Case study

Super Mario 64: ROM reconstruction with explicit comparison gates

Reconstructs Super Mario 64 source for Japanese, North American, European, Shindou and iQue releases. Its build files distinguish original-ROM hash comparison from nonmatching or modified configurations, while source naming and documentation remain ongoing.

Requirements and limitations

Requires the user’s matching original ROM for asset extraction. The five target releases are separate; this repository’s reconstruction should not be confused with the separately maintained sm64ex, Ghostship or multiplayer ports.
The documented build uses GNU make, Python 3.6+, MIPS binutils, pkgconf and host development tools. Windows instructions use WSL/Linux; macOS instructions require an appropriate MIPS toolchain and newer GNU make.
The Makefile normally checks the output ROM’s SHA-1 against the selected reference. NON_MATCHING, a non-N64 target or nonstandard configurations disable comparison; a successful modified build is not a matching-result claim.
The pinned Jenkins configuration explicitly sets COMPARE=0 for iQue and enhancement builds. Its five-version build matrix therefore must not be described as five independently confirmed byte-identical results; no build or game was run for this catalog.
The repository carries CC0-1.0; original Nintendo content and any separate third-party rights are not supplied by that declaration. No REA or coding-agent involvement is established by the reviewed files.

About this entry

Type: Case study
Category: Independent reconstruction cases
Relationship: Independent reconstruction project
Targets: Game

Sources reviewed 2026-10-17

The description was reviewed against primary sources. This does not establish runtime testing, security auditing or verified compatibility.

Requirements and limitations

About this entry

Primary sources