N64: Cheats, codes and secrets for every Nintendo Switch Online launch game

The Nintendo Switch Expansion Pack will be out soon offering Nintendo Switch owners select DLC for free, a SEGA channel featuring many famous Genesis games, and the Nintendo 64 channel which features an ever-growing library of Nintendo 64 titles perfect for all those people who have been begging Nintendo for a N64 mini for years.

With things like the Nintendo 64, a lot of people remember the older games for their visual look. Creative ways that the graphics tricks you to create impressive visuals despite the limitations of the software. The evolution of gaming as it left the 16-bit realm. But there was another aspect to gaming in that era that I particularly loved. The secrets.

Many video games in the 80’s and 90’s had secrets and codes. Video game magazines would always have at least one page dedicated to showing cheat codes and the like. As time went on, these were removed from most games as we became obsessive with the concept of trophies and achievements. But the older games have them. And even if they didn’t have codes, it was at least a guarantee you could at least find some cool secret messing around with things.

So, in honor of the time of codes, here’s some of the best secrets for each of the games launching with the N64 side of the Expansion Pack.

Super Mario 64

• Refill your health
  • Any time you’re low on health you can fill it by either jumping into the water and hopping back out, or, if you see a post sticking out of the ground, running around it five times will make coins come out.
• Yoshi!
  • One of my favorite things to show people back in the day pre-internet. When you get all 120 stars, head outside the castle to find a cannon has risen. Hop in and shoot to the top of the tower to discover Yoshi hiding in the tower! Unfortunately, this isn’t the 3DS remake so you can’t play as him but he WILL give you 100 extra lives AND give you an improved triple jump.

Mario Kart 64

• Booster
  • Hit the gas just as the final light hits at the start of a race to active a temporary boost giving you a head start.
• Negate Banana Effects
  • If you hit the breaks at the same time you hit a banana peel you’ll hear a little noise and see a special animation and you’ll only break slightly instead of spinning out.
• Hidden Ended
  • This one is weirdly tough but if you can manage to gain a final circuit ranking of 4th place you’ll see a special ending you can’t get at any other position.

Star Fox 64

• Warping
  • When on stages like Meteo or Sector X and encounter warp rings, flying through all of them without missing any will teleport you to new stages.
• Playing as a tank or on foot in multi-player
  • To change up the multi-player mode, beating Venom and beating Venom on expert will unlock tank and “on foot” options for multi-player respectively.