Twenty years after its release, someone has completed the mini-game in the ending credits for Super Smash Bros. Melee. We're as surprised as you are.
For whatever reason, the developers of the classic brawler embedded an interactive shooter game in the credits that's super hard, and even if you do win there's no reward whatsoever (except the pure satisfaction). Unsurprisingly nobody has recorded themselves beating the game — until recently, after fan Nathaniel Bandy offered up a $3,000 bounty to anyone who could complete it.
20 years later —
Melee superfan Martin Zarate heeded the call. According to Polygon, he spent 50 hours over one week practicing before completing the feat, which requires successfully shooting 190 names and logos as they quickly fly past the screen. You can see in the video below that Zarate's hands are moving incredibly fast on the Game Cube gamepad — at some points, the names fly by so quickly it's hard to tell if Zarate even missed any. Until the end, of course, when the counter says "190 hit."
You have to wonder what the thought process was to create a virtually unwinnable minigame in the credits that, even if you do beat it, doesn't even earn you so much as an achievement notification. It just says "190 hit" and... ends.
For Zarate, however, there was a big reward. He's studying to become a national park ranger and says he'll put the $3,000 he won towards his tuition fees. Congrats, bud. And good luck to any animal he ever needs to dart... or poacher for that matter. He's one sharpshooter.
