Haunted
rating: 0+x
haunted01.jpg

Screenshot from SCP-XXXX (Stage One: "Home").

Item #: SCP-XXXX

Object Class: Safe

Special Containment Procedures: All NES1 consoles used for testing purposes are to receive daily internal examinations. Any console found to contain anomalous components is to be incinerated and replaced with a non-anomalous model.

Acts of self-mutilation and autosarcophagy2 are to be actively discouraged among test subjects. They are to receive weekly psychological and physiological screenings; access to SCP-XXXX is not to exceed thirty minutes per day. Test subjects are to be kept isolated from one another. Access to live animals is strictly prohibited.

Instances of SCP-XXXX are to be clearly labeled and stored in a secured locker on-site. Access to this locker is restricted to Level-4 personnel.

Description: SCP-XXXX is Haunted, an unlicensed platform adventure game produced for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Published independently in 1988 by June Richardson, the game was notable for its limited release (three hundred copies) and unique method for bypassing the North American version of the 10NES lock-out system.

Each cartridge includes two transistors that function as a voltage inverter. When activated, this component produces a negative-charged voltage spike that can temporarily disable early versions of the console's CIC (Checking Integrated Circuit), bypassing the authentication lock and allowing unlicensed cartridges to run. Later iterations of the NES would add a series of 1k resistors along with diodes and grounds to prevent this technique from circumventing the lock-out unit. As a consequence, Haunted can only run on original or modified NES consoles.

Unlike most platformers, Haunted has no extra lives; upon dying, players lose all progress and must start from the first stage. At the end of each stage, players are prompted to open their game manuals to a specific page and follow the provided instructions to proceed. A copy of this game manual has yet to be recovered.

Approximately 30% of subjects who play SCP-XXXX experience an intense fixation on completing the game. Afflicted subjects will cooperate with others to develop strategies to overcome SCP-XXXX's stages. These strategies become increasingly abnormal over time, eventually including numerous anomalous activities.

Addendum XXXX.1 - Synopsis of Gameplay

haunted02.jpg

One of SCP-XXXX's endless pits (Stage Three: "Descent").

In Haunted, the player controls the main character as they descend into the basement of an abandoned structure. The goal is to retrieve the 'Heart of Glory' from the bottom floor, then return with it to the surface. Players must use items they discover to navigate challenges and fend off monsters on each level while managing both their character's health and hunger values.

Addendum XXXX.2 - Online Discussions

Addendum XXXX.3 - Investigation into June Richardson