Paper Mario's Recompilation Is Here, But It Needs Work on Steam Deck

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UPDATE 5/28/26 - We are currently investigating reports that this Paper Mario ReCut project is AI generated and possibly unsafe. For now, we will keep this article up and remove links to the project. Since we can't confirm its safety, we recommend not using this recompilation for now.

Recompilations feel like the best way to play classic games now. These projects take decomplicated versions of older games and repack them into native ports that can be played on PC. The majority of these have been seen with Nintendo 64 games, and they have been quite compatible with the Steam Deck. Now, a new port is on the horizon, and it’s another one. I’m very excited for.

A few days ago, the first public release of Paper Mario ReCut was posted. Made by SMCGames, this project is a recompilation of Paper Mario from the Nintendo 64. And just like other recompilation projects, the goal is to create the best version of the classic game that we could play with modern enhancements. These include things like modern controller support, higher resolution support, aspect ratio support, higher framerate support, and more.

While SteamDeckHQ does support legal emulation and preservation, we do not support piracy. All games discussed are legally purchased and dumped.

This is a pre-release, so there are features that haven’t been implemented yet and some that just aren’t working properly. On the GitHub page, they know some current issues, like widescreen not working and save states breaking the game. However, it is in a working, playable state where we can boot it up and play. This includes being able to play it on the Steam Deck, but it has some issues right now.

Installing is relatively easy. All you have to do is download the recompilation from GitHub, add the exe to Steam, force it to use Proton, then find your legally dumped copy of Paper Mario (US version), and that’s it. It should automatically detect the gamepad controls when playing on the Deck in Game Mode, and you should be all set to go.

Some of the biggest reasons to use a recompilation of emulation aren’t implemented in this one yet, but still great to see a project like this coming to fruition. We can see some major improvements in resolution from emulation to the recompilation; it’s clear as day when you look at the edges of models. I would also say performance is slightly more stable with the recompilation, but not enough to feel a huge difference.

However, as I mentioned, there are some missing features or some that are just not working. Two of the biggest reasons I would use a recompilation over emulation are true aspect ratio support and higher framerates. Sadly, the recompilation doesn’t have either of those yet. On top of that, there’s no way to access the menu to increase the resolution further or improve other graphical settings like Anti-Aliasing. This also means that we might not be able to use the texture replacement feature that the game has and works.

So, while the graphical improvements are blatantly obvious when looking at side-by-side with emulation, the recompilation project is still a little rough around the edges. I’m not surprised, considering that this is a pre-release, but it’s still great to see the progress that it has made so far. I’m looking forward to seeing how it will improve with each update, and hopefully, we will get a proper Linux release or AppImage we can use on the Steam Deck. And I look forward to seeing widescreen support, because I want to see the entire screen of the Deck filled.

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