Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech.
Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics.
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Summary
- Claude recreated the Super Mario 64 source code to run on a Game Boy Advance, preserving the original physics.
- It uses 16.8MHz ARM7 GBA constraints with software 3D and keeps Mario's movement bit-identical to N64.
- The demo has 4 levels, software 3D, and an optional libsm64 import; it's been tested in mGBA, not yet on real GBA hardware.
We're at an interesting point in AI-powered game decompilations, where a tidal wave of new ports has appeared in just a few weeks. The most recent example is someone getting The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom on Apple's M4 chip, which I'm sure hasn't pleased Nintendo one bit.
But what about porting a game backward, as in, making it run on older hardware? Well, one person has used Claude to get Super Mario 64 running on a Game Boy Advance, and Mario moves on the handheld just like he does on the console.
This Super Mario 64 de-make preserves the titular character's momentum
Arguably the most important part of any Super Mario 64 port
Over on the ClaudeAI subreddit, user Nervous_Cold8493 has shown off what they've been cooking with the AI agent. While people have worked on 'demakes' of Super Mario 64 on older consoles, Nervous_Cold8493's version is unique in that it's not a rewrite of the game, but a recreation of the original source code. That means that Mario moves around just like you'd expect on the N64 version, which is important for a game where spamming long jumps feels great.
Here's how the developer describes it:
SM64’s movement and collision code running under GBA constraints: a 16.8 MHz ARM7 with no FPU.
A playable demo: 4 levels, software 3D, Mario animated with the game’s own animation data.
An optional libsm64-style import: it reads your ROM to build in Mario’s real model and the real level meshes. The repo contains nothing from Nintendo.
In the video above, it really looks like the original Super Mario 64, just with poorer graphics. It's worth noting that this has only been tested on an mGBA emulator, so they haven't gotten the chance to run it on real hardware. If they manage to achieve that, it will be a truly impressive backport. Until then, you can give this a try for yourself by grabbing the code from the GitHub repo.