#9: Galf (Golf) [Unlockable In: Golf Story / Nintendo Switch]
Another twist on the standard unlockable-game formula — and an example of a perferct example, both with the exact same game. The original dad game on NES was Golf, a simple top-down sports game where you play, well, Golf. Time your shots and try to git the tiny pixel ball into the tiny pixel hole. There are two hidden ways to play this original on the Nintendo Switch.
First is through the charming indie game Golf Story — finding hidden cartridges allows you to play a version of Golf hilariously called Galf. It’s basically exactly the same, but for a time, the original was available on Nintendo Switch. Only playable on July, 11 — the date of Nintendo President Satoru Iwata’s death in 2015 — it was possible to play with Joy-Con motion controls. It’s actually pretty neat!
#10: Q*Bert [Unlockable In: Ghostbusters: The Video Game]
We end our list on a fond revisit to Ghostbuster: The Video Game. This nostalgic reunion brought back the four stars of the series, allowing your new Rookie character to explore the firehouse headquarters. Like lots of these old-school games, you’ll access them from an arcade machine.
Q*Bert was an iconic arcade game of the ’80s, with a little orange mascot jumping on a series of vertical cubes in semi-3D perspective. The arcade game is fully present in Ghostbusters, and it’s a great little wave of nostalgia — if you weren’t overdosing enough already.
And that about covers hidden games-within-games, but there’s a whole lot more to discover when we open the floodgates and start including mini-games, parody games, and other weird modes. Let us know which games-within-games are you favorites!
