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

Speedrunner transforms Super Mario World into Flappy Bird without hacking tools

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…
This HP Omen gaming laptop with RTX 4050 is $450 off
The HP Omen 16 gaming laptop on a desk.

You'll certainly get a much more powerful machine if you're willing to spend more than $1,000 on gaming laptop deals, but it's not a requirement if you just want to enjoy today's most popular games. Here's a device that's relatively budget-friendly -- the HP Omen 16, which is down to $850 from its original price of $1,300 following a $450 discount from HP. We're not sure how much time is remaining for you to get the gaming laptop at 34% off though, so we recommend pushing through with the purchase immediately.

Why you should buy the HP Omen 16 gaming laptop
The HP Omen 16 isn't as powerful as the top-of-the-line models of the best gaming laptops, but it packs more than enough punch to play the best PC games without any issues. Inside the device are the AMD Ryzen 5 7640HS processor and the Nvidia GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card, plus 16GB of RAM that's the best place to start for gaming, according to our guide on how much RAM do you need. With these specifications, your video games will be running smoothly, and they'll look sharp and colorful on the HP Omen 16's 16.1-inch screen with Full HD resolution and a 144Hz refresh rate.

Read more
The Elder Scrolls 6: release date speculation, rumors, news, and more
The Elder Scrolls

The Elder Scrolls 6 was first revealed over five years ago with a 36-second announcement trailer. Unfortunately, there hasn't been a lot of concrete news on the title since.

Now that Bethesda has launched Starfield — the developer's first brand-new IP in 25 years — with great success despite plenty of criticism on the game's advertised scale versus its gameplay, it goes without saying that the studio will be shifting to the next installment in the Elder Scrolls series. The new title will be building off the wild success of its predecessor Skyrim (which made the cut for Digital Trends' top 50 video games of all time) and MMO The Elder Scrolls Online.

Read more
When is Stardew Valley 1.6 coming to consoles?
A player fishes in their local pond.

There are few cozy games as successful and beloved as Stardew Valley, so it's no wonder it has received regular updates since its 2016 release. If you're a fan of the game, you've no doubt been looking forward to its new 1.6 update, which brings some pretty substantial changes and bug fixes to improve the gameplay experience. Unfortunately for some players, the update has only released on PC so far, meaning console players have been left wondering when they'll get an opportunity to see all of the fresh changes in the game. Here's what we know so far about when the Stardew Valley 1.6 update is coming to consoles.
When is Stardew Valley update 1.6 coming to consoles?
Unfortunately, we don't have an immediate answer regarding when Stardew Valley update 1.6 will land on consoles, though we do know it's on the way in the near future. In a social media post on April 26, developer ConcernedApe gave a minor update on the console versions of the newest update, saying, "Console and mobile ports are still in progress, thank you again for your continued patience!" This doesn't answer much, but it should at least give console players the peace of mind that the update is still headed their way and will be available as soon as possible.

In the meantime, you can check out Stardew Valley's 1.6 patch notes to see everything new in the update, which includes a wide variety of bug fixes, translation changes, and gameplay improvements that should make most players happy.

Read more