You Can Now Relive Super Mario 64 with Others (Again)
Last September, modders Kaze Emanuar, Melonspeedruns, and Marshivolt discovered a way to allow up to 24 players play Super Mario 64 online together. The fan project, called SM64 Online, attracted a lot of attention, including Nintendo’s, which ended with the company issuing copyright strikes to have the ROM hack and videos of it removed. Now, Emanuar has revived the project under a different name in an attempt to get SM64 Online rolling again.
The new client is titled Net64 2.0, and while it’s similar to the old ROM hack in many ways, it features some new additions, including Sonic and Knuckles. Kaze Emanuar, who has been playing around with the Super Mario 64 code for years, released the new hack, along with a video showing how it works.
Net64 is a program that was created separately from SM64 Online by a hacker known as Tarnadas. Although it’s different from SM64 Online, it can utilize the assembly code that Emanuar created for SM64 Online to bring last September’s vision back to life. The new version also has the ability to search for open servers to join, and adds new characters and mini-games, such as capture the flag.
Interestingly, Net64 doesn’t include the ROM for Super Mario 64—it’s a second program that works overtop of the game and makes it possible for players to play with others within the game via an internet connection.
Emanuar told Kotaku that his new incarnation of SM64 Online is nothing more than a fun side project that he continued to work on due to promises he made to people in the community. He also hopes that this incarnation will last longer than the first.
“I don’t know if they’ll go after Net64 too, but I believed that they only took down SM64 Online because it got so super popular and came out right before Odyssey anyway,” he said. “I think this client will stay up for a little longer than the SM64 Online one.”
Even if it does get shut down, Emanuar has other N64 projects planned, including a Majora’s Mask remake that incorporates Mario characters and Mario-style powerups. He also wants to remake Super Mario Sunshine with the original SM64 engine, and even create a parody game called “Doki Doki Mario 64,” which is a romance sim that lets you date Goombas.