ROM Hacking
What is a ROM Hack?
ROM hacking is the process of modifying a ROM image or ROM file of a video game to alter the game's graphics, dialogue, levels, gameplay, and/or other elements. This is usually done by technically inclined video game fans to improve an old game of importance, as a creative outlet, or to make new, unofficial games using the old game's engine. ROM hacks either re-design a game for new, fun gameplay while keeping all items the same, or unlock features that exist in the game's code but are not utilized in-game.
Super Mario Galaxy ROM Hacks introduce new level designs in order to either bring a fresh new feeling to the games with brand new levels (e.g. Neo Mario Galaxy), or make regular levels from the original Galaxy games more difficult via twisting the mechanics (e.g. Kaizo Mario Galaxy).
Installing SMG ROM Hacks
In order to install Super Mario Galaxy ROM Hacks, you must own a copy of Super Mario Galaxy or Super Mario Galaxy 2. Most ROM Hacks are only compatible with SMG2, but others are designed for SMG1. You must have a modified Wii with Riivolution installed. If you do not yet have this, install Homebrew using this either the Wii Guide or the WiiU Guide. Then, install Riivolution using this guide. You can load ROM Hacks in riivolution by extracting the game files and the XML to the SD card, then enabling the hacks in the Riivolution menu. In order to demonstrate, here is an example of the installation process of Kaizo Mario Galaxy 2.
List of Super Mario Galaxy ROM Hacks
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy: The Green Stars
Super Mario Galaxy: The Kaizo Green Stars
Super Mario Galaxy Daredevil Challenge
Super Mario Galaxy: Cosmic Chaos
Super Mario Galaxy Multiplayer
Super Mario Galaxy Anti Piracy
Super Mario Galaxy: Transformationless Challenge
Super Mario Galaxy: No Gravity Edition
Super Mario Galaxy: Underwater Edition
Super Mario Galaxy: The Green Star Festival
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Super Mario Galaxy 2 Randomizer
Super Mario Galaxy 2: The New Green Stars
Super Mario Galaxy 2: The Kaizo Green Stars
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Cosmic Clones Challenge
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Cosmos Collapse
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Collector's Anxiety
Super Mario Galaxy Deluxe Super Mayro Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Daredevil Challenge
Super Mario Galaxy 2: The Green Star Festival
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Underwater Edition
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Fog Edition
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Master Mode
Super Mario Galaxy 2: Floor is Lava
Super Mario Galaxy: The Lost Levels (Director's Cut)
Super Mario Galaxy 64 (Holiday Special Demo)
Super Mario Galaxy: Remastered (Demo)
ROM Hack Speedruns
The Super Mario Galaxy community has a subcommunity dedicated to optimising the ROM Hack Series. The SMG ROM Hack Speedrunning Discord is where strategies, routing, and new upcoming ROM Hacks are discussed. Feel free to join and ask any questions about Super Mario Galaxy ROM Hack Speedrunning, or to request a leaderboard to be added to the speedrun.com page. A collection of SMG ROM Hack Speedrun Leaderboards can be found on the speedrun.com/smgromhacks. Most ROM Hack speedruns are much shorter than the base games, making many of them easier to find the time to run. Contrary to the base games, speedruns of SMG ROM Hacks do not require video proof to be submitted, unless the submission is a world record. Instead, a splits.io link must be provided to show proof of the run. Demo versions of SMG ROM Hacks can be added to the leaderboards, but are moved to the miscellaneous section upon the game's full release. (e.g. Super Mario Gravity Leaderboards) ROM Hack Speedruns performed on stable versions of Dolphin Emulator can also be submitted. SMG ROM Hack speedruns must not utilise cheat codes or save states.
Miscellaneous SMG ROM Hack Information
The hub of Super Mario Galaxy ROM Hacking is Luma's Workshop, a discord server where modding competitions take place, new code/object discoveries are documented, and new ROM Hacks are announced/released. Head over there to ask any questions about the ROM Hacking scene that aren't related to speedrunning.
Super Mario Galaxy Custom Level Downloads
Note: This does not include all custom levels, only the more prominent ones.
