These days, fans have the likes of Super Mario Odyssey for modern 3D titles featuring the world-famous plumber, but it was 1996's Mario 64 that set things in motion for more open world games that star Nintendo's most profitable icon. As one of the best video games of the 1990s, with a Metacritic score of 94 for the original version, it was a landmark release in an industry that was looking to move into 3D environments. Given the impact it's had, many are still returning to this iteration of the mustachioed Goomba stomper, even if it means bringing him into another game entirely.
That's what developer and modder Christian "ckosmic" Kosman has done. Recently, they unleashed a new mod for the Half-Life tool Garrys Mod, which allows players to bring in Mario, specifically from Mario 64, and allow him to jump around in a Valve universe. Called "G54," a short video uploaded to Twitter shows the iconic character leaping about, exploding Half-Life 2 barrels, and leaping off buildings as though escaping the Combine in City 17. The mod is available to download now, and there are some instructions have been left on the GitHub page linked below.
Garrys Mod is one of the most interesting modding tools out there. Essentially a sandbox entry, it gives players the power to be as creative as they can using assets from the Half-Life games. It was developed by Facepunch Studios, which would go on to create the tough-as-nails survival game Rust. Garrys Mod is now a standalone piece of software, giving fans almost unlimited potential, and now it's possible for people to bring Mario into the game for the ultimate Super Mario open world experience.
Responsible for the likes of the Prop Hunt multiplayer game, as well as numerous and hilarious Half-Life style animations, Garrys Mod could easily be considered one of the most powerful sandbox tools out there. There's also supposedly a sequel on the way, so it will be interesting to see where the developer takes things from here, but it will likely mean a follow-up will be able to utilize more modern visuals.
As for the Italian plumber himself, he may not be the most powerful Nintendo character in the world, but he's by far the most iconic. It's hard to imagine that, since beginning life in the early 80s, players would still be enjoying his games to this day, with some of the industry's most beloved releases bearing his name, and being enjoyed by several generations of gamers.
Mario 64 was released in 1996 for the Nintendo 64.