What Is Super Alexa Mode and How Do You Activate It?

Super Alexa Mode is an Easter egg for Amazon's Alexa voice assistant. Learn how to activate Super Alexa Mode and the history behind the command. Instructions in this article apply to all Amazon devices that support the Alexa voice assistant, including Amazon Fire tablets and the Amazon Echo.

What Is Super Alexa Mode?

Super Alexa Mode is one of many jokes programmed into Alexa by Amazon's developers. It's based on the Konami code, a famous cheat code created by video game developer and publisher Konami. The code appears in dozens of titles including the Contra and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series of games.

Everyone loves asking voice assistants funny questions to see how they respond, so it was inevitable gamers would try the Konami code on Alexa. Amazon anticipated such queries, so they came up with witty responses to make users laugh.

What Is the Super Alexa Mode Code?

To activate Super Alexa Mode, say, "Alexa, up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start."

Alexa will reply with, "Super Alexa mode, activated. Starting reactors, online. Enabling advanced systems, online. Raising dongers. Error. Dongers missing. Aborting."

The command refers to the buttons you must press on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) controller to activate the code in certain video games. Alexa's response doesn't reference any particular game or meme; it's just a trick to make gamers think they've discovered something special. Unfortunately, Super Alexa Mode doesn't endow Alexa with any new capabilities.

What Does Super Alexa Mode Do?

Super Alexa Mode doesn't serve any purpose beyond giving gamers a laugh. It doesn't change anything about your device, so there's no need to "deactivate" Super Alexa Mode.

History of the Konami Code

The invention of the Konami code is credited to Kazuhisa Hashimoto, head developer of Gradius for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1986. During the testing phase, Hashimoto created a code for his team to use that allowed players to start the game will full upgrades. The code made it easier to test all aspects of the game without worrying about enemies and obstacles.

Hashimoto claims he accidentally forgot to remove the code, and never intended for players to use it. After the code was discovered by the masses, Konami received a lot of positive feedback from players. In a time before difficulty settings, the Konami code gave gamers the choice to play Gradius at a more casual pace. Thus, Gradius was more accessible to less experienced gamers, which expanded Konami's potential audience.

Consequently, the code became a staple of Konami games on the NES, most notably in the Contra series. The original arcade version of Contra was notorious for its steep difficulty curve, so players were eager to try the Konami code on it when it was released on the NES in 1988. Those who entered the code were rewarded with 30 extra lives at the start of the game.

More Alexa Video Game Easter Eggs

Super Alexa Mode isn't the only Easter egg for gamers. Try the following commands:

• "Alexa, all your base are belong to us."
• "Alexa, do a barrel roll."
• "Alexa, do you know Glados?"