Ever died in a level 5 times and made an Invincibility Leaf block appear and end up a save file with 5 stars but no sparkle anymore? No problem! You can get it back.

I've been spending few hours messing around hex editing the save file and I found it.

What you need
- Checkpoint (https://github.com/FlagBrew/Checkpoint/releases)
- @DaBlackDeath 's Super Mario 3D Land save editor (Mirror1 Mirror2)
- A hex editor (HxD)

First, backup a save file of the game using Checkpoint (make 2 copies in case you mess up)

Plug the SD card into a PC

Go to sd:\3ds\Checkpoint\saves\0x0053F SUPER MARIO 3D LAND\

Look for GameData.bin

Open that save file in hex editor

Press Ctrl+G

Hop onto hex offset (without 0x)
0x2B8F for File A
0x3513 for File B
0x3E95 for File C

Edit the hex value by writing 3F on it

Save

Launch the save editor

Open the edited GameData.bin

Save (no need to do anything to change lives or star coins number, it just makes the save file valid again to avoid the corrupted save error message)

Plug the SD card back into a 3DS

Restore the save file with Checkpoint

Bam! It's shiny again

Note: For some reason, it hangs at white screen when trying to get to the file select screen on Citra emulator but works fine on 3DS, saving the game from pause screen on world map doesn't get rid of white screen either.

 

[jimmyj]

wasn't just replaying the level again a thing to get the sparkles back or is that new super mario bros 2?

 

[Deleted User]

wasn't just replaying the level again a thing to get the sparkles back or is that new super mario bros 2?

NSMB2 and SM3DW does restore sparkles after clearing the remaining levels where Assist Blocks appeared, but die 5 times in SM3DL and sparkles are gone forever unless start a new game without losing lives several times in a row.

 

[godreborn]

I thought that you only had to be careful (not dying 5 times in a stage) when you're going through the game to beat. once beaten, you don't have to worry about it anymore. at least, I seem to recall that from nsmb on the wii. I went through the game, without knowing about the sparkling stars, so I have a save without them. when I went through the game again (again, not knowing there were sparkly stars), I got sparkly stars, at least one sparkly star for just beating the game. I then went searching for star coins, going through levels I skipped over, etc. I'm pretty sure I died more than five times in a level then, which didn't impact getting sparkly stars as I got all 5 of them this time around. not knowing for sure is what's made new super mario bros. u frustrating for me. I've gone through that game countless times, so I have all star coin locations memorized. however, I still die a lot trying to get certain star coins. this is especially problematic when you haven't beaten the game, because you can't save anywhere. I've heard that nsmb u doesn't even have sparkly stars, but I don't know if that's true. maybe it's due to nsmb on the wii being frustrating trying to do that. the games aren't hard to go through, but it can be a pita to get certain star coins without dying a lot. in nsmb u, you can't even get sparkly stars so there's no need to worry? anyway, like I said, I think nsmb on the wii only penalizes you for dying five times in a stage for when you're actually trying to beat the game. after that, you'll have one sparkly star, with the others not having that 5 death requirement.

 

[Diego788]

woah... I didn't knew that when the block appears, it make the sparkles dissapear
but I don't even remember if I had the effect when I finished it...
I'll look into it, thanks for this tutorial

 

[ckcu]

i have total white screen after hex-editing...and then the backup disappeared....no where to download a perfect gamedata.bin