether it was just overlooked or not seen as important, it’s a pretty interesting mistake that is hiding in plain sight, especially if you can read Japanese characters.
10 These Brothers Can Get Frozen
Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga was a great game that required you to use teamwork in unique and entertaining ways. It was a clever game that involved both brothers in fighting, and was fun, hilarious, and challenging in different ways. But this game wasn’t perfect either; it had a few mistakes that could give players a real headache.
This particular glitch involves a certain move that the Mario Bros. do. When you hammer Luigi into a slot, he becomes a surfboard for Mario to ride. But if you slide onto the beach and run into an enemy at the same time Mario jumps off Luigi, the two brothers will be frozen once the fight finishes, and they’ll be stuck in that position. The only way to fix this glitch is to reset the game. So basically, when you go surfing, try to avoid any enemies.
9 Be Careful Where You End Up After A Battle
Super Mario Bros. 2 offered a lot more of what Mario fans craved: platform jumping challenges, new enemies, and even more difficult battles to win. It was everything a gamer could want in a sequel. That being said, the game isn’t without some flaws, including a few major glitches that could make the game unwinnable to the unlucky players caught in them.
One glitch can happen after you defeat Wart, the leader of the gang called the 8-bits. Once you defeat him, the screen will stop scrolling and you’ll be able to go through the door he was standing over. But if you happen to be too far to the left after Wart is defeated, the door will be off screen, and you won’t be able to get to it. Even worse, you can’t die if this happens.
8 The Hiding Bananas
Donkey Kong 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble was the final game in the original Donkey Kong Country series. It starred Dixie Kong and her cousin Kiddy Kong as they try to rescue Donkey and Diddy Kong from King K Rool. The game was pretty well received as players and critics enjoyed the visuals and gameplay.
There is one instant where players can find an element of the game that likely wasn’t supposed to be there. In Lemguin Lunge, just before the final barrel of the stage, look closely in the lower left corner of the screen. You’ll actually see a few bananas actually inside the slope. They’re likely inaccessible, so why are they there? Gamers speculated that they were something that likely existed in the prototype but never got deleted. Or maybe a programmer put them there as a joke.
7 Beat The Game In 3 Minutes
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past was one of the most popular 2d games, and for a good reason. It had a great story, fantastic gameplay, and many, many dungeons. As a result, this game is one of the longer games in the Zelda series, tying only with A Link Between Worlds with the most dungeons.
But did you know that there is a glitch in this game that lets you beat it in a matter of minutes. This glitch lets you walk through certain walls, skipping to different screens. If you keep doing it, you can eventually make it to the ending screen, essentially beating the game. So, this glitch lets you beat a game in 3 minutes, bypassing all the dungeons that you’d normally have to go through. It’s an interesting glitch that lets gamers play around with the game.
6 Giga Bowser Is Having Some Trouble
Super Smash Bros. Brawl introduced the concept of the Final Smash, which lets a player give a huge smash attack that deals a lot of damage. In the case of Bowser, his Final Smash lets him transform into Giga Bowser, a giant, more monstrous version of himself. Giga Bowser can do a lot of damage, making him a formidable opponent.
But there actually is a glitch involving Giga Bowser and the stage Luigi’s Mansion. This stage periodically breaks down from the players fighting and then rebuilds itself. If you have Bowser transform into Giga Bowser though the Final Smash and the house has been destroyed, have him stand on the right side of the stage where the house’s column will be. If the house rebuilds itself while Giga Bowser is in that spot, he will be frozen and the player will lose all function of button movements until the Final Smash wears off.
5 Something’s Fishy With Those Charts
The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker often has you sailing around the world looking for treasure. Part of that involves you acquiring two certain maps that can help you find the infamous Ghost Ship, and pieces of the Triforce. But on the Triforce Chart and the Ghost Ship Chart lies a pretty big mistake.
Both of these charts will contain small drawings of some of the larger islands. One island that is drawn on both is the Greatfish Isle, the island where Jabun, the guardian spirit resided. We know that during the game, Ganondorf destroyed Greatfish Isle in an attempt to get to Jabun. Here’s the issue: both maps portray the island in its wrecked state. But the charts were written before the island was destroyed. Something is highly suspicious here…
4 Kirby’s Got The Moves
Not all glitches in games are necessarily bad, nor do they all affect the gameplay in a game. Some glitches can just be a funny element that happens that players can enjoy. Some can be a weird Easter egg that players can find. These types of glitches are less harmful and often more entertaining than anything.
One particularly fun glitch can be found in Kirby’s Dream Land. If you press the right buttons, you can make Kirby moonwalk briefly. To accomplish this, make Kirby jump and then quickly press the left and right on the +Control Pad. Then Kirby will begin to moonwalk. After about .7 seconds, he’ll start walking normally again. This is a really fun little glitch that can let players play around with Kirby’s new dance move.
3 Lost In Translation
Fire Emblem: The Blazing Blade was released in Japan on April 2003, and later in North America on November 2003. This was the seventh game in the Fire Emblem series and was actually the first Fire Emblem game released outside of Japan. Since this game, each Fire Emblem game has been released internationally.
However, this game did have quite a few translation errors. A few include the female Hanon being called a male, Nino saying “Now you’re going to listen closely…” instead of “Now I’m going to listen closely…,” and the character Reglay being called Wrigley. Many of these mistranslations were later fixed, especially in the European release of the game. Considering this game was the first in the Fire Emblem series to be translated to a different language, it makes sense that there would be some translation issues.
2 The Stories Don’t Match Up
About partway through The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, you must work to help Ilia, your childhood friend, gain back her memory in order to help you find information about the Sky People. One of these quests involves you going to a village that Ilia was supposedly taken to and was hiding. There, she was looked after by an old woman named Impa. When you get to the Hidden Village, you find it overrun with monsters that you have to defeat.
Here’s the problem. To get to the village, you have to blast through some rocks that have been there for a long time, according to one of the Gorons. And yet if this is the case, how did Ilia get there? She was there only recently since this game doesn’t take place over a long period of time. How did the monsters get there for that matter? It’s a bit of a plot hole that was never really explained in the game.
1 Pausing Won’t Save You
Some mistakes in games can be entertaining, others can be frustrating and problematic, and some can be just plain hilarious. But there are also glitches that can end up being a little morbid. One glitch in Kirby’s Adventure is such a glitch that is a tad bit disturbing.
This glitch will happen if the player times it right. If you bring up the pause menu right as Kirby falls into the pit, Kirby’s death animation will play on the pause screen. You can fix the glitch by entering a level or simply entering any door. You can also reset the game. This glitch is just a little creepy since it shows Kirby dying even though you’ve paused the game. Apparently, even pausing can’t always save our pink puffball hero.
