Romhacks ahoy

[flyingjohn]

Guess the game this hack was made on top of (Without cheating)

Either the mana series or some mario games?

 

[mogwaimon]

Guess the game this hack was made on top of (Without cheating)

gotta be Super Mario World. check out Super Wakana Land for another SMW hack that looks nothing like SMW, feels more like a Genesis platformer than a SNES one even in some respects.

 

[Ninjerk]

Guess the game this hack was made on top of (Without cheating)

A game made for ants that can actually see pictures this small

 

[Duraframe300]

Guess the game this hack was made on top of (Without cheating)

gotta be Super Mario World. check out Super Wakana Land for another SMW hack that looks nothing like SMW, feels more like a Genesis platformer than a SNES one even in some respects.

I'm amazed by the amount of work that goes into this, do you have more recommendations for such hacks (Outside of SMW too)

 

[mogwaimon]

Guess the game this hack was made on top of (Without cheating)

gotta be Super Mario World. check out Super Wakana Land for another SMW hack that looks nothing like SMW, feels more like a Genesis platformer than a SNES one even in some respects.

I'm amazed by the amount of work that goes into this, do you have more recommendations for such hacks (Outside of SMW too)

I haven't played enough hacks to make more recommendations unfortunately, sorry! I can't think of any full hacks that change the game to the degree that Super Wakana Land does off the top of my head either, though there's certainly more SMW hacks that transform the game entirely beyond a level hack.

 

[lightbane]

Mother 3 got a 1.3 update to the translation, if that counts as a romhack.
http://mother3.fobby.net/blog/2021/04/19/mother3-earthbound2-english-fan-translation-v1-3/

Here's a romhack for Mother 1 that updates the graphics and overall performance to make it less rough:
Mother 1 25th anniversary edition

http://www.romhacking.net/hacks/2211/

Earthbound Central is pretty much dead.. This website took its place if you're interested.
https://motherforever.net/

 

[Amurada]

I often feel conflicted on whether or not to play certain romhacks as my initial playthrough of the game. At this point, I'm on the verge of not caring any longer, as one of the number one aspects that gets me to drop a game ASAP is due to boredom stemming from a lack of proper challenge. I played FF6 when I was 12, and dropped it not long after obtaining tha dood who suplexes the train that everyone always prattles on about; meanwhile, I played FF5 for at least 12 hours, before finding out that FFT is a much better version of it, and went on to 100% complete FFT multiple times. I plan on playing the hardtype of FFT eventually, but I'm also considering playing that popular FF6 hardtype, as people generally say how much it improves the game. Despite only playing the original for around 4-6 hours, I just kinda don't care at this point, and am just willing to dive in. As lightbane has pointed out, the Mother 1 fan patch is the definitive version of the game, but I'd add that you should download the specific version that preserves the difficulty. I played the SNES remake of Dragon Quest 1 before giving the NES version a go, and massively prefer the challenge offered in the NES version. Same thing goes for Mother 1; the difficulty is completely nerfed in the vanilla patch, but there is a restoration patch for it that keeps all of the great visual changes, but preserves the difficulty. Still not that hard of a game, but difficult enough to maintain my interest at least.

 

[lightbane]

As lightbane has pointed out, the Mother 1 fan patch is the definitive version of the game, but I'd add that you should download the specific version that preserves the difficulty.

I dunno, most of the difficulty in NES-style games is the fact that the encounter rate is stupidly high, Mother 1 included. Unless you call that difficulty, shortening the number of random encounters is a blessing. Also, I finally watched a video LP of Mother 1 as I found the game dull due the aforementioned reasons, I have to say the game is somewhat more atmospheric due leaving you mostly on your own.

There's also tons of stuff to be discovered if you check the story behind Mother, such as the countless musicals references, or Itoi's eventful life.

Hardcoregaming has an article about it, back when they were still cool.

 

[Amurada]

I dunno, most of the difficulty in NES-style games is the fact that the encounter rate is stupidly high, Mother 1 included.

Obviously, this goes by a game per game basis, but I had great experiences with Mother 1, Dragon Quest 1, and Metal Max 1 on the NES. Even in regards to the encounter rate, well, battles are the primary reason I play turn-based strategy games to begin with. I know people tend to complain about trash mobs, but more often than not, I find random encounters to be an endurance test for how well your capable of managing your resources. Some games flesh out these concepts more than others, but when it works, it works. Dragon Quest 1 (NES) being one of the better examples of this. The way the campaign is balanced, it essentially works as an investment simulator of sorts. So much so that its no wonder Horii would immediately go on to develop Itadaki Street. Most RPGs generally tend to have the distribution of items via shops consist of a sole upgraded weapon type for one of your party members, same for armor/accessories. Dragon Quest 1 has multiple in one location, of each equipment category. This is done to have the player choose what investment he plans on making, with the severe punishment of having your cash reserves significantly reduced if your too stingy. Mother 1/2 operate on this same principle -- altho, not to the extent that I would like.

I get that encounters can be a nuisance in games like Skies of Arcadia, where battles are a mindless affair, with little to no short/long term resource management incentives; or especially punishments that would deter one from being a money/item hoarder, as many other RPGs have become. Games such as Dungeon Encounters and Disgaea 6 have - to my appreciation - went back to the drawing board, and have really thought out what makes these games great, and what the future of the genre (at least, for their franchises) ought to be.

And its unfortunate that games that have taken DQ1 as influence, have made many excellent ideas that are never fleshed out upon by other games. Pokemon makes healing free, sure, but the PP system is an excellent addition that is just a little too undermined in Pokemon given how easy it is... but no one else has ever found reason to try at it. And games like Helen's Mysterious Castle end up being more of a puzzle rather than a game where adaptation is generally required to transcend an RPG combat system, to a mere puzzle -- see Into the Breach as an even worse example of a game being devolved to merely a puzzle (as much as I don't like it, THAT is why Fire Emblem randomzies stats to the severe extent that it does).

Altho, all that being said, there is an extent to which I can praise Mother 1 over Dragon Quest 1. Both Dragon Quest 1, and Soul Shepherd (SMT:N's hardtype creators original game) have great balancing when it comes to challenging fights that are fair, but run into an annoyance that I think stems to the primary issue most have with 'NES Hard' RPGs: the fact that you are not making minimal literal progress (traversal of the map, for starters) due to the difficulty of these fights. You often have to remain within a close radius of the starting town circling around for battles for far too long before being able to set off on your adventure proper (and continually repeat this process as well in each new zone). In essence, there is no flexibility to have short/long term resource plans due to how difficult an individual battle is, while - and this is important - not providing adjacent means of recuperating from said battles -- something games like Dungeon Encounters pull off immensely (as well as Wild ARMs 3 to a lesser extent, and Wild ARMs 5 slightly lesser).

Mother 1, on the contrary, lets you wonder the game world to discover things, while providing a decent challenge all the while, and this is especially where I bring your claim to task lightbane . I understand that you cannot enjoy the game, and I also understand that battles are secondary; or even tertiary affairs for some RPG gamers, but I honestly think Mother 1 does a pretty good job - even moreso than Mother 2 - at striking a great balance between non-linear overworld exploration, and a decent amount of difficulty.

 

[lightbane]

I find random encounters to be an endurance test for how well your capable of managing your resources.

Fair enough, but NES games make them infuriating.
The fact that Earthbound/Mother 2 was one of the first JRPGs to make enemies visible was a blessing, as that also reduced the encounter rate a little. Sadly many games ignored the ability to see the bad guys coming for... Reasons, even when there was no need to.

okemon makes healing free, sure, but the PP system is an excellent addition that is just a little too undermined in Pokemon given how easy it is... but no one else has ever found reason to try at it

Pokemon is easy because the devs don't care, they can do whatever and it will sell like cakes. Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, on the other hand? Rock-solid games... Although the series declined after Explores of Sky, the peak of the series.

Soul Shepherd

Haven't found anything about this. Is this for the NES?

Altho, all that being said, there is an extent to which I can praise Mother 1 over Dragon Quest 1.

Funny that Mother 3 takes inspiration from DQ4, going as far as to have a peddler as an important character as well, but a malevolent one.

Mother 1, on the contrary, lets you wonder the game world to discover things, while providing a decent challenge all the while, and this is especially where I bring your claim to task lightbane . I understand that you cannot enjoy the game, and I also understand that battles are secondary; or even tertiary affairs for some RPG gamers, but I honestly think Mother 1 does a pretty good job - even moreso than Mother 2 - at striking a great balance between non-linear overworld exploration, and a decent amount of difficulty.

*shrug* Your opinion. I'm biased as I started with Earthbound first, as many I wasn't aware it was a sequel to begin with.

Mother 1 has a more open world, at the expense of looking barren due hardware limitations of the time. Some areas though are great, like Youngtown.

 

[Amurada]

The fact that Earthbound/Mother 2 was one of the first JRPGs to make enemies visible was a blessing, as that also reduced the encounter rate a little. Sadly many games ignored the ability to see the bad guys coming for... Reasons, even when there was no need to.

I couldn't disagree more. I often find overworld enemies in turnbased RPGs - warpig and jarpig alike - to be one of the more egregious flaws that plagues the subgenre whenever they're present; with exceptions being games that implement them in a manner that goes beyond a QoL feature. Breath of Fire V & Dungeon Encounters immediately come to mind. Otherwise, I find overworld enemies provide nothing but an annoyance to my overall enjoyment with the game. Not only am I unable to soak in the game's visuals without interruptions, but being able to avoid battles by circumventing the mediocre pathfinding AI present in most games takes the tension completely out of the game.

Pokemon is easy because the devs don't care, they can do whatever and it will sell like cakes.

Sure, I guess; not really my point tho. I agree that Pokemon is much too easy to be enjoyable, but I enjoy aspects of the DQ1 format that they added upon it regardless (and there were plenty of early JRPGs were specifically modeled after Dragon Quest 1 specifically, with their own mechanics, which is precisely why I bring it up).

Haven't found anything about this. Is this for the NES?

Nah, it's an RPG Maker 2000(?) game developed by tha dood who made the Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne hardtype. It's a pretty decent game, but I brought it up mostly to highlight the issues that it, and DQ1 share that I think contributes to a general audience finding these games NES hard. Not that they are particularly difficult at all, but instead, that most gamers want to make visual progress at any given point in time, and that some games 'expect' you to run around in circles in order to accumulate enough power to progress. Not in a manner that is all too different to most games, but just in a way that visually leads to players correlating their bad experience with grinding with some games, despite the fact that they 'grind' just as much in games that they enjoy -- they just don't notice it due to the visual progress. Dragon Quest 8 (PS2) is an excellent example. Unlike Dragon Quest 1, you are encouraged to traverse more of a given landscape, with less punishment for doing so, and yet, if you beeline it to the first dungeon as soon as you are able, you'll get your shit pushed in, and the first dungeon is neither far away from the initial starting point of the game, but the game 'expects' you to go there almost immediately.

*shrug* Your opinion. I'm biased as I started with Earthbound first, as many I wasn't aware it was a sequel to begin with.
Mother 1 has a more open world, at the expense of looking barren due hardware limitations of the time. Some areas though are great, like Youngtown.

I played Earthbound first as well (when it launched on the Wii U), and I played the anniversary edition patch of Mother 1 about 2 years ago on the other hand. I would say that I slightly prefer the original when it comes to the overall design of the game, but that's just due to the difficulty being slightly more balanced towards something I could enjoy. Earthbound does give you access to more equips at any given time just like DQ1 does tho, altho I don't recall if Mother 1 did. As much as I enjoyed other aspects of Mother 2 more (visuals, story, misc.), I preferred the first game's non-linearity (I loathe most open world games released today btw), and while I agree that the visuals leave alot to be desired (I played with the fan patch after all), there is alot more I'm willing to forgive(?) - maybe suspend some form of disbelief given the more abstract visuals would be appropriate to say - and look past as a result.

 

[lightbane]

Since I don't wish to derail things too much, let me offer a funny hack I noticed:
https://www.romhacking.net/hacks/6311/

The Beatles Adventures In Pepperland Super Mario Bros. 2 hack

Produced by Nesdraug and Shauing 2019-2021

This hack is loosely based on the 1968 film Yellow Submarine(which was actually released 13 november 1968 in the US)

Play as The Beatles and fight blue meanies in this colorful adventure in the unearthly paradise called Pepperland.

Now then, back to quoting...

I couldn't disagree more. I often find overworld enemies in turnbased RPGs - warpig and jarpig alike - to be one of the more egregious flaws that plagues the subgenre whenever they're present; with exceptions being games that implement them in a manner that goes beyond a QoL feature.

Well, if I'm in a cave rumored to be populated by monsters, I wish to be able to see these monsters coming, not have them sneak behind my party every time.

Breath of Fire V & Dungeon Encounters immediately come to mind.

You mean Dragon Quarter for the first one, right? That's what I meant. I didn't play the second one as it uses Denuvo IIRC. Is Denuvo still wrecked by the way?

ut being able to avoid battles by circumventing the mediocre pathfinding AI present in most games takes the tension completely out of the game.

Doesn't tend to happen often IMO, as depending on the game, the scenario is used against you to ensure this doesn't happen (ie: tight spaces). Or your protagonist is a slowass and can't outrun even an old lady (like the Ni No Kuni game).
If you want to bypass random encounters, that's both a reward and potentially a curse later on, as you'll be missing levels and money later on, so it evens out.

maybe suspend some form of disbelief given the more abstract visuals would be appropriate to say - and look past as a result.

It is more bittersweet than Earthbound, not to the level of the third game, of course, but it has unique things like the EVE robot and the unique Magicant world which are quite unique compared to the sequels. The game would greatly benefit from being remade with updated visuals.
Funny that the trilogy has bittersweet moments to less or greater capacity, such as how the MC's father is always absent. Perhaps the reason why the NPCs from Earthbound are so strange is because the world is recovering from the first game's alien invasion. The third game did play with their quirkiness being justified in a brutal plot-twist later on (the whole explanation by Leder, and how Porky made fun of said fact IIRC).

There's a fangame, Cognitive Dissonance, that is an interquel between the first two games. http://cogdis.tazmily.com/
It's unfortunately held back by the lack of experience of the devs, as well as using an old RPGMaker engine, but it's clear the devs tried their best. It plays more similar to Mother 1 than the sequel, and has permanently missable content plus multiple endings.

 

[Falksi]

Bruce Lee hack which replaces Skate on Streets of Rage 3.......