Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time

I know we’re on a bit of a roll recently with Mario-based hacks. A few months ago, we had the Goldeneye character replacement one, then the Banjo-Kazooie Mario hack. Well now we have an actual complete game called Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time, which is quite a bit more than appears at first.

The hack is made by Kaze Emanuar and was released just this week. You can find the download here using the password itsamezelda. The game cannot be played on the original hardware, but it can be run on an emulator if you set it to use 8MB of RAM.

The game consists of a complete makeover of Super Mario 64 by combining it into Zelda: Ocarina of time. Words fail to grasp the extent of this mod, but I’ll try and summarise. You control Mario, and the plot is Mario-like (Peach has been captured, right on queue) and all the NPCs and enemies are all from super Mario 64 as well. However, all the levels are like in Ocarina of Time, and there are some Zelda-esque elements added into Mario’s control and gameplay like magic, switches and puzzles. Don’t forget that though the levels are similar to Zelda, you still need to explore and perform tasks to get stars like in Mario.

The transition in Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time is executed really well, even better than I expected. Kaze was forced to use Mario assets to replicate Zeda-like events. For example, instead of scalable walls, there are music not blocks that make you jump high. Kokiris become Toads, Gorons become Bob-Ombs and Zoras become penguins, which are the kinds of characters that have speech in the original Super Mario 64.

Footage of Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time

I think that it’s best to see it for yourself, so I made a video showing how the game is played up until the end of the Deku Tree. I know I skipped a lot of stars along the way, but it gives you a feel of what to expect.

Kaze has stated in his twitter that there are 170 stars and 25 unlockables, but that number has probably increased since then. The game is still under development, so keep an eye out for any new updates.