Source: https://youtu.be/ywMoHnMpjfo

Paper Mario in its various variations is already 20 years old by now. But in combination with genetic algorithms (no, no ML here), reverse engineering of the physics engine as well as a frame-by-frame simulation of the game Tas Malleo comes up with a really exciting project.

The automatic generation of optimal flight paths for Mario as a paper airplane.

The video is less about the game or a speedrun, and more about how to use genetic algorithms to solve the complex control problem behind this approach. Super interesting if you've already looked into ML playing games.

Have fun.