In 2020, many gigabytes of Nintendo’s internal data were leaked onto the wider Internet. Known as “Gigaleak”, it contained source code and resources for many games. Using the data from this leak, a group of enthusiasts gathered high-quality interpretations of the original SNES Super Mario World (OST) soundtracks.
The work was made possible when the source code for the Super Mario World remake for Gameboy Advance was found in the leaked data. The source code included the sample names, which were the same as those used in the original SNES game. This allowed the team to find the original samples among the gigabytes of leaked files.
We wondered what would be done with all that code, speculating that it would be a poison pill for the emulator scene. This type of hack was not even on our radar and we are very happy to see the project come to light. The songs played have a totally different quality from the original SNES soundtrack. This is largely due to the fact that the samples do not need to be compressed or cut to fit in a cartridge and work with the console’s sound chip. Other variations in sound also come from the fact that, unlike the game, the samples in these representations do not match the duration of the game in the original game.
Regardless of the changes, it is interesting to hear a more complete and rounded sound from these classic video game songs. This reminds us a little of the later era of the CD console, when sound designers were able to break free from the limitations of the previous hardware. Of course, we still bow to the chiptune alter – and this Gameboy MIDI mod is a great place to start if you’re curious. Video after the break.