Random: Super Mario 64 GBA Project Adds Stars And “Wider” Limbs For Mario

“They’re easier to see at low resolution”

Image: Joshua Barretto via YouTubeLast month, we covered a story here on Nintendo Life about a coder named Joshua Barretto who decided to do a custom rewrite of Super Mario 64 for Nintendo’s 32-bit handheld, the Game Boy Advance. If you weren’t already impressed with this technical feat, this palm-sized project has now shared a new update.

In a new video on YouTube, Barretto has shown off a handful of improvements including a complete rework of Mario’s model – with some “improved proportions and better textures”. The limbs of Mario have also been made “wider” so that they’re easier to see at this low resolution.

In addition to these character model improvements, the animations have been updated – with “more keyframes” – especially for jumping animations. Mario, in this GBA version, can also now perform more of his moveset from the N64 game including ground pound and wall sliding.

To top it off, there’s been an update to the game’s camera, sky, transitions between stages when moving between areas, and stars have also been implemented. So, that’s the latest on this developing SM64 project for the GBA. While there’s no public version of this build available, it seems Barretto is open to sharing the game in some way or form when it’s in a “better state”.

What do you think of Super Mario 64 for the GBA so far? Let us know below.

[source youtu.be, via gonintendo.com]

Liam is a news writer and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He’s been writing about games for more than 15 years and is a lifelong fan of Mario and Master Chief. He’s also got a soft spot for Sonic the Hedgehog.

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