Most of these amateur Mario ROM hacks weren't very good. ROM hacks are typically used to accomplish any number of usually benign (but still legally questionable) things like translating a Japanese-only SNES or Genesis RPG into English, or changing a character or item’s stats.Īs the ROM hacking scene developed, especially talented and ambitious enthusiasts figured out they could modify the files of games like Super Mario World to construct entirely new levels, and string them together into new campaigns. ROM hacking involves painstakingly modifying a game’s data files, often via a hex editor.

But a small community of hardcore Mario fans have been creating and struggling through merciless Mario challenges for nearly a decade, thanks to the Mario ROM hack scene.Ĭreating a ROM hack is not for the feint of the heart. At E3 2015 the world got its first real taste of how hilarious it can be to watch players struggle through tricky, brutally hard, and downright mean custom-made Mario levels.Īll of us will get a chance to experience this pain for ourselves when Super Mario Maker drops on September 11.