Nintendo Switch version of Startropics impossible to complete without secret code
Manual, not automatic.
NES classic Startropics famously included a secret code hidden within its paper manual - one you need to enter to complete the game.
Unfortunately, as Reddit users have realised, the recently-released Nintendo Switch version of Startropics does not include it.
It feels like an oversight on Nintendo's part, after the Wii U Virtual Console port of the game included the code in its digital manual.
The code - if you're wondering, or searching - is 747.
Back in the day, Startropics' NES version had a paper letter from your in-game uncle included in every box. At a certain point in the game you needed to physically dip the letter in water to reveal the code, written in invisible ink.
When it came to re-releasing Startropics on Wii U, Nintendo included a section in its digital manual which explained all of this and included a scan of the letter, which had already been dipped:
The problem with the game's Nintendo Switch edition is it is available only via the Nintendo Switch Online app, which does not include a digital manual.
We've asked Nintendo if it will update the game somehow to solve the problem.