Super Mario Bros Remastered adds level editing, custom characters and more

Super Mario Bros Remastered version 1.1 takes several early Mario games and rebuilds them as a PC project with a lot more going on under the hood. It isn’t just about replaying familiar levels. The package adds custom characters, new display options, resource packs, revised physics and a level editor that turns the project into something much broader than a straight remake. The name makes it sound like one game. It isn’t.

More than the original Super Mario Bros

Super Mario Bros Remastered includes recreations of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, Super Mario Bros. Special and All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. That’s a surprisingly wide mix.

These games share the same basic side-scrolling formula, but they don’t all play exactly the same way. Level layouts, rules and presentation can vary, so the collection feels less like one campaign and more like several related versions brought together under one project.

There’s one important requirement. You need an original Super Mario Bros. NES ROM to use the software. The project doesn’t simply bundle Nintendo’s original game assets. Instead, it provides the recreated engine and supporting systems while the user supplies the required game data.

Built with Godot and aimed at modern PCs

The project uses the Godot engine, which also means developers can import it into Godot and inspect or modify the project themselves. Ready-made versions are available for Windows and Linux. macOS support exists separately through an unofficial fork.

The remake doesn’t stick rigidly to the original NES presentation, either. It includes several display options, including an NES-style mode, support for Super Mario Bros. Special formatting, 16:9 widescreen and an unlocked display mode. That extra flexibility matters on a PC monitor.

Development has also touched the basics you notice immediately while playing, including physics, collision behaviour, animations and fullscreen handling. The aim isn’t simply to copy every technical limitation of the original hardware. Instead, the project rebuilds the games inside a newer engine and adjusts parts of the experience around that.

The level editor is where things get interesting

The built-in level editor is one of the project’s biggest features. You can create stages using enemies, objects, triggers, pipes and other gameplay elements. Over time, the editor has gained support for features such as warp-zone pipes, signal connections, track riders, toggle spikes and configurable pipe sequences. That makes it much more than a basic tile editor.

Custom levels can also sit inside larger level packs with their own world structures. So you’re not limited to building one short stage and calling it finished. The tools can support larger sets of connected levels.

Recent development has spent quite a bit of time on the editor itself. Updates in the 1.1 release-candidate series have targeted memory use, crashes, loading behaviour and general responsiveness. That’s useful work, especially for a tool where performance can quickly become annoying once levels grow more complicated.

Resource packs let you change the presentation

The customisation system goes beyond level layouts. Resource packs can replace graphics and audio, while newer versions give creators more control over level themes and backgrounds. Parts of the interface can be changed too, including icons used in world selection, level selection and sections of the editor. So a custom level pack doesn’t have to look exactly like the standard game.

Custom characters are supported as well. They can use their own sprites and appear directly in gameplay, adding another layer of flexibility for people building their own stages or packs. There’s also a portable mode. By placing a portable.txt file next to the executable, users can keep configuration files and related data inside the game folder instead of relying on the usual system locations. Small feature. Handy feature.

It works more like a Mario platform than a simple remaster

The clearest way to describe Super Mario Bros Remastered is as a rebuilt platform for several early Mario games. The recreated campaigns are the starting point, but they aren’t the whole story. The level editor, custom characters, resource packs, multiple display modes and ongoing technical updates have pushed the project well beyond the idea of simply giving Super Mario Bros. a cleaner coat of paint. You can play the included recreations, but you can also build around them.

That’s what gives the project its identity. It’s part remake, part editor and part custom game framework, all built around the structure of early 2D Mario. For PC players interested in that specific style of platforming, there’s quite a lot packed into it.

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