One dedicated modder has recreated Super Mario Sunshine in Super Mario 64, and it's quite the achievement.
Nostalgia, especially when combined with retro games, is a very powerful force that makes many echo back to the good old days of gaming, particularly if they grew up with those games. For instance, they can never get tired or bored from playing their favorite game, especially if it was their first one or if they have fond memories of it. However, what happens when you combine two or more retro games into one?
YouTube modder Kaze Emanuar (whose name may already sound familiar) has revealed his latest mod project in which he ported Super Mario Sunshine into Super Mario 64. In other words, the game of Super Mario Sunshine runs on the Super Mario 64 engine, essentially making it a bit more retro, yet still capturing the little details and gameplay mechanics that many players fell in love with.
In his elaborate and extensive developer commentary video, Kaze Emanuar explains some of the details and gameplay elements of the mod. Throughout the video demonstration, the modder talks about how certain elements were changed, how they work, what they do, and so on. For example, although the opening is technically the same, the textures of the mud/dirt were changed in order to fit Super Mario 64's style. Nonetheless, the gameplay itself feels and plays the same as in the original Super Mario Sunshine, which in itself is very impressive.
For those who wish to try the mod, there is a download link in the video's description. Considering how this is a mod, a player would need to possess a ROM file for Super Mario 64 as well as have a Nintendo 64 emulator on their computer. Then, the ROM file would need to be patched in order to run the mod. Of course, to obtain the ROM file, one would need to do so legally as to avoid any copyright infringements or piracy concerns.
This isn't the only project Kaze Emanuar worked on. Back in January, the modder published a mod for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time that adds the Shifting Sand Land stage from Super Mario 64 into the game, thus making it possible to play through the whole stage as Link.
Source: YouTube