A dedicated and tech-savvy gamer has reworked the beloved classic Super Mario 64 speedruns, and more.
Although it was released over two decades ago, Super Mario 64 is still one of the most iconic and respected titles in video game history. The game is considered to have played a major role in modernizing and popularizing 3D platformers, as Mario's smooth and satisfying controls and animations rival some 3D platformers released today. Still, the game does show its age in many areas, specifically when it comes to graphics and performance. The Nintendo 64 had many limitations when it came to how it could present its titles, even when compared to contemporary platforms like the PlayStation 1. Because of its icon status, however, gamers around the globe have managed to polish up the title, with recent mods and tweaks adding modern touches like ray-tracing to Super Mario 64.
Following in this long line of visual and performance enhancements for Super Mario 64 is an adjustment made by YouTuber Kaze Emanuar. In a recent video, Kaze Emanuar shows how they optimized the original Nintendo 64 source code for Super Mario 64, tweaking aspects like real-time shadow rendering, music and sound effects, and much more. The end result is a game that runs smoothly at between 45-60 frames per second natively on the Nintendo 64 console, without the help of a PC or any additional hardware. This optimization also allows Kaze Emanuar to make use of the Luigi character model hidden within the game's source code, as it was originally removed by Nintendo because of performance concerns.
Super Mario 64 has run at 60FPS before, but this is the first instance of someone playing the game at such a high framerate on a Nintendo 64 console, rather than a PC or other device. As such, this is a much more impressive feat and shows just how committed Kaze Emanuar must have been when taking on this endeavor. Kaze Emanuar details his process in great depth in his video, so fellow fans with enough technical know-how could theoretically try this out themselves.
Nintendo has never been focused on advanced technical performance, so it's unlikely that the fan base will see an official 60FPS version of Super Mario 64 any time soon. After seeing how the game looks at higher framerates, many fans might feel disappointed by this, as it certainly looks stunning. Until a Nintendo-sanctioned 60FPS version of Super Mario 64 rears its head, gamers will just have to live vicariously through modders like Kaze Emanuar.
Source: Kaze Emanuar/YouTube
