Mariois Nintendo’s mascot, though he may as well be the mascot of video games in general. He made his name jumping from platform to platform. Then he leaped into other genres. There areMariosports games, dancing games, fighting games, racing games, role-playing games, strategy games, educational games, mobile games, and more.
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Those are just the officially approved and licensed entries too. Fans have been into the portly Italian plumber for so long that, with a little wizardry and a PC, they’ve brought him into other games through mods. Here’s a few of the more interesting mods that have added Mario to other games.
6Street Fighter X Tekken
IfMarvel Vs Capcomwas “the wildest crossover you never dreamt”, thenStreet Fighter X Tekkenwould be the most disappointing. While there’s nothing catastrophically wrong with the game on the surface, its additional features like gems and Pandora Mode were half-baked at best. Theon-disc DLC debacleand the Sony-exclusive characters were just an extra layer on a messed-up cake.
Regardless, Somersault_Justice managed to get something out of the game. They turnedTekken’s Bob, an overweight but agile fighter, into the tubby but nimble Mario. In-game, he just has Bob’s moves and quotes. Online, he has an entry on a SFxT fandom wiki that gives him his own win quotes, story, and character interactions. Just in case anyone was wonderingwhat Mario thoughtabout theStreet FighterandTekkencast.
5Friday Night Funkin’
Who remembers when Newgrounds just had dodgy Flash games and videos? In 2020, four of their users came together to produceFriday Night Funkin', a catchy rhythm game that was so popularit crashed the whole website. So, it’s perhaps no surprise that it has a ton of mods adding a multitude of characters and tunes from other franchises to keep up the beat with.
There are plenty of Mario ones to choose from too. Some use hisPaper Mariosprites, and others are drawn in the game’s art style. A few havetheir own story and character interactions, while some just go straight for the funk. Others throw in Luigi, the Toads, and Catsuit Bowser for a little variety as well. So, when it comes to funkin’, the possibilities are endless.
4Elden Ring
Why fit in when one can stand out? From Software’s games are generally the opposite of Mario’s positive, family-friendly setting. It’s why people freaked out whenSuper Mario Odysseyrandomly threw in a realistic dragon as a boss fight. Yet that’s kind of the point when it comes to modding. Why not have Mario in a dark fantasy setting? Like, say,Elden Ring?
Related:Elden Ring Mods That Make the Game Easier
There’s already a character creator, butwhy not go further? Garden Of Eyes’ mods have put all kinds of charactersinto the game. Homer Simpson, Moana, Ugandan Knuckles, and more. But they’re all pretty much based on their regular looks. GardenOfEyes’ most interesting mod turns Godrick the Grafted into Mario. A giant, deformed, bug-eyed Mario with an equally creepy Yoshi as his dragon. Truly it’s the stuff of nightmares.
3Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
How about heading back to more comfortable ground? Modding Mario into a platformer isn’t the most alien idea around. The originalCrash Bandicoot,as difficult as it was, stood alongsideSuper Mario 64as some pioneering entries in the 3D platformer. Thus, for the Bandicoot’s latest entry,SpongeBobbleTea replaced himwith a bobble-headed Mario model.
It’s not the smoothest mod around. Mario’s head floats separately from his body, and his shoulders and arms crunch and clip behind him in a few cutscenes. However, there’s no problem on the gameplay front as he’s essentially just Crash with a Mario model. He turns up on the world map, runs through the levels, and even has a few voice clips of his own.
2Banjo Kazooie
Speaking of 3D platformers,Banjo Kazooiewasanother reason to get a Nintendo 64back in the day. It offered the same thrills and spillsSuper Mario 64did with its own twist and charm. With the two standing together as that console’s highlight, it’s a no-brainer to expect modders to mix the two. Like putting Banjo and Kazooie into the Mushroom Kingdom, or Mario on Spiral Mountain.
Mario 64 x Banjo Kazooie is technically withinSuper Mario 64, but all the levels, characters, collectables, and music are straight from Rare’s game. The mod by Kaze Emanuar got a lot of buzz when it first cropped up in 2020 but has since gone quiet as he’s worked on other projects. Nonetheless, his progress can be found onhis YouTube channelalong with his other N64 creations.
1Sonic The Hedgehog
Is it that obvious to put Mario into a Sonic game? The former rivals have been bound together ever since the Sega Genesis dared to do what Nintendon’t. Bootleggers put Mario into an NES build of the originalSonic the Hedgehogandcalled him Somari. BlitzMightyN7 used theMario & Luigisprites to put both Mario Bros intoSonic Maniain place of Sonic and Tails. They even replaced the rings with coins and monitors with blocks.
InSonic 3: Angel Island Revisited, a fan-made retooling of the originalSonic 3 & Knuckles, Skidgi made sure Mario turned up to roll through each zone, complete with his own poses and end-of-level signposts. If the 3D games are more to one’s speed,Daku & Squiz of Mod Databasereplaced Sonic and friends with the plumber and his friend inSonic Generations. Why race Shadow when Mario can try to out-sprintSuper Mario Sunshine’s Shadow Mario instead? Seeing Mario barge into him at super speed to the Star Power-Up music is a delight.
More:Sonic Generations: Best Mods That Will Make You Reinstall the Game
