Hey folks, have you ever wanted to see what an updated version of the original Super Mario Bros would be? To experience a cross between the NES version, its sequels and Super Mario Maker on PC, complete with tons of new assets and ideas?
Well, if so, you’re in luck. Because fans have now released Super Mario Bros Remastered, a full-on remake of the original that updates it for the 21st century. What’s more, this is no ordinary recreation either.
No, this one goes above and beyond in making the game better than ever before. Indeed, as seen here in the official trailer, the game has a whole laundry list of features not present in the original NES version:
Like say, the entirety of Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels and All-Night Nippon Mario Bros included in the same game. So, if you liked any of the Super Mario Bros 1 styled NES Mario platformers, well, they’ve all gotten the same treatment here and can be handily selected from the startup menu.
It’s also got a fair few visual and audio improvements too. Indeed, with the help of Super Mario Maker style decorations and backgrounds, the game now has unique themes for its worlds and levels, rather than reusing the same five archetypes over and over again. It’s a nice bit of extra flair to say the least, even if it does try to keep things minimalistic to fit the tone.
What’s more, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In addition to those upgrades, the game also has:
- Multiple playable characters, including Luigi, Toad and Toadette
- Resource packs to change its appearance, if you prefer using other art styles
- The ability to easily create and add custom characters with unique physics and movesets
- A plethora of settings to customise everything and anything about the game and how it plays
- Plus, a full-blown level editor in the style of Super Mario Maker with online level sharing
That’s quite the list of features to say the least, and one which makes it the closest thing to a ‘definitive edition’ we’ve ever seen for the original Super Mario Bros. If there was ever a fan remake that could be made into an official product with no one noticing, it’s almost definitely this one.
Yet that made us worry a bit too. After all, Nintendo’s not exactly the friendliest company in the world when it comes to fan projects, especially not remakes of games they’re currently selling. And with so many Super Mario Bros 1 remasters and remakes nuked from orbit by the lawyers, we do have to wonder how long this one will last.
So, there’s definitely a chance the company will at least try to go after this one.
But there’s also a chance they might not succeed this time around. Since Super Mario Bros Remastered isn’t like most of the other projects we’ve alluded to here. The game isn’t a closed-source effort hosted on some random third-party site, nor does it ship with all the assets from the original title.
No, it’s an open-source project which asks for the original ROM when first booted up, then extracts the assets needed from there. As a result of this, it’s arguably in the same boat as the PC ports of games like Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and Star Fox 64, in that they’re not distributing the original game with modifications, but just the changes needed to get it run on PC.
As a result, they can probably argue that no, they’re not infringing on Nintendo’s copyright, but merely sharing their own work that then extends said original game in its own way. It’s not bulletproof legal logic by any means, but it’s seemingly kept ROM hacks and PC ports out of trouble so far at least.
It’s also open-source too, so if the worst does come to the worst, another team can seemingly take what’s been released so far and continue where the original devs left off. Kinda like what happened with Super Mario Bros X, and a few other notable fan projects in years gone by.
For now, though, Super Mario Bros Remastered is now available to download online, and offers the best update to the original game that we’ve ever seen. Definitely check it out if you’re a die-hard Mario fan, or interested in seeing how the NES game could be remastered for an all-new generation.
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