Super Smash Bros. contains a sneaky “delayed action” anti-piracy measure to lull the illegitimate user into a false sense of security. The game will be normal the first 68 times it is launched. Starting with the 69th time, however, every selected character will turn into Mario.
— @mariobrothblog.bsky.social (@mariobrothblog.bsky.social.bsky.social) 2025-09-18T22:42:58.885Z
Supper Mario Broth’s summary cites research from The Cutting Room Floor, which documents four distinct anti-piracy triggers on the Super Smash Bros. cartridge. After loading versus mode 22 times, knockback values for fighters are randomized, making outcomes far more unpredictable.
Reaching versus mode on the 69th launch invokes the Mario-only lockdown described above. If 1P mode is started 43 times, the control stick’s responsiveness is halved, severely restricting movement and blocking many run-dependent attacks. Finally, after launching 1P mode 93 times, every versus match will default to Peach’s Castle.
The design choice to introduce gradual, intermittent faults rather than an immediate block makes sense: a game that simply refuses to boot would quickly reveal itself as pirated. Subtle, recurring glitches that only appear after repeated use are far easier for pirates to overlook or misattribute.
Other titles use similar tricks. For example, the 2011 shooter Serious Sam 3 contains a piracy flag that, when triggered, spawns a gigantic, unkillable scorpion that pursues the player for the entire game — a notorious and entertainingly cruel deterrent. (video).
Legitimate players can be ensnared by these checks as well. The piracy routine may be triggered by GameShark devices, and several replies to Supper Mario Broth’s post on Bluesky recall childhood confusion when Mario was the sole selectable character — a stray code or accessory could inadvertently flip the switch.
Side note: Mario Kart World includes delightfully chaotic AI behavior — NPCs will even break into one another’s karts. “He’s breaking into Green Shy Guy’s car! And now he’s stealing it!”
Source: gamesradar.com
