“You’re just not thinking fourth dimensionally!”
This line, uttered multiple times by Emmett “Doc” Brown throughout the Back to the Future film series, seems to be something that, since the onset of the technology, video-game designers have taken to heart. Fourth-wall breaking (and clever, frustrating “aha!” moments) have been around since day one. Here are a few of the best.
Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (NES, 1989)
You’re given a 1-800 number, with no phone anywhere in sight. You had to pause the game and call the number, upon which the sultry tones of Jessica Rabbit gave you some much needed help.
X-Men (Sega Genesis, 1993)
After defeating super-villain Mojo, you’re told to “reset the computer” before time runs out. The solution? Lightly pressing the reset button on your console, which resulted in swearing as gamers everywhere pressed it too hard, jumping back to the title screen of a notoriously difficult game.
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (Nintendo DS, 2007)
Marking your chart is an important part in Link’s first DS outing, but there’s a moment when you have to copy an intricate sacred crest to your map. Closing the DS was the solution; it transferred the crest from the upper to the lower screen.
Metal Gear Solid (Sony Playstation, 1998)
Psycho Mantis is a pain, a fourth-wall-breaking psychic boss who anticipates your every move and mocks you for the contents of your memory card. Move your controller to the second port and he can’t read your mind any longer, letting you defeat him with ease.
Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater (Playstation 2, 2004)
The Sorrow, one of the final bosses in the game, goes full Robert Smith and kills you by overloading you with the souls of everyone you’ve killed up to that point, resulting in the usual “game over” screen. Luckily, Snake has a revival pill, returning from the dead to realize that he’s been fighting a ghost. Spooky.