Shigeru Miyamoto's cult classic Game Boy game gets a Link's Awakening DX-style release from fans, finally letting the world play as a mole fighting a Mario lookalike in color

mole mania art showing moles and a man shaking his fist — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Shigeru Miyamoto's overlooked Game Boy title Mole Mania has been given the Link's Awakening DX treatment from modders.

The exact same year that Miyamoto directed Super Mario 64 and produced the likes of Pokémon Red and Blue, Mario Kart 64, and Kirby Super Star came the action puzzle game Mole Mania, which was about a mole trying to save his family from a farmer who looks suspiciously similar to Mario. And since its protagonist Muddy Mole only ever appeared in Mole Mania (aside from being a Spirit in Smash Bros), the game is about as close to a forgotten classic as you can have from one of the most famous game designers.

Obviously Shigeru Miyamoto is one of the most well known and beloved game creators of all time, thanks to being the creator of Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, and – perhaps most culturally significant – Pikmin, as well as producing the likes of Pokemon and Metroid Prime. However, within all of those massive hitters are some lesser known titles.

Mole Mania DX - colorization hack - YouTube

Watch On

Still, Mole Mania has clearly retained a fanbase, as Time Extension recently spotted modder Marc Robledo and graphic artist Kensu William have released a Mole Mania DX edition (DX, in this case, references the Game Boy Color port of Link's Awakening). This Mole Mania mod turns the original green-and-black Game Boy game into a vibrant, full-color version, and it could easily pass for an official release with how good it looks.

Provided you have your own copy of Mole Mania to dump the ROM to your Game Boy Color emulator of choice, you'll be able to apply the patch and go to mole town. Robledo also mentions in the replies that they are working on a DX version of arguably the best Game Boy game ever made with Donkey Kong '94, and if it's as good looking as this mole, I'm already in.

Nintendo devs were so obsessed with Konami's legendary 1994 dating sim that they filled Super Mario 64's code with references to it

Scott has been freelancing for over three years across a number of different gaming publications, first appearing on GamesRadar+ in 2024. He has also written for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, VG247, Play, TechRadar, and others. He's typically rambling about Metal Gear Solid, God Hand, or any other PS2-era titles that rarely (if ever) get sequels.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.