A trailer recently dropped online for a new Super Mario World ROM hack that aims to imagine what a Super Mario Bros. game might have looked like had it been released on a fictional CD-based version of the NES / Nintendo Famicom.
Super Mario Bros. CD, as the project is called, is the work of the ROM hacker King Mayro and a team of other musicians, artists, and graphic designers.
It takes advantage of MSU-1 enhanced audio to feature CD-quality music and also uses SNES's Mode 0 background mode extensively throughout its levels to feature an additional layer of detail that is not possible with the more commonly used Mode 1.
The trailer for the hack is exactly 1 minute 30 seconds long and gives a look at some of the environments players will be able to visit including gem-filled caverns, colourful coastlines, dark forests, and Egypt-themed stages. It will apparently feature 40 unique levels and themes in total, packed with unique enemies and gimmicks, as well as new and returning power-ups.
The release date is set for October 10th, 2025, so there's evidently still a lot of work left to do on the project. But hopefully, we'll be able to see more of it before then.