This '90s Super Mario bootleg is hilariously weird

It's Super Mario. but not as you know it. A full clip of a bizarre Korean Super Mario bootleg from 1992 has been posted on YouTube, and it's an entertaining watch. 'Super Boy 4' was made for the Samsung Gam*Boy, and appears to be a clone of Super Mario but with some key, and pretty odd, differences.

The design of Super Boy is almost exactly the same, with even the character matching Mario pretty closely, down to his outfit and shape. There are boxes that send out coins when Super Boy punches them, the background is almost identical to Super Mario and there are even Red Yoshis wandering around. (If you're considering playing the real thing see our Switch 2 review.)

The differences are small but surprisingly mighty thanks to their strangeness. Have a look at the YouTube short below and see what you can spot. Then watch the playthrough further down the page.

Korean Super Mario World Bootleg from 1992! 😆 - YouTube

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So there's Mario drinking milk (huh?!), Princess Peach looking oh-so-much older than Super Boy and a disappointing lack of Bosses. Super Boy also turns black when he gets a certain item. Sure. Did you spy anything else? How about in the full version of the game below?

Super Boy 4 (Master System) Playthrough - YouTube

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The Samsung Gam*Boy was actually a localised version of the Sega Master System, which had several iterations throughout its (short) lifespan in the 1990s. The name is weird enough, with its rip-off connotation to Nintendo's actual Game Boy, and it went a step further into strangeness when it later rebranded as the 'Aladdin Gam*Boy' to tie in with the Disney movie. Oddly specific.

Other (more official) games you could buy for the Samsung Gam*Boy included all the Master System classics you'd expect like Alex the Kidd (a personal favourite) and Sonic the Hedgehog (of course).

Bootleg games were some of the biggest joymakers of the '90s, but hacks live on in the modern day. For example this brilliant Super Mario hack for Tiny Toons on the NES needs to be tried out. And there are even clever creatives out there making their own versions of Mario. This Unreal Engine 5 project that remade Super Mario in 3D was one of our favourite things this year.

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