Eyerone
(i·ro·ny)
Holy shit today is the day. World Tour and Revenge Recomps & 2 rom hacks dropped.
It’s up.
github.com
github.com
github.com
Another emulation adjacent post. I found a new app on Android that basically lets you search/download/play just about any flash game ever. It’s called Swiff!
Here’s the features:
• Over 100k of flash content available! Just click Download and Play! (Huge thanks to the Flashpoint Archive)
• On-Screen controls for keyboard and mouse input.
• Gamepad mapping to keyboard and mouse input.
• Offline proxy to trick games into thinking they are running on their official websites.
• Frontend and Android shortcuts support (including automatic frontend syncing)
• Export your savefiles to a custom folder (for syncing with apps like Syncthing)
• Custom SWF content importing (Custom games support every feature Swiff has to offer)
GitHub - NaviVani-dev/Swiff: Flash games and animations on Android
Flash games and animations on Android. Contribute to NaviVani-dev/Swiff development by creating an account on GitHub.
I had to download QWOP to restore the vibes one time.
This is one of the most confusing topics in retro gaming because the words sound almost the same, but they mean very different things.
Think of a video game like a cake.
- The finished cake = the game ROM you play.
- The recipe = the game’s original source code that the developers wrote.
ROM Hacks
A ROM hack is like taking an already baked cake and decorating it differently.
Someone starts with the finished game and changes parts of it.
Examples:
- New levels
- Different characters
- Harder enemies
- New translations
- Bug fixes
The original cake is still underneath.
Examples:
- Pokémon Radical Red
- Super Mario World hacks
- Castlevania hacks
Decomp (Decompilation)
Imagine someone only has the finished cake.
They spend years tasting it and experimenting until they recreate what they think is the original recipe.
That’s a decomp.
A decompilation is programmers figuring out how the original game worked and writing C code that, when compiled, produces the exact same game.
The important part is:
- It isn’t Nintendo’s leaked source code.
- It’s code written by fans.
- When compiled correctly, it creates an identical ROM.
Think of it as:
“We reverse engineered the recipe.”
Examples:
- Super Mario 64
- Ocarina of Time
- Majora’s Mask
- Pokémon Emerald decomp
Once there’s a decomp, making huge mods becomes much easier because developers are working with readable code instead of tiny hexadecimal numbers.
Recomp (Recompilation)
Now imagine someone has that recreated recipe.
Instead of baking the exact same cake, they change the recipe so it works with modern ovens.
That’s what a recomp is.
A recompilation takes the game’s code (or reverse-engineered machine code) and recompiles it into a native Windows, Linux, Android, or Switch program.
Instead of needing an emulator, your computer runs the game directly.
Advantages:
- Better performance
- Higher resolutions
- 60+ FPS
- Ultrawide support
- Modern controller support
- Mods are easier
The game logic is still the same—it just isn’t pretending to be an N64 or PS1 anymore.
Examples:
- Zelda 64: Recompiled (Ship of Harkinian is a related native project based on decomp work)
- N64 Recompiled projects
- Perfect Dark PC
Why everyone gets excited about decomps
Without a decomp, modifying a game is like trying to repair a car while only looking through the exhaust pipe.
With a decomp, it’s like opening the hood.
Developers can finally understand everything.
That’s why Pokémon ROM hacks became so much more advanced after the Pokémon decomp projects.
