In the Pre-Internet Era, Why Were People Fooled? 10 Famous Gaming Hoaxes | Explaining the Truth Behind the Rumors and Real User Reviews

“If you hit the ball repeatedly, you’re more likely to get caught,” “That character will join your team”—.

In the 1980s and 1990s, before the Internet became widespread, numerous “video game hoaxes (urban legends)” were passed down among children just like urban legends.
Back then, when sources of information were limited to word of mouth among friends, video game magazines, and cheat guides, rumors spread across the country in the blink of an eye and sometimes developed into social phenomena that even drew in official entities.

In this article, we’ll highlight “10 Famous Rumors” that have left their mark on the history of video games from the Showa to the Heisei eras.
We’ll explain these rumors by delving into the truth behind their origins and the context in which they arose, while also incorporating firsthand accounts (comments and user reviews) from that time.

Why Were There So Many “Rumors” in Old Video Games?

There were three main reasons why rumors spread so rapidly in the gaming industry at that time.

• There were no
  social media platforms or walkthrough sites to search, and there was no way to verify the facts.
• The
  Power of the Media: People Believed Game Magazine Features (Fake Tips) and Misreporting on TV at Face Value
• There were so many bugs
  and puzzling text in the game that it was easy to mistakenly think, “Maybe there’s some hidden element here.”

Precisely because information was so uncertain back then, there was a sense of excitement as we were swept up in the ups and downs of the rumors.
Now, let’s take a look back at some of the hoaxes that have become legendary.

10 Famous Rumors About Old Video Games and the Truth Behind Them

1. Dragon Quest II: “Resurrection Spell from the Pattern Book (The Strongest Password)”

• The rumor claims
  that if you enter a specific password—which includes the phrase “Moyouhon…” followed by a list of developers’ names—you can start the game as the strongest character at Level 48.
• 
  Yuji Horii, the developer of *The Truth Behind the Rumor*, later stated on radio programs and elsewhere, “There is no ‘most powerful spell’ that was intentionally programmed. It was a coincidence resulting from a combination of
  characters.” It was data that had accidentally slipped past the
  system’s character checks.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “I got a spell from a friend that I’d copied into my notebook, and I was seriously trying it out.”
  • “I thought it was suspicious that he didn’t have any gear, but I was so excited by his high level that I didn’t question it.”

2. Pokémon Red and Green: “Increase the Capture Rate by Rapidly Throwing Poké Balls”

• Content of the Rumor
• While the thrown ball is wobbling, you can increase your capture rate by “rapidly pressing the A button,” “pressing B + ↓,” or “pressing L and R simultaneously.”
• The Truth Behind the Rumors
• Analysis of internal data revealed that “the calculation of whether the ball was caught is completed the moment it is thrown.”
• Button inputs have absolutely no effect on internal processing.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “In my area, ‘alternating between A and B’ was the norm. It’s interesting how practices vary by region.”
  • “Even now that I know it doesn’t work, my fingers still tap away on their own out of habit.”

3. Xevious: “You can destroy Bacula with 256 shots.”

• Content of the Rumor
• You can destroy “Vacula,” an invincible obstacle that flies in from the top of the screen, by hitting it with 256 shots.
• The Truth Behind the Rumors
• In the game, Bacura is a completely indestructible object.
• Furthermore, due to the specifications at the time, the maximum number of bullets that could be hit on-screen during a single appearance was approximately 84, which is physically impossible.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “Memories of my youth—playing in two-player mode with a friend, taking turns, and even using a rate-of-fire meter to test it out.”
  • “Apparently, even the developers knew about the ‘rumor that it can be destroyed with 256 shots’ and found it amusing.”

4. Crystal Dragon: “I can play Baseball Rock-Paper-Scissors”

• Content of the Rumor
• In *Crystal Dragon*, the first command-selection adventure game for the Famicom, you can play “Baseball Rock-Paper-Scissors” with the heroine if you follow a specific sequence of steps.
• The Truth Behind the Rumors
• It was inspired by the wildly popular “Uso-Tech” (fake cheat code articles) feature in the Famicom magazine *Family Computer Magazine* (FamiMaga).
  Countless players tried to use these “cheats” without realizing they were fake, turning it into a social phenomenon that even caused the games to sell out in stores.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “I remember running with 500 yen clutched in my hand to buy a Disk System cartridge.”
  • “I’ll never forget the shock and anger I felt when I found out later that it was an April Fools’ prank.”

5. Master Takahashi “Arrested”

• Hoax: Takahashi Meijin, the hero of the Famicom world who can fire 16 shots
  per second, was arrested by the police.
• The Truth Behind the Rumor: The news that Master Takahashi served as “Chief for a Day” at
  a police station was distorted as it spread among children, much like a game of telephone. Various embellishments were added, such as
  “he had a spring hidden in his finger” and “he rigged the rapid-fire measurement device.”
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “It coincided with the time I stopped seeing him on TV, and I really believed it back then.”
  • “There were all kinds of rumors going around—some said it was drugs, others said the springs had been tampered with—and they differed from school to school. It was total chaos.”

6. Street Fighter II: “Shenron Appears as a Hidden Boss”

• The
  rumor originated from a mistranslation of Ryu’s victory message—“As long as the Shoryuken remains unbroken…”—and claims that his master, “Shenron (Shoryu),” exists as a hidden character.
• The
  Truth Behind the Rumor: This was a hoax story fabricated by the U.S. gaming magazine *Electronic Gaming Monthly* (EGM) as an April Fools’ Day prank.
  However, because the rumor became so well-known, the developers later decided to “reimport” elements such as “Goken” and Shenron into games like *Street Fighter IV*.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “It’s so awesome when a joke from an overseas magazine makes its way back and becomes official canon.”
  • “There were plenty of die-hard gamers at the arcade who were determined to clear the game without taking any damage in order to meet the requirements.”

7. The Famicom Console: “The Red-and-White Color Scheme Was Chosen to Cut Costs”

• The
  rumor claims that the Famicom console is red and white (burgundy) because that was the cheapest plastic resin available.
• The truth behind the rumor is that Nintendo’s former president
  , Hiroshi Yamauchi, personally liked the color of a scarf (or a company-branded item) and chose it for that reason; cost had nothing to do with it.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “I’d believed it wholeheartedly for years because it had been featured on trivia shows and in reference books.”
  • “It’s amazing that the president’s favorite color became a symbol of Japanese video game console design.”

8. Dragon Quest V: “If you defeat Estark in 10 turns or fewer, he’ll join your party.”

• Details
  of the Rumor: If you defeat the hidden boss, Estark, within an extremely short number of turns—specifically, “within 10 turns”—he will join your party.
• The Truth Behind the Rumor
  : This rumor originated from the turn count feature that appears when defeating Estark, with the line, “To think you defeated me in just XX turns…” Although Estark does not
  actually join the party, this led to an official self-parody, such as the addition of a related character named “Petitark” in later remakes like the DS version.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “Using ‘Bikilt’ and the ‘Blizzard Sword,’ I kept challenging the game alongside my friends, devising meticulous strategies.”
  • “Even though I didn’t end up joining the group, as a fan, I’m happy that the official team picked me up for ‘Petit Turk’ years later.”

9. FF7: “There Is an Aerith Revival Route”

• The rumor claims that “Aeris,” a major character who dies
  in the game, can be revived or kept alive by using specific hidden items or following certain steps.
• Regarding the rumors,
  Square Enix officially and unequivocally denied them at the time, stating, “A revival is absolutely out of the question because it relates to the story’s theme.”
  However, the 2024 remake *FINAL FANTASY VII REBIRTH* introduced a new storyline incorporating a parallel world (alternate timeline), reigniting the passion of longtime fans.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “I jotted down the resurrection procedure in my notebook and spent dozens of hours searching for the rumored item.”
  • “I think it was such a shocking event that everyone wanted to believe the rumors because they were looking for some kind of solace.”

10. Pokémon Gold and Silver: “Celebi Appears with the Golden Leaf and Silver Leaf”

• The rumor claims that if you use the “Golden Leaf” or “Silver Leaf”—items obtainable
  in the game—at specific locations (such as Ubame Forest), the legendary Pokémon “Celebi” will appear.
• The Truth
  Behind the Rumor: Although Celebi itself existed in the game data, the only official way to obtain it was through event distributions.
  However, in later titles such as *HeartGold and SoulSilver*, a feature was officially implemented where offering a specific item at Ubame Shrine triggers a Celebi-related event.
• Reviews and Memories from That Time
  • “I kept tapping the ‘A’ button and scouring the screen in front of the Ubame Shrine.”
  • “The very process by which rumors lead to official events is what makes Pokémon so exciting.”

The Era When Rumors Enriched “Gaming Culture”

The cheats and urban legends featured here are, by today’s standards, simply “misinformation.”
However, in an era before the internet when information was limited, these rumors served as the perfect spice to fuel lively communication among players.

• Exchanging Information at School:
  After school, we gathered at a friend’s house and played a verification game to check whether the information was true or false.
• A Lie That Turned Into Truth (Official Adoption)
  : A wild rumor that spread among users was later officially adopted as an actual game feature.

In today’s world, where you can find accurate walkthroughs in just a few seconds with nothing but a smartphone, it’s fair to say that “the excitement of those days”—when our hearts would race at the mere mention of unverified rumors—was a precious experience that helped shape the early days of gaming culture.

Summary: The gaming rumors from back then are memories I’ll cherish for a lifetime

I looked back on “game rumors” from the days before the internet.

1. A lack of information and word-of-mouth created fertile ground for rumors to spread.
2. Magazine April Fools’ Day pranks and false reports on TV spread across the country.
3. In some cases, the enthusiasm of the users led to those ideas being incorporated into later works as “official canon.”

If you give those classic games you used to play another try, you might discover something new.