Konami Code

Overview

The Konami Code is a cheat code that appears in many of Konami's video games, using the button inputs Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A. Pressing Start at the end is technically not part of the code, but the action is commonly associated with it. Though associated most commonly with Contra, Gradius is the first game to use the code. It has become a staple of Konami games, and even some of the company's games that don't use the code still reference it in some way. The code has become ingrained in gaming culture to the point that it is no longer limited to Konami games, with references to and variants upon it appearing in such titles as Half-Life 2 and Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal.

Konami has also poked fun at the code's expected use. If the player enters the Konami Code in Gradius III on the SNES, the player's ship will blow up. Instead, the bonus that one would expect the Konami Code to grant is given through the input Up, Up, Down, Down, L, R, L, R, B, A START.

Uses Outside of Video Games

The Konami code features as an "Easter Egg" (a hidden, secret feature) on many websites, often replacing the Start button with enter, and sometimes omitting Start altogether:

• Entering the Konami Code on any GameSpot page will take the user to the the Hints & Cheats page for the NES version of Contra.
• On any page on Giant Bomb, inputting the Konami Code and pressing Enter will initiate a Pac-man themed game.

• On April 27, 2009, visitors to sports website ESPN.com discovered that by inputting the Konami Code and pressing Enter, a filter would activate, overlaying the page with pictures of unicorns and altering the text to reference items as being "sparkly" among other, similar adjectives. The filter was removed on the same day as its discovery.
• On the now-defunct Google Reader, entering the Konami Code on Google's RSS feed compiler would skin the site with a ninja skin.
• On Digg, entering the Konami Code will expand all the comments on the current page.
• Although now-defunct, KonamiCodeSites.com once tracked websites that use the Konami Code, and required the viewer to enter the Konami Code to view it.
• On Facebook, a lens flare appears when scrolling up and down the main page after the code has been entered.
• The Konami Code appears as a minor plot point in the Disney film Wreck-it-Ralph.

Uses In Video Games Not Published by Konami

• In 2K Games' Bioshock: Infinite, the Konami Code unlocks the achievement "Should Auld Acquaintance..." for 10G on the Xbox 360 or a Bronze Trophy on the PlayStation 3, as well as a new difficulty mode. This code should be entered at the main menu after pressing start, selecting the correct brightness, and adjusting one's screen dimensions.
• For a brief period, the Battle Royale mode of Fortnite was taken offline following the conclusion of the game's "Chapter 1." Users attempting to access the game were presented with a graphic of a black hole, however inputting the Konami Code would unlock a mini-game themed after arcade shooters such as Space Invaders.
• Entering the Konami Code on the main menu of Rocket League will change the screen to one reminiscent of Rocket League's precursor, Supersonic Acrobatic Rocket-Powered Battle-Cars.