Misfortune is an obscure game for the original Game Boy. Since no known hard copies or ROMs exist, all known information on the game is derived from personal accounts and a scant assemblage of screenshots. The game does not contain any credits; whoever created it has yet to be discovered to this day. The few people who have experienced it consider it to be one of the scariest video games ever made.
Given its age and cult following among rare horror game enthusiasts, it's entirely possible that authors of widely known creepypastas such as Sonic.exe and Lavender Town Syndrome drew inspiration from Misfortune.
Beginning
First meeting with the demonic entity in-game.
The player controls what appears to be a young boy in a strange Gothic building. After briefly exploring their environment, they are confronted by a malevolent being. Despite the character never identifying itself, some people, citing notable similarities, claim that it may be a representation of Baphomet, Beelzebub, or even the Devil.
Upon meeting the mysterious creature, a dialog box will appear with the text: "I exist within the very fabric of reality. Do you want to challenge me?" This is followed by a yes or no choice. Should the player choose yes, the being replies, "Then let's begin."
Gameplay
The cabin puzzle.
The player is then transported to a series of maze-like rooms, each filled with pit drops, locked doors, keys, and traps. The objective is to progress through each room by either reaching the stairs to the next level or solving a puzzle. This can include answering riddles or choosing correct doors or pathways. The most well-known example consists of a level where four small cabins are shown on screen: a dialog box will appear that reads, "Choose wrong and misfortune will befall your loved ones. Are you ready to play?"
Should the player make a mistake at any point throughout the game, the screen will cut to black before showing a more detailed image of the demon, along with a dialog box reading, "I am God here." in what appears to be blood-styled writing.
Alleged Side Effects
Game Over screen, considered to be the cause of "misfortune" for the players.
Rumours pertaining to the game's alleged harmful effects began to surface on the internet around the late 1990s. Players claimed to have begun experiencing ongoing depression and dread shortly after losing and seeing the "Game Over" screen. Once-prominent members of online forums who shared such claims are thought to have died or disappeared when they suddenly became inactive without warning.
Heated discussions soon dominated these forums for some time, but the mystery never seemed to get any closer to being solved. Some wrote the whole thing off as a tasteless practical joke. Others believed that viewing the image of the evil character after losing the game can really cause the player to experience misfortune as the game's antagonist promised. Soon, people began to speculate that the eerie soundtrack of the game was the cause.
Soundtrack
Misfortune.gb - Haunted Game Music (Part 1)
Music from the game.
The music in Misfortune consisted of deep, buzzy tones and off-key melodies. The game had a remarkably unsettling soundtrack overall, despite its composition being limited to the 8-bit Game Boy sound bank. The "Game Over" screen especially had erratic, almost nauseating music, accompanied by a very high frequency. Rumor has it that this track could somehow influence moods and thought patterns.
Of all the tracks in the game, only the theme that plays in the first meeting with the demonic entity can be found on the internet today.
Availability
One of the deadly puzzle rooms.
Searching for playable ROMs or cartridges of the game online is futile because none exist. In fact, most of those who have played it hadn't sought it out, but rather stumbled upon it by accident.
According to first-hand accounts, certain copies of various Game Boy titles contain Misfortune in its entirety. The means for accessing it through these games vary, but typically involve exploiting glitches or using cheating devices. Although some have detailed their steps for getting the game to run, attempts by others using the same methods have always failed.
Puzzle in which the demonic entity chases the player character.
Another common observation was that many of the sprites in Misfortune had been copied from its "host" games. Misfortune is actually known to be integrated in the following titles:
- Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
- Pokémon: Red
- Spud's Adventure
- Puchi Carat
- Atelier Marie (JP)
Closing Thoughts
For this section, I'm going to be speaking to you a lot less impartially and a lot more personally. It's important that you read it.
Now, is the game really cursed? Does a specter really hide within and snare the innocent in its deadly game?
Who knows?
What I do know is that the game definitely exists. I also know what it can do.
I've never played it myself, you see, but I knew someone who did. A good friend of mine, actually. We were closer than brothers, and we told each other everything. He was the most enthusiastic, outgoing guy I ever met, and, like me, he was really into videogames. Sure enough, one day he told me that he'd found a spooky new side game hidden in Pokémon. He showed it to me, and even back then, it gave me an odd feeling. Though, to be fair, I was always easily scared.
Soon after, he started talking less and less. Later, he'd either ignore my calls or tell me he was sick or busy when I invited him out. He became something of a recluse. I did still sometimes get to see him at high school, but he rarely spoke and snapped at me when I pried too much over why he was acting in such a way.
About a month later, before he got off the train after school, he said goodbye for the first time in weeks. I'll never forget the look he gave me that day. He was the macho, nothing-gets-to-me type of guy, and he always masked his emotions really well. But in that moment, he had a face filled with grief, like he was about to cry. He made me promise him one thing before he left: that I never play "that game".
That was the last time we spoke. The next morning, they found his scratched and bloodied corpse hanging from his disassembled weight machine. The police concluded that he had managed to lift 220lbs of weights over his head with the cord still attached, looped it around his neck, and released it over the other side of the machine, causing his strangulation as the weight on the other side yanked him upwards. The most horrible detail was that he was found with his hands clutching the inside of the makeshift noose, as if he were trying to tug it loose.
That was it; the case was closed. Personally, I don't believe that's what really happened.
If you are a collector, or have just heard the legend and want to experience the game for yourself, you should reconsider. Even if you deny the existence of demons and curses, the misfortune that will befall you is very real. You have been warned.
Original author unknown
Originally uploaded on December 3rd, 2012