Elden Ring's Map Gets a Super Mario World Pixel Makeover
Elden Ring, known for its breathtakingly brutal Lands Between, continues to inspire its dedicated community of fans. One recent creation has taken the game in a surprising new direction—a pixel-art makeover in the style of Super Mario World. This reimagining turns the dark, foreboding world of Elden Ring into a bright, nostalgic, and charming pixelated map, a stark contrast to the game's intense and punishing gameplay.
The Elden Ring fanbase has always been creative, producing everything from stunning comic book-style artwork to imaginative redesigns of characters. However, this Super Mario-inspired recreation of the Lands Between stands out as one of the most unique tributes to the game's world-building.
A Pixel-Perfect Tribute to the Lands Between
The pixel-art map was shared on Instagram by the artist known as "sometime_tomorrow_studio." Their work transforms Elden Ring's sprawling Lands Between into a 16-bit world reminiscent of Nintendo's iconic Super Mario World. The map includes recognizable areas such as Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree, surrounded by pixelated grasslands, islands, and water, all adorned with numbered locations.
The artist revealed they used original sprites from Zanzio and The Spriters Resource to create the design, a painstaking process that took hours of work and even resulted in self-described carpal tunnel syndrome. The recreation has since been praised widely across social media, with fans expressing admiration and even requesting prints of the artwork.
This artistic mashup highlights the depth of Elden Ring's map design, which is not only rich in lore but also visually memorable. By adapting the dark fantasy aesthetic into a whimsical pixelated style, the map breathes new life into a familiar world while showing off the community's creative talents.
From Shadow of the Erdtree to the Land of Shadow
Building on the success of the original Elden Ring release in 2022, the game's fanbase has grown even more passionate following the debut of the Shadow of the Erdtree expansion in June 2024. This DLC transported players from the Lands Between to the mysterious Land of Shadow, introducing new challenges, lore, and characters like Messmer the Impaler.
It didn't take long for the artist to adapt the Land of Shadow into the same pixelated style, receiving similar praise for their creativity. Fans celebrated the blend of Elden Ring's immersive world-building with the lighthearted charm of Super Mario World.
With new expansions like Shadow of the Erdtree and the upcoming Elden Ring: Nightreign—whose closed beta begins on February 14, 2025—players are continuously looking for fresh ways to explore and express their love for the game. Fan creations like this pixel art map showcase just how much inspiration Elden Ring's world continues to offer.
Super Mario Meets the Lands Between
The idea of combining Elden Ring with Super Mario isn't entirely new, but the pixel-art map stands out as one of the most unique takes on the crossover. Other fan projects have brought Nintendo characters directly into Elden Ring through mods.
For example, the modder known as "Garden of Eyes" created a surreal Elden Ring mod that replaces Godrick the Grafted with none other than Mario himself. In this bizarre mod, Mario wields Godrick's grotesque grafted arm while Yoshi takes the place of his dragon. The mod doesn't stop there—it brings other pop culture icons into the game, including Homer Simpson, Moana, and Ugandan Knuckles.
These quirky mods and creations remind players that while Elden Ring is known for its brutal difficulty and dark themes, its community is more than capable of injecting humor and creativity into the experience.
The Role of Elden Ring Runes and Items in Community Art
The dedication of Elden Ring fans to transforming the game's world extends beyond visuals—it also highlights the central role of Elden Ring Runes and Elden Ring Items in the game. Runes, the game's currency for leveling up and purchasing gear, are essential for survival in the Lands Between. Items, ranging from healing potions to talismans, provide critical support during battles against the game's many challenging bosses.
Fan art often reflects this gameplay loop, whether it's in the form of a pixel-art map that showcases the areas where players farm runes or humorous mods that swap terrifying enemies for familiar characters like Mario. These creative expressions underscore the importance of the tools and resources that make the Elden Ring experience so engaging.
For players looking to dive into Elden Ring for the first time or veterans returning for Shadow of the Erdtree, collecting Elden Ring Runes and Elden Ring Items is a cornerstone of gameplay. They provide the means to overcome challenges and explore every corner of the Lands Between—or in this case, the pixelated Super Mario-inspired version of it.
A Community That Keeps Giving
Whether it's through detailed pixel art, humorous mods, or insightful lore analysis, the Elden Ring community continues to celebrate the game in innovative ways. The Super Mario World-inspired map is a perfect example of how fans can take a game known for its punishing difficulty and reimagine it as something nostalgic and lighthearted.
As the Elden Ring journey continues with new expansions like Nightreign, fans can look forward to even more creative tributes. And for those preparing to tackle the game's many challenges, farming Elden Ring Runes and acquiring powerful Elden Ring Items remain key strategies for conquering the Lands Between—or any reimagined versions of it.