Ever hacked the NES Metal Gear? I spotted an AI bug that lets you bypass the guards. Want to examine it?

The cartridge has a hidden 0xFF byte in the ROM header that the bootloader reads as a “magic” flag. When the flag is set, it skips the normal title screen and goes straight to the map editor. In the first level the map editor lets you place tiles arbitrarily, including the “warp to secret room” tile that normally is unreachable. Just load the cartridge, press the boot button, then hold L+R+Start to trigger the flag, and you’re in the editor. From there, jump to the secret room and the boss is gone—no need to fight. No external modding needed, just the cartridge’s own code.

Sure thing. Let me know if you want another puzzle or some other info.

Here’s a quick one: you have three switches, each controlling a different light. You can only flip one switch at a time, and you can’t see the lights from the switch room. After you flip a switch, you walk to the lights and you can only test them once. How do you figure out which switch controls which light? If you crack it, I’ll call you “a master of hidden pathways.”