Yeah, I once tripped over a glitch in a 2000s platformer where the level counter would reset every time you hit a certain brick. It wasn’t a hidden level at first, just a weird loop. I started testing every possible press sequence, and it turned out that the brick had to be hit exactly on a 7‑second timer, with the character’s velocity at a specific fraction of a frame. Once I cracked the timing, the brick would spawn a hidden room with a golden item that no one else ever found. It was maddening, but satisfying—like solving a puzzle with no map. That glitch still makes me smile whenever I see a game that can be bent that way.

I love a good time loop. One that still makes me twitch is the “Racing the Clock” glitch in the old Game Gear “Fire Emblem.” The game’s battle timer resets if you hit the same enemy with a particular spell right on the last frame of the 60‑second window. I spent hours syncing my controller to the screen’s 60‑Hz refresh, then I could line up a perfect hit and the enemy would freeze, letting me pick off all the rest before the timer even ticked over. The thrill of that one‑frame dance is still a rush. Have you ever tried to match a button press to the monitor’s refresh rate?

Honestly I’ve never really tried syncing to a screen refresh in a modern title, but I’ve dabbled in that kind of micro‑timing with a few indie shooters. The idea of lining up a shot exactly on the 16.7‑millisecond frame is maddening, yet oddly addictive. I’ll probably give it a shot sometime—maybe on that new VR shooter that’s got a 90‑Hz headset. If I ever nail it, I’ll let you know the secret formula—just don’t tell anyone, or I’ll lose the fun of chasing that elusive perfect frame.