Top 10 Video Game Examples of the Mandela Effect

“Overwatch” (2016)

Have you ever heard a supposed backstory so cool that your memory convinced yourself that it must be true? Such may be the case for “Overwatch” fans, who’ve been intrigued by a dialogue exchange between phantomic soldier “Reaper” and guardian angel “Mercy.” Players recall hearing Mercy insist, “this isn’t what I intended for you,” and then Reaper’s chilling reply, “you knew exactly what you were doing.” The cryptic words imply that Mercy might play a dangerously nefarious role in Reaper’s past. It’s an intriguing concept…except that lead writer Michael Chu confirmed that these lines never existed in any version of the game. Then…why do we remember them…? Are our heads just spinning from too much biotic rifle fire?

“Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest” (1995)

There’s an awful lot of “kongs” in this entry’s title, so you’d be forgiven for jumbling them up. That seems to be happening to fans of the Super Nintendo’s “Donkey Kong Country” series. The platformers allow players to walk on the knuckles of Donkey Kong, and his nephew, Diddy Kong. The latter got his own sequel in 1995, equivocally named “Diddy’s Kong Quest.” Players were possibly kongfused by the title, as many still refer to it as “Diddy Kong’s Quest.” Fortunately, gamers remember this highly praised platformer fondly, even if they can’t quite agree on what they remember calling it.

“Mario Kart 64” (1997)

We all remember the big three: learning to ride a bike, learning to skate, and finally crossing the “Rainbow Road” finish line! Even multi-fingered aliens don’t have enough digits to count how many times we all fell from that kaleidoscopic path, specially on that dastardly N64 version. Except…you never fell off the N64 “Rainbow Road,” because that “Rainbow Road” has always had guard rails. Despite many remembering otherwise, rows of protective yellow stars have always outlined the barrier of the “Mario Kart 64” final course. Through all its expansion packs and re-releases, the 64 track remains the only iteration with rails from start-to-finish.

“Halo 2” (2004)

The “Halo” franchise is such a behemoth, it might be easy to forget that it all began with “Combat Evolved” and “Halo 2.” The groundbreaking shooter’s sequel commences with two tutorial missions, called “The Heretic” and “The Armory,” which allow newbies to familiarize themselves with the controls. Many online commenters mention that they’ve experienced these early missions with friends, siblings, internet ne’er-do-wells and the like. They remember playing split-screen, experiencing glitches and interacting with NPCs together. In reality, neither “Heretic” nor “Armory” ever supported any version of co-op play. “The Heretic” campaign actually consists entirely of cutscenes, and “The Armory” is a rare “Halo” level that is devoid of enemies. Despite finding some easter eggs here, we’ve yet to unlock any mysterious multiplayer mode.

“Mortal Kombat II” (1993)

Cue the infectious theme music, and you’ll be zapped back to the arcade, SNES, or wherever you remember first experiencing “Mortal Kombat.” The addictive fighting game gave many the opportunity to be any one of an unforgettable cast of characters. However, one of these mega warriors only exists as a figment of our longing imaginations: Red Robin. Gamers might share memories about a version of Reptile who looked fresh from a crimson bath, clad in red. In truth, Red Robin was never anything more than a rumored edition to the franchise and was never truly unlockable. Fan-made videos tease his reality, but this juicy burger of a ninja has never been anything more than a myth.

“Pokémon Red and Blue” (1998)

Twenty-six years after the debut of “Red” and “Blue,” the “Pokémon”franchise is still pushing us to make good on our promise to “catch ‘em all.” After nine generations and a jump to mobile gaming, the original one fifty-one have received new evolutions, shiny forms, and additional classifications. Wasn’t it easier when they were all just one type? Well, perhaps not. Trainers old and new seem convinced that dual type categorization for Pokémon was invented for later generations. But insert any 90s cartridge into your old Game Boy, and you can still catch a “flying-slash-fire” Charizard. Dual type Pokémon have always been there. Mind blown? Here’s another one: Psyduck was never actually a psychic type Pokémon.

Our bizarre fascination with the macabre seems as collective a phenomenon as the Mandela Effect itself, so it’s only natural that the two concepts would overlap. When they do, we get urban legends like “Killswitch,” a survival point-and-click horror game involving a creepy coal mine. Those who dared played as either a young girl or a demon in an adventure that definitively erased itself upon completion, leaving behind no trace of its existence in the electronic system. All concrete evidence suggests this is just a popular creepypasta. Nevertheless, online users continue to trade virtual campfire stories about cryptograms and eerie gameplay with such detail that it feels like more than just a false memory. Erased from existence? Or banished to a parallel dimension? You decide.

“Sonic the Hedgehog” Series (1991-)

Sonic’s nefarious mustached outlaw is a fiend by many other names, and there are reasons you may remember them differently. Prior to 1996, a discrepancy between Sega of America and Japan led to the mad scientist having two last names: “Eggman” in the eastern hemisphere and “Robotnik” in the west. Compromise eventually dubbed him “Dr. Ivo ‘Eggman’ Robotnik,” with the portly deviant called universally by what is technically his nickname. Mandela victims, however, remember his first name incorrectly as “Ivan,” and not “Ivo.” The two names are close…perhaps the confusion comes from his ancestor Ivan Kintobar of Sonic comic book lore…or is there some family conspiracy afoot? Whatever his forename, we can’t think of a better patronym than “Robotnik” to outline this guy’s profession.

“The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim” (2011)

Even if you know nothing about the “Elder Scrolls” series, you’ve probably heard the line “arrow to the knee”. The phrase originates from characters within the “Skyrim” title lamenting the end of their adventuring days due to the injury. The saying has spawned parodies, memes, and cross-franchise easter eggs. As it turns out, people have been getting an important(ish) preposition wrong, as the correct wording goes “in the knee,” not “to.” Adventure to your insanity’s content, but every NPC you’ll find says they took their career-ending blow “in” the appendage, and not “to.”

“Pokémon” Series (1996-)

Relax Mojoholics, this isn’t a shared false memory of a nonexistent video. We have covered this before on other Mandela Effect lists (check them out too!). In the video game world of wrong recollections, Pikachu is king. If you close your eyes and think of the adorable mouse-like mascot of the “Pokémon” sensation, does he have black on his tail? Many poké collectors remember him this way, and images have since been created of him sporting this look. In official Pokémon canon, however, Pikachu’s tail has always been completely yellow. No amount of proof seems to be convincing the world otherwise, though.