Super Mario Bros. Bowser's Jumping Challenge is my SMB1 hack for the NES. I will be using SMB Utility, a great easy to use editor. I have also edited some graphics, nothing major. I updated the numbers' font, mushrooms and the floor and solid block graphics to SMB3 style. I also added some big "B"s in different places to signify Bowser's involvment in this challenge, it is called...Bowser's Jumping Challenge after all.

This hack is hard, but real world hard...not savestate hard. Savestate hard means this game could only be beaten by savestating in an emulator after every hole or bad guy. I think games design with that in mind arent true to the nature of console games, or any type of GAME. Games should be fun, if they can be challenging and fun, even better. But taking the player out the flow of a level so they can press F-whatever to save because they know the game will cheat them soon, is bad desgin, poor taste (if done intentionally) and just no fun for the player. So thats why I call my hack real world hard. As in, if this where an actual cartridge inserted into an existing Nintendo Entertainment System, the player could actually beat the game without any artificial help.

Having said all that, SMB1BJC isnt terribly long either. Four levels per world, 3 worlds amounts to 12 levels total to complete. Short and sweet, the perfect length in my opinion. A good old-school platformer lover gamer should eat this hack up in an afternoon. Im gonna have to assume anyone with knowledge of this site and its type knows that a gamepad is pretty much required to play these demanding of hacks. If you can beat it using a keyboard...wow.

As you can see from the numerous screenshots, I tryed to give each level a unique look using different scenery, backgrounds and styles. Initially, I was going to completly ignore cosmetic embelishments in favor of pure platforming action. But that makes for weak screenshots and hell, SMB Utility makes it so painfree to change this stuff up. The only coins you will see signify the presence of invisable coin blocks needed to advance. There is also at least 1 brick block that contains a 1-up in every level. Anyways, play the hack. Have fun. For an extra challenge try this...there are excactly 2 power up blocks in the entire hack. The first (In World 1-1) gives you the mushroom that turns you into Super Mario, naturally..the second (In World 2-4)turns you into Fire Mario..that is of course if you are still super when you hit the block. If you can beat the game as fire mario, kudos to you.

Here is the ips file that you use to patch the game, a no frills, reliable ips patcher and the only nes emulator this hack was tested on. (FCE Ultra)