The name Nintendo will forever be a part of the pop culture pantheon, and with good reason. Their video games and consoles have been lighting up living rooms and imaginations for more than thirty years, bringing elation to countless gamers while constantly innovating and redefining what gaming can be. To this day, the company still produces games that keep veteran fans coming back for more and enticing a whole new generation of young minds. Countless hours of joy can be spent in beautiful worlds from landmark series such as Mario, Zelda, Kirby, Metroid, among a plethora of others. Through all of this, one fact always remains true: some of these games are absolutely unforgiving in their difficulty.

Fear not, because a few Nintendo classics can be beaten with lightning speed if the correct steps are followed. These exploits range from glitches, passwords, and knowing the game mechanics well enough to bypass any challenge. Adversely, some of the methods require flawless reflexes and timing, making the challenge more effort than it is worth for some. Nevertheless, it’s still impressive to see somebody else pull off these feats. Whether one is looking for an easy route to the credits or a challenge outside a video game’s established rules, these secrets will provide both.

So here it is, 15 Secret Ways To Quickly Beat Nintendo Games.

The Legend Of Zelda (NES)

The title that started off one of gaming’s most iconic franchises is a challenging trek that punishes adventurers bold enough to try and save Princess Zelda. Thankfully, through some very specific actions involving specific file names, it is possible to activate a glitch allowing The Legend of Zelda to be finished in around three minutes.

The steps needed to perform the trick are rather simple compared to the complex reasons it works, but it involves using the file names to start the journey on the second quest, and write new code into the game. If everything is done right, the player will have rescued the Princess before Gannon knows what hit him.

The exploit was only recently discovered, and will not work on an American NES.

Metal Gear (MSX2/NES)

Hideo Kojima’s first game Metal Gear, was created for the MSX2, but a NES port was also released that deviated from the original in numerous ways. The MSX2 version is already difficult, but on the NES certain sections are nearly impossible without a walkthrough or blind luck. For those looking to sneak into Outer Heaven and defeat Big Boss without breaking a sweat, the password system is here to help.

If players input the password “DIANE JENNY SOLID SNAKE 12345”, they’ll teleport to the last boss fight with all required equipment to defeat it.

There is also a password containing a harsh expletive that will bring Snake to the same area, but with no weapons and no chance of winning the fight against Big Boss.

Friday The 13th (NES)

The Friday The 13th film franchise has terrified audiences with its menacing villain and unrelenting gore. The 1989 video game adaptation also dwells in the nightmares of those who played it, mainly because of its frustrating design that is nearly unbeatable without help from a strategy guide. However, if one knows the mechanics of the game, they can zip through the story in about ten minutes.

Friday the 13th is not difficult in any way that requires one to think about the puzzles or the inputs. It’s solutions are simply so obtuse to the point where progression through the game is unwittingly stumbled upon instead of discovered through determination and attention to hints. With this being said, if the player knows what to do, Jason Voorhees can be dispatched with little to no effort.

Pokémon Yellow (GameBoy)

Pokémon is a mammoth-sized series whose addictive formula has kept people glued to their handheld for more than twenty years in their journey to be “the very best, like no one ever was.”

For players looking to become the greatest without all of the effort, this glitch in Pokémon Yellow will help fulfill that promise.

In the beginning of the game, if the game is reset at the correct time after saving, it will be possible to access a glitched items menu. From here, manipulating the correct items and tossing out sixty eight of a certain one will then allow the main character to teleport to the hall of fame. Not only will this fill up the Pokédex to one hundred percent, but also reward a completion time of zero hours and zero seconds if done fast enough.

The third entry in The Legend of Zelda games is not as enigmatic as its predecessors, but some busy gamers with families and packed work schedules may not have time to go through the quest in the conventional manner. For them, there is a way to sabotage Agahnim’s plans and save Hyrule before dinner time.

With a few relatively easy steps involving saving and quitting during a mid air jump, and phasing through a wall after taking some damage, it is possible to finish the game during the introductory dungeon. On the first try, it should not take the average player more than an hour to perform, but with some practice the trick can be pulled off in a few minutes.

It’s just a shame Link’s uncle was not aware of this trick, otherwise he’d still be with us.

Donkey Kong (NES)

Donkey Kong and Mario (known as Jumpman back then) used to be adversaries, but they have since seemed to reconcile their differences; perhaps they settled it in Super Smash Bros. For those still interested in reliving the rivalry in the fastest way possible, there is a way to bypass one third of Donkey Kong on the NES.

The game consists of three levels, and the most challenging part of the first level can be skipped over if Mario climbs down on the first ladder instead of up.

This causes Mario to descend through the bottom of the screen and reappear at the top.

From there he can easily beat the first level. Afterwards, the next two levels will have to be conquered legitimately, but this simple step significantly cuts down the time needed to finish the whole game.

Link’s Awakening is the outlier of the Zelda series, featuring cameos from famous Nintendo characters and lacking several staples from the series. The whole story is set in a dream, and similar to most dreams that can feel either several hours long or just a few minutes, this adventure can go on for days or only five minutes with the correct maneuvers.

Much like Ocarina of Time and A Link To The Past, this way of beating the game utilizes glitches in order to circumvent the entire journey. Unlike the two previous entries, all of the glitches and exploits make perfect sense in the game world. After all, most dreams are filled with all sorts of inexplicable nonsense, and Link’s is no different.

Final Fantasy IV/II (SNES)

For many years, American fans knew Final Fantasy IV as Final Fantasy II since the real second and third installments of the series were not released in the region. This is far from the strangest thing about the eclectic Japanese RPG. The oddest thing of all may be a certain method of beating the game in around two hours.

A glitch requires you walk up and down the same flight of stairs sixty-four times, which causes literal graphics chaos.

If done at the correct point, the whole game can be over and done with in the time it takes to watch the animated masterpiece Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Many of the party members in Final Fantasy IV bite the dust, so it’s good to know the game can be completed without all of the morbid events.

Chrono Trigger (SNES)

Chrono Trigger is a timeless classic in both video game storytelling and game play. One part that makes the game so special are the myriad of possible endings players can access, one of which is available near the very start of the game.

In the new game plus mode, if Crono steps into the right telepod instead of the left, the last boss can be accessed at very early points in the game. For those brave enough to try, Lavos can even be conquered with just two party members. Of the many ways to end the game, this one can be initiated the quickest.

As of now there is no way to activate the ending on a first play through, but the speedrunning community will surely find an exploit someday soon.

The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time (N64)

Link’s first 3D adventure is a landmark title for any gamer, filled with memorable dungeons, a compelling narrative, innovative boss fights, and a fully explorable world. If on a particular play-through one feels like experiencing absolutely none of these, they can try their hand at this incredibly tough and specific method of rushing through the game in seventeen minutes.

This speedrun is not for the inexperienced, however, as it utilizes several glitches requiring near perfect timing and reflexes.

With item manipulation and a trick that warps the player to Gannon after the first boss fight in the Great Deku Tree, all of the developer’s hard work can be completely bypassed.

Countless people have fond memories of Ocarina of Time, and how appropriate to the time-traveling theme that the game can be beaten without those memories ever actually existing.

Super Mario World (SNES)

The Super Mario games’ endless creativity has always been on the verge of psychedelia, but this method of beating Super Mario World is so trippy, it’ll make the rest of the game look like a boring Wednesday afternoon.

With a multitap adaptor and four controllers plugged into it, it is entirely possible to beat the SNES platformer in under a minute. It requires extremely specific timing and placement of a red shell, but if all of the steps are followed correctly, the game rolls the credits.

There is nothing indicating whether the actions are activating anything, but all of a sudden the screen will go black and the game will be completed. We’re not sure why that happens, but the sweet satisfaction of beating the game is always nice to savor.

Metroid (NES)

Nintendo’s first foray into the sci-fi genre proved to be a successful move, treating gamers to a spooky atmosphere and a labyrinthine design.

In additional to the amazing gameplay, the ending surprised everyone when Samus was revealed to be a woman.

This was a great reward for those who navigated the maze like world, but with a password it is possible to access the ending just as easily with the correct inputs.

All that is required to access the ending, and the best possible ending at that, is to type the password “X—– –N?WO dV-Gm9 W01GMI”. Then, all the player has to do is sit back, relax, and feast their eyes upon the victory screen congratulating them for completing the game. Now, it’s possible to claim to have beaten the original Metroid, but no one needs to know just how it was done.

Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! (NES)

The famous boxing title on the NES is known by two names: Mike Tyson’s Punch Out!! or simply Punch Out!! once the licensing of Tyson’s name expired. The classic Nintendo game is a rigorous test of timing and pattern recognition, or it can be a test of looking up passwords on the internet.

Simply entering “007 373 5963” will take you to the bout with Tyson, or Mr. Dream as he is known in the Tyson-less edition. Those expecting an easy win from there will be disappointed to learn that the final fight is the toughest of the whole game, and having no prior training will only make it harder. That being said, the code skips every other fight, significantly cutting down on the time needed to go through the boxing game

Super Mario RPG (SNES)

A collaboration between two developers at their peak, Super Mario RPG is an experience unlike any other. Being an older RPG, the game does require its share of grinding, but there is a trick to speed up the process and even reach the maximum level in a relatively short amount of time.

When there is a star next to a save point, it is possible to activate the star, dispatch as many enemies as possible, game over, and reload the save while keeping all of the experience earned.

Wash, rinse, and repeat until the party is at a satisfactory level and continue on.

You can now make quick work of enemies and bosses with the overpowered characters. The game will still take some time, but at least one can cut out the unnecessary grinding.

A Boy And His Blob (NES)

Opinions regarding the NES title A Boy and His Blob: Trouble on Blobonia tend to vary. The graphics and concept were highly revered, but some felt the actual execution needed more polish, being frustrating and hard to manage. There are some people who adored the game so much they eventually found a way to complete the whole campaign in fifteen minutes.

Through patience and precise actions with the titular boy and blob, the game can be tricked into sending the players to the last boss. From there, victory can be swiftly achieved and A Boy and His Blob will have been conquered.

There are also ways of overwhelming the game with massive amount of inputs using the help of tools, but it is always better to do things the old fashion way; with just a controller in hand.

What are some of your favorite Secret Ways To Quickly Beat Nintendo Games? Let us know in the comments!