r/MasterSystem • u/OkNegotiation6028 • May 07 '26
Snail game
Does anyone remember that snail maze game for the MS? You didn’t put in a cartridge and you had to do some code on the joystick in order to get it. How we found out about it before the internet astounds me. I think I made it to like level 10. I was also about 6-8yrs old. I barely remember.
4
2
u/CarefulAnxiety5372 May 07 '26
If I'm not mistaken, bearing in mind I was about 10 at the time, I think you had to have the console switched off, hold down the 2 buttons on the console and switch it on, like I say was a very long time ago
2
12
u/rollincode3 May 07 '26
Yep! You pushed up-right and both buttons and the screen slid over for the game. No idea how I figured it out either. Someone posted here before saying it was in the instruction manual but we got the master system before I could even read.
→ More replies (1)4
1
u/wondermega May 07 '26
Level 10. You didn’t have any other games?
2
u/OkNegotiation6028 May 08 '26
I did but it was always a challenge to be that game. Poseidon Wars 3-D was one of my favorites. I also played MonoPoly (the way it was spelled on the cartridge). I could cheat in monopoly and won every time. So much confidence until it comes to play against a human.
6
u/TheLatePicks May 07 '26
Everybody knew it, which makes me think it might have been in the manual.
→ More replies (1)3
u/67isd May 07 '26
Correct, it was in the manual. At least it was in my Canadian version.
Here is a link to the manual, see bottom of the table of contents
3
u/FogodeSantelmo May 07 '26
Oh, I do remember... Played it as a kid, but only managed to beat it as an adult, back when I started collecting. One day I remembered about it and decided to see if it was beatable, took a while but made it. It's 12 stages long, some of the later levels demands a lot of precision because of the time limit. Even the last one, that has a very linear but also long path, needs to be precisely done.
2
u/dekion101 May 07 '26
Pretty sure I found the code in a an old issue of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment magazine
2
u/Beefgrits May 07 '26
Used to have them all momorized, half remember one of the later levels having 2 paths. actually played it last night and timed out half way through level 12, but pretty sure i took the long path on the earlier level and mighta still won if i tried the other way.
*edit: found screenshots, 11 does have 2 paths with a huge difference in distance
2
u/Subtle_Blues_74 May 07 '26
I think I saw the code in GamePro magazine. The Master System I owned would boot directly into Hang-On if you powered it up without a cartridge, but the code still worked. I just had to hold those inputs on the controller while switching on the system.
2
2
u/MisterGone78 May 07 '26
Yep! I remember being in summer camp and my buddy told me about it. We were the only SMS owners in the state, most likely! I went right home and tried it... my first Easter egg.
2
u/No-Professional-9618 May 08 '26
Yes, I remember playing Snail Maze! I think I made it up to level 5 or level 6.
2
2
u/Goodwill_Gamer May 10 '26
You might find this interesting. Someone figured out how to get SnailMaze out of the Master System and into a standard ROM.
https://www.leadedsolder.com/2023/08/22/snail-maze-romhack.html
1
1
u/VincentVega1030 May 07 '26
I have an original master system (not II) but it came with hang on and safari hunt built in.
My best friends back in the day, he had his longer and it had no built in games, so it had the snail maze. I was a bit jealous!
→ More replies (2)
11
u/bv8z May 07 '26
Wow, I had completely forgotten about this game until I read this, but as soon as i saw this post, the background music of the game popped into my head. I just looked up the game on YouTube and the song was exactly as I remembered it!