This was my first time completing a genuine rom hack (not counting Waluigi’s Taco Stand), and holy shit this game was fun. I’ve known about Star Road for what feels like forever, back when I was in elementary school maybe I was watching videos on this rom hack because it combined so many things I loved about the Mario series and the entire thing felt magical in a way. Completing it now as a college student was nothing but nostalgic bliss, you can feel the passion put into this project throughout each and every area and level throughout the game.

Despite a few levels feeling sloppy in design and some moments of lag (I was playing the console compatible version which is most likely why), Star Road consistently upped the challenge as you advance throughout Star Leap Tower. Combined with tricky platforming and some incredibly well hidden areas, the variety of courses that you can go to felt much more unique than the original SM64 in my opinion, and was honestly a lot more satisfying upon completion. Even the selection of music and replacement tracks for the file select and different caps that Mario can wear were extremely fitting thanks to the SM64 sound font. I particularly loved the use of many tracks from Super Mario RPG and Galaxy.

Overall, Super Mario Star Road was a blast to finally play, especially when going for the 130 star completion. I’m not surprised one bit that Star Road is so popular and most often considered the best rom hack for SM64; it definitely holds up to its title as the unofficial sequel.

Reviewed on Jun 28, 2022


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