ayearofmario-blog

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Out of all the charming things in this game, the parade during the credits might have been the most charming

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Happy ending for my unproblematic fave

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I feel you, Bowser.

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Super Mario RPG: Bowser at His Best

Going into this, I didn't realize that I would come out thinking that Super Mario RPG is the best Mario game period. But it is. I get it now. It always feels like a Mario game but the personality imbued into the characters make it so rich. 

Played before? Yes, once Total time: 12 hours 45 minutes

There are so many characters to love in this game. My favorite party member is Mallow, a cute little cloud creature who brings storms with him whenever he starts to cry. An enemy with intentions to marry Princess Peach, Booster, and his Snifits bring the most laughs in an a game with tons of hilarity.

The personality given to familiar characters feels spot on. Of course Princess Peach escapes her room with her parasol to join in on the adventure and of course Mario is the ideal charades partner and has an incredible celebration face. While Bowser is often a caricature, and some of that does remain in this game (I love Bowser's crying face so much), his character isn’t just a dumb, mean oaf as shown in interactions with his minions. Seeing one of his Goomba's kids call him Uncle Bowser in Monstro Town make it obvious to see why he has so many loyal followers despite, well, all the failing. 

In my two play throughs, I have yet to scratch the surface of all the secrets and collectibles but when I do, I’m sure playing it will be just as fun as it was this time.

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Please never return, Wario.

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Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins: It Was Much More Than Okay

Super Mario Land 2 was a vast improvement on its predecessor. At 32, there aren’t a ton of levels but they are all completely different from one another, making each a memorable experience. 

Played before? No Death count: 54 Total time: 2 hours 10 minutes

We see the introduction of Wario as the villain who stole Mario’s castle (?!) while he was off rescuing Princess Daisy and oh my. I can’t say that I’ve ever been a Wario fan but he is hideous. Words can’t explain how hideous he is. The final battle with him has several parts, one where Wario can also benefit from the Fire Flower and Bunny Carrot power ups.

Once again, the ability to create restore points made me reckless. I have to believe that I would've lost fewer lives if I had to replay each boss stage rather than keep loading the restore point within the actual boss fight. 

I’m not sure I have a favorite world as they are all incredibly clever, but there is one that I have several questions for. Why does this giant mechanical Mario exist? Did Mario build this as tribute to himself? What is the significance of the Three Little Pigheads being the bosses for this? Please tell me any outrageous theories for these questions.   

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Worth?

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As a Princess Peach stan, I am not okay with this.

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Super Mario Land: It Was Okay

I understand the limitations of Super Mario Land due to the Game Boy but I think if I had this as a kid I would've felt incredibly accomplished for beating this game in one go and then would've never wanted to touch it again.

Played before? No Death count: 59 Total time: 1 hour 3 minutes

I played this on the Virtual Console and completely took advantage of the restore points feature. I saved at the beginning of each level and during boss fights where I realized I was losing, which meant I saved at the most inopportune times leading to many quick deaths. 

It’s not an incredibly visually exciting game but Sarasaland kept things fresh with all the new enemies like the Easter Island heads and ninjas, as well as the Bombshell Koopas, who detonated me many times after trying to kick their shells due to muscle memory. The best levels of the game were 2-3 and 4-3 where Mario is in a submarine or airplane that shoots out projectiles. There are few things I love more than spamming the screen with projectiles.

Some things don’t change, like the Princess Daisy fake out at the end which is reminiscent of our princess being in another castle. Also hard mode. Why does Nintendo insist on hard mode? 

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Anything for Yoshis.

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Precursor to Sunshine?

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Super Mario World: Nothing Was the Same

You’re thinking it and I’m thinking it, so let’s just say it at the same time. Super Mario World introduced us to Yoshi and NOTHING WAS THE SAME.

Played before? Yes  Death count: 79  Total time: 5 hours 9 minutes

What this game lacks in power up suits, it more than makes up for in Yoshis. The most satisfying part of this game was always feeding all of the adorable baby Yoshis in the Star World. Speaking of satisfying, the sounds in this game are wonderful. The spin jump, the Yoshi coins, the castle and ghost house doors sounds are all stand outs for me. I also can't forget to mention the first appearance of Bowser's ridiculous clown car, now a staple in the series. Shout out to Tubular for remaining the hardest level in the game, as shown by my 16 deaths.

This is the most nostalgic of all Mario games for me. Everytime I play, I'm five years old again and watching my sister beat Ludwig's castle and enter the Forest of Illusion for the first time. The excitement I felt that day has stuck with me all these years, and even now I can't wait to play it again.

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Ha ha ha I’m leaving you with Bowser next time ha ha.

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Super Mario Bros. 3: The One With All the Outfits

You can't talk about Super Mario Bros. 3 without talking about all the power up suits. The Tanooki, Frog, and Hammer Bro suits (honorable mention to the Kuribo shoe) are easily the best part of the game. I considered playing this game without powerups as a challenge since I’ve played so many times but I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on the fun they offer. Also, less dying.

Played before? Yes Death count: 79 Total time: 4 hours 35 minutes

This game improves on the original Super Mario Bros. in every aspect. I love the look of each of the worlds and their corresponding music. The levels are straightforward but offer plenty of room for exploration and secrets. There are some challenging levels (mainly World 7 for me where there were 33 deaths) but I never had to worry about a game over since the bonus cards at the end of each level consistently provided extra lives. Special shout out to the angry sun for being the best enemy in this game.

I’m a big fan of the passive defeat of Bowser by letting him break through his own brick floor, but I am definitely not a fan of what Princess Toadstool thinks passes for a joke when she is finally rescued. I didn’t go through Lost Levels to be teased.

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You earned that good night’s sleep Mario

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The bane of my existence Source: http://nesmaps.com/maps/SuperMarioBrothers2/SuperMarioBros2Map5-1.html

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Super Mario Bros. 2: Mario is the New Midas

When I was young, I didn’t question the lack of familiar elements from other Mario games in Super Mario Bros. 2. All I knew was that this was the game where I could play as Princess Toadstool and float my way through any and every challenge. Unfortunately, this is A Year of Mario so I committed to playing with only Mario which was mostly not frustrating.

Played before? Yes Death count: 97 Total time: 3 hours 45 minutes

The only time I truly suffered for my choice to play the whole game through as Mario was level 5-1 where I racked up 19 deaths trying to accurately jump on logs and Trouters. While my experience wasn’t bad, I feel like ultimately it is a burden to play with the “well-rounded” character in this game. I missed reaching high places with Luigi, I missed racking up coins and taking out enemies quickly with Toad’s speed, and oh, how I missed Princess Toadstool’s flutter jump.

Of course, I now know of this game’s history as Doki Doki Panic and that apparently dropping Mario into anything will work no matter how strange. Peak strangeness comes in during World 4 where there are enemy snowballs (Flurries), rocketships, whales, and Shy Guys riding death robots that shoot fire (Autobombs). The fact that Mario dreamed this all up really is the only satisfying ending to this game.