Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
Super Mario 64 was instrumental in ushering in the new age of 3D gaming that would revolutionize the way we saw video games forever. As one of the first major titles to carry that flag, it has aged like milk, but it definitely still has its fans all around the gaming community. One such fan has taken that original game and built upon it in an enormous new mod for the original game. Super Mario 64 Land takes players on a reimagined journey of our first 3D romp through the Mushroom Kingdom.
Created by modder Kaze Emanuar and released on November 10, 2019, Super Mario 64 Land is far more than just a simple reskinning. It’s a massive undertaking which fuses some of the best parts of future and past Mario games into the Mario 64 look. With 32 new levels, 8 new bosses, and 10 new power-ups including the Tanuki Suit from Super Mario Bros 3 and the Cat Suit from Super Mario 3D World, this is almost a full new game outright. You can see the whole thing in action just below.
Emanuar has gone out of his way to blend fan-favorite ideas together in this project, along with some cheeky creativeness of his own (we’re not so sure Chuckyeet is your usual Mushroom Kingdom resident). Between laser-bridged levels and old-school pixel art inserted through some of the background textures, this is the kind of attentive love that allowed for the likes of Super Smash Bros. Project M and Another Metroid 2 Remake to take wing. As a modification of the existing Mario 64 game, you need the original ROM for it to work, but there are instructions to do that within the video description as well.
That said, anyone who knows Nintendo knows they have a spotty history with fan projects and ROMs being made and distributed. Even still, it hasn’t stopped the likes of the Kaizo Mario series, Zelda item randomizers, and more from being an enjoyable part of the Nintendo and, in particular, speedrunning communities. Here’s hoping that we can all enjoy the heartfelt effort put into Super Mario 64 Land without too much trouble.