Wow, another review from me already! I made a review for the updated version of this game in the past, but this version has no reviews yet and my review of the updated version wasn't so good.

Super Mario Rainbow Road is a Super Mario 64 hack by Skilllux (not Skelux, Skilllux. See, even the names of the creators of Super Mario Star Road and Rainbow Road are similar!! ). There are 7 main courses, 6 secret star levels (including the Bowser levels), and a few songs that weren't in the original Super Mario 64. There are multiple versions of one of those songs, and an overused song, which I'll talk about later. This is an open-world hack, which means that most of the worlds are accessible right after starting the game. (The only levels that aren't are the Bowser levels) I prefer that over a closed-world hack, which would be none of the levels are accessible from the start which would mean you have to collect stars to access more levels. Open-world hacks are great for speedrunners. I should know, I speedrun this game 100%, but only for fun and I know for a fact I don't hold the world record. However, I do have a lot of great strats for the stars.

There's even some ASM hacking incorporated in here. The circle platforms in Bowser's Galaxy Fortress spin and/or move up and down! (The spinning is the same behavior that giant circle platforms had in the final Bowser level of Super Mario 64!)

Like I said in this review's title, this hack's title reminds me of Super Mario Star Road. Some of the levels have similarities to levels in Super Mario Star Road too. For example, Floating Fortress has a 2-moving-elevator section just like Course 2 of Super Mario Star Road. It even shares the Whomp theme that Course 2 in Star Road does.

Let's get started on the review!

Graphics: 7.5/10

A lot of the graphics are custom, which is one of the most important parts of making a hack appealing. You'll notice it literally seconds after clicking on the game. The title screen is remade to fit the hack. The title screen is one of the most beautiful things in the hack in my opinion. The letters in the words "Super Mario" are colored with a rough texture, The letters in the words "Rainbow Road" are multicolored in the colors of the rainbow! Then after clicking on a file in the exactly-the-same-graphics-as-before file select screen, you'll notice the overworld is custom textured too.

All of the main courses have custom graphics too (some much more than others), and all the secret star levels have custom graphics as well! The cap boxes are all re-done. The wing cap box has a Super Mario Galaxy star graphic on it, since the wing cap makes you fly like the star power-up in Super Mario Galaxy. (If I remember correctly, please correct me if I'm wrong) The vanish cap box is white with a ghost on it since Mario has the ability to pass through things with the cap (like a ghost). The metal cap box has a skull on it since, with the cap, Mario kills his enemies within an instant. The metal cap box also has a rough texture (the black lines) since metal has a rough texture. These cap boxes were cleverly done.

Most of the main courses can be accessed by jumping into paintings, just like the original Super Mario 64. The paintings are custom, and they fit the levels perfectly. For example, the Whomp in the Floating Fortress painting fits because there are many Whomps (including King Whomp) in the level.

As for the levels, most of them lack graphic detail. The vanish cap level (Creepy Mansion), Floating Fortress (Course 2) and the Bowser levels were the only ones that impressed me with their detail. The paintings in the vanish cap level were obviously custom-made, and one of them has a red coin in it, which is pretty smart. Course 2 has a cool starting point, and the Bowser levels have a lot of custom graphics and detail in general. There's also fog in a few levels. Not too much fog, not too little fog.

Sound (effects): 9/10

All of the sound effects are re-used from Super Mario 64, like most hacks of it, but there was a sound effect use in this game that impressed me. The stars in the final Bowser level use the talking-to-Toad sound effect. I'm guessing the stars are re-textured Toads that don't move, but that's still neat.

Sound (music): 7/10

Most of the music in this hack is custom. A lot of these custom songs are catchy and fitting for the levels they're in. There's one song that is overused, and it's pretty obvious. It's used for the wing cap theme, wing cap level theme, and Course 2 theme. It's also used for the vanish cap when you enter its level, but other than that, the vanish cap theme is different. Some themes are sometimes or always louder than others. For example, the overused theme I just talked about and the Bowser's Galaxy Fortress theme.

The theme used in Course 3 has an alternate version of it in Course 7, which is cool but a little disappointing. Some of the music (such as the Rainbow Palace's inside theme) are re-used from Super Mario Star Road, creating MORE similarities between these hacks XD The Course 6 theme and final Bowser level theme are re-used from Super Mario 64.

Addictiveness: 8/10

Short or somewhat short games/hacks are usually addicting for speedrunners, and this one is no exception. But this game is addicting in general. The music, simplicity of many of the stars, finding new strats for each star to make them more fun, and the parts of the game that are challenging make this game pretty addicting for me. Before I started 100% speedrunning this game, it was pretty addicting. It's the kind of game that makes me sad when it's over. Every day since I started playing this a week ago, I've wanted to play it again.

Story: 0/10

Aw, there's no story? (Some of the people reading this review might be thinking this, and I feel like this too. Have no fear, I'll make a story of this. Imagination activate! )

Mario found a place called Rainbow Palace. He was surrounded by pipes, paintings, Toads (one that floats in the air!!! ), and opportunities for adventure. He found out after finishing this adventure completely and talking to all the Toads, and Bowser, that this adventure was completely pointless was for him to beat Bowser's butt yet again so he could be the owner of this beautiful and peaceful Rainbow Palace. (The only intruders were Goombas on the outside of the palace, but all they can do is run and jump anyway, and they can be defeated and magically turned into coins with just one punch, kick, jump, dive, or dancekick XD)

If only that was the story. But there is no story. Even Bowser doesn't say anything about the quest, he just welcomes Mario to the fight. XD

Depth: 4/10

For a Super Mario 64 hack, this is pretty short. For a game, this is pretty short. But it shouldn't take a short time to beat the first time. There are 12 levels, some with some well-hidden stars, and some stars that will take a while to obtain (especially the 100 coin stars in most courses). The courses aren't too easy, and they aren't that hard either unless you aren't skilled in Super Mario 64. Course 6 requires great walljumping skills multiple times (parkour for the win!) for example. This hack should probably take at least a few hours to beat the first time. But it depends on your skill and ability to find stars and coins.

Difficulty: 7/10

Like I said before, this hack isn't that hard. It's not a breeze either. The difficulty in this hack is pretty well-balanced. There don't seem to be any difficulty spikes or dips throughout the hack. Some stars are harder to get than others. The hardest level is the final Bowser level, which is the way it's supposed to be.

Overall: 7/10

This is a pretty good hack. It's especially good for people who want some challenge, but not that much challenge. It's also good for people who want to make up their own story for a game

Thank you for reading this review! If you want to be summoned to my future reviews please let me know! I'd appreciate any criticism on my reviews as well since I'm seeking improvement.

I have never played the game, but your review definitely caught my attention. It's well-structured, you give it a lot of details and ample comparison with the original game, showing what is new and what changed. A solid 5 for you!

janus : I try to make my reviews huge but still interesting Thank you for your post and for rating my review! I was hoping this review's title would interest people XD

This is a really nice review you made here. I haven't played any Super Mario 64 hacks myself, but I may have to give this one a try now that I've read your review. Like Janus said you added a great amount of details and the review is organized very well. Great Job!

gamerforlifeforever2 : Thank you! I didn't used to review so well like this, so I've been noticing huge improvements in my reviewing.

PacmanandMariofan : To be honest I read EVERYONE'S reviews. But I will keep a closer look at yours