An enterprising Youtuber by the name of “Aryoksini” has done what thousands of fanboys have never known they wanted until now: Mario in realistic environments. Thanks to Aryoksini’s work, Mario can be walked through various Unreal Engine 4 tech demos such as an apartment, a subway station, a cave system, and a castle.
But the impressive part is that, as the YouTube video demonstrates in a side-by-side comparison, Mario’s movements are almost 1:1 perfectly matching his Mario 64 animations:
It’s certainly surreal seeing good old fashioned chipper and happy Mario shouting “Yahoo!” through distinctively gritty and un-Nintendo environments, but Unreal Engine 4 certainly does a good job of making him seem like he belongs there. Who knows, maybe the rumoured Nintendo console, the Nintendo NX, will be the perfect time for an edgy reboot of everyone’s favorite Italian plumber.