Super Mario Bros. X

The “Terraria” Prequel

Before creating the hit indie game Terraria, Andrew “Redigit” Spinks developed Super Mario Bros. X (SMBX). Released in 2009, it was a massive fan project that blended the gameplay of Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and Yoshi’s Island into a single engine. It is famous for its real-time level editor and 2-player split-screen co-op—features that Nintendo would not officially implement until Super Mario Maker years later.

Key Features

• Five Playable Characters: Players can switch between Mario, Luigi, Toad, Peach, and shockingly, Link from The Legend of Zelda. Each character has unique physics: Peach hovers, and Link cannot jump on enemies but uses his sword to stab them and a shield to block projectiles.
• Real-Time Editor: The level editor allows you to place blocks and enemies while the game is running. You can test a section, pause, modify the terrain, and resume playing instantly without reloading.
• Crazy Power-Ups: Includes classic items along with custom ones like the Hammer Suit (throw unlimited hammers), the Ice Flower (freeze enemies into blocks), and the bizarre “Billy Gun.”
• Co-Op Multiplayer: The game features a dynamic split-screen camera that separates when players move apart and merges when they are close, allowing two players to explore nonlinear levels independently.

A Complex History

• The Shutdown (2011): In 2011, Redigit received a call from Nintendo’s lawyers regarding the domain “supermariobrothers.org.” To avoid legal trouble, he scrubbed the project from the internet and ceased development to focus on Terraria. However, the community saved the source code.
• SMBX 2.0 (Modern Era): Years later, fans decompiled the game to create “SMBX2,” a massive mod that adds new characters (Rosalina, Wario), Lua scripting for complex coding, and thousands of new assets.
• TheXTech: In 2020, to everyone’s surprise, Redigit mailed the original source code to developer Wohlstand. This allowed the creation of “TheXTech,” a fully optimized C++ port that runs on modern PC hardware, Linux, and even the Nintendo Switch.