This article is sponsored by Berocca.
Power-ups are some of gaming’s most satisfying and creative mechanics. While by definition they used to be very simple, like a mushroom in Mario or the cherry in Pac-Man, now power-ups can be anything from stat buffs, entirely new movesets, timed invulnerability or even perks that can offer passive effects that shape how you play your character.
Because some of them can get really out there, we decided to take a look at some of gaming’s weirdest power-ups.
Eating The Hag’s Hair – Baldur’s Gate 3
Baldur’s Gate 3 is a treasure trove of hidden side quests, loot and items that can shape an entire hundred-hour playthrough. One such side quest is how you deal with Auntie Ethel, a hag that’s taken a young girl hostage. Should you choose to pay attention to the sea of victims who have struck deals with the hag that have ended up dead or worse, you might have been reluctant to take the Hag’s word when she offers to give you her hair if you spare her life.
If you do spare her, after eating the clump of hair she gives you, you can get a bonus point to put in any attribute you’d like, which is huge in a game like Baldur’s Gate.
Otter Hat – Death Stranding
There’s no denying that Death Stranding was a very weird game. But that’s to be expected from a Hideo Kojima project.
The game has you embarking on gruelling treks across the land carrying heavy loads of cargo on your back to reconnect humanity with one another. One such delivery you make will be to Conan O’Brien who just randomly shows up to tell some jokes and express his existential dread.
After completing his delivery, he rewards you with an otter hat, which looks like a goofy cosmetic item, but actually has a neat bonus. While wearing the hat, you unlock a new way to swim on your back, speeding up the time it takes to traverse through water. You also get to make Norman Reedus paddle, which is very cute.
Cat Suit – Mario 3D
In the late 2010s, it almost seemed like everyone was destined to have a fursona at some point, and Mario was no different.
Cat Mario debuted in Mario 3D on the 3DS, and his abilities were to run on all fours, swiping at enemies with his claws. The suit also lets him climb up and cling onto walls. Nintendo went all in on this suit, putting it front and centre in the game, and even made Bowser wear his own catsuit as the final boss of the game.
Commando – Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk 2077 is a game filled with perks that let players mine out a unique playstyle, however, some unfortunately feel like something that was great on paper but not actually planned out.
The Commando perk is one of those, which lets you not get detected while swimming in water. Sounds interesting right? Well, now you just have to think where all bodies of water are in Cyberpunk. If you suddenly realised that only the outskirts of Night City have water in them, then you’d be right. This means there are feasibly zero ways to use this ability except in niche cases you have to go out of your way to achieve throughout the entire game.
The Mallet – Smash Bros
Items in Smash Bros are one of the most contended topics for die-hard fans. From Pokeballs that can completely flip a match, to this weird boy you can throw at people as a gag, the chaos items bring to Smash make for great fun.
One of the most fun power-ups by far in the game has to be the mallet. When you pick this bad boy up, Smash is no longer a competitive fighting game, it is suddenly a horror movie as you all flee for your lives to escape the mighty bonk hammer.
And what if there’s no one near you when you get it?
To quote Kotaku editor David Smith, “That’s the neat part, you just flail around while embarrassing chiptune music plays. This goes on for as long as 30 seconds.”
Kirby Car – Kirby Forgotten Dreamland
Kirby is no stranger to taking on some out-there forms. From turning into a bow and an arrow, to a doctor who throws medication at people, to just a dude with a yo-yo, Kirby’s powers are limitless.
But none match the pure Lovecraftian horror that is the Kirby Car from Kirby Forgotten Dreamland. Stretching his skin to just barely cover the exterior of the car, Kirby takes control of the automobile, speeding through the game’s open world and crashing into enemies and boxes alike. None can stop the Stephen King-like bloodthirst of the Kirby Car.
Cup of Life Noodles – Earthbound
Food is a common power-up in video games, offering stat boosts, ability points, and resistances. However, in the case of Earthbound, these seemingly normal cups of noodles help bring your dead companions back to life like a university student during an assignment period.
Bacchus Wine – Final Fantasy
The Final Fantasy series is littered with useable items, which for a lot of us with decision anxiety, are prone to hoarding these for a rainy day that never comes.
From elixirs that restore characters to full health, to damaging items, and antidotes for debuffs, there’s an item for everything. One of the most unique items across the series is the Bacchus Wine, which inflicts the character you use it on with “Berserk”, a status effect that sends the character into a blood fury, wrestling control from you to increase their speed and attack.
While increased attack and speed are great for a burst of damage to quickly end an encounter, losing control of your character can be an incredibly situational drawback with more negatives than positives. Other iterations of this can let you keep control, but still only use physical attacks and receive extra damage from enemy attacks as well. Not being able to flee, heal, or use limit breaks or skills can make this item a frustrating one to use, making it one of the most situationally used items across the series.
Inspire – Borderlands The Pre-Sequel
In the pre-sequel, you get to play as Jack, the famous villain from Borderlands 2 and like every other Borderlands character, he comes decked out with his own ability tree, with perks you can invest in. One of these perks is “Inspire”, which causes Jack to occasionally say inspirational things to his teammates.
To call this a “power-up” is to be very loose with the definition. You see, while the game shows a text box that says “Inspired”, there are no specific benefits to this. Characters don’t receive any stat buffs, increased healing or anything.
If characters die and respawn, Jack will also insult them as well, causing them to be “Disillusioned” which again, doesn’t do anything, except take a mental toll on the player.
Fighting Majima – Yakuza 0
This form of power-up takes the classic Anime trope of “fighting your best friend to the death to get stronger”.
These fights can be impossible to plan ahead for, with Majima sometimes hiding in trash cans, cornering you in restaurants, hiding underneath traffic cones or even disguising himself as a hostess Goromi.
Each time you defeat Majima, you get Majima experience which unlocks new moves for your dragon style, which can be some of the strongest moves in the entire game.
While we probably wouldn’t call Berocca an IRL power-up, it does contain over 12 essential vitamins and minerals like Vitamin C, B Vitamins and magnesium, which have been reported to help keep you lasting throughout the day.
Berocca is available at your nearest Chemist Warehouse.
Image Credit: Super Mario Maker 2 / Death Stranding / Kirby Forgotten Dreamland
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