10 Video Game Mysteries That BAFFLED Gamers For Years

Gaming bugs can be terrifying, since they can result in a soft-lock, a crash, or save data being lost. To avoid this, developers sometimes create a fail-safe room, teleporting the player there in the event of a glitch.

Arguably, the most famous fail-safe room in gaming is the Chris Houlihan Room in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. The hidden place is so named since it was created as part of a Nintendo Power contest, where the winner had his name immortalised in the game. When Link enters the room, he'll find dozens of Rupees and a tile that reads, "My name is Chris Houlihan. This is my top secret room. Keep it between us, okay?"

Although Nintendo Power ran the competition, few people could access this room, causing players to question its existence for years. But with the rise of emulators and ROM hacking communities, players were able to reliably trigger the glitch that sends Link to this hidden area.

Over time, the Chris Houlihan Room became a piece of Nintendo lore, celebrated not only as a quirky bug fix but also as a legendary Easter egg.