TL;DR
- The recompilation of Majora’s Mask now features full mod support, plus improved performance.
- Zelda 64: Recompiled is the first game to use the updated N64: Recompiled tool.
- More recompilations, including Banjo-Kazooie, Kirby 64, and Quest 64, are also underway.
It’s a great day for N64 fans, as Wiseguy’s incredible revamp of the N64: Recompiled tool is finally available to the public. The first game to show the full progress made over the past few months is version 1.2.0 of Zelda 64: Recompiled, which is now available on GitHub.
Without going too into the weeds, the N64: Recompiled tool makes it significantly easier to make native ports of N64 games. Previous decompilation efforts required painstakingly reverse-engineering a game’s code line by line, then building a port to render that code into a playable game. N64: Recompiled automates that first task and runs the code in the pre-built RT64 renderer. Recompiled games require further refining, but the process is much, much faster than manually decompiling code.
The latest update greatly improves that renderer, meaning N64 games now run at full speed with 4K texture packs, even on 10-year-old hardware. That’s great news for anyone looking to play N64 games on budget smartphones, as N64 emulation is very demanding.
Mod-supporting ports of Kirby 64, Quest 64, Banjo-Kazooie, and more are coming soon.
However, the addition of mod support unlocks far more. The mod tool allows modders to change virtually anything in the game. There are already more than 40 mods for Zelda 64: Recompiled, including a full randomizer, better Epona controls, movement while aiming the bow, a 7K zoomable world map, and the ability to play the entire game as Mario. They all work by simply dragging the files into the program, and the platform-agnostic framework means it now works on macOS for the first time.
This is just the first game to gain access to these features, with many more recomps coming soon. Currently, Zelda 64: Recompiled only supports Majora’s Mask, but Ocarina of Time is on the way. Apart from that, the only recomp that’s officially available is Goemon 64. A video by Nerrel revealed that Kirby 64, Cameleon Twist, Quest 64, Dinosaur Planet, and Banjo-Kazooie recomps are well underway.
Look forward to more information on those releases in the coming months.
