Prototype versions of classic Nintendo games including Yoshi’s Island, Super Mario Kart and Star Fox appear to have leaked onto the internet.
The early demos are said to be part of an alleged leak of Nintendo source code, which could be linked to a larger breach of legacy Nintendo data which was first reported in May.
So far videos claiming to show early prototypes of Super Mario Kart and Super Mario World 2 (Yoshi’s Island) have appeared online, supposedly repurposed from the leaked source code. Early sprite artwork for Super Mario World and others also appears to have leaked online.
The videos claiming to show prototype versions of Yoshi’s Island are the most significant, showcasing entirely new UI and levels. One prototype for Mario World 2 – called “Super Donkey” – shows an entirely new character in a forest environment.
According to an anonymous post on the 4chan forum, the leak also includes the source code for F-Zero, Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, Super Mario RPG, Super Mario All-Stars, Link’s Awakening DX, Star Fox 2, Wild Trax and Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
The leak is also said to include data for the Wii Shop Channel, a Wii Game Boy emulator, China’s iQUE service and more.
The data could have huge implications for the rom hack scene and allow modders to create native PC versions of classic games and edit them. The mod community could, for example, theoretically create a 60fps version of Star Fox or F-Zero.
According to various sources archived on Resetera and Reddit, over 2 terabytes of Nintendo data was allegedly leaked online in May, including the original source code for Nintendo 64, GameCube and Wii.
Test software for the Nintendo 64, including a ‘Mirror House Cornflakes’ demo, were also allegedly included in the leaked data.
Of more interest to gaming archivists will be the suggestion that the full leak could also contain early Spaceworld demos of many N64 titles, however, this data is seemingly yet to surface
Earlier this year a fully functioning PC port of Super Mario 64 began circulating online, following a breakthrough last year when fans were able to decompile the game’s code. However, this was created via reverse engineering the game’s source code and not via leaked data.
This news was originally published at videogameschronicle.com