Super Mario 64 has been decompiled (github.com)

Article summary

The source code for Super Mario 64 has been decompiled and made available on GitHub. The decompilation is a result of a community effort and allows for the creation of modified versions of the game. The project requires an original copy of the game to extract assets, which are not included in the repository. The code is written in C and uses various tools and libraries to build and run the game.

Main themes

• Super Mario 64 decompilation
• Game development
• Reverse engineering
• Copyright and licensing
• QEMU and emulation

What commenters say

• The decompiled source code may be subject to copyright claims by Nintendo, despite the lack of explicit copyrighted material in the repository.
• Decompilation followed by reimplementation may not be considered copyright infringement, but the direct output of a decompiler is a gray area.
• Some assets, such as models and sounds, are still copyrighted and included in the repository, which could lead to legal issues.
• QEMU's userland emulation allows for running binaries from one architecture on another, which was used to verify the functional equivalence of the decompiled source code.
• The decompilation project may be allowed to exist due to its small scope and lack of commercial intent, but this could change at any time.
• WINE and QEMU's emulation capabilities are related but distinct, with WINE impersonating OS calls and QEMU emulating hardware and translating syscalls.
• The use of QEMU for userland emulation can be useful for running binaries from other architectures, but may require additional setup and configuration.