Celeste Mario was a project meant as an engine test of the 'advanced SMB engine' (aka Mario Gaiden engine) that had been in development since 2013.
Back then, I was working on the Kaizo-level puzzle hack Rohrleitung Gate but couldn't progress due to limited graphical abilities, limited tools (I was working directly with a hex editor), and limited knowledge of SMB1. So I started anew - copying some of the hex code to a new ROM while applying ATA's terrain patch, and then coded primitive 3-way scrolling, a boss function, a VRC7 music engine etc. based on this. (Back then I called patches 'effects' as a literal translation from my native tongue)
The project was named Mario Gaiden - whose name originally signified a dark story hidden underneath.
After this, I found the comprehensive SMB1 disassembly and the assembler asm6, and finally ditched the practice of haxxing. These, though, didn't solve any graphical problems; nor would they have anything to do with a clear vision in game design. So during that period (2014-2017) I was trying anything that LOOKS cool without much thought.
Came 2016, I joined SMB Arena and sharpened my vision a bit with all the passing of ideas. The project was remodelled to become a Metroidvania (and still aims at becoming this!) but a lack of variety in enemies & mechanisms made a test release in 2019 impossible. During this period, the difficulty of making stuff in ASM even led me to think of giving up and switch to modern engine, but I eventually settled with making this a pure hobbyist project, with my dwindling free time.
So, bit by bit, the engine was built, enemies and blocks were coded, weird experiments were made, and finally - we're ready for an actual release. But with what?
The answer, is (a fangame of) CELESTE - whose controls are basically the pinnacles of platforming. I always had a frustration with acceleration in Mario games like SMB1, and thought perhaps this release should mimic the best controlling style ever.
And there we have it - Celeste Mario's Zap & Dash. This minihack took only 2 months because much of the engine work is already done, so the main work is Celeste-specific code, and level design.
The DELUXE release took longer because it is yet again an experiment of all sorts of wacky ideas. Some work better than others, but hopefully you'll find the ones that you enjoy most!
And of course, stay tuned - given how full-fledged the engine is at this point, we are to fluorish with future works...
Also, the code for this release is planned to be open source at a later time - likely after we really finish with the DELUXE release.
-w7n
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