Mario Rom Hack Day
A surprise second post!
The first one focused on commercially-released Mario games, but this one will focus on some of the hacks I really enjoy. There are thousands out there for you to explore, so if any of these sound good check them out and then see what's similar!
A note about playing these games: Many require you to hack a rom of the original game to get it to work, and some include significant changes that mean you can't play it on original hardware. The hacking process isn't difficult, but some may find it a bit fiddly. As always, while the download links I'm including are official, there are plenty of shady sites that include malware/viruses (such as they exist in 2026) so be careful where you source things. Finally, all screenshots come from the romhacking website.
Super Mario Star Road
This game is completely new Mario 64 game. There are 120 stars, multiple new areas, and tons of new music. It came out in 2011 which makes it one of the earliest Mario 64 hacks, but it's easily one of the best ever created. If you wanted an actual sequel to Mario 64, this game is for you. After some updates it should work on original hardware, so dust off your Everdrive and get playing.
Super Mario Land PLUS
Super Mario Land on the Gameboy was a fantastic game. I was so used to slow games on the system (Castlevania Adventure and Mortal Kombat were terrible for this) that having a smooth platformer was wonderful. Then we have the music, new Superball weapon, exploding turtle shells, and vehicles(!) and this is one of the best Mario games ever made. This rom hack is more of a good thing. The levels and item placements have been reworked to make them more challenging, but the creator doesn't take it too far. Make sure you get the 2.6 release because it removes some crashes and softlocks that can get frustrating.
Super Mariomon
Finally we have Super Mariomon, a total conversion for Pokemon Emerald (the best Pokemon game?). This plays exactly like a Pokemon game but instead it has Mario going through the C.A.P Challenge, using your hat to catch monsters a la Mario Galaxy. There are 151 characters to catch, some familiar and some new, new ways to traverse the map (warp pipes!), and 15+ hours of rock-paper-scissor battles to fill your cold hearts. And there is a great endgame surprise I won't spoil here, but it's well worth it. This game feels as polished as a commercial release. *If you choose to get this, only use the link above. This game is popular and because of that there are lots of sketchy places out there that may or may not ruin your pc if you download from them.