The highly anticipated Borderlands spin-off game Tiny Tina's Wonderlands has finally arrived, bringing with it a rather immersive character creator. Gamers everywhere are already using this character creation system to craft new protagonists and translate characters from other franchises into the distinctive anarchic style of Borderlands. Now, one player shares their attempt at making the iconic Mario using the Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' character creator.
Hailing from the Super Mario Bros. franchise, Mario is one of—if not the—most iconic video game characters in the world. With this knowledge in mind, it may not be a surprise to hear that gamers everywhere have been recreating iconic Mario characters and locations in other games for years. However, Super Mario Bros. and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands are quite different in aesthetic and tone, making this crossover an unlikely one.
Redditor drozdowski13 shared a screenshot of their attempt at recreating Mario in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands' surprisingly immersive character creator. As the game revolves around an in-universe Dungeons and Dragons-style tabletop RPG campaign, it makes sense that this title would feature an incredible wealth of customization options. However, these customization options are still restrained by the strong aesthetic of the greater Borderlands franchise. Borderlands retains an angular art style inspired by comic book art with distinctive cel-shaded graphics, resulting in a very different take on Mario.
As gamers might expect, drozdowski13's recreation of Mario is a member of the Spore Warden class, which means he is accompanied by a mushroom companion. Spore Wardens are something of a support class with a focus on inflicting status effects, although this Mario probably doesn't wear adorable costumes in the process. He is shown to be very tall and sports a physique that resembles a classic superhero's build more than the actual Mario's round shape. However, his slick dark hair and bushy mustache make it clear where the character's inspiration came from. Unfortunately, the lack of early game outfit customization options can make it difficult to recognize him.
Not only is drozdowski13's Mario missing his iconic hat, but he's also missing his iconic overalls. Instead, he's decked out in an array of faded red armor plates worn over what seems to be a blue undersuit. His arms are especially heavily armored, possibly to make up for the absence of his white gloves. According to drozdowski13, they are continuing to update the character design as they unlock new cosmetics in the game's loot system. They've reportedly already unlocked more red costume pieces and are now looking for a bushier mustache.
Tiny Tina’s Wonderlands is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.