Super Mario Star Road Retrospective

Introduction Super Mario 64 first released back in 1996 – it was a near-perfect 3D platformer at the time and is still regarded as one of the best today. A sequel had been planned to release in 1999 for the Nintendo 64DD but was axed along with the manufacturing of the peripheral shortly after its Japan-only release. 3D Mario games were continually released over the next decade and a half – all excellent games in their own right, but none managed to capture the feeling of being a true Super Mario 64 sequel. A follow-up that does a lot to differentiate itself from its predecessor is generally considered a good thing by many, but even so, the desire for a sequel that follows more closely in line with the original is held by an equivalently large number of people. Nintendo had catered to Zelda’s fans longing for a true Ocarina of Time successor, after The Wind Waker suffered ho-hum sales and backlash from fans. Twilight Princess was designed from the ground up to strongly follow in the footsteps of Ocarina of Time. While Zelda went full in with nostalgic fan service, Mario seemed to step further away from his 3D roots beginning in 2007 with Super Mario Galaxy. For all intents and purposes, it was just as great if not better than Super Mario 64, but in different ways. It didn’t feature the same open level design, the more constrained move-set de-emphasized sequence breaking, and its hub lacked the secrets that had made Peach’s castle so memorable. Even though Super Mario Galaxy is arguably better than Super Mario 64, it’s easy to understand why one might like one but not the other. The ROM Hacking Scene The Early Days Fortunately, fans wouldn’t have to rely on Nintendo to make a true successor to Super Mario 64, as nearly a decade after the game’s original release, the Super Mario 64 ROM hacking scene was birthed. ROM hacking is the process of modifying a game’s files to create a new experience – older Mario games, most notably Super Mario World, had active ROM hacking communities from as early as 2000 (probably even earlier). In 2005, the first Super Mario 64 ROM hack was finally created – this was a simple mod that added Luigi to the game, but it was just the beginning of things to come. Over the next couple of years, ROM hacks would become more and more sophisticated: from haphazardly placing enemies in Peach’s courtyard, to developing brand new, albeit amateurish, levels. The Unofficial Sequel On December 24, 2011, Super Mario Star Road, developed by a user by the name of Skelux, was released. It featured a brand new adventure as large and feature-rich as Super Mario 64: 130 stars, 15 full-fledged courses, and a new hub with plenty of secrets and surprises to find. Music tracks taken from other games were also fittingly remixed for the game by contributors. As an example, compare this original track to this remixed track - it’s a testament to just how much work was done for the ROM hack. It was considered by many to be an unofficial sequel to Super Mario 64, as it followed a similar level design philosophy, was equivalently scaled, and was generally polished all around. The level design featured cohesive environments with new assets and careful consideration to the design and placement of platforms and enemies – Bob-omb Islands featured a fort and a sunken ship, Sky Land Resort featured windmills and houses, Cloudrail Station featured a train and cloud platforms, etc. These weren’t just round or square platforms floating in the sky, but the building blocks of levels with distinct and recognizable themes. This was in contrast to the previously mentioned amateurish levels featured in prior ROM hacks. That’s not a knock against anyone just having fun by throwing a level together or testing what can be done with the level editing tools – in fact, many of these early ROM hacks were instrumental for showing what could be accomplished and were achievements for their time. But comparing this (2008) to this (2011) speaks to how much ambition there was behind the project, and how much the Super Mario 64 ROM hacking scene had evolved in just a few short years. The back half of levels are particularly impressive, as they feature the most new assets and unique level design concepts. The first half are still generally fun as well but recycle level themes seen in the original Super Mario 64: a ghost level, a water level, a sand level, etc. They still do enough to differentiate themselves from their Super Mario 64 counterparts, but the new level themes make more of an impression. A few bosses are also recycled in the early levels, albeit in new environments that changes how the fights play out. In the latter half of the game, we see a toy themed level, a music themed level, a cloud station in the sky, etc. This is when the game really comes into its own and starts to feel more like its own thing, but again, the first half of levels are still a blast and unique enough on their own, even though parts of them can evoke déjà vu. Star Road’s development also contributed significantly to the development of level-editing software by Skelux. The tools for developing Super Mario 64 ROM hacks today are much more robust than the ones 10 years ago, and limitations at the time impacted the design of some levels, as the game would crash if there were more than about 1500 polygons in a level, according to Skelux. Certain level designs were compromised as a result, with the music themed level in particular not matching up to what he had in his head – I still really liked it though. Closing Star Road is still one of the very first ROM hacks recommended to newcomers in the ROM hacking scene a full decade later. It’s funny now how the game has reached nostalgia status for me at this point when the very concept of a full-fledged Super Mario 64 ROM hack seemed so novel not so long ago. It was an achievement in many ways when it first released: its very existence elevated the standard for Super Mario 64 ROM hacks, contributed to new development tools, and was the inspiration for many Super Mario 64 ROM hackers, including Kaze Emanuar, and it helped grow the scene in general. Most importantly though, it stands on its own as a fun game that successfully replicates the magic of the Super Mario 64 experience, with its plentiful secrets, vibrant and cohesive levels, and platforming sections that make further use of Mario’s robust move-set. If you had always hoped for a Super Mario 64 sequel, do yourself a favor and play Star Road. Related Post I made this post about two years ago that discusses some of the best ROM hacks out there and instructions on how to get them set-up - it's heavily Super Mario 64-focused, but I also talk about a few other series. Might be useful for those looking to get into ROM hacks. submitted by /u/Underwhere_Overthere [link] [comments]
http://dlvr.it/SPbM8v