[Demo] [SMBX] [Updated on 03.26] The Legend of Darkness + A 40th Anniversary Level Mash-Up

**HengShao** · (This post was last modified: 03-20-2026, 01:19 PM by HengShao.)

The Legend of Darkness is a SMBX-38A episode made by Hel Studio, whose members are mostly from China.
For details, you can click HERE.

[Image: lzdIK]

About this project
The project was initially started by me in the summer of 2015. However, due to academic commitments and the team members' personal responsibilities, progress was slow. By 2022, dissatisfied with the earlier level designs, we made the decision to rebuild the entire episode from scratch. Thanks to our collective effort, we are now proud to present this playable demo—we hope you enjoy it!

The Legend of Darkness offers a wealth of unique features, including diverse characters with distinct personalities, innovative gameplay mechanics, vibrant, dynamic cutscenes, and, most importantly—challenging and fun levels!

TRAILER

SCREENSHOTS
[Image: lyjbX]

STORY
The princess has mysteriously vanished! When the Mario brothers rushed to the castle upon hearing the news, all they witnessed was Bowser's shadowy figure retreating into the distance—and the sudden appearance of a mysterious mask shrouded in dark mist.
The moment the mask manifested, the world twisted in chaos: the sky was swallowed by darkness, thunderbolts split the clouds, and howling winds lashed the land with torrential rain. Mario tried to intervene—only to be blasted away by a surge of dark energy, leaving him unconscious...
Where has Princess Peach disappeared to? What was Bowser's true purpose at the castle? And most chilling of all—what unholy force commands this mask of darkness?
To rescue the princess and uncover the truth, the Mario brothers must now embark on a dark adventure beyond imagination!

DOWNLOAD OF THE DEMO
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aDBPE7J...drive_link

The extraction password is "tlod", which is written on the file name.
The engine used by this project (SMBX-38A) incorporates code obfuscation to prevent reverse engineering and cracking. This technique poses no actual harm to your computer. If your antivirus software flags it as a potential threat, you can simply add the file to the software's whitelist/exclusions.

About the 40th Anniversary Level Mash-Up
To celebrate Mario's 40th Anniversary, I created commemorative levels based on the framework of the SMBX-38A project - 'The Legend of Darkness' that our team previously built, and integrated them into a standalone game for everyone to play. These stages blend elements from Super Mario Bros. with other classic 2D Mario games, offering a fresh yet nostalgic experience for players.

For details, you can click HERE.

SCREENSHOTS FOR THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY LEVEL MASH-UP
[Image: 1774020591-590592-tlod-mario-40th-annive...levels.png]

[Image: 1774020591-590592-tlod-mario-40th-annive...levels.png]

TRAILER FOR THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY LEVEL MASH-UP

UPDATE CONTENTS OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY LEVEL MASH-UP
Updated on 2026.03.20.

Fixed some bugs and polished some details to make the game experience better;
Solved the problem that the game experiences severe lag when in the fourth level.

DOWNLOAD OF THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY LEVEL MASH-UP
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aDBPE7J...drive_link

The extraction password is "tlod", which is written on the file name.
The engine used by this project (SMBX-38A) incorporates code obfuscation to prevent reverse engineering and cracking. This technique poses no actual harm to your computer. If your antivirus software flags it as a potential threat, you can simply add the file to the software's whitelist/exclusions.

CREDITS

Spoiler

DISCORD
https://discord.gg/DwCgAKa7HQ