Secret code
- "I see, I see. A flying saucer has arrived for you. Here you go. Thank you much."
- — Tom Nook, distributing an item
Secret codes, also known as passwords or simply codes, are passwords used in Doubutsu no Mori+, Animal Crossing and Doubutsu no Mori e+ to give and receive in-game items. The way codes work in each game varies.
Formatting and input[edit]
In Doubutsu no Mori+[edit]
In Doubutsu no Mori+, codes consist of 22 hiragana characters in two rows of 11. They must be written in letters formatted in three lines, with the first line being あいことば (aikotoba, meaning "secret password"), followed by two lines of the code. The letters can be sent to any villager, and will always result in a letter from the character on the card. The received letter itself is determined by the character, usually containing a certain variable string that is determined by the code itself. These letters arrive after two days of gameplay, and only three can be in transit at a time or they will be overwritten.
In Animal Crossing[edit]
In Animal Crossing, codes consist of 28 characters displayed as two rows of 14 characters each. I Valid code characters include all uppercase and lowercase letters of the English alphabet, the numbers 0, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, the ampersand (&), the at sign (@), the pound (#), and the percent sign (%). The number 0 and capital O are interchangeable, as are the number 1 and capital I; however, 1 is never generated in a secret code. When generated by Tom Nook, a capital I can be distinguished from a lowercase l by the serif drawn at both the top and bottom of its stem. Codes are always preceded by special key symbol (
), which must be the first line in a letter but is automatically provided when speaking to Tom Nook.
Passwords can either be input by sending them in a letter to a villager, or being told directly to Tom Nook. This may depend on the type of code, see #Types of codes below. The player will receive their item in a letter from a different character depending on the type of password two days later. While these are unlimited, Tom Nook will only distribute three items via password per game load. To redeem more items, the player must save and quit and then reload the game.
In Doubutsu no Mori e+[edit]
In Doubutsu no Mori e+, codes consist of 32 hiragana characters again displayed as two rows of 16, and are preceded by あいことば like in Doubutsu no Mori+. Like in Animal Crossing, they can still be redeemed via mail or Tom Nook depending on the code type. Mailing a valid 22-character code from Doubutsu no Mori+ will instead result in one of three items exclusively obtained this way, the shop sign, decorative plate, or Tom Nook's autograph card.
Types of codes[edit]
There are several types of secret codes the games can read. Doubutsu no Mori+, Animal Crossing and Doubutsu no Mori e+ each makes use of a variety of code types, each of which serves a different purpose and has a different origin. All code types follow the same description as outlined in the introduction and thus appear very similar to the untrained eye. They are listed below using the games' internal names and colloquial names.
Famicom codes[edit]
Famicom
- For Doubutsu no Mori+, Famicom codes that were available to generate on Nintendo's website could be created for Clu Clu Land, DK Jr MATH, Pinball, Golf (distributed in limited-time intervals throughout 2002) and Mahjong (discontinued sometime between 2015 and 2020). Famicom codes in Doubutsu no Mori+ technically allow for any Famicom game, including the "Forbidden Four" (Mario Bros, Ice Climber, Super Mario Bros and Legend of Zelda)– the only way to obtain The Legend of Zelda without external modification in any game.
- For Animal Crossing, NES games for which codes could be generated on the website included Soccer, Donkey Kong Jr, Donkey Kong 3, Punchout, and Clu Clu Land D. were exclusively released on the official Animal Crossing website using NES codes and can only be obtained through this manner; universal codes cannot be generated for these titles. As the game's official site is no longer online, these five games are now solely available via third-party code generators capable of creating this specialized code type. Additionally, the "Forbidden Four" are no longer valid items for which a code can be created.
- In Doubutsu no Mori e+, the only NES games not normally obtainable in-game (excluding the "Forbidden Four", which were removed) are Donkey Kong 3 and Punchout. The former had codes distributed for members of Panasonic hi-ho's "Doubutsu no Mori Photo Club" (どうぶつの森 写真くらぶ),[1] while the latter does not seem to have been distributed.
NPC codes[edit]
NPCPopular
Card E codes[edit]
Card E
- In Doubutsu no Mori+, Card E codes have a chance of no present at all (though a letter response is guaranteed), except if they are for a special character, in which case it is guaranteed. Most codes on the back of e-Reader cards only will give a random Famicom game[nb 1] with a 12.5% (1/8) chance, while the two GBA codes are always a particular item, usually from the villager's house, with one code having a 50% chance and one having a 25% chance. They must be sent by mail.
- In Animal Crossing, Card E codes are guaranteed a present, a particular item different from the one received when scanning the card at the eTM. If the letter is sent to the character on the card, there is either a 20%, 40%, 60%, or 80% chance of a common NES game[nb 2] and an inverted chance of the particular item. If the letter is sent to any other villager, the particular item is guaranteed. They can only be sent by mail.
- In Doubutsu no Mori e+, due to prioritization and accessibility of scanning e-Reader cards for gifts, using a code from Doubutsu no Mori+ in a letter will only give one of three items obtainable only in this way: the Shop Sign, the Decorative Plate, or Tanukichi's Autograph.
Magazine codes[edit]
Magazine
User codes[edit]
User
Prior to the discovery of "universal" codes which work for any player regardless of name/town combination, fans created a group named Project Hyrule, whose sole goal was to amass a list of player-to-player codes for every item in the game. To take advantage of such a list, each member used the credentials Link in Hyrule when creating their town. After the advent and proliferation of code generators the group eventually became redundant, however their dedicated cryptologists did manage to generate many universal codes, which when redeemed at Nook's provide the player with a gift from "Project Hyrule."[citation needed]
Card E Mini codes[edit]
Card E Mini
New NPC codes[edit]
New NPC
Object codes[edit]
Monument
List of official codes[edit]
Some contest codes were used by Nintendo to distribute items. The 12 Mario Theme items and the Nintendo bench can only be obtained through these official codes. Codes for the Mario Theme were published in various issues of Nintendo Power magazine and on the game's official website.[2] The Mario trophy and Luigi trophy, which can be obtained from raffles and Crazy Redd's, respectively, also had codes published in Nintendo Power. The Nintendo bench code was published in issue 100 of Tips & Tricks magazine.
| Item | Code | |
|---|---|---|
|
Starman | 4 U F 6 T 9 4 8 G Z 3 Z W 3 d w # % j t L E q j 5 Z B f |
|
Cannon | 4 U T 6 T 6 L 8 9 Z n O W 3 d w & % j t L 3 q j L Z B f |
|
Flagpole | 4 U T 6 T 6 L 8 9 Z n O W 3 d w U % j t L 3 q j L Z B f |
|
Green pipe | 1 m W Y g 6 I f B @ & q 7 z 8 X z S N w p f i j 7 6 t s |
|
Super mushroom | # S b a U I R m w # g w k Y B h 6 6 q e L M s c T Y % 2 |
|
Coin | r S b a U I R m w U g w k A 1 K 6 t q # L M s c T Y % 2 |
|
Koopa shell | r S b a U I A m w U g w k Y 1 K 6 t q # L G s c T Y % 2 |
|
Fire flower | 4 U T 6 T 9 4 8 G Z n O W 3 d w # % j t L E q j 5 Z B f |
|
Brick block | 1 m W Y g 6 I f B @ & q 7 5 8 X z S N K p f W j 7 6 t s |
|
? block | # S b a U I R m w # g w k Y B K 6 6 q # L G s c T Y % 2 |
|
Mushroom mural | Q I 6 D L E n h m 2 3 C q H z r U H k 3 c X d # H O r 9 |
|
Block flooring | I b o O B C e H z 3 Y b I C B 5 i g P v Q Y s f M Z M d |
|
Mario trophy | 1 m W Y g 6 I f B @ & q 7 5 8 X z S K d 6 T u j 7 L t s |
|
Luigi trophy | E O k t v X I J 7 W d z R j u i T 2 8 v p q c W b J 1 g |
|
Nintendo bench | c U 3 j l m @ h d l 6 A i p z J F A E a j A c b Z X i m |
Code messages[edit]
Different code types will result in different messages from Nook. These messages can be used to determine a code's type as well as to diagnose potential issues when a code is not working.
Wrong password: This message is received after entering an incorrect password.
- "Now that's odd... I think there's something the matter with your password. Do you want to tell it to me again?"
Someone else's password: This message is received after entering a player-to-player, NPC, or NES code which was not sent to the player's specific character and/or town name.
- "Oh?! What's this? You can't use that password, [player name]! Don't try to trick me by using someone else's password! Do you have a password of your own that you'd like to try?"
Send to animal: This message is received after telling Nook a villager code. This code type can only be redeemed by sending a letter to a villager in town. When mailing a villager code, make sure the key symbol appears by itself on the first line, the first line of code is placed on the second line, and second line of code sits on the third line of the letter. The villager will respond in a few days. If there is not a present attached to the letter then the code was typed incorrectly or is invalid.
- "Eh? I'm sorry, but that password isn't valid here. Try sending it to one of the animals living in [player's town]."
NES game: This message is received when entering a Famicom/NES code. These codes had a few ways to be generated officially depending on the game and region.
- "Ah, yes. You entered your name in a contest to win an NES game, eh? I see, I see. Well, here is your [item]. Thank you much."
Character popularity contest: This message is received after entering a character popularity contest code. These codes were only used in Doubutsu no Mori+.
- "I see, I see. You're looking for your prize for participating in the contest, aren't you? Don't worry! I won't make you tell me who you voted for! Thanks for participating. Here is your [item]. Thank you much!"
Contest winner: This message is received after 'winning' a contest code. Note that if the player attempts to reenter the code they may eventually 'win' the item.
- "I see, I see. [A/An/This/Some] [item] has arrived for you from [contest name]. Please take your present. Thank you much."
Contest loser: This message is received after 'losing' a contest code. Note that if the player attempts to reenter the code they may eventually 'win' the item.
- "I see, I see... ...Now, this IS regrettable! Based on the notification I've received directly from [name]... it seems you are NOT a winner. But thank you much for trying!"
e-Card minigame winner: This message was intended to be used by e-Card minigames when a player won. It is unused, as minigame passwords can only be mailed to villagers.
- "I see, I see. This [item] is the prize for winning [minigame name]. Congratulations! Thank you much."
Gallery[edit]
A secret code received from a special page on the Animal Crossing website
See also[edit]
Notes[edit]
- ↑ Possible games are Golf, Punchout, Baseball, Clu Clu Land D, Donkey Kong 3 or Donkey Kong Jr
- ↑ Possible NES games include Balloon Fight, Clu Clu Land, DK Jr MATH, Donkey Kong, Excitebike, Golf, Pinball, and Tennis.
- ↑ For example, a code for Sylvana (モンペ) would be created to send to モンペ in にんてんどう village.
References[edit]
- ↑ Manabu Tsuchimoto (October 24, 2003). "松下が『どうぶつの森』公開サイトを開設". Retrieved July 15, 2022. (Japanese)
- ↑ "Animal Crossing: Special Delivery". animal-crossing.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2003. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
