When it comes to Mario ROM hacks, Super Mario Bros 1 tends to get the short end of the stick. Okay, there are some impressive works out there, like Extra Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros Redux and Celeste Mario’s Zap & Dash, and that’s nice and all.

But the number of technically impressive games is just completely dwarfed by those available for its sequels. Super Mario Bros 3 has 3Mix and the Mario Adventure series, the New Super Mario Bros series have the Newer games, Lost Worlds, and Extreme Adventure, while the likes of Super Mario World and Super Mario 64 are some of the most heavily modded games of all time.

It’s a scene where the average hack tends more towards being a graphical overhaul than anything else, and where technical changes are generally few and far between.

Yet the times are changing, and the subject of today’s interview is a fantastic example of that. Why?

Because Mario Memories has to be one of the visually and technically impressive Super Mario Bros 1 hacks ever made.

Seriously, the level of customisation here is almost off the scale. You’ve got entirely overhauled visuals, which put the game somewhere on par with SMB3 in the graphics department. You’ve got all new world maps in the style of later Mario games, all with unique themes and animations to help them stand out.

And the list just goes on and on from there. New enemies and powerups, new story cutscenes, multiple playable characters like in SMB2… Mario Memories adds all this and more, and creates the SMB1 equivalent of Mario 3Mix in the process.

So, let’s learn more about it shall we? Let’s interview its developer and find out just what went into this crazy mod!

The Interview

Let’s start with some personal background. Who are you?

Hi, I’m throught1m3. I was born and live in the United States and love retro games.

Where did that username come from?

Funny, I couldn’t think of a username, or at least one I liked. So eventually, I thought a movie
that reached me when I was at some of the lowest times of my life. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time. It was actually summer of 2016 when i first seen the movie and learned about
ROM hacking. That same summer I started collecting hacks that people had put on real cartridges. From there, a love was born. Thinking back, as bad as it was, it was one of the best summers of my life due to those memories. Crazy how time works.

How did you get into gaming? What was your first game?

I remember when i was a child, my father graduated college and on his graduation night
He came home and as a present to himself and us kids, he pulled out a brand-new Super
Nintendo with Super Mario World. We spent many days and nights playing it. A fond memory
I have is trying to sleep but not being able to and standing and hiding by the doorway of the living room late at night watching my father play Super Mario Kart. He noticed me and made the “be quiet” sound. We played together late into the night, trying not to wake my mother.

What games are you playing now?

Nothing modern at the moment. Mainly my EverDrive N8 Pro loaded with NES games and hacks. Also, MSU1 hacks for the SNES and a bit of Gameboy games.

Either way, onto ROM hacks now. How did you get into ROM hacking?

As I stated previously, it was summer 2016 when I learned of rom hacking, but at the time didn’t think I had what it took to do such a thing. Fast forward a few years and I started to mess with the Super Mario Bros source code. Fiddling around and learning but wasn’t getting too far. So, I decided to learn Assembly to make my hacks better. Made some projects, scrapped some projects. When I finally got good enough, I embarked on a journey to make a dream hack of mine. Super Mario Bros with Super Mario Bros 3 style world maps.

And uh, why Super Mario Bros 1 rather than say, Super Mario Bros 3, World or 64?

Honestly, NES is my favourite console and Super Mario Bros 3 is my absolute favourite game ever. So, one may figure I would start there.

But I decided on Super Mario Bros because there are so many Super Mario Bros hacks but not many that actually have a lot of quality to them. Usually, you get level changes or palette changes and some graphical changes. I really wanted to add something to the library that stacks up as a great game and way for people to add new memories with their old consoles.

Another reason is it seemed to be more of a challenge. I can also say I was inspired heavily by one of my favourite hacks, Mario Unlimited/deluxe. Frantik, the creator of Mario Unlimited/deluxe also gave me some insight, suggestions and very kind compliments on my hack. So shoutout to him.

Did you work on any other hacks before Mario Memories?

Yes. just some small SMB projects that never really got anywhere. Just learning experiences.

Onto Mario Memories now. What made you decide to create this game?

I wanted to create this game because I realised as I got older that so much of my life has been me essentially chasing nostalgia. It is one of the most beautiful, yet painful feelings one can experience. The beauty of going back to a time that made you very happy, but knowing that time will never return. So, I suppose that is what this project has been for me. It’s a game I wanted to create so others who may be chasing nostalgia can experience something fresh and brand new. Creating new memories to look back on. Hence the name. I also made this game to be normal in difficulty, so maybe those with children can play it with them and create fond memories.

Were you inspired by any other projects?

Many. As I previously stated, I was inspired by SMB 3Mix, Mario Unlimited/Deluxe, Super Ale Bros, Mario Adventure, Mario Adventure 3, Extra Mario Bros, and many others. Way too many to name. Also, those amazing people over at smbarena.com and all the times I spent diving into the forums of romhacking.net.

What’s the story here? Is it based on a bunch of prior Mario games, 3Mix style or something?

3Mix style for sure. By the way is probably the best ROM hack, even to this day, to ever be created. My opinion of course. There is somewhat of a story, essentially toad finds a bunch of fortresses that have been popping up throughout the Mushroom Kingdom, so Mario, Luigi, Toad and even Peach set out on a journey to destroy Bowser’s fortresses and run him out of the mushroom kingdom. Mario Memories has the distinct SMB1 feel but with splashes of old games and even has things that may have not been in other Mario games. I would say it has been mostly inspired by SMB3.

How did you create the graphics? Did you draw everything yourself here?

The art style, palettes and graphics have been done by Solvalouart. Solvalouart has poured so much of his time into creating graphics that are so beautiful and nearly look 16-bit. Without his graphics, the game would be horrible looking with cool features. Major thanks to him.

One of the most insane aspects is how many custom enemies, objects and mechanics this game has, to the point it feels more like SMB 3 than SMB 1. How did you implement them?

Years of messing with the source code and learning how Super Mario Bros handles everything as well as using a more powerful mapper. MMC3. which is what SMB3 uses. So that gives many new possibilities.

Also learning some assembly and just doing what I could as I went along. Honestly the game started out with a very ugly world map with horrible movement and graphics. I didn’t expect this project to go anywhere either. But I just kept at it and well here we are.

What are some of your favourite additions here?

The world maps. For years I always dreamed of being good enough to program world maps in SMB and I’m so happy I was able to do it. I love the multi character screen and the fact they all have their own physics. I love that each world has its own theme. I also love the fact I added the “bonus Chance” game and fully functional Toad Houses for purchasing items.

The new power ups are also fun to use.

Were there any ideas you had that didn’t work out, perhaps due to technical limitations?

Eh. Due to my skills, yes. Limitations? Not really. This is my first ASM heavy hack so my skills aren’t as sharp as they could be. Also, life. I wish I could study ASM all day everyday but it is what it is. So, I wouldn’t say due to any limitations hardware wise. Just due to lack of skills and time on my end for sure. I mean, MIX3 puts a Yoshi in SMB3. I don’t see much limitations for what I would ever want to achieve working with the NES.

Does everything work on a real NES?

Absolutely. If not, I would actually be very disappointed. I have been using my EverDrive N8 Pro for testing and everything is working great. I also use MESEN which is an extremely hardware accurate emulator.

How do boss battles work here? Is Bowser still the boss in every castle?

That is one thing that is mostly unchanged. It is a “memory” if you will, of Super Mario Bros.
But I could see making all new bosses in the sequel. I plan to continue hacking and making projects.

Are there elements from other Mario spinoffs? Like the RPGs, Donkey Kong, Wario or Yoshi series?

Not so much. But could definitely be used for a sequel.

What’s the soundtrack like? Is it new?

The plan is to add new music. But that will be the last step.

And how long is the game overall? Is it still 8 worlds like the original game?

Yes, there are eight worlds, no repeating levels, some extra and bonus levels throughout.
It even has a warp zone map.

When do you think it’ll be finished? I remember hearing that a release date was close…

Well, the graphics artist is fairly busy due to school, so his time is fairly limited at the moment. Pretty much all of the programming is complete, so on my end the game is basically finished besides the music. I would really love to see this hack out by the end of 2026 if possible.

Assuming it releases as expected, do you have any other ROM hacks planned after this?

I do. A sequel to Mario Memories using the same engine or maybe something different like a SMB2 USA hack. Not sure yet.

Finally, what advice would you give someone wanting to get into SMB 1 hacking, or game development as a whole?

It is a good place to start. Lots of info around and the source is available. It would be wise to expand to a better mapper. SMB is notoriously filled to the brim and there isn’t much room for new code. Also, you will find many times where you want to give up or you will find that you’re just not into it. Happens to me when working on Mario Memories. many times. It’s normal. Never give up. Keep trying, keep learning and use the resources you have all over the web to expand your skills and understanding.

---

Thanks for the advice there. Yeah, the original Super Mario Bros is certainly well-documented if you want to hack that game, and there are plenty of resources to get started there for sure.

As for waning enthusiasm for a ROM hack or other game development project, yeah that’s pretty much expected as well. Personally we’d say it may be a good idea to take a break for a while if you lack the motivation to keep going, since forcing yourself to create levels or mechanics when your heart isn’t in it may not have amazing results.

But it’s definitely worth sticking with it nonetheless. Game development is a long and often difficult process, and you’ll never get anywhere if you just up and quit at the first sign of trouble. May as well keep it going for as long as possible, and try to get at least something done and released to the public.

Regardless, thanks for the interview. We really enjoyed learning more about Mario Memories as a game, and every new screenshot just makes it look better and better. Congrats on your amazing work so far, and we’re very excited to try the final game when it’s released later this year.

Still, did you enjoy the interview? What are your thoughts about Mario Memories, or SMB 1 hacks as a whole?

Tell us what you think on social media, or on our Discord server today!

ThroughT1m3 on Social Media

• Mario Memories Progress Thread (ROM Hacking.net)
• ThroughT1m3’s ROM Hacking.net Profile
• ThroughT1m3’s RHDI Profile
• ThroughT1m3’s Works on ROMHack Plaza