I always think I can never be more impressed with all the insanely cool stuff modders do with games these days, but one person managing to stuff Super Mario 64 into Minecraft has proven me wrong.
Programmer, modder and self-professed 'weird projects' creator Dylan tweeted out his work-in-progress, and it's simultaneously spectacular and unintentionally hilarious. The old, blocky Mario model fits super well into Minecraft's world in a way I'd never considered. Watching him zap around sucker-punching everything in sight doesn't feel quite as harmonious, but I do appreciate seeing a small Italian plumber attempt to take down an Enderman with his bare hands.
I'm working on a #Minecraft mod that runs the Super Mario 64 engine! It's very WIP right now but here's some highlights pic.twitter.com/QCfzl10ip0September 13, 2021
Dylan says the mod is using the "genuine Mario64 engine," thanks to a couple of different projects with the game's source code. Don't expect to be able to try it out for yourself anytime soon though, unfortunately. Nintendo's relationship with fan projects is a rocky one, and Dylan says he "sadly can't promise a download, either now or in the future," but promises to "post silly videos" of the mod in action. It's a shame that we likely won't be able to give it a go ourselves, but understandable considering how quickly Nintendo would pull the plug.
Minecraft's community have always been a clever and creative bunch, but the last few weeks especially has produced some fantastic mods and wizardry. There's been a texture pack that gives all blocks a Lego makeover, and a cool as hell mod that lets you tame and ride dragons. My favourite is the absolute wizard who managed to create a perfect circle in-game, no mods required (though there is a dizzying amount of maths.)
