For over thirty years, fans of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past have puzzled over one of the medium's longest-running rumours: who exactly is Chris Houlihan, the mysterious name tucked away in the game's secret "fail-safe" room? The story traces back to 1990, when Nintendo Power magazine held a Final Fantasy contest that promised to immortalize the winner in a future Nintendo title. Years later, players discovered a hidden chamber in A Link to the Past displaying the text: "My name is Chris Houlihan. This is my top secret room. Keep it between us, OK?" But nobody could confirm whether Chris was a real person, or what the message truly meant.
Now, it seems the mystery might finally have an answer. Earlier this week, YouTuber Kevin Hainline posted a video claiming he had met the real Chris Houlihan, thanks to an introduction from his own mother. In the video, Hainline presents a letter from then-Nintendo Power editor Scott Pelland. The letter confirms that Chris's name was originally intended to appear in Nintendo World Cup but ultimately ended up in A Link to the Past. Pelland admits he doesn't recall every detail, yet he states that "the facts about Chris, his father, and the contest line up."
There are, of course, lingering questions, and—as with so many stories that surface online—it's wise to take the claims with a grain of salt. Hainline offers convincing evidence, but ultimately Chris himself or a family member would need to publicly corroborate the tale. If the video gains enough attention, perhaps that confirmation will come. Until then, the long-standing legend of Chris Houlihan remains tantalizingly close to being solved.
<social>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SY00ri_a9y4</social>