Fan art by @FsZiul
Mario Can't Remember is a dark surreal minor hack with 30 Stars released on April 15th, 2021. It is the first SM64 ROM hack made by Quills, who later went on to make a spin-off called MCW Regicide!. It was made in one month for scuttlebug_raiser's 1st Hack Competition, in which it finished third. It won the Best World Building award in the Best ROM hacks of 2021 poll.
Story[]
Mario finds himself in front of a strange door.
He doesn't recognise this place at all.
He doesn't remember how he got here.
He doesn't know why he's dressed like Luigi.
Mario must be dreaming.
But if this is a dream...
Why is it so real?
Whatever this world is for,
this is not going to end well.
Areas[]
The overworld for this hack has four iterations, with each version having a different set of courses available and different interactions with NPCs. The four versions of the overworld can be travelled between by using The Time Machine, and more information on the overworld can be found over at Mario Can't Remember/Overworld.
Main Courses[]
| Image | Area | Name | Requirement | Stars Available | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
C1 | Forest of Figments | 0 | 7 | The MC stage is hidden in this course. |
  |
C2 | Downtown Daydream | 7 | ||
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C3 | Desperation Gulch | 7 | ||
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C4 | Paranoia Peaks | 7 |
Overworlds[]
| Image | Area | Name | Time of Day | Requirement | Stars Available | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |
Inside Castle | The Time Machine | Toad will give the game credits if talked to him. | |||
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Castle Grounds | The Final Mourning | Night | |||
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Courtyard | Dawn | 5 Stars | Collecting C1 Star 6 will bring the player at this area (C1 is not available). | ||
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Aquarium | 11th Hour | Day | 10 Stars | 1 | Collecting C2 Star 6 will bring the player at this area (C1 and C2 are not available). Both C3 and C4 open up at this point of time. MIPS appears at 19 Stars. |
  |
Slide | The Gloaming | Dusk | 20 Stars | 1 | Entering the key door here will take the player to the endgame. Enter via OW1-3 for a special Star. |
Secret Courses[]
| Image | Area | Name | Requirement | Stars Available | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  |
MC | Gone With the Flow | Located in C1. Contains the MC Switch. | ||
  |
B1 | Bowser in the Crater of Doubt | 20 Stars | Contains the Key. This course is a replica of Paranoia Peaks but with erupt lava. | |
  |
B3 | One Last Thing | Bowser Key | 1 | Entering the door via OW4 takes you to the endscreen. Enter via OW1-3 to get the Star. |
Dialogue Bank[]
| Level | Character/Trigger | Dialogue |
|---|---|---|
| Overworld | Message after obtaining 1 Star | You feel a tugging in the back of your mind, like trying to remember some long forgotten memory. What is this place? How did you get here? |
| Overworld | Message after obtaining 3 Stars | The people in this world act strangely - and what is with that distant voice? They sound... sad. You hear it too, right? |
| Overworld | Message after obtaining 8 Stars | You're not crazy. You aren't really here. None of this is real. You don't know why this has happened, but it's obvious this isn't going to end well. You have to do something. |
| Any Course | Message after obtaining a 100 coin Star | The pestilence is spreading. You've collected 100 coins and lost precious time. Do you want to save? >Yes >No |
| Overworld | Locked double doors | In the LAnd of the Red the Green MAn is King. |
| Gone With The Flow | Activation of the metal cap switch | Go ahead and jump off the edge. This world was made for you. You cannot die here. Would you like to save? >Yes >No |
Music[]
| Used in | Track | Source | Author |
|---|---|---|---|
| Title Screen | Wake Up, Donnie... | Donnie Darko | Quills |
| File Select | Sector X | Star Fox 64 | MrMartley64 |
| The Time Machine | Astral Observatory | The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask | ShrooboidBrat |
| Main Overworld | Fungi Forest (Night) | Donkey Kong 64 | ShrooboidBrat |
| Forest of Figments | Stickerbrush Symphony | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | sm64pie |
| Forest of Figments (Lava) | Hot Head Bop | ShrooboidBrat | |
| Metal Cap | Terran | Fury 3 | Quills |
| Downtown Daydream | Darkmoon Caverns | Diddy Kong Racing | ShrooboidBrat |
| The Velvet Goomba | Resonance | HOME | EDark |
| Desperation Gulch | Gerudo Desert | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess | ShrooboidBrat |
| Desperation Gulch (Wrestling Arena) | Ultimate Koopa Clear | Super Mario 64 | Nintendo |
| Desperation Gulch (Wiggler Fight) | Glitz Pit | Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door | sm64pie |
| Paranoia Peaks | Forest Interlude | Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest | |
| Paranoia Peaks (Interior) | Aquatic Ambience | Donkey Kong Country | MrGreenThunder |
| Last Overworld | Gloomy Galleon | Donkey Kong 64 | ShrooboidBrat |
| Bowser in the Crater of Doubt | |||
| Bowser Fight | Pufftoss Battle | cpuHacka101 | |
| One Last Thing (Nightmare) | Frantic Factory | Donkey Kong 64 | Skelux |
| One Last Thing (Dream) | Birdman | Pilotwings 64 | Quills |
| End Screen | Life Lost (WAV Import) | Super Mario Bros. 3 | Nintendo |
Trivia[]
- A sequel called Luigi Can't Forget is planned.
- C1 takes place in a bush doof.
- A bob-omb buddy in C1 recites quotes from the movie Terminator.
- The apothecary quotes Crack by DVDA.
- DJ Toad appears to have an appreciation for eastern philosophy.
- The sign for the obelisk in C2 refers to actual ancient Egyptian obelisks in modern cities.
- The Velvet Goomba's name is a parody of Spearmint Rhino.
- The town of Desperation is a facade in Silverado Movie Town, Santa Fe.
- Quills was a member of the band Babylonian Space Cowboy sometime around '07-'08.
- The bob-omb buddy interactions in C4 are inspired by people who died summiting Mt. Everest and the hundreds of climbers who pass them.
- A sign in B3 references the movie Donnie Darko.
- The final room of the game is ripped from Paper Mario.
- There is a hidden sign in each stage left as a shoutout by the beta playtesters, and several from Quills in B3.
- A secret textbox will open if the player display warps to C1 Area 5; C2 Area 2; C3 Area 3; and C4 Area 1 during Act 1 on a new file.