Black Mage Mario NES is this weird little romhack where someone slapped a Final Fantasy Black Mage sprite onto Mario. It's exactly as janky as it sounds—Mario still runs and jumps like normal, but now he's got that iconic pointy hat and glowing eyes. The first time I played it, I couldn't stop laughing at how out of place he looks stomping Goombas.

Surprisingly, the palette swaps actually work? The fireballs look kinda magical now, and the sprite doesn't glitch as much as you'd expect. Still feels like playing regular Mario, just with a funky reskin that makes you do a double-take every time you see him crouch in a pipe. Definitely one of those "why does this exist" mods that's weirdly charming.