{"id":39141,"date":"2024-10-31T12:59:13","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T03:59:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=39141"},"modified":"2024-10-31T12:59:15","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T03:59:15","slug":"mario-is-gradually-being-engulfed-by-darkness-in-each-version-of-super-mario-64-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/game-development\/mario-is-gradually-being-engulfed-by-darkness-in-each-version-of-super-mario-64-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Mario is gradually being engulfed by darkness in each version of Super Mario 64. Here&#8217;s why\u00a0\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The mystery behind Mario\u2019s shadow in Super Mario 64 has been attracting attention again lately. In successive versions of the classic 1996 N64 game made available on Wii\/Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch Online, Mario\u2019s shadow gets progressively larger to the point that it looks ready to swallow the poor plumber\u2019s feet. A recent explanation shed light on why this is happening.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Attention was drawn to Mario\u2019s growing shadow late last December by the X account for the Supper Mario Broth blog, which highlights obscure Mario content and trivia.\u00a0 In the comparison image in the post below, you can clearly see Mario\u2019s shadow move further off the ground to cover more of his feet with each successive official N64 emulator that game has been run on. But what is causing this phenomenon?\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Throughout the different rereleases of Super Mario 64 over the years, Mario is being progressively consumed by his shadow. With each new engine the game runs on, his shadow rises up further from the ground and covers more of his feet. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/oEZIDOsaxC\">pic.twitter.com\/oEZIDOsaxC<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Supper Mario Broth (@MarioBrothBlog) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarioBrothBlog\/status\/1740052845666455881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 27, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Responding to the original post almost a year later on October 27, 2024, experienced N64 modder Kaze Emanuar explained why this mysterious shadow issue is likely occurring.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"shadows-in-super-mario-64-were-created-in-a-way-that-causes-issues-for-n64-emulators\"><strong>Shadows in Super Mario 64 were created in a way that causes issues for N64 emulators<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Shadows in emulated Mario 64 versions float above the ground and visibly clip into Mario&#39;s model.<br><br>I will explain why: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/6AlRTjvgZs\">https:\/\/t.co\/6AlRTjvgZs<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Kaze Emanuar (@KazeEmanuar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KazeEmanuar\/status\/1850532148169630058?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 27, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Mario&#8217;s shadow in Super Mario 64 is rendered using the decal render mode. This involves simply pasting flat decals onto the surface of a 3D model. However, developers have to deal with an issue called Z-fighting when displaying Mario&#8217;s shadow on devices other than the original N64 platform.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Z-Fighting is a phenomenon whereby textures flicker when 3D models are rendered with overlapping surfaces. In games such as Super Mario 64, the depth (Z-axis) information of various objects as seen from the camera is calculated and rendered in such a way so that \u201cMario is in the foreground and the wall behind him is hidden.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" src=\"http:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/20241031-39141-001.jpeg\" alt=\"Super Mario 64 Nintendo Switch Online version of the game\" class=\"wp-image-39145\" srcset=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/20241031-39141-001.jpeg 960w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/20241031-39141-001-380x214.jpeg 380w, https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/20241031-39141-001-768x432.jpeg 768w\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Super Mario 64 (Nintendo Switch Online version).<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>However, the game engine may misjudge certain renderings and display them incorrectly. With the \u201cshadow decals that stick to the surface of the floor,\u201d the game engine may judge that the floor and the shadow are on the same plane. This can lead to a situation where the visible and hidden surfaces on the screen become inextricably linked, resulting in uncomfortable flickering as the textures of both planes clash with each other. This is an example of the Z-Fighting phenomenon.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"a-z-fighting-glitch-countermeasure\"><strong>A Z-Fighting glitch countermeasure<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As Kaze Emanuar explains, Mario\u2019s rising shadow is likely the result of attempts to counter Z-Fighting. Seeing as the cause of Z-Fighting is overlapping planes, a simple solution to the issue is to maintain a sufficient distance between the two planes. However, the distance required to prevent Z-Fighting depends on the hardware.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Emulators get around this by simply offsetting any decal triangles forwards, which causes shadows in Mario 64 to render offset from the ground. The easier Z fighting happens on your target hardware, the bigger this offset has to be&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/MdMJnRxnkC\">pic.twitter.com\/MdMJnRxnkC<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Kaze Emanuar (@KazeEmanuar) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/KazeEmanuar\/status\/1850532291719672085?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">October 27, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the original N64 release, Mario\u2019s shadow appears to sit comfortably on the ground. However, in successive emulations of Super Mario 64 on the Wii\/Wii U Virtual Console and Nintendo Switch, it was necessary to move Mario\u2019s shadow further and further away from the floor to avoid graphical glitches. Although this prevents Z-fighting from occurring, it does make it look a bit like Mario\u2019s feet are being consumed by his shadow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Since Kaze Emanuar posted their thread, it has gained over 1100 likes and more than 700 retweets (at the time of writing). Many responders seem grateful to the user for shedding some light on the mystery behind Mario\u2019s rising shadow.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Super Mario 64 has remained a firm favorite with speedrunners, with players committing to intense challenges (like <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/super-mario-64-was-just-beaten-without-pressing-the-a-button-for-the-first-time-and-it-took-over-86-hours\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">completing the game without pressing the A button<\/a>), and discovering new secrets, like a penguin exploit that allows the <a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/super-mario-64-last-locked-door-finally-opened-by-exploiting-a-penguin\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">game&#8217;s final locked door to be opened<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:100px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Written by\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/author\/verity-townsend\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Verity Townsend<\/a>\u00a0based on the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/articles\/newsjp\/super-mario-64-20241028-316043\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">original Japanese\u00a0article<\/a>\u00a0(original article\u2019s publication date:\u00a02024-10-28 17:39 JST)\u00a0<\/em>\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Mario&#8217;s shadow in Super Mario 64 seems to rise further off the ground in the Wii\/Wii U and Switch emulations of the game, but why is this?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":39144,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[64,3],"tags":[33],"class_list":["post-39141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-game-development","category-news","tag-nintendo"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Mario is gradually being engulfed by darkness in each version of Super Mario 64. 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