Anyone who considered themselves a gamer back in the 1980s probably has the Konami code ingrained into their memory — and they’re rewarded for their strong recall whenever a web developer uses the code as a clever Easter egg. Now, the familiar cheat code has once again reared its head in an unlikely setting.
This year, Canada is celebrating its 150th birthday, and the country is updating its $10 bill to mark the occasion. A page has been added to the Bank of Canada website that explains who is depicted on the new bank note, and their relevance to Canadian history.
However, anyone with a knowledge of the Konami code can transform this patriotic information center into something altogether flashier, according to a report from Kotaku AU. If your memory is a little spotty, the code is as follows; up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A.
Entering the code really does change the previously sedate page quite considerably. It gains a rousing rendition of the Canadian national anthem, and a cavalcade of brand new $10 bills rain from the top of your browser window. It’s enough to make you proud to hail from Canada, whether that’s your actual nationality or not.
Of course, this is far from the first time that we’ve seen websites and services implement the Konami code as a nod to retro gaming. Google has previously offered users “unlimited” free searches upon entering the code, and the first version of the company’s Pixel laptop would perform an LED light show whenever the sequence of inputs was detected.
It’s been more than thirty years since the Konami code made its debut in the NES version of Gradius. Whoever included the code in that game couldn’t have predicted its staying power — but it seems likely that we’ll continue to see Easter eggs like this one for many years to come.
