Lost Mario 64 multiplayer footage apparently shows off playable Luigi
After 26 years, lost footage of Mario 64’s cancelled multiplayer mode seems to have been uncovered in a clip of a recently uploaded YouTube video.
The video, which was uploaded three weeks ago, shows a brief scene of Mario and a second character that appears to be Luigi.
Both characters in the video appear to have been playable in-game at the same time in footage which has seemingly not been shared online before.
Lost footage showing Mario 64’s lost multiplayer has been uncovered
It is known amongst Mario 64 fans that a multiplayer mode was tried and tested when the game was in development, however the feature was cancelled due to the limitations that the existing technology placed on the game.
Some footage recorded at Spaceworld 95, 28 years ago, has recently been uploaded to YouTube which appears to show a rare glimpse into what this multiplayer could have been like.
The video shows a few seconds of footage which seems to be Mario crawling on the floor and another character spinning into the frame.
Twitter user Yakumono said: “Here's your only official footage of multiplayer Super Mario 64 from a Spaceworld 95 video kiosk as the camera clearly focuses on both characters.”
People think the other character model could be Luigi
Though it is not completely clear in the video, some people think that the second playable character could be Luigi.
In 2020, a Luigi model was uncovered in the game’s files, which was confirmed by Shigeru Miyamoto, who said: "Well, until February, he was in the game. Ultimately, due to memory issues, we had to take him out."
This means there is a good chance that he could have been the character featured.
There is some debate on this however, with others thinking that it could be two Mario’s or a different character all together.
Twitter user CUDdev said: “Look at the colour bleed in the video on both CRTs. It's likely just Mario on the right screen too.”
Another user added: “I'm not convinced that isn't just Mario tbh.”
If you ask me, the video pretty clearly shows Luigi and it is far more obvious in the video where the game is in motion than in the screenshots.
Though it is devastating that we will never get to play the original multiplayer for Mario 64, finding some footage which shows how far into development it got is really exciting.
