Modder Recreates Super Mario Bros In Super Mario 64 And You Can Play It Now

The original Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System, released in 1985, is about as iconic as a video game could possibly get. The history of Mario has been retold a countless number of times, but when you sit back and look at the past 33 years of the mustached character, the amount of progress we've made is really breathtaking. Today, games are hyper-realistic at times, and the capabilities are only going to improve as time goes on.

New games obviously stomp older ones when it comes to the graphics department, but not always where gameplay is concerned. Sometimes, simpler is best, and that's exactly why a game like Super Mario Bros. continues to be so admired, despite being well over 30.

What could be better than the original is playing a re-envisioned version with an updated engine, and that's exactly what YouTuber Kaze Emanuar did. What he's done is in effect create a custom SMB ROM which applies as a patch to a full Super Mario 64 Nintendo 64 ROM. Doing this allows you to play the original SMB with 3D graphics using an N64 emulator.

The result isn't a straight clone of the original, simply updated for a 3D environment, but instead, some levels have been "reimagined". Three characters have also been added that allow you to play the game with slightly different styles - some much easier than others. Waluigi, for example, has super-jump capabilities, making for an easier experience overall (and perhaps one great for kids).

Taking advantage of this 3D SMB might not seem easy to those who've never toyed with emulators before, but the steps are ultimately simple, and you can do it all without moving.

You'll first need a complete Super Mario 64 Nintendo 64 ROM, which can be found through Google. The resulting download, once extracted, should reveal a "Super Mario 64 (USA).z64" file, or at least one similarly named. You'll then need to grab the SMB patch here, and extract it. Opening that folder and sliding into the 'flips' folder, you'll see another 'flips' that you can double-click to run, at which point you can choose to "Apply Patch". From here, you search for the patch (SMB64.bps), and then find the official Super Mario 64 ROM. You then choose a new output, and half a second later, the modified cart can be enjoyed inside of an emulator.

We'd suggest giving the Mupen64Plus emulator a go if you're in need of one. It's available for Windows, Linux, macOS, and also Android. Unfortunately, it requires more setup than the ROM, as it includes only a command-line interface, but can be enhanced with a GUI through plugins. Another emulator worth trying is Project64, available for both Windows and Android. Android is definitely your best bet if you want to jump into this with the greatest ease.