I Beat A Game From 1994 Without Save States

Three weeks ago I put a cartridge in, turned off every modern comfort I had and promised myself I would finish the thing the way it shipped: no rewind, no save states, no second screen with a guide open on it.

Forty-one attempts later, I did. Here is what I learned along the way, and why I think the old games knew something about difficulty that we quietly forgot.

THE FIRST WEEK IS ALL MUSCLE MEMORY

Nothing about the first stage is hard once you have seen it eleven times. The enemies come in the same order, at the same speed, from the same doors. That repetition is not padding — it is the tutorial. The game is teaching you a rhythm and then, later, deliberately breaking it.

Old games do not explain themselves. They repeat themselves until you understand, which is a slower and much kinder thing.

THE PART EVERYONE QUITS AT

Stage four has a jump that looks impossible until you notice the platform is actually two tiles wider than it draws. Once you know, it is easy forever. I lost nine lives to it, then never lost another.

• Learn the pattern before you try to be fast
• Every "unfair" moment has a tell — usually a sound
• Play tired and you will lose to stage one, every time

WOULD I DO IT AGAIN

Yes, and I already am. Next up is something from 1998 with a password system instead of a save file, which means a notebook by the couch and my handwriting getting worse by the week. Type continue and see you next Friday.