In a delightful collision of two iconic gaming universes, the brutal, sprawling landscapes of Elden Ring's Lands Between have undergone a whimsical transformation. An artist's vision has recreated the punishing map of FromSoftware's acclaimed action RPG in the cheerful, pixelated style of Nintendo's classic, Super Mario World. This creative endeavor replaces towering Erdtrees, foreboding castles, and treacherous swamps with the familiar and cute icons of Mario's world, offering a startlingly charming reinterpretation of a land known for its relentless challenge. It stands as a testament to the enduring love and creativity sparked by Elden Ring within its community, a world that, despite its difficulty, inspires endless artistic appreciation.
The mastermind behind this pixel-perfect crossover is the artist known as sometime_tomorrow_studio, who shared the creation on Instagram. The map meticulously charts the Lands Between, rendered not in dark fantasy grandeur but in the vibrant, 16-bit aesthetic of a bygone console era. Surrounded by bright blue water, the familiar grasslands and scattered islands are all present, now dotted with numbered locations that fans would instantly recognize. Key areas like Elphael, Brace of the Haligtree are marked, inviting players to imagine platforming through its branches instead of battling Cleanrot Knights. In a humorous note accompanying the artwork, the artist confirmed using original sprites from resources like Zanzio and The Spriters Resource, joking about giving themselves carpal tunnel syndrome to complete the intricate piece. This project highlights a fascinating contrast: Elden Ring's world is renowned for its deep, subtle lore and masterful world-building, pillars that place it among the best open-world games. To see that rich, somber blueprint translated into the joyful, primary-colored pixels of Super Mario was an unexpected delight the community never saw coming.
From the Lands Between to the Land of Shadow
The artist's creative journey didn't stop with the base game. Riding the wave of excitement from the massively successful Shadow of the Erdtree expansion released in June 2024, sometime_tomorrow_studio later recreated the Land of Shadow in the same beloved Super Mario World style. This DLC had taken players beyond the Lands Between into a new, haunting realm centered around the narrative of Messmer the Impaler. Seeing this expansion's mysterious and oppressive geography reinterpreted with the same cheerful pixels created another incredible mashup that captivated fans. The Soulslike community was quick to shower praise on both maps, with many admirers even requesting physical prints to own a piece of this unique gaming crossover art.
A History of Creative Crossovers
This is not the first time the worlds of Elden Ring and Super Mario have intriguingly intersected. The community's fascination with blending these franchises has manifested in several ways:
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Cartographic Blends: Before the pixel art map, another fan famously brought the Lands Between into Super Mario cartography, overlaying its regions onto the world maps of classic Mario games. While clever, these maps couldn't quite capture the punishing, deadly nature of the actual Elden Ring experience.
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Nightmarish Mods: In a more... direct invasion, Super Mario characters have physically entered the Lands Between through mods. The creator Garden of Eyes developed an Elden Ring mod that applied a Super Mario makeover, transforming the grotesque Godrick the Grafted into a bug-eyed, terrifying version of the titular plumber, complete with Yoshi reimagined as his grafted pet dragon. This mod didn't stop with Mario; it became a pop culture vortex, pulling in other unlikely characters like Homer Simpson, Moana, and the meme-famous Ugandan Knuckles into FromSoftware's grim world.
Looking to the Future: The Next Challenge Awaits
As of 2026, the legacy of Elden Ring continues to evolve. The base game's 2022 release and subsequent Game of the Year win, followed by the landmark Shadow of the Erdtree expansion, set a high bar for the genre. With that chapter complete, fans are perpetually looking ahead to the next great Soulslike challenge. The upcoming project Elden Ring: Nightreign has generated significant buzz, with players able to sign up for its closed beta test scheduled to begin on February 14, 2025. This next venture promises to deliver a new dark fantasy world for the community to explore, dissect, and undoubtedly, reimagine through their own creative lenses.
Why This Mashup Resonates
The enduring appeal of projects like the Super Mario World-style map lies in their power to recontextualize. They take something known for its intensity and gravity and present it through a lens of pure, playful nostalgia. It creates a conversation between different eras and styles of game design:
| Elden Ring's Design | Super Mario World's Influence | Result of the Mashup |
|---|---|---|
| Dark Fantasy Aesthetic | Bright, Cartoonish Pixels | A charming, surreal reinterpretation |
| Punishing Difficulty & Death | Upbeat, Accessible Platforming | An ironic, humorous contrast |
| Subtle, Environmental Storytelling | Clear, Icon-Based Level Markers | A simplified, navigational guide |
| Deep, Ominous Lore | Lighthearted, Character-Driven Fun | A unique blend of tone and expectation |
Ultimately, this fan art is more than just a clever map; it's a celebration. It celebrates the deep impression Elden Ring's world design has made on players. It celebrates the timeless, joyful language of Super Mario World's visual style. And most of all, it celebrates the creativity of a gaming community that loves these worlds so much, they can't help but dream of what happens when they collide. 😊 In a landscape often focused on leaks and rumors, such pure, appreciative creativity remains a bright spot, reminding everyone that at the heart of these vast digital worlds are players who simply love to play—and create.