The unthinkable has happened - Super Mario 64 is now playable with fifteen other people.
More than a decade ago, romhackers enabled co-op play for the classic platformer and since then, modders have been tinkering away at new possibilities. The Super Mario 64 Co-Op Deluxe project was initially started by "a group of people working on a fork for" the original co-op mod, according to the project's main website, but the two teams have since "merged together to be one team working on one big project."
After over six months of work, Super Mario 64 Co-Op Deluxe has now hit 1.0 with a snazzy trailer showing off what's new. You can of course play as Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Wario, Waluigi, and Toad as well as new additions Peach, Daisy, and Toadette. You can also spot Princess Peach gliding with her magical umbrella in the trailer below.
The project also includes various other mods, like a full day and night cycle, new game modes, and the ability to customize each character's outfits with either preset patterns (like a busy bee color palette) or by changing various colors on specific body parts - Mario's overalls can be raspberry-colored, for example - which is a nice way to make each player feel bespoke.
Nintendo has largely stayed away from co-op in its mainline 3D Super Mario platformers, so I'm glad to see the community implement it themselves, especially after getting a taste of the joint chaos that's possible in Super Mario Bros Wonder and It Takes Two. Let people jump around as cute little fellas and they'll be happy, is probably the lesson here.
For more modded shenanigans, check out the Banjo-Kazooie mod that takes the iconic bird and bear through the Nintendo 64 multiverse spanning Pokemon, Conker, and Goldeneye 007.
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