One of the few Nintendo titles never to get a Japanese release, Startropics was released at the end of the NESs lifespan and so went unnoticed by many fans until its Virtual Console re-release. Mixing the gameplay of Zelda with the more linear structure of Japanese RPGs, the game sees teenager Mike Jones receiving an invite from his eccentric Uncle and travelling to the tropical C-Island, becoming embroiled in an alien invasion plot. While it was increasingly common for PC games to come with additional bits and bobs, often inscribed with an activation key and used as a way to deter game piracy, it was unusual for NES titles to come with bonus pack-ins that werent advertising a publishers other titles. So it was quite surprising to find Startropics bundled with a letter, ostensibly to Mike from his Uncle, inviting him to come and visit the island. Much like Meryls codec, it would prove crucial to solving a puzzle later in the game. Players were told to dip Mikes letter into water, a plan which worried many players - what if they had the wrong idea and wound up destroying their freebie? Thats assuming players still had the letter, of course unlike Metal Gear, which came on a CD and needed to be kept safe in its case, NES cartridges were robust enough that the games packaging might well have been scrapped or stashed in the loft. After all, there was no way to know that the letter was important. Eventually, Nintendo relented and republished the solution but even today, they continue to have fun with the idea. Buy the game digitally and the e-manual comes with a virtual click to dunk bucket.
