Even almost 40 years after its release, Super Mario Bros. continues to surprise. Players have uncovered a glitch that allows for manipulation of the game’s code, opening up entirely new possibilities.
This newly discovered bug is based on Arbitrary Code Execution (ACE), a technique that enables running custom code within the game itself. This discovery is a significant event, as for decades it was widely believed that the original Super Mario Bros. had been fully dissected, leaving no secrets untold. This new finding proves that even the most thoroughly explored games can still hold surprises.
ACE has previously been utilized in other projects, allowing players to, for example, skip entire levels or fundamentally alter gameplay. For the first Super Mario Bros., this is truly a novel and potentially revolutionary finding. While it hasn’t yet been fully leveraged in speedrunning, players are unanimous: this could pave the way for entirely new records and unforeseen methods of completing the game.
This serves as further testament to the phenomenal nature of the Nintendo franchise, renowned for designing its hit titles to be brimming with secrets and hidden mechanics.