Nintendo is even more prolific than most video game publishers in its efforts to crack down on piracy, and it was implementing anti-piracy measures in its games even decades ago. That includes a series of triggers in Super Smash Bros. for N64 that slowly make the game more and more annoying to play, with a not-very-nice trap that'll stick you in the Mario dimension forever.
"Super Smash Bros. contains a sneaky 'delayed action' anti-piracy measure to lull the illegitimate user into a false sense of security," according to fastidious Mario trivia aggregator Supper Mario Broth on Bluesky. "The game will be normal the first 68 times it is launched. Starting with the 69th time, however, every selected character will turn into Mario." The only way out of the Mario dimension is to completely delete your save file.
