When it comes to the all-time great Nintendo games, the classics from Mario, Zelda, Pokemon or any of their mainline franchises can’t be beat. Those games are filled to the brim to great gameplay and memorable moments.
They are so chock-full of goodies that many players don’t even know about some wicked Easter eggs that the developers snuck into the finished product. Because some of them are only visible for brief moments, it takes a meticulous player to spot them.
We gathered some of our favorite Easter eggs as found in popular Nintendo games. Which ones have you been able to spot?
Best 7 Easter Eggs In Nintendo Games
1 . Super Mario RPG Cameos
In Super Mario RPG, there’s a couple of awesome cameos from Nintendo’s greatest characters. A fairly well-known one is Link from The Legend of Zelda, who is found sleeping in the Rose Town Inn. He will, appropriately, not respond to you if you try to interact with him.
But the lesser-known of the cameos is Samus from Metroid, likely because this one is a touch trickier to see. After defeating Yaridovich and returning to Mushroom Castle, Samus can be found sleeping in the guest bed. If you end up going to Land’s End immediately, you can easily miss this cameo.
2. Bayonetta 2 x Star Fox
In Bayonetta 2, it’s possible to equip Bayonetta with costumes of some of the favorite Nintendo characters such as Mario, Link and Samus. One of those is also Fox McCloud from the Star Fox series.
The Star Fox costume in particular takes things a little further though. If you equip this costume going into the final level of the game, you will be transformed into a very detailed Arwing, complete with the lasers, lock-on mechanics and of course, the barrel roll manuever.
3. Metal Gear Solid 3
In the original Metal Gear Solid 3, there were Kerotans located throughout the game that were well-hidden and required some persistent searching to locate each one.
When Nintendo released Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, all of the Kerotans are replaced by Yoshi. There’s even a new codec call with Para-Medic talking about Yoshi in that version of the game as well.
4. Portraits in Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is arguably the greatest game ever made. One of the earliest great 3D adventures of gaming, there is so much to do and explore in this landmark title.
For the brief moment when you’re in Hyrule Castle Courtyard, meeting Princess Zelda for the first time, you can spot look through two windows; one of them contains a series of portraits on the wall with Mario, Peach, Yoshi and Bowser.
Just don’t try shooting your slingshot through the other window…
5. Play as Master Hand in Super Smash Bros.
Master Hand is the iconic final boss of the single player modes of Super Smash Bros. games, and has been a mainstay in those games ever since his debut in 1999.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee, there is a variation of the Name Entry Glitch that allows players to actually play as Master Hand on any stage in the game. He can only be used via the third controller port and he cannot be KO’ed by traditional means (meaning the only way you can “lose” as Master Hand is if you’re playing in Stamina Mode.)
6. The Referee in Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! is one of those all-time great NES games, and also has a reputation for getting brutally difficult as you get to some of the later fights of the game.
Between dishing out punches as Little Mac and avoiding getting your butt kicked, it takes a second to notice that the referee in these games is none other than Mr. Nintendo himself, Mario!
7. Star-Spangled Mario in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario has a variety of alternate costumes, ranging from his Mario Maker builder clothes to the suit he wears at the wedding in Super Mario Odyssey.
One of the costumes has white stars against a blue background, with red and white stripes. Players often joke about how Mario is showcasing his American patriotism with this clothing choice.
While I’m sure that Mario is a fan of the Land of the Free, this costume is actually a throwback to the game NES Open Tournament Golf, one of the earlier Mario Golf games. The outfit is also seen in Odyssey as well as Mario Golf: Super Rush.
Know of any other Nintendo Easter eggs that deserve to be on the list? Head over to our page and let us know!