The Ultimate SNES Remasters Are ROM Hacks With CD Quality Audio

I am not entirely against remakes conceptually. I think it’s possible to create a wonderful version of a game that runs on new hardware while preserving the spirit of the original. But remakes that succeed at this are rare. (The LIVE A LIVE remake is gorgeously done, for instance.) Often the process of remaking a game severely degrades what makes the original special, which is why I have such a fondness for MSU-1 ROM hacks.

MSU-1 (which stands for Media Streaming Unit 1, a play on chips like the GSU1) is a custom coprocessor for SNES. It was originally developed by the legendary but tragically passed coder and hacker byuu/Near – an absolute perfectionist who also developed higan and laboriously translated Bahamut Lagoon.  “Early on, there were a few people who played around with proof-of-concept hacks,” ROM hacker and Zeldix admin qwertymodo said to me, “but they never released anything besides teaser videos. Conn [a ROM hacker and Zeldix forum regular] was the person responsible for the first real publicly released MSU-1 hack, which was for A Link to the Past.”

MSU-1 ROM hacks are patched directly into the ROM of an SNES game, and allow you to swap the original game music out with CD-quality PCM audio, and even some limited FMVs. From there, you can play using several emulators like Higan or by using the SD2SNES flash pak. Importantly, the SNES core for the MiSTer, the all-in-one FPGA device for playing retro games, supports MSU-1 games. This means that if you have a MiSTer, you can download and play any of these hacked ROMs on a CRT TV, an experience that feels nearly identical to native SNES hardware but with disorienting, high-quality music.

If you are saying to yourself, “wow, that sounds weird!” – buddy, you’re not wrong! At first it can feel alien playing a SNES game with crystal clear music. But such an experience is rooted in gaming history. People reading this might know about the Sega CD, and if you’ve ever played the TurboGrafx-CD/CD-ROM² or TurboDuo and seen the intro to Castlevania: Rondo of Blood, the contrast of beautiful sprite work with flawless audio might feel familiar. To play a MSU-1 ROM is to be briefly transported to a world where the Super NES CD-ROM actually got released into the wild instead of helping spawn the PlayStation. These do not feel like remakes. These are games from another timeline.

The largest hub for MSU-1 hacking is the Zeldix forums, which is devoted to Zelda hacking as well as other ROM hacks. There you can find a  well-indexed list of every hack available, categorized meticulously. “[Zeldix] was originally a forum created by [a ROM hacker named]  SePH to coordinate and document his completely unrelated [to MSU-1] Link to the Past ROM hack that eventually became Conker's High Rule Tail. The MSU-1 hacking effort was something that came up separately,” qwertymodo recalled. “Things eventually grew from there, and Zeldix became the main hub for MSU-1 hacking. SePH retired and left after he finished Conker, so I took over running the site.”

You won’t find any ROMs on the site, just patches for ROMs you already have. If you want to play these, you must patch in yourself. What’s nifty is that there are frequently multiple music sets to patch in, and everyone is opinionated about their favorites. “On Zeldix, we have multiple music sets for almost every SNES game,” JUD6MENT, who not only ROM hacks but documents them on YouTube, told me. “Mine are very strong in instruments, while others like Jamin Sam Miller does remixes that are extremely close to the original soundtrack. Everyone should find the music they think they will enjoy the most, as music sets can range from subtle remixes to huge orchestras playing the music.”

The experience can be truly transformative. When I play Chrono Trigger or Final Fantasy VI, I go straight for the MSU-1 version. Dragon Quest III seems tailor-made for it, although I’m still excited to play the HD-2D Remake when it (eventually) comes out. Rock n’ Roll Racing with the original songs is a hoot.  F-Zero alone has more than a dozen different versions of the music thrown in there, allowing you to get really granular with your experience. And I gotta say, it’s hard for me to go back to normal F-Zero after playing it with the Jazz Arrange soundtrack.

MSU-1 is not the “best” way to play any of these games, because everyone’s viewpoint there is deeply personal.  But what makes MSU-1 the ideal version for me is that it is non-destructive. Tweaked versions are sometimes the only readily available method for playing a game, and with the exception of companies like Digital Eclipse who put tremendous effort into being mechanically faithful to the original work as well as its context, a remake often involves gut renovating a game, erasing much of the charm that came from the experience of playing it. The Super Mario RPG Remake is by all accounts a fine game, but it's also a game from 2023 with choices and concessions that are informed by the current context. And this is to say nothing of the many blunders that SquareEnix has made over the years, particularly with many lamentable text and sprite choices. An MSU-1 ROM hack lives next to the original game, and I strongly feel the option to play the original version of a game should always exist. 

“I think the best way to describe MSU-1 is it is a new way to revisit old video game favorites,” JUD6MENT told me. “I actually wouldn’t recommend having MSU-1 be a gamer’s first playthrough of a video game.”

Both qwertymodo and JUD6MENT told me they were drawn to MSU-1 due to their love of remixes, remasters and their own taste in music. But they both told me separately that just slapping music in does not itself make for a better experience. “My biggest recommendation for anyone getting into MSU-1 is don’t just play any because it is there and available; be picky and find the right one for you,” JUD6MENT told me. 

“I’m really picky about exactly which tracks I use,” qwertymodo said, “because sometimes there are remix styles that might be fun to listen to, but don't really fit into the feel of the original game. Or sometimes you have a bunch of different songs that sound great on their own, but they don't match with each other very well, so I spend a lot of time making sure the whole soundtrack is cohesive. Sometimes that's easy to do, like when they remake a game and you can just use the entire remastered OST, but other times it can be harder when you need to pull together songs from multiple different sources to fill out the entire track list. Sometimes, when that isn't taken into account, it can actually detract from the experience instead of enhancing it, and I think that's where people sometimes come away thinking that MSU-1 is just a bad thing entirely. But when it's done right, it's really cool to experience.”

There’s more on the horizon beyond the SNES. There has been substantial development with MD+ and MSU-MD, two different projects for adding music to the Genesis/MegaDrive. Moonwalker with the original music is jarring to say the least. And though very early, JUD6MENT has been getting into Mesen HD Packs for the NES. Mesen is a hyper specific multi-system Nintendo emulator that allows for completely hacked textures, sound effects and music. Only a handful of games currently have been converted, and the community is small, but with enough work you could create your very own Castlevania Chronicles, with custom music just like on the X68000.  

MSU-1 is not just a ROM hack, it’s a way of taking control of and deeply personalizing the experience of playing a retro game. And for the people who regularly hack these ROMS, it’s often much more: a new skill, a way of sharing your tastes and a community.

“MSU-1 has a special place for me because it's what got me into SNES hacking,” qwertymodo told me.  “And Near was a good friend, so it's special for that reason as well.”