A look at the community-made side of the Mario world — fan games and ROM hacks — and what to keep in mind before trying one.
Alongside official Nintendo releases, there's a long-running community that builds Mario-inspired fan games and ROM hacks — modified versions of original cartridge data with new levels, mechanics, or art.
Long-running level editors and hacking tools have let hobbyists create everything from brutally difficult "kaizo" level packs to full alternate storylines, keeping interest in decades-old games alive long after their original release.
Because most of this content is unofficial and distributed outside official storefronts, only download from well-established, actively moderated fan communities, and treat any executable file with the same caution you'd apply to software from an unfamiliar source.
No, fan games are unofficial, community-made projects, typically built independently of Nintendo using their own original code and art assets.
Kaizo hacks are ROM hacks known for extremely difficult, precision-based level design, popularized within parts of the Mario hacking community.
It's safest to stick to well-established, actively moderated fan communities, and to treat any downloaded executable with the same caution as unfamiliar software from any source.
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