Thanks to modding, a new PC port of Super Mario 64 adds ray tracing to the beloved 1996 classic. A relatively new phenomenon in the realm of console gaming, ray tracing adds more photorealistic lighting that interacts more naturally with other surfaces in a given game world. So far, this technology has been a major selling point of the new generation of consoles, such as the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X.
Meanwhile, computer ports of Super Mario 64 have been popping up a lot recently, though most don’t survive Nintendo’s strict crackdowns of copyright-infringing projects. Some add exciting new features like permadeath and 60 fps performance to the nearly 25-year-old Nintendo 64 mainstay, while others allow nostalgic players to run the game inside a web browser for added convenience. Now, one such remaster is bringing Mario into the new age of computer graphics thanks to the magic of ray tracing.
As reported by Eurogamer earlier today, a new port of Super Mario 64 that was compiled using the source code which was leaked last year re-renders the already colorful adventure using ray tracing. In an embedded video (provided here by Digital Foundry), writers Alex Battaglia and John Linneman go over the first half-hour of the early alpha build, explaining how modder Daríosamo was able to replace Super Mario 64’s entire lighting system with full RT global illumination, as well as provide a side-by-side comparison with the original game to show off just how much the new version pops off of the screen. Check out the ray-traced enhancements of this new Super Mario 64 port in the video below.
This isn’t the first time modders have reimagined classic games with newer ray tracing technology, or even Super Mario 64 for that matter. From older titles like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City to more contemporary hits like The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild, there have been plenty of test renderings showing off what these games would look like under improved RT lighting. One talented modder has even added this to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a sort of side-project, which some doubted was even possible.
Super Mario 64 was a groundbreaking visual treat when it was first released in 1996, and now it looks even better thanks to the ray-traced lighting present in this new PC port. Curious fans can check out the still-under-construction project for themselves, but they will have to compile it themselves due to open-source providers like Daríosamo trying to avoid Nintendo’s aggressive copyright efforts.
Source: Eurogamer, Digital Foundry