Nintendo Entertainment System · 1994
Somari
An unlicensed 1994 NES platform game that pairs the world and level structure of Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog with Mario as the player character, sold primarily in Asia, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
- Publisher
- Publisher to verify
- Format
- Cartridge
- Genre
- platform game
- Released
- 1994
01
Overview
Somari is a single-player side-scrolling platform game released in 1994 for the Nintendo Entertainment System, developed by the pirate team Hummer Team and credited in-game as Somari Team. The game reworks the levels, items, and boss structure of Sega's 1991 Sonic the Hedgehog for the 8-bit NES, with Mario in place of Sonic and the title name itself a portmanteau of the two characters. It was distributed in regions where bootleg and unlicensed NES and Famicom cartridges circulated, including parts of Asia, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
02
Why it matters
Somari is a notable example of unlicensed NES development, showing how pirate studios adapted a commercially successful 16-bit game to an 8-bit system with recognizable fidelity. It also sits at a curious cultural intersection, bringing two of the most iconic rival characters from Nintendo and Sega into a single playable world before any official crossover existed.
03
The physical edition
A typical complete copy includes a Famicom-format cartridge with a front label bearing the Somari or Somari the Adventurer title; some cartridges carry a 1994 Someri Team copyright notice. Box, manual, and region-specific packaging vary by edition and are not standardized across all releases, so the contents of a given copy depend on where it was originally sold.
04
Playing it today
Physical copies can be played on an original NES or Famicom system, or via emulation using a ROM dump; the game is single-player and uses standard button controls for running, jumping, and spin-dash. No network features or online components are present, so a standalone console or emulator is all that is needed to play.