Several years after the release of Mario's 3D platforming debut, Super Mario 64 continues to be a landmark which many 3D titles take inspiration from. While some may find it hasn't aged all that well in comparison to other games, this seminal 3D platformer has found itself plenty of fanmade mods and ROM hacks. There are so many Super Mario 64 ROM hacks that fans have created, which all seem to offer a new experience, either including new levels, power-ups, and especially playable characters.With regard to new playable characters, this includes changing Mario into a new character with their own appropriate moveset, such as Sonic the Hedgehog or Kirby. However, one of the latest ROM hacks changes Mario into a playable character from Guilty Gear Strive. More specifically, this ROM hack known as Totsugeki 64 turns Mario into the dolphin-riding May, complete with her own changes to make her distinct from Mario.This was created by Super Mario 64 ROM hacker spktkTV, who posted a short trailer for it on Twitter on May's birthday. It showed off a chibi version of May's appearance from Guilty Gear Strive, shrunken down to Mario's proportions in the game, along with voice clips. May can be seen flipping through the air and exploring the various levels of the game, such as Bob-omb Battlefield and Jolly Roger Bay. It also showed off one of the biggest changes from her to Mario, that being her infamous and memetic "Totsugeki" Dolphin riding special move.
May can essentially glide through the air with this move, as the video shows her being able to avoid various obstacles with ease. This is especially helpful for some of Super Mario 64's harder levels, as May's new dolphin move can clear any longer jumps that Mario couldn't in the vanilla game. It fits the game she originates from, as May's dolphin special move had both long range and high damage. The move even comes with the infamous "Totsugeki" voice clip that it is commonly associated with.
In the replies of spktkTV's tweet, the source code for Totsugeki 64 has been included, so fans could take a look and see how each bit of the ROM hack works. Not only that, a follow-up tweet from spktkTV confirms that this hack will work on consoles as well. Fans in the replies of the tweet have praised the hack, noting how May from Guilty Gear Strive is a hilarious character to be playing as. ROM hacks like this show the endless creativity of the Super Mario 64 modding scene, and there's bound to be more hilarious hacks like this in the future.