Games That Have Weird Power-Ups

Highlights

• Developers in certain games create unusual power-ups that are far more memorable than typical boosts.
• Games like Grand Theft Auto incorporate lewd power-ups like prostitutes, which heal the player character.
• The Mario franchise features a variety of off-kilter power-ups, such as mushrooms and shells, that have incredible effects on the protagonist.

Power-ups are a natural part of gaming. They can restore health, boost stats, or cure ailments. To align with real life, these items are usually portrayed as various foods or drinks. On the other hand, certain developers mix things up, and the results are something to behold.

Some games come up with truly unusual power-ups. They may stem from the rules of the characters or the world, but not always. They could just as easily come from whatever random concept pops into developers’ heads. The ensuing items cause players to do a double-take. On the upside, they’re far more memorable than typical boosts.

1 Can Of Gloves

Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc

The realm of Rayman is looney enough. The limbless hero literally throws punches with his detached hands. However, these are actually the source of his power.

Rayman 3 makes that clear with its “combat fatigues.” As players explore the various realms, they find a bunch of floating cans. The sinister Hoodlums made these power-ups, but Rayman has no problem using them. Opening each can reveal a new set of gloves, temporarily granting new abilities. His punches might cause miniature tornadoes, shoot chains to swing from hooks or amplify his helicopter hair to fly instead of glide. In short, donning a new pair of gloves alters Rayman’s entire body chemistry. Granted, it’s not the first time he powers up through his hands, but the fact that these boosts come in cans is a new one.

2 Turtle Shells

Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure

Considering the superhuman feats and godlike transformations in Dragon Ball, it’s only natural for Advanced Adventure to include them. Scattered throughout the world are turtle shells. Collecting them grants Goku invincibility for a short time. Everyone knows turtles’ shells offer protection from predators, but these have an extra perk: dealing damage to any enemies the wearer touches. It’s easy to see what the developers are going for, but it still doesn’t make sense.

Training under Master Roshi–the Turtle Hermit–Goku must wear a weighted turtle shell while performing menial tasks. This regimen increases his strength and stamina. That said, wearing it obviously hinders him in the moment. It also doesn’t hurt attackers. As such, this collectible should make him more vulnerable, but it’s still a cute callback for fans and an amusing boost for newcomers.

3 Prostitutes

Grand Theft Auto

A foul franchise, Grand Theft Auto is not afraid of offending every group of people under the sun, hence its crude way to strengthen players. That method comes in the form of prostitutes. GTA scatters these sex workers around its urban sandboxes. The games mirror real cities in that respect. The difference lies in the effect.

Engaging these women’s services heals the player’s character. A typical session restores one’s health to 100 percent. The experience can even go beyond that point, providing a useful buffer for future encounters.

4 Otter Hood

Death Stranding

Nonsensical elements are nothing new in Hideo Kojima’s games. Fans often assert some deeper meaning, but they’d be hard-pressed to convince anyone with Death Stranding. In this glorified walking simulator, players receive an otter hood from Conan O’Brien of all people. Including the late-night comedian in this self-serious title is random in itself, but the item’s function is just as weird.

The hood lets the protagonist navigate bodies of water like an otter. His graceful backstroke carries him along any current. His animations even become otter-esque. Trying to swim normally ends in bumbling or stumbling over the smallest puddle, so this is infinitely easier. How a hood grants this skill is anyone’s guess. The same could go for everything in Death Stranding.

5 Poundmates

Yakuza: Like A Dragon

One of the weirdest game series to ever emerge, Yakuza/Like a Dragon has no shortage of quirky characters. What if players had them on speed dial, though? The entries with Ichiban Kasuga have Poundmates. This function lets the hero phone a friend during battle. With it, he calls up characters from across the Yakuza saga. They all bestow unique abilities based on their respective skill sets. One may boost the party members’ damage while another ensures their attacks inflict debuffs. The effects are standard yet undeniably helpful.

What truly sets Poundmates apart are the visuals. Again, this series is gloriously bizarre. One minute, fans may meet a town mascot with an orange for a head. Alternatively, they could encounter a crime lord with a fetish for wearing diapers and being fed like a baby. These individuals all return as emergency contacts. What’s more, is that they have flashy presentations worthy of any JRPG. A sumo wrestler causes earthquakes; a girl asking for donations magically sucks money out of enemies. It’s worth dialing their numbers just to see them make a flashy entrance.

6 Hair Cream

Shantae

Silly as it sounds, deriving strength from shampoo makes sense in context. Fans know Shantae for her animal transformations, but the half-genie hero also uses her hair as a weapon. In a move straight out of Castlevania, her long locks lash out and whip her enemies. She’d naturally want to take care of her hair, especially if it’s this deadly.

Luckily, Shantae has specialized hair products: Silky Creme and magical shampoo. These items boost her whip rate and the damage inflicted with each strike. She simply needs to buy them from a shop. If they’re that easily accessible, one wonders if they work on anyone else. If so, Shantae could have an army of would-be genies with mystical scalps.

7 Every Power-Up

The Mario Franchise

How strange that one of the most iconic game series has such off-kilter power-ups. Then again, the Mario franchise is about an Italian plumber saving the Mushroom Kingdom from a fire-breathing turtle. With that in mind, it tracks that mushrooms aid him in his quests. Eating the fungal pickups lets the hero grow or shrink, depending on the color. The perks don’t stop at mushrooms, though.

All sorts of seemingly harmless items have incredible effects on the mustachioed protagonist. Shells offer protection and enhanced swimming prowess; fire flowers let him shoot fireballs; bells give him a cat costume with a host of feline moves. These powers have only gotten crazier as the series has progressed. This magical realm has little rhyme or reason, and the same goes for its items. Visitors must be careful where they step. Colliding with the most harmless object can alter their entire state of being, and Mario has likely experienced it all.

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