Super Mario and the Cursed Castles is a major ROM hack created by Foxen, having 121 Stars (as of v1.01) to collect spread over 15 courses and a few extra levels.
It is known for being one of the few major hacks to have the Wing, Vanish and Metal Caps completely absent, and for having large (but not empty) levels to explore. The hack's difficulty was intended to be as similar to the original game as possible, thus making it an excellent hack to play for those who are new to the ROM hacking scene.
Plot[]
The evil King Boo has come again to cause problems for the Mushroom Kingdom. Using his power, he has cast a curse to drain the power from the three special castles that harness the Power of the Stars, causing the nearby land to wither away and monsters to spawn. Only by having enough healthy Stars taken back from him will King Boo lose his grip on the land, and there's only one person with the talent to do it. Go get 'im, Mario!
Courses[]
| Area ID | Name | Level Replaced | No. of Stars | Stars Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C1 | Line Clear Frontier | Bob-omb Battlefield | 7 | 0 |
| C2 | Timeworn Temple | Whomp's Fortress | 1 | |
| C3 | Port O'Bella | Jolly Roger Bay | 7 | |
| C4 | Bully's Blazing Bastille | Cool, Cool Mountain | 12 | |
| C5 | Sunken Sand Strand | Big Boo's Haunt | 3 | |
| C6 | Gloomshroom Grove | Hazy Maze Cave | 20 | |
| C7 | Brr Borough | Lethal Lava Land | 35 | |
| C8 | Skyward Sanctuary | Shifting Sand Land | 30 | |
| C9 | Permafrost Palace | Dire, Dire Docks | 25 | |
| C10 | Cursebound Chasm | Snowman's Land | ||
| C11 | Macabre Manor | Wet-Dry World | 45 | |
| C12 | Treacherous Treetopolis | Tall, Tall Mountain | 50 | |
| C13 | Lazulite Lava Lair | Tiny-Huge Island | 55 | |
| C14 | Cozy Quarters | Tick Tock Clock | 65 | |
| C15 | Celestial Citadel | Rainbow Ride |
Other Areas[]
| Area ID | Name | Level Replaced | No. of Stars | Stars Required | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overworld | Three Cursed Castles | Peach's Castle (all sections) | 3 | 0 | The outside changes to a "purified" form after beating the third King Boo stage. All Stars are held by Toads, one per castle. |
| B1 | King Boo 1 | Bowser in the Dark World | 2 | 20 | The Key to the Green Castle counts toward the Star total. |
| B2 | King Boo 2 | Bowser in the Fire Sea | 45 | The Key to the Purple Castle counts toward the Star total. | |
| B3 | King Boo 3 | Bowser in the Sky | 75 | The Key gained from winning counts toward the Star total. | |
| SC3 | White Palace | Wing Mario Over the Rainbow | 6 | 76 | Only accessible through the purified overworld, thus requiring King Boo 3 to be beaten. |
| Ending | Credits | 1 | This room is playable, with credits signs to view. A door that grants access to the ending screen requires 120 Stars to open. | ||
Music[]
The soundtrack for this hack is original and was made by Richard Hill, who also goes by ThornDust. You can view the playlist on YouTube here.
(Except for Line Clear Frontier which uses music from Sega Tetris for the Sega Genesis which ThornDust themselves confirmed on their Tetris music video, see the link here below)
| Course/Area | Track Name | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Press Start Screen | Title Screen | [1] |
| File Select | Treetops | |
| Overworld 1 | Castle Walls (Minor) | [1] |
| Overworld 2 | Castle Walls (Major) | [1] |
| Line Clear Frontier | Tetris | [1] |
| Timeworn Temple | Blava (Blue Lava) | [1] |
| Port O'Bella | PortObello | [1] |
| Bully's Blazing Bastille | Blava (Blue Lava) | [1] |
| Sunken Sand Strand | Sand Castle | [1] |
| Gloomshroom Grove | Boo Mansion | [1] |
| Brr Borough | City Jazz | [1] |
| Skyward Sanctuary | Sky Temple | [1] |
| Permafrost Palace | Sand Castle | [1] |
| Cursebound Chasm | Canyon | [1] |
| Macabre Manor | Boo Mansion | [1] |
| Treacherous Treetopolis | Treetops | [1] |
| Lazulite Lava Lair | Blava (Blue Lava) | [1] |
| Cozy Quarters | City Jazz | [1] |
| Celestial Citadel | Space | [1] |
| Boss Battle | Blava (Blue Lava) | |
| Koopa Shell | Space | |
| King Boo Fights | Boo Mansion | |
| White Palace | Space |