Nintendo Has a Secret Message For Famicom Mini Hackers

It's taken longer for Nintendo to satisfy demand for the NES Classic Edition than it has for hackers to have their way with it. Interestingly, it seems Nintendo understood its little console would inevitably be cracked wide open.

Yesterday we reported Russian hackers found a way to add more games to the NES Classic Edition by way of a USB cable and a Super Mario Bros save file. In a related event, a Japanese modder named Bakueikozo recently discovered the cheek-pinchingly cute Famicom Mini has a security message for its hackers, and it is oh-so Nintendo.

"This is the hanafuda captain speaking," the message begins. "Launching emulation in 3...2...1. Many efforts, tears and countless hours have been put into this jewel. So, please keep this place tidied up and don’t break everything! Cheers, the hanafuda captain."

The "Hanafuda Captain" nickname, which calls back to Nintendo's history as a maker of Japanese hanafuda cards, is awesome. The tone of the message is likewise great, as it conveys a resigned sigh: "Look, we know you're going to muck around with our code, so just try not to trash the joint, all right?"

Indeed, modding your NES Classic Edition can brick the system, so tread carefully if you decide to crack that clamshell open. It's not like you can just go to the store and buy another one.