Twenty-five years later Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness launched on Nintendo 64, someone has discovered a new Konami code hiding there – and it's a very useful code.
Found by two fans on Castlevania 64 speedruns Server Discord, this code unlocks all characters, as well as their alternate costumes, as well as a hard mode, on site. Previously, fans got these unlocks after completing the game twice.
But wait, there's more. Fans have also discovered two other cheat codes that are very useful for playing, especially if it comes to a speedrun. One code completely fills the player's inventory regardless of which character they use, and another only for the Japanese NTSC and PAL versions maximizes the power of their weapons and gives them a maximum number of gems. Players have since modified the game's code to make it available in their builds, although some are reporting minor bug issues.
YouTuber JupiterClimb has all the details, including how to access the codes, video above. But the content unlock code is pretty simple; it's basically a matter of entering the classic Konami code (e.g. Nintendo 64) twice in the game's Start menu.
See for yourself in this condensed video published on X:
New KONAMI CODE discovered after 25 years!!
In Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness, you can unlock all characters and costumes from the start: pic.twitter.com/ZkueeXCNeb
– JupiterClimb (@JupiterClimb) April 15, 2024
History of Konami Code
Originally a development tool for Gradius' home port in 1986, Konami code was used in console games (also by publishers other than Konami) for almost 40 years. Sometimes it's a developer secret and sometimes it's used as a deliberate Easter egg for players to find.
Creator Kazuhisa Hashimoto, who died in 2020, said he used it because he hadn't played Gradius much to begin with and was having trouble beating it during home base development.
Probably its best-known use was in the 1988 NES port. Contrawhere it granted players 30 extra lives, much needed for the notoriously difficult run and gun platformer.
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