ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 พ.ย. 2023
- In 2016, a strange Mario World rom hack called ''the' would drop on SMW Central, and quickly became the most disturbing, strange, and creepy game Mario has ever been in, finally explained, (mostly). Forests of blood, ancient gods, and a cryptic story are all here to analyze, and I will go further than anyone else has ever before! What happened on July 31st, 1992?
...again?
Super Mario World was released in the 90's, and has enjoyed its status as one of the most cherished video games ever made. Its a household name, which inspired many people to modify its levels, creating a deep community of players who create custom content and modify in-game assets for a whole new experience, and people have been making creepy horror hacks for some time.
None match up to what this game has in store.
My name is Peter, and I cover strange and interesting video games every single week. Join me in my journey to talk you ear off about every single one!
(BTW, I have a brand-new Patreon! Its not required to watch the channel, but it does help me sustain the channel longer).
Rom hack► www.smwcentral.net/?a=details...
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• The Mario ARG Has Fina...
• So we actually found t...
• The M A R I O ROM Hack...
• Coronation Day ('the) ...
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Those "realistic" bones are literally Dry Bones after you jump on them, dragged into ms paint to add some red.
Not sure how I didn't notice that. Must've been a pibby glitch
MSPAINT 💪💪💪💪💪
@@K3N0PSIAlice
@@heypeterRealu dumb af bruh.
@@heypeterRealodd.. must be a pibby glitch
Gave you a like for being one of the only video essay TH-camrs I've seen to say that something "needs no introduction" and not immediately follow that statement with a two-minute introduction.
Personally I don’t mind if they do that
Agreed. Give an intro if you're gonna give an intro, but if you're gonna write in the script that something doesn't need an introduction, it feels weird to immediately contradict that.
@@MutedAndReported3032cuz ur dumb.
just because itbdoesjt need one doesnt mean it doesnt deserve one.
Okay, but I’d prefer something to be overexplained than potentially underexplained. I’ve never played Mario World before and would genuinely appreciate even just a couple of minutes dedicated to a more in depth explanation
" mario is forever stuck in hell, and we cant do anything to help" i love shit like this. its so ridiculous
L mario
L mario
you go to hell before you die
L mario
L mario
I feel like the one hole in your theory is in how you interpret the Pink Forest. when explaining it you overlook two critical factors IMHO, the enemies being mostly Human Organs and the fact that the ending of this section has our character falling onto Mario.
My theory is that this is actually showing us the Ritual itself, and that our "Mario" we're controlling is simply a random member of the cult, as the upside down head the sprite has in this section does give me the vague idea of your average cultist wearing a robe and hood, especially considering this is the only time outside of the Black Forest where Mario's sprite itself has it's pallet heavily changed. This also explains why the king is so confused and almost panicking that something "fell", as the way to reach the ending of the Pink Forest (besides the random crash which seems more like a bug since the graphics distort and corrupt just before it) is by falling down the pit the King is floating over.. which just happens to lead to your cultist "mario" falling down into the cabin and directly on top of Mario.
Thus with this idea in mind, what I suspect happened is that during the ritual some clumsy cultist trips and falls, crashing through the roof of Mario and Peaches cabin resulting in his death. (this also explains why we see a Mario Ghost during that one ending, as it would be Mario's spirit after being crushed). As Mario is the "Heart" that the King needs to finish the Ritual, he's left with no choice but to begin the Time Loop, bringing Mario back to life and forcing Peach to relive her suffering endlessly until he can successfully capture Mario and perform the Ritual on him.
It is at this point I believe the Witness comes into the picture, as I suspect he is a member of the Cult, but perhaps one that realized not only is the entire forest stuck in this endless loop, but that he needs another solution to break it, after all Mario is already dead, we see his Soul hidden underwater.. what we play as is but a mere "shadow of what he once was", a hollow shell that is stuck going through the motions, unable to do any of the super human feats that made Mario the Hero we know him as. this would explain why the King catching us leads to the Winter Forest, the one section where the King's power is at it's weakest, where we see Peaches corpse is trapped frozen underwater, and where we get the hints that lead us towards ultimately "defeating" the King and "freeing' Mario.
Thus I propose, the Witness is not truly a Witness at all, but merely a cultist tapping into the King's reality bending powers to find a new Heart, speaking to us the players directly and guiding us, both inside of and outside of the game (the lunar magic hints), making us think we're freeing Mario from this terrible fate... when in truth all we're doing is casting the final part of the ritual ourselves, finally freeing the King and crowning him, delivering his Coronation Day to him. It could even be said that the twisted trumpets we hear in the Black Forest aren't Angels weeping at the loss of Mario.. but the sounds of triumph announcing the eminent arrival of the King of the Forest we are now trapped inside of, left with no other in universe choice but to complete the ritual.
for as the King says when he finally notices us in the final ending.
"This must be what it feels like to be KING" - The King has fully awakened, his ritual complete for the first time the whole game
"and I did not need his Help" - He did not need Mario's Heart to finish the RItual, for we were tricked into offering our own in his place.
"For you is He" - You are now apart of the King, as you were the one to make him complete, this is why we cease having control of Mario at this point, our power to access the world of the game is now apart of the King.
"I am the King, for He is not You" - but you are not the King, for we do not have a body for him to Possess.
Bro is cooking over here.
This is gonna be my new headcanon, it fits so well
as someone who hasn't watched the video yet
you sound like a mad man rambling about mario in a pink forest
As someone who has watched the video. This is a whole lot more satisfying of an ending to me than the one suggested in the video
This makes so much more sense holy moly
i love how when peach was being sacrificed and basically dying she was like "hey my throat hurts can you cut it open?😒🙄💖💅" i love that for her
true
Absolute girl boss
So girlypop of her
she was so real for that
Soooo SLAY!!
I think “Please leave, I won’t mind.” Is Peach telling Mario to stop trying to find her because she knows it will only hurt him to keep searching, but Mario is still convinced that he can do something to help. He’s voluntarily trapped in his own cycle of torment trying to rescue Peach like he always does.
L Mario
@@SuperFunGamer144 fr fr
@@SuperFunGamer144Nah, I believe that's one of the chaddest move around.
Purposely trapping yourself in an infinite hell to try and get your friend/crush/lover out is admirable of his part.
Call that simping, I call that being a real one
@@joeda900If nothing else it's fighting for the ability to see them, even if for only moments
@@SuperFunGamer144 W Mario* Im sick of losers calling Mario an L just because he wants to help his friends and keep him safe. Atleast he wouldn't leave a man behind unlike mkst cowards
I think the sacrifice was via drowning since it’d explain Peach’s dialogue about not being able to breathe and wanting her lungs taken out and explains the bridge endings being significant. She was cast off the bridge to drown after a ritual. It also explains the tainted water and why the pink growths of “Him” look like kelp.
This was a great video, but if you could, could you show us more stuff found in the files or through editors?
Oooh, those are good points!
Yea, thought the same stuff while watching it.
The whole "DROWN HER" in the background of the glitched seciton after the chase would also be a good explanation.
It also can explain the green peach in the frozen water in the winter area, interesting.
also remember that the two peach sprites at 10:16 are in the water 🤔
The sequel to this should be a Luigi's Mansion hack where Luigi and Toad have to infiltrate the forest with shotguns and crosses all FAITH style
YOOOOO THATD BE AWESOME f:tut is so cool i'd love to see more work inspired by it
"Don't-a be afraid Toad."
with E1M1 playing in the background?
@@altreon3608 yes, but it's SM64 soundfont
or something hotline miami tim follin-esque
@@This_Guy_Exists I see you everywhere...everywhere I go...even on Sonic.exe content from what I remember...
DO YOU LIKE CHOCOLATE?
interesting tidbit: nintendo announced they would no longer be manufacturing arcade hardware on july 31st 1992
maybe july 31 1992 was the day Mario and Peach Moved into the forest and the day the Peach Became the Kings Vessel
What a strange connection. I imagine the creators of the hack intentionally chose that date to reference that, but I have no clue how that ties into the plot or themes. Was the success of the ritual the reason why Nintendo stepped out of the arcades? Is the forest meant to be a parallel to an abandoned arcade? Did the creators think it was just a funny date to reference?
I always interpreted that in building the house, they offended the Forest God by potentially cutting down trees to build it/etc.
I saw a comment that though something pretty similar to that, i'd probably think the same but the forest god never really seemed to state anything about feeling disrespected, he seems to only care about eating organs and tormenting others.
@@onioncutterninja1535Same honestly.
while i dont think its true, given how excited the text seemed at the prospect of building the house(which i feel wouldnt be the case if they truly didnt like him cutting down trees) the idea that the god is just the lorax is really funny to me
Bowser
Nuff said
"don't you know hacking is a sin" says the rom-Hackers
They are sinners!
Takes one to know one, as they say.
Nah. Hack the Hack.
One bit of feedback/pet peeve of mine is when video creators say "I'm not going to give out every little secret cause I want you to play the game". If I wanted to play the game, I would have stopped the video and played it. I think most people who watch videos on games with mysteries want to hear/see all of it. Good video still though, keep up the good work
Yeah personally I'm too much of a weenie to actually play through any horror games so in these situations I'm always left in suspense
Coronation Day is too frightening for me to play especially that horrifying peach in the red world. @@smoocheese1400
Especially because its so easy as to say "Spoiler warning, go play the game if you haven't"
or don't own a pc
@Kami_Noize for this one, at least, it's possible to play on mobile. I dunno if you'd be able to patch to rom on mobile, but its possible.
But there again, I don't know half the shit needed to understand the game, like xracking into the code and shit
It's interesting what people can piece together from these things. It's almost sad that the creator said in an interview with KTB that the texts in the original MARIO pasta, and it's sequels were essentially random, and they were never meant to have a cohesive plot. Random with good game design makes for a better pasta than intentional plots with hyper-realistic™ gore, and sanicnugod running spoopy fast.
I still think its super funny that a genuinely unsettling rom hack was made because "wah waaaah my last rom flunked hard in a contest❗️❗️❗️" (at the time) or something along those lines.
Also that one theory back in the day about the Victim #1 image being some sort of band thingy turned out to be *somewhat* right.
And hey, they learned from that and made something leagues above it in the future!
this was a sequel to MARIO?
@@RosemaryBo1991I don't think so
@@ashtimbo ah alright then
It's always a good day to see more people discussing Coronation Day. There's something about it that I can't seem to move past. It's like there's this underlying sense of tragedy that really hooks you, like a forbidden fruit. Out of all the countless EXE and creepypasta games that are out there, this is the only one that has ever felt genuinely "haunting".
It stuck with me when i first saw it, something so unique about it. The soundtrack is especially effective
yeah, it's always a good day when an actually interesting or good creepypasta comes to fruition
IKR?? IT'S SO GOOD
@@ThePhantom4516Yeah, no wonder, Torchkas did it. That's the same guy who did "Can You Feel" that was featured in the vaporwave level of Mario's Mystery Meat
There only two horror Mario games that actually have had an effect on me, and that's Coronation Day and sm64.z64
Again?
"Interesting. You really had no idea, did you? YOU built it, and after that you . . . tried . . . . . again?"
That makes alot of sense actually
There actually is an ending you missed.
If you get to the end of peach's section without harming any of the rexes, you can actually go back and the bridge will collapse from under her on its own.
Iirc it also leads to the frozen end, but it still is interesting to note
he didnt
its at 25:10
@@ifardedveryloud420 that's not what they're talking about. The end you said was where you kill the recession, and you manually needed to break the bridge with select.
im sure that frozen end is kinda different from entering with select
it honestly seems insane that this much effort and care was put into a mario horror rom hack, props to all of the devs
Mario is the centerpiece needed to kill the devil.
Honestly, not the most far off paper Mario plot
*The Thousand Year Door*
You forgot about the "Drown her"
There is the hole at the end, that later becomes blood, and of course it could be Peach's being drowned by He, but there is also the green Peach on a frozen lake, Mario escaping by jumping in water, and considering the devil theory the link between water and baptism.
i thought the green peach, was peach’s corpse, frozen, bc she died by drowning in the lake, that would later freeze
hour long video essay, misses glaring part of the essay's subject
That is interesting to think of, because there are a couple lines of dialogue that remind me of baptism, with peach wanting to be let up out of the water
i got an idea Maybe the Green peach wasnt peach but is a previous Sacrifice for the king
Or think about this, what if Peach got thrown in the water to be baptized because of the King?
How ironic. Mr Jumpman Mario killed by having someone fall on him, imitating his own most iconic attack.
1:07:55 I just had a brain blast! At the end of Super Mario World when you save Peach texts comes up saying they will go on vacation. Could this trip be the vacation they planned? Maybe but idk why I took a year for them to do it, maybe they planned it for the summer?
The only problem with this theory is Mario and Peach were on vacation in Super Mario World and Bowser interrupted it as explained in the manual and the GBA remakes intro. The vacation referred to at the end of the game is Mario & Peach resuming their vacation. Although since it’s in the manual and no one reads those things it’s possible the team didn’t know this information.
The King is Bowser
Well they are still in Dinosaur Land since the only enemies are the dinosaurs, so maybe they did resume their vacation, or more likely decided to try it again the following year
the idea that the happy light-hearted events of Super Mario World are immediately followed by death cult summoning eldritch god in human body horror sacrifice is really funny to me
I always assumed that the vacation they took was to Isle Delfino.
"i'll tell you what luigi, we've had bad vacations but that one takes the cake!"
I remember SpaceHamster went over creepy Mario Rom hacks, and included this one. There’s some other well-creative ones! It’s actually surprising to see some of them connected in ARG.
Didn’t even know about the other secrets like the “Hell” ending, the Rose Forest, or the “Freedom Code.”
Maybe the “Freedom Code” is actually a ritual that opens a portal or releases their soul/spirit from their body. Maybe the bridge falling was the King finally getting Mario, trapping him in Hell (or the King’s domain). Perhaps the King finally possessed Mario, and “Hell” is actually the interior of Mario’s mind that Mario’s soul is trapped in. It might also be how the King was able to tag along with Mario after the ritual/code. He knew Mario himself would have no idea about the ritual unless a higher being informed him; by performing the ritual, Mario’s soul is set free, but because of the possession, so is the King’s.
i used to watch a lot of spacehamster, i knew i recognized this hack lol
The Mario and Sonic scary roms videos are legendary lol
happy to see people talk about Hammy
Oh yeah, that's why I know this hack, good ol' hammy.
The thumbnail from video with "Creepy Mario ROM Hacks" from SpaceHamster (edit: or AntDude, I don't recall) was legit the reason I never viewed Mario World the same _ever_ again.
I am not even sure if they changed said thumbnail from late 2016 when I saw it, but it was creepy in a surreal way, lol. Talented stuff.
On one hand, I want to see Corenation Day be turned into a full fledged game with some finality to it, on the other, I wonder if that would ruin the magic of it. I haven't played Corenation Day myself, mind you, but it gives off some sort of horror Stanley Parable vibe to it. No matter how hard you try, no matter how final these endings seem, you are always thrust back to the beginning of this loop.
The end is never the end, and HIS reign may never end.
Side note: I wanna give a shout out to Slay the Princess, which could be seen as somewhat similar to Corenation Day in terms of story telling.
Slay the princess?
@@Random-oy7vka vn that came out around a month ago! It’s about a narrator guiding a hero (that you control) to a princess that you’re supposed to slay. It’s a love story, though. It’s really good, it has so many branching paths and choices, the artstyle and voice acting is phenomenal, and overall is just an amazing experience. It won a game award for best rpg (which is weird? It deserves the recognition, but idk if it counts as rpg enough?)if that tells you anything. Great game, 12/10 would kiss a princess again
Mario wahoo's his way to beat the eldritch monster's ass
I feel like it's a bit similar to Twin Peaks or other David Lynch productions, giving it a conclusion ruins the entire mystery.
The way you described the games story, it feels very close to a normal Mario story!
Peach is in trouble, theirs an evil king that wants to seize control, Mario is the only one who can stop him, he meets up with a buddy who helps him and give him information along the way.
I’m shocked how close this feels to an actual Mario game story, just with a much darker edge.
Yeah, and the mention of a dragon makes me think that the god of the forest is maybe Bowser.
@@ps4pro668 lol he was like “screw this kidnapping shit, imma start a cult!” 😂
this video feels like a satire
@@NCEYSPT why are you telling me this?
Coronation Day is my favorite romhack of all time. It's the perfect size for the experience it's offering, and the atmosphere it builds and the story it tells stand shoulder to shoulder with some of the greatest horror games out there. And it's a friggin' Super Mario rom hack. Every time someone talks about it and brings more of the attention to a project that more then deserves it, my day is made. And to get a real deep dive into it as well *muah*, sublime.
PS. Every time I hear someone pronounce ".gif" as "jif", I die a little bit inside. Gotta love those Jrafic Image Format files.
Nobody cares about how gif is pronounced, please stfu
Took the words right out of my mouth! I can only hope as time moves on, it'll only grow more and more beloved. ❤
Jrafic Format Files 🤣🤣🤣
Scuba is also an acronym, where the u stands for underwater, but it is pronounced scooba, not scuh-ba
Laser is also an acronym where s stands for stimulated, but everyone pronounces it lay-zer, not lay-sir
What an acronym stands for has nothing to do with how it is pronounced. The creators of the format themselves have said that the correct way to pronounce gif is "jif"
@@bigshrekhorner I appreciate the grammar lesson, truly. But it doesn't make your case any stronger. In the terms of word structure of the english language, even as wildly inconsistent as it can seem to be, has some pretty well defined rules. Being an acronym is ancillary to how it should be reasonably pronounced in a vacuum, or simply how they are used as words on their own rather then acronyms. The U in Scuba can make an "oo" sound, like in the word Super. That is how our language is structured and dictates how it should be. Likewise, "gif" should be, if we are to adhere to the commonly accepted vernacular of the english language, pronounced with a "G" sound, and not a "J". I am aware of what its creator says is the "correct" way, and I regret to inform him that english disagrees.
Addendum: Thinking about it, this was probably directed at my "Jrafics Image Format" jab. It's a little gag I like to throw around since I find it humourous (and at least one other person here did too). I am well aware that the root words of an ascended acronym have no bearing on how they are pronounced on their own. But again, these words, like scuba, laser, and gif, have ascended past being acronyms into words that stand on their own. And if were to hold them to the standards that we hold every other true, recognized word to, yes, "gif" would still be pronounced with a "G".
I still want to believe that one day devs will come and explain everything
or a sequel with soe resplution because damn i am coping hard about a happy ending
Nah I want it to make no sense.
YES PLEASE
No answer ever will be as satisfying as whatever we come up with from the bits and pieces here. With how genius this hack is, we're definitely not getting more about it.
I don't want an explanation, I want more mystery. It'd be /amazing/ if the devs made more Coronation Day-esque hacks, because no other creepy romhack comes close to this one in terms of sheer atmosphere, imo.
If you want to go with this cult theory, you would also have to consider that the enemies that Peach stomps on, might be the actual cultists. Who might be used for the sacrifice as well, or she tried to stop them and was then caught by the Forest God himself. (Perhaps not knowing also the true nature of what was going on here)
Also I wouldn't say Neo-Pagans make stuff up, though it depends. (Not like Christian denominations don't do that all the time.) They weren't seen as 'cults', more so gods and spirits you asked in-favor for. For the information on them, it depends how well the oral tradition is preserved, like with folklore on Baltic, Finnish, Sami, Norse, Siberian, American, etc.
YHVH, or Abrahamic God, also acts similarly and there's a specific focus on sacrifices as well on the Old Testament. Not to mention 'Satan', in the Old Testament, is not seen the same as the Serpent, and more so as a 'punishing angel' for God, who tempts in the will of God, rather than against him. Though it is accurate to say, as time passed on, more and more of the crusaders and christians converted the 'pagan gods', to be 'pagan' in the first place. So twisting of a force of nature to a great evil isn't inaccurate.
@@rokka7188 redditor detected
55:16 " *You* built it"
"and after that you"
"tried"
"again?"
Well damn, you might have solved that. Never looked at it that way, somehow, but I got a little chill seeing it written like this.
I know the focus is on the atmosphere and such but the pink forest or whatever it is has such weird text.
In my opinion, putting the weird "Ohhh it's coming out" stuff aside, it's probably someone ripping out peach's lungs. Remember she *did* say to take out her lungs earlier
The "Ohh is coming out" is just weird... Even with context...
It feels straight from a hub video...
@@Skididi_theft that's what I'm saying
@@Skididi_theft"that look is precious, you'll make it big for sure" 🤨
@@garfieldfan42069 the way peter says it doesnt help either 💀💀💀
@@JayBa438 lmfao me and my friends put that over videos of each other
I barely stop listening for 2 seconds and I hear “Maybe Mario is a guardian angel sent from heaven”
Also I find it hilarious that the king just randomly yelled “WHAT COLOR IS YOUR FAVORITE” lol
well, answer his question
@@aaa-js5dj Green
@@aaa-js5dj
Me: Blue
King: Understandable have a nice day
Wonder if the "what color is your favorite" is a reference to the Godzilla NES creepypasta. That being one of the pretty known question posed by the "face" being. And also that creepypasta having a whole "demon" and "demonic possession" thing going on.
@@StimkySkunkoyou mean red?
The line about HIS hair covering everything could be referencing the mist/fog that is permeating the entire forest
This might be a stretch, but is it just me, or does this game resemble the lyrics to Murders by Miracle Musical? The song tells of a couple that went into a forest, but the girl was taken by the Erlking. It goes on to describe “murders of murderers living in fear of it” and the song sort of implies a loop by starting and ending with the same lyric, “he was in the forest looking to see the trees, but none were there” (like the absence of enemies?), except the second time “he” is replaced with “I”
That probably doesn’t hold much significance, I just feel it’s an interesting comparison and maybe the game was inspired by it
Oh god yeah i can totally see it what the fuck
good idea!
Oh yea holy crap. I can see the resemblance
"Shadow of nobody there"
"She found the Erkling" (thing disguised as the lover
"Fountain of infinite mirror"
Fascinating dissection, but…why is the text box that says "tried" confusing you? Literally the two text boxes that popped up before that one, according to you, said "you built it" and "and after that you". That's obviously one sentence split up across three text boxes: "You built it, and after that, you tried." Granted, what exactly the addressee tried to do is unclear, but you seem extremely disinclined to think any of the text boxes have any connection to each other, which, for such a thorough examination of this rom hack, kind of confuses me.
I've seen a lot of people point out that it could also potentially tie into the "again?" text box seen in the beginning, forming a complete sentence "You built it, and after that, you tried again?"
@@mistahchad220 i had the same idea. i think that would make the sentence make a lot more sense
the sentences being split up may be a bit confusing? not to like hate or be mean or anything! but maybe the structure just confused him?
@@Lazarus_Cult Yeah like duh, sure it's very thorough of a review but that doesn't mean it's free from mistakes.
"You built it and after that you tried again," makes alot of sense to me
I think what also warrants a deep dive is another bizarre hack that unlike M A R I O and Coronation Day, it's actually full-length. Ever heard of "Watch Mario" by BabyCan? It's one of the most bizarre romhacks I've ever seen, and I don't think anyone ever scratched the surface of what it really is.
are there videos on Watch Mario? can’t seem to find video results about it.
Okay so, from I can see no one big has made any sort of video on it, if you look up “watch Mario” rom hack then you should find a couple videos on it and basically all of them have less than 100 views which is probably why it’s so hard to find. But if you put quotes you should find a couple
Well, the original author said that MARIO was actually just stuff they made up on the spot, with the image actually being from a 4chan thread
This?
m.th-cam.com/video/LOuhmPxW7KA/w-d-xo.html&pp=ygUfV2F0Y2ggTWFyaW8gUk9NIEhhY2sgYnkgQmFieUNhbg%3D%3D
@@iso6628 Yep.
"Dear pesky plumbers: The Koopalings and I have started a pagan cult to defy the throne of Heaven and God. The Princess is now a permanent sardonic mockery of life itself. I dare you to escape the hellish pocket dimension I've trapped you within if you can."
"WE GOTTA ESCAPE THE PRINCESS"
We gotta avoid the Princess!
Honestly, his hair is probably the trees, the red strands, really just everything. Its all the king.
i really love the reading of this hack using a Catholicism background. The reading of Mario and Peach falling vitcim to deamon in the forest.
I dont think "The Cat" is an actual cat but rather The Witness. The Witness speech seems to be not to assist either side (Mario or the demons), but the act of not taking a side means that the deamons do not have an advantage. The "poisoned fish" are the whispers of The King that were told not to listen to when you first open the ROM in an editor.
Mario and Peach falling victim to the demon kinda reminds me of the part in the bible where the devil in snake form tells Adam and Eve to eat the fruit from the forbidden tree.
The bumpers are great, but instead of putting random gameplay behind them, I feel like a single atmospheric shot of a videogame (for example, Cyberpunk, or whatever fits in the context) would fit a little better.
In this video, the bumper took me away from the immersion a little bit. But it was still a nice breather after 41 minutes of viewing. The cool transition RWJ-Style at the end made me laugh though. I say keep 'em in. :3
I just say put the game he's talking bout, gameplay.
29:56 This is one of the few gaming moments that really made me feel despair.
The movememt space being so small feels claustaphobic, then seeing nobody except yourself and finally understanding that you cannot escape is a crushing feeling.
It is safe, no one can harm you, but do you really want to stay here?
especially with the music. gives me chills everytime
reminds me of white space from omori “ a place to survive, but not to live “
I believe the story goes deeper, so much dialogue seems to be cultists talking to Mario and Peach, or Mario and Peach talking to/about the cultists. I think as Mario and Peach moved into the forest they were slowly inducted into the cult, Mario building the house under their instruction may be a reference to how he contributed to the building of the cults power during his time there, he may literally even have been the heart of the cult at some point. As Peach falls deeper into cultist rituals she mutilates her body more and more, realizing the traumatic state her body and mind has fallen to. But by the end it's too late, Peach is possessed, Mario tries to escape but dies, going to hell for the sin of being part in this cult to begin with, but Mario is saved by the Guardian Angel, the Cat who warned him from the start, the player.
This is honestly one that is just disturbing and creepy. The atmosphere and music add to it and I love it!
18:13 like this part alone. They turned the happy and cheery overworld theme from SMW into a dark and horrifying song.
Also like the Silent Hill 2 sound effects like the “select” sound or the “item pickup” sound
Hello Mr. insecure
@@JaxTheEpicwhat??
@@BrickFighter13 I meant by you being insecure by calling it scary when it is not.
@@BrickFighter13 noice Ramona pfp.
@@JaxTheEpic Since when is admitting to having genuine vulnerable emotions considered "insecure"? If anything...the opposite is true...especially if you feel the need to put others down to give you the illusion of being "superior" or whatever...
I wonder if this has relevance to Bowser
He does have also dragon like tendencies. Also often refers himself as the king while denouncing Mario, was known to be a simple minded brute.
Just to name a few comparisons. Bowser also does often interact with powers he can't really comprehend and this includes the undead.
i thought that too.
Bowser is jealous of Mario for having Peach.
i can imagine Bowser feasting on organs and possessing Peach literally, like some "yandere" behavior, if i can’t have her, no one should have her. the cultists are those who are with Bowser, Koopas n stuff.
this would be too easy to think that, but since it’s all open, it could be
This would be incredibly out-of-character for Bowser though, he’s nowhere near as evil as that other king is.
@@slacky4787 I mean it would closer to an exaggeration of his character but that would be due to the inclusion of blood and gore which is abnormal for the Mario series bit regardless Bowser can show to be rather brutal at times.
Bowser has shown that he is willing to kill like in Paper Mario 64 where after beating Mario he sent him plummeting to his presumed death and he probably would have died were it not literal divine intervention from the elder stars. It's also pretty messed up when you think about Bowser going back in time to remove Mario and Luigi as babies. Also just a side note Bowser has also canonically died and had been resurrected in the series. New Super Mario on DS if I recall with Dry Bowser.
Generally I'm on the philosophy that an absence of blood doesn't make something not brutal or dark. Not to say this is a guarantee and what's definitely happening in Coronation Day but it is a fan game that's left open into interpretation and it's not as though creepypasta/horror fan games haven't exaggerated Bowser before. But again it's just my fan theory and I hope I gave it a little bit more grounding and reasoning on why I think it.
My man Bowser really said “y’know what? Screw kidnapping. I’ma just start a cult and feast on organs.”
So, this might not be connected, but July 31st, 1992 was when Nintendo announced it would no longer manufacture arcade equipment. Maybe connected, maybe not, definitely a fun fact.
37:50 Really funny how they just straight up yoinked that heart sprite from The Binding of Issac and stretched it out.
It clicked as soon as you've pointed it out. Lovely.
I think that the "He" in "Now he's just staring at me from the window above" is possibly the player, as that ghost mario is watching us stare at the screen. Just an Idea. I also think that your should consider the drowning theme more, peach wanting to cut her throat open, could be to let water out in a twisted sense, Mario drowning at the bridge, Peach drowning at the bridge, the text in the background reading "DROWN HER" and the music that plays in that room sounds like breathing, and you might want to additionally mention the text underneath the cabin that reads "ROT".
i always liked the line "oh that look is precious, you'll make it big for sure." always interpreted it as a sort of like, joke, or snide remark? that look referring to basing a work on making some innocent work edgy and horrifying. and even if it isn't that good, like a lot of those sonic.exe games, they still make it big because of the fanbase and hype, and all the youtubers who make mediocre lets plays on them where they pretend to act afraid.
this is probably just my weird absurdist interpretation but i've never found a good place to put it down so i guess this suffices
Let's not forget, Peach has been possessed before... by a world-conquering demon.
She may very well be a prime target for it somehow.
I know it's such a little thing but the bones aren't a custom sprite or real looking at all. It's literally just the dry bones sprite with red blood on it
also just firing it here, but the crook line could also be tied to the cabin in the forest
remember mario had to rip weeds out and get wood from the forest, something a forest god would probably be enraged by
I'd be guessing but that feels more in line with somebody being a 'crook' than being perceived as a threat, plus it holds up if the theory of peach just being possessed around that time works out
"realistic bones" ok dude, calm down, that's just the default defeated drybones sprite with some red pixels slapped on
This kind of "horror" used to be the butt of jokes. Why is it suddenly being taken seriously? It's so cringe.
@@mallow2902new generation of kids on the internet
@@mallow2902yeah, i remember when this mod came out and it was, rightfully, mocked for being as generic as it can be. now it's being regarded like it pioneered this kind of stuff. really now, people need to up their standards
ratio
@@mallow2902 If you're talking about walking simulators I don't think it's fair to compare, this hack does have a bit more thought put into it's story compared to most pretentious horror games. Saying that, the guy in the video does seem to be OTT in regard to how good it is.
"Have you heard the good news" is definitely an LDS Church reference. Iirc, the next line after this question is usually "He is risen", which fits very well with describing the King's ascension to his new, presumably more powerful form within Peach
Never heard of this ROM hack before but now I'm hooked. Your essay was super concise for an outsider's point of view, you didn't add in any jumpscares, and your editing is spectacular. +1 sub, keep up the amazing work and thank you for giving me something interesting to listen to while working
Thank you for covering this, this is one of my favorite rom hacks that left me pondering the unknown and mysterious story of this game.
"there are realistic bones"
dude... they are literally just a crumbled dry bones sprite with some red pixels
Only thing that could have possibly made this even more disturbing is if the official description was Mario going on a quest to save the Princess instead of the "kingdom." Imagine starting this knowing *something* happened to the Princess from the start, but having no clue of what
Edit: One thing I didn't see mentioned was the looming shadow when Peach falls into the darkness
I don't know if Mario going to hell necessarily means the rapture has come, it may simply mean that his soul has fallen there, as so often happens in stories like this. In fact, the trumpets may also not even be of angels, but of demons, who often also play instruments as well as lord over hell in most demonological sources
I am so grateful for you covering this. So little people have actually discussed this ROM
That was a masterful explanation of the hack and all of its' innards, with a well crafted interpretation of the story. Good job.
Ive been thinking about the King more, and is there a possibility that he could be some form of bowser? Like a reaaally screwed up version. My interpretation given what we know is that Mario defeated him for good, possibly killed him, and he and peach got married now that theres an era of peace. Thats why they feel safe enough to vacation in the forest, they dont have to worry ab kidnappings or plots againzt them now that hes dead.
The cultists could be followers of bowser, old goombas and koopas and the like. They retreated to the forest, permanently loyal to their king and they started a cult surrounding him. That could be why you get those gruesome text boxes when you kill them, and the accusation of being a crook and being told to "show who you really are" by the King. He sees mario as a crook for killing him and his soldiers, and peach as an accomplice to his crimes. The enemies are in the forest because theyre exiled there, worshippin their fallen king and summoning his spirit to be among them. He's dubbed himself king of the forest due to this, and hes ANGRY that mario once again is destroying his plans and encroaching on his territory. Adding onto that, Mario is now a king and that makes him angrier, and claims himself to be the true king.
This could be why he goes after peach too. He needs a vessel to come back, and taking peach, sacrificing instead of kidnapping, is his ultimate revenge on Mario, the ultimate way to torture and harm him after his perceived crimes
I also think its safe to say that Bowser loves red, his color scheme and themeing having a lot of it. He also has multiple forms (like Gigabowser) who has horns larger than his head and a lot of hair (though i think the hair thing in the rom might be more symbolic than literal) "The Harvest" could also be subjects he was trying to use as vessels until now too, explaining all the bones and corpses of enemies laying around. All of those sacrifices failed, and Peach is the only one who he was able to possess successfully
TLDR i think its likely that the king could be the demonic spirit of bowser worshipped by his old subjects, acting out the plot of the rom as a form of revenge
Adding onto this, the game specifically mentions a dragon in the same section where it talks about "horns larger than his head". I think there's a really good chance it's Bowser.
I also don't think the hell stage is the actual biblical Hell. I think it's a premonition or vision. Mario is seeing the destruction Bowser, newly incarnated, intends to commit now. The horns blaring in background is music playing at Bowsers coronation, announcing him as the new true king who is going to destroy the world. THATS why it's called coronation day in the files. Bowser is coronating himself once again and destroying the world for his own gain
57:46 I see this as a metaphor for Luigi. Luigi is a scaredy CAT and I imagine that Luigi went to see Peach and Mario where they had a dinner of fish or some sort and Luigi realizes that there's something blatantly wrong with the environments food and he tries to warn Mario of it but Mario doesn't see/taste the problem, Luigi then tries to ward off the fish in secret so that Mario can't eat them anymore. This theory of mine gives a purpose to the Luigi easter egg.
You should really play Signalis if you haven't.
It's a little more coherent, and you don't need to break the fourth wall to win the game, but it leaves a LOT to the imagination as well, and the devs are also just as reluctant to clear anything meaningful up. It's also got a fucking mood to it.
Is that the top down robot survival horror game?
@@Markm8yes
@@dotcomgamingd5564 thks yea i dont understand the lore of that game like at all but its a cool game
I hope I'm still alive in about 25 years to see what the kids who grew up playing FNaF come up with. They got a little bit of hidden, deeper lore via the minigames discoverable as early as FNaF 2 after all.
I'm impressed with the ARG aspects of this ROM. WAY too esoteric for me to ever figure out, but I didn't spend my years on ROMhack forums. I'm assuming members of the original forum would be aware of the multiple tools and methods of digging into the game. Personally I interpret the story with Peach having more autonomy than most grant her. She had no issues with the forest enemies and had the choice to go back but jumps instead. She tried to fight the inevitable but pressed on anyway, the way a monarch who cares for their people does. "You bow to me, crook" could be Peach confronting Bowser or the other way around. I also think Peach chooses to embrace being a monster in the end, whether to end her own suffering or in the vain hope she could regain control with greater power I have no idea. I disagree with this cult idea and consider "the witness" to be the player themselves.
PS: if you see her turn off the game
why?
I promise you it will be narratively dead.
>If you see her turn off the game
you made me flashback to that story and that was great thank you
@@lucidhighway4403what story?
The princess creepypasta @@tangerin.official
Well July 31st 1992 appears to be the day of two extremely lethal plane crashes, one in the mountains of Nepal. And Mario falling from the skies is a recurring theme. So the whole thing starting with Mario and Peach surviving the crash, and then treading on some forbidden ground where something was sealed makes sense. Classic horror tropes too. Maybe some typical wendigo-style madness as well.
i will never get tired of people giving this gem the love it deserves.
bit of a jump, but when I was younger, I assumed that peach had a miscarriage in the pink forest given the vague context leading to it
I’m more intrigued by the comment section this video has cultivated than the actual video itself. It’s like when you take a bit of bark off a rotting tree to see all the curious insects residing within
23:25 those graphics are wicked af!! I love that part! Devs did an awesome job giving this game a dark dreary atmosphere. I've never played this game so I was eager to watch your video about it. Great video, I subbed!
I love when people talk about this game it truly is a masterpiece
0:25 just want to clarify this:
Security Breach was most likley a buggy mess due to a larger corperation forcing Steel Wool to finish it before Christmas.
Thank you for putting more eyes on this ROM hack! This is one of my favorites, and I really wish it got more attention.
i like the bumpers. it gives a nice short break between sections and a mental refresher on the info to think on. cause while ppl can pause to do this, they usually dont for one reason or another. like leaving this on bg or to sleep.
I'm pretty sure the "Hair" was referring to the forest itself.
This romhack is just so dang interesting. I've theorized about it myself and I really appreciate hearing other people's interpretation of events.
i've seen this rom hack before but never in such depth. great video and glad i found this channel!
Amazing video, hooked instantly! About to binge the rest of your works!
You might find this hack scary and interesting. You might find it cliche and overlooked. But if you think enough about it,you'll find this as an existential horror piece, brought from the neverending sense of dread and unease that good and evil or order and chaos plays in reality.
Responsibility of caring for the ones you love can help you achieve anything but at the same time it can keep you from being next to the ones you care so much. Let me explain:
Mario was determined to build a place Peach could feel safe and call home, protected and away from the dangerously insecurity of that forest and what awaited for her back in her "kingdom".
But at the same time, that determination became the reason Mario couldn't save her from dying. He let her go alone until she became a prey of the forest's danger and the unfairness of every day life. He didn't have time to ask her how she felt since he was caught up making a home for them and this refrained Peach from letting him know how she was feeling inside with a demon inside taking over her because she knew building a house was important and she would only make things worse by telling the truth.
Ironically what Mario determined as the right and best option to protect her, became the worst decision he could take.
You are accountable for the consequences of your actions, even if the results are the outcome you were trying to avoid. Even if your will is "good", "evil" finds it the other way around.
A reminder of the road to hell being paved with good intentions.
Also, damned if you do or don't.
30:45
you probably have every idea how much this made me laugh
I can't believe this romhack is still getting attention! Definitely a pleasant surprise. Since I got to play it some years ago, it has stuck with me. Great content!
This must be what Mario meant with the drug PSA about going to hell before you die.
"you should play 'the, it's so creepy with deep lore!"
'the:
oh noes the forest is bad, evil god become new leader!!!1
I wonder if Mario is in purgatory?
this video reminded me why this rom hack is one of my favorites in terms of mystery and horror, good stuff
I just don't get the whole "I won't cover the whole game since I want you to play it" bruh, I'm watching the video because I dont feel like playing it
No fr? I have anxiety and know nothing about how to dig through files, I can't go through something Iike this 💀
About a week ago i was thinking about “That creepy mario forest hack i saw many years ago” but i couldnt find it. I even thought i made it up in my mind or that it was a dream together with the lets player who played through it. Im so glad i found it and that it goes even deeper then i saw the first time
Woah, even though I love horror... this was extremely fascinating and uncomfortable to watch, this kind of thing just apparently gets under my skin and I don't know why?
Great job on the video though!
...I'd never thought that a Mario rom hack is the reason why I won't be sleeping tonight... because I bet I'll be thinking about it over and over again...
I've only watched 14 minutes now and can't leave my room because of fear. Your storytelling is hella good, man!
I love how much emotion you put into reading a lot of the dialogue boxes, it's lends itself wonderfully to your explanation of the story
0:37 “Oldest FNAF Fans?” That’s immediately a lie, have you never checked Rule34? 💀
Hey there!
First I wanted to say that this video is truly amazing! Very informative about everything there is to know about this misterious romhack, one of my favourites too!
And second, I wanted to ask you if you could make at least a small video about another romhack, called "Forest Level", a VLDCX entry made also by Underway, I think it may be pretty interesting too, since it's even less known that this one!
This video is very well made. Despite the length I was engaged the whole way through and I hope it gets more views soon. Good job!
This romhack is genuinely scary in a way that most other horror games aren’t, normally I’m a fan of horror games based on art design and stuff along those lines, but I love this game because it is genuinely scary.
On top of this, even though it was unfinished, the pink forest is terrifying and I love it, that peach design is so creepy
Im glad you like this, but man, it's very hard to not find this incredibly goofy.
I agree, I absolutely LOVE the fact the game plays with its medium, being a romhack, and knowing stuff about lunar magic already from previous attempts at making smw romhacks meant I could really appreciate how cool some of the formatting of the secrets is. but MAN is the game just not scary 😭😭. like the dude talks about it like he's never heard of anything more horrifying when it's just red pixels added to a dry bones sprite and a goofy ass looking peach zooming past the screen. and don't get me started on how literally he interprets the story, like dude. it could be symbolism it doesn't have to literally be peach being possessed. I feel like this guy MAY have some sort of religious background if he's that terrified of demonic possession and shit.
@@isaiahisaiahisaiah1 Thank god I'm not the only one who feels this way. 🤝
This perfectly explains everything now. I was to this day wondering what the story of this blasted fan made game was. It was all so vague but now it all makes sense thanks to this video deciphering and explaining the plot. I'm surprised this game turned out to be a theology based game and a good one at that and it all makes sense. Mario being temporarily cast down to Hell then saved by Heaven to fight the King and imprison him. This would make for a good premise to set up a sequel where Mario must stop the King from enacting his plans now that said King is no longer confined to Hell.
I like the little intermission between segments. It shows a clear divide in where the video goes from gathering info to piecing it together. It's also a nice respite from the tension to let viewers catch their breath
This ain't you grandma super mario world
If nobody mentioned it, I appreciate the break at 41:00 is much appreciated and is something i wish some youtubers that are in your genre would do more, keep it up dude!
insert image of spongebob and patrick going over a little bump in the rollercoaster
cant form a single opinion nowadays without people sending the spongebob rollercoaster gif i hate modern internet
(/ref btw)
@@spiffiniffithat argument is kinda lost when he spends the beginning of the video trashing on modern horror games
i like the bumpers in your videos, it properly divides what your talking about and it just adds a lot of character to your vid
loved this video. the bumper was cool too, it reminded me of those old adult swim commercials. keep it up bro 👏👏
i love this rom hack
thank you for all your work