The Super Mario "glitch" that started it all
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A look at Mario within the original "Super Mario Bros." game. Screenshot: Nintendo
Super Mario Bros is getting some flowers for its 40th anniversary — especially for pioneering mainstream gaming hacks.
The big picture: A simple coding error led to one of the most famous secrets in '80s gaming, BBC notes, inspiring players to uncover dozens more glitches in the years after.
Flashback: We know it's been a while since you picked up the controller. So here's a rundown. In the original "Super Mario Bros.," Mario hopped into Warp Zones to travel between levels.
- In "World 1-2," avid gamers found a way for him to jump and cross a brick wall that led to the eventual "World -1" — or "Minus World."
- It was an underwater level that wasn't supposed to be there, and couldn't be completed — it simply repeated until you turned off the game.
What they're saying: "Minus World" is widely viewed as one of gaming's first famous glitches, where fans could find worlds within worlds.
- "It was the Minus World that first made us believe that anything was possible in video games, and that no area was ever truly off limits," wrote Edge magazine in 2015.
Nintendo's legendary designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, denied that "minus world" was a deliberate addition.
Zoom out: The Super Mario glitch enticed gamers and coders, sparking more glitches throughout gaming history.
- "Halo 2" featured hidden "super jumps" where gamers could crouch into corners, jump off a cliff, land on a pinpointed location and then go soaring up into the sky.
- The "Mew glitch" comes from the original Pokemon "Red" and "Blue" games. The myth: players used a boat to reach a hidden area and catch Mew.
- The original game also had a glitch where capturing the "MissingNo" would crash the game.
- In 2019, one gamer discovered the original "The Legend of Zelda" game had some hidden (and very creepy) hidden worlds.
Nowadays, glitches go viral through news articles and subreddits. In recent days, users have discovered bugs within "Diablo 4" and "Monster Hunter Wilds" that could break the game.
Go deeper: EA's "Madden 26" plagued with massive launch day errors
