[STEAM] It’s time for game developers to bring back the cheat code

[Steam 0]

For gamers of a certain age, gibberish character sequences like

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,

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,

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, and

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are akin to long-lost magical incantations. They evoke an era where game developers frequently and routinely let players use cheat codes to customize their gameplay experience with everything from infinite health and instant level selection to

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or

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. There were even

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that let players hack console games with cheat codes the developers never intended.

While the cheat code's heyday is long in the past, the idea of letting players manipulate their gameplay experiences in similar ways is coming back into fashion for some developers. Last month, Square Enix

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that upcoming Switch 2 and Xbox ports of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade would include new "streamlined progression" features. As the name implies, the

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will give players the opportunity to blaze through the game with infinite health, magic, and money, quicker leveling, maximum damage attacks, and more.

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"Constant Max HP" is a funny way to spell and pronounce "god mode." Credit:

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While some responded negatively to what they derisively called a "cheat mode," director Naoki Hamaguchi defended the new options

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. "Personally, I like to try many different games just to keep myself up to date, but I don’t really have the time, so I only get so far," he said. "I personally believe that, with digital entertainment today, the player should have the choice in how they interact with content. That’s why I pushed for it."

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