Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Speedrunner transforms Super Mario World into Flappy Bird without hacking tools

Danny Cowan
By
SNES Code Injection -- Flappy Bird in SMW
Old-school video game console hacking reached new levels of ridiculousness this week, as speedrunner SethBling has transformed Nintendo’s 16-bit platformer Super Mario World into a
Recommended Videos
Flappy Bird clone without assistance from pre-programmed tools.
Related

While game-breaking exploits allowing arbitrary code execution within Super Mario World have been well-documented in recent months, SethBling was the first player to successfully code a complete game within Nintendo’s classic platformer using only a Super Mario World cartridge, a vintage Super NES console, and a SNES controller for input.

Devoted players have stretched Super Mario World to its limits using PC emulators, and recent discoveries allowed players to reach its credits sequence in record time by effectively crashing the game at a critical point. After becoming the world’s first player to achieve a Super Mario World “credits warp” using original Super NES hardware, SethBling set his sights on an even tougher task: programming an original game on top of Super Mario World‘s codebase in real time — without cheats — using custom processor instructions created by fellow speedrunner p4plus2.

After glitching Super Mario World into a state that allows it to accept user-defined code, SethBling input 331 bytes of custom processor instructions by positioning Mario in pixel-perfect locations and performing specific actions in a precise sequence. The ordeal required almost one hour of precise code input, and a mistake at any point would have nullified the entire process.

Previous experiments with Super Mario World‘s internal code yielded several user-created minigames playable on original Super NES hardware. The process was showcased during many recent speedrun events; emulation technology transformed Super Mario World into Pong and Snake clones at Awesome Games Done Quick 2014, and 2015’s event produced a playable version of the original Super Mario Bros.

Arbitrary code execution within Super Mario World previously required a level of precision reserved for emulators, but recent discoveries altered the game in such a way as to allow users to input code themselves using standard controller input. Currently, SethBling is the only player in the world who has been able to transform Super Mario World into Flappy Bird in real time using original SNES hardware.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Danny Cowan
Danny Cowan
Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
All Baobab Tree locations in Tales of Kenzera
Zau fights a dragon in Tales of Kenzera: Zau.

While it wasn't marketed as being a particularly punishing game, Tales of Kenzera: Zau is by no means easy. You will have plenty of environmental challenges that can instantly sap your life, and the enemies you face -- especially the bosses -- are no slouches. When you first begin, it will only take a couple of bad hits to send Zau to the land of the dead himself. Alongside the Trinkets you can unlock through hidden challenges around the map, there are also Baobab Trees where Zau can stop to reflect on his journey thus far, have a short dialogue with Kalunga, and get a small addition to his health bar. Like everything in the game, these trees aren't prohibitively hidden, but you could easily pass one by and have no idea where it was when trying to backtrack. These are all the Baobab Tree locations so you can max out your health bar.
All Baobab Tree locations
There are six Baobab Trees to find in Tales of Kenzera: Zau and each adds a small segment of health to your total. When you collect them all, you will roughly double your HP bar. Here are each of their locations in the rough order you should naturally find them in. Most can be picked up on your first time through that area.
Ikakaramba

This one is very hard to miss as it is directly on your critical path. If you do, you can fast travel to the nearby campfire to grab it.
The Great Cliffs

Read more
All Fallout games, ranked
The courier in his nuclear gear and holding his gun in Fallout: New Vegas key art.

Who would've thought the post-apocalypse could be such a fun time? The Fallout franchise has taken the idea of a Mad Max-like future and not only made it into a wildly popular game franchise but also a hit TV series. The core franchise has been around since the late '90s, and yet we've had only a handful of mainline entries in the series since it was revived by Bethesda with Fallout 3. With Starfield in the rearview mirror and the next Elder Scrolls title currently being the dev team's focus, it could be close to another decade before we can set foot in the wasteland ourselves once again. What better time, then, to look back at the franchise and rank all the games from best to worst?

Fallout: New Vegas

Read more
Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble is as fun to watch as it is to play
Monkeys race one another in Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble.

I couldn’t tell you what the last Super Monkey Ball game I played was, but I can still talk your ear off about the series. That’s thanks to the speedrunning community that has formed around the franchise, making it into the most exciting game to watch when it's played at a high level. After spending close to a decade watching old games turned inside and out, I’m ready to finally dig into a new entry for myself.

Thankfully, I’m getting that chance on June 25 when Super Monkey Ball: Banana Rumble launches on Nintendo Switch. The latest entry in Sega’s precise platforming series comes loaded with content, from an adventure mode with 200 stages to multiple 16-player multiplayer modes. That’s all exciting, but my attention was on one question when I sat down to demo all of that last week: How fun will it be to watch players master it?

Read more