An SCP-4962 cartridge. Hover to enlarge.

Item: SCP-4962

Object Class: Safe

Secure Containment Procedures: All instances of SCP-4962 are to be stored in Site-39’s Safe-class storage sector. SCP-4962-A instances are to be stored in Site-39’s armoury and may be used as munitions if necessary.

SCP-4962 is not to be tested using individuals morally opposed to the harming, killing, and/or consumption of animals, or who have ornithophobia, cynophobia, haemophobia, or somniphobia. Foundation personnel are forbidden from playing SCP-4962 under any circumstances.

Testing of SCP-4962 must take place in a secure ballistics chamber with all staff required to wear basic Foundation Class-1 ear protection.

Testing of SCP-4962 is currently forbidden for ethical reasons (See: Addendum 2).

Description: SCP-4962 is an anomalous video game titled dack hunt REMIST ER [sic], produced by the TotleighSoft corporation for the Nintendo Entertainment System. SCP-4962 is a low-quality reproduction of the Nintendo game Duck Hunt,1 with the majority of non-anomalous differences consisting of programming errors, development oversights, poor reproductions of both visual and audio elements, and the absence of the ‘Game C’ gamemode.2

SCP-4962 instances are shipped with the game cartridge, an instruction manual,3 and a tripod-mounted .50 Caliber M2 Browning heavy machine gun, coloured to resemble the 1989-release NES Zapper (SCP-4962-A).

While SCP-4962 can be initialised on any Nintendo Entertainment System console (or equivalent), the program will not respond to inputs made using the ‘NES Zapper’ peripheral (or equivalent); players are required to use SCP-4962-A to do so instead. SCP-4962-A functions as a non-anomalous heavy machine gun save for the ammunition feed and magazine, which is unable to be removed by any means4 and seems to contain unlimited rounds. Rounds fired by SCP-4962-A while aimed at a television set displaying SCP-4962 will demanifest upon fully exiting the barrel; however, the accompanying force and noises typical of gunfire still occur.

The gameplay of SCP-4962 is highly erratic, as the ducks have no discernible spawning patterns5 and are often depicted to be flying backwards and/or upside-down; while these would impede a player’s ability to continue between levels (as the requirements to proceed are typically the same as in Duck Hunt),6 SCP-4962-A’s high rate of fire (approx. 500 rounds per minute) and the lack of restriction on how many shots can be fired per level7 enable players to fire randomly across the screen to hit targets.

Whenever a player fails to fulfil the requirements of a level, the screen will display an approximation of the in-game hunting dog (SCP-4962-B) holding a bloodied duck above the words ‘game over’; as several portions of the image are visibly higher-resolution than what the 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System should allow, this image is theorized to be displayed through anomalous means.

Show image of SCP-4962 ‘game over’ screen.

Hide image.

Subjects witnessing a ‘game over’ screen after engaging with the game (henceforth 'Player/s') will begin to report observing SCP-4962-B outside of SCP-4962 shortly after;8 in all cases SCP-4962-B is present in locations similar to the setting of SCP-4962, is indicated to be aware of the Player,9 and/or is depicted to be demonstrating methods of stalking, maiming, killing, preparing and cooking a variety of birds, predominantly ducks, to the Player. Several days after initial infection, SCP-4962-B will begin appearing within the Player’s dreams, initially encouraging them to complete SCP-4962 and suggesting methods by which they can improve their gameplay;10 over time SCP-4962-B will become increasingly aggressive, instead punishing the Player for failing to complete the game.

Amnestic treatments have failed to reverse SCP-4962’s primary anomaly. A cross-test has been proposed to determine whether killing SCP-4962-B with SCP-674 will reverse this property; shipping of SCP-674 from Storage Site-23 to Site-39 has yet to be approved.

Addendum 1: SCP-4962 blurb

SHOT SHOT SHOT! all human love shot dack is family tradision! and we all knows they lesser life. Now find THIS IS best game for to shoot dack EVEN batter because NOW gun attachmant is HD control!! PLUS now ADVANCE AI aminalcoch!!

Addendum 2: Incident 4962-45

On ██/██/20██, D-83642 successfully reached level 99 of SCP-4962 after ███ cumulative hours of play11 using a modified SCP-4962-A instance. Testing personnel present reported D-83642 was extremely emotional at the accomplishment, stating they were ‘finally going to beat the game.’

The gameplay of the ensuing level, indicated as ‘ROUND 0’, was prominently more erratic than the rest of the game; spawned ducks failed to follow any predictable trajectories, frequently failed to appear outright, and at several points SCP-4962 did not register inputs from SCP-4962-A.

D-83642 was highly distressed upon failing the level and used the SCP-4962-A instance to destroy the testing materials, severely damage the testing chamber, then commit suicide.

Later analysis of SCP-4962’s coding revealed that unlike the ‘Level 100 glitch’ present in Duck Hunt, SCP-4962 was intentionally designed to repeat levels, with the difficulty severely increasing every 100 levels; however, no coding corresponding to a win condition has yet been identified.

Footnotes

1. This is the first occurrence of the TotleighSoft corporation using pre-extant intellectual property; Nintendo America records show that the TotleighSoft corporation purchased the right to produce a Duck Hunt game in May of 2014, and as such has not infringed on copyright laws.

2. Wherein players practice by shooting clay pigeons.

3. Predominantly identical to the original Duck Hunt manual, written entirely in broken English and with all images hand-drawn.

4. See Documented_Removal_Attempts.txt

5. Ducks will frequently spawn above or in front of the grass portion of the screen.

6. During testing, subjects have infrequently proceeded through levels despite failing to hit the minimum number of required targets.

7. The original Duck Hunt restricts players to three shots per phase.

8. Individuals watching the game, but not participating in it, are unaffected.

9. When visually observed, SCP-4962-B always faces towards the Player; in non-visual appearances, SCP-4962-B’s awareness is implied through metafictional techniques.

10. SCP-4962-B’s awareness of how to achieve this appears to be limited; Players capable of consistently surpassing level 60 of SCP-4962 report that the suggestions are vague, redundant, and unhelpful.

11. Facilitated by somniphobia-induced insomnia.