• Part 1: The Beginning

It all started during a time of change in the Horrorbrew community. AlbertGames announced his departure, leaving a void that many hadn't anticipated. In that context, Midnightz (formerly known as Zer0x) mentioned that he would be the new owner of Dario, which at that time was renamed SuperMario.exe, a project that would be completely redesigned to avoid any connection with the original version of the iconic character.

But the story of MARIO 2004 began long before all of this. A year earlier, I had the opportunity to try Super Mario.exe: REBORN, and the experience was so positive that I felt inspired to create my own version of the character. The idea was born as a tribute to the classics, but with my own vision, and I called it "MARIO 2004." Inspired by titles like SONIC 2011, I began sketching the game's concepts and designs from scratch.

The next day, I got to work, developing the first sketches and ideas. Here are some of them:

To bring my project to life, I used various works and resources, including some of Midnightz's work for SuperMario.exe. However, this sparked a heated argument between him and me, which led me to change the design of the main character in MARIO 2004. I opted for a sprite of Harpent, created by Tailskid, which gave it a different style. But the controversy didn't end there. After another discussion, I decided to give it a more original and personal touch, and from that moment on, things calmed down. No one bothered me again, and I was able to move forward with my vision.

• Part 2: The Development

June 26th was a key day: I created the game's official website, which within a few weeks began to attract the attention of many in the community. Among the first followers and prominent contributors were figures like @LiNX_4 , @SunFIRE , @SloppyJolt , @Morganproductions2 , and other enthusiasts of the genre. The response was incredible and motivated me to keep going.

Shortly after, I began assembling a team to accelerate the project's development. I managed to bring on board four initial collaborators: @TheMrAngelGames584 , @NeedleMouse727 , @SonicFenix24 , and @BobIDKsmthing . Thanks to their support, progress was much smoother and faster. A month later, I decided to consolidate everything into an official team, which is currently called ''NIGHTMARE Team''.

To this day, MARIO 2004 is still in development, and although we've made significant progress, there's still much to improve and refine. The truth is, without all of your support, this wouldn't be possible. Every comment, every piece of advice, and every bit of support has been fundamental in keeping this passion alive.

I want to sincerely thank you for joining us on this journey. The story continues, and this is just the beginning.

Thank you so much for reading!

— SamuelBriPesIG