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Justin Bailey Password

Metroid · NES · 1986 · Password

JUSTIN BAILEY ------ ------

Effect: Starts the game with Samus in her Power Suit-less form (her human appearance), most items collected, and at a late-game area.

Metroid's password system was a long string of letters and dashes, and "JUSTIN BAILEY" was discovered by players experimenting with combinations — the name appearing in the first block causes the game's internal flag parser to assign most items to the player and display Samus without her armour. Despite widespread speculation that Justin Bailey was a real person connected to the development team, Nintendo has never confirmed any individual by that name. The password became famous both for revealing that Samus was a woman — a surprise to most players in 1986 — and as an early example of a community-discovered password cheat.

Key Facts:
  • One of the earliest major player-discovered passwords not published by the developer
  • Revealed Samus Aran's identity as a woman to players unfamiliar with the Japanese box art
  • The name "Justin Bailey" has no confirmed connection to any Nintendo employee