Super Mario Bros Attack of the Bloopers 2011-2012

[thefallenalchemist]

There is a difference in making a game with challenge, and in making a game that is overtly frustrating. This game speaks true of that difference, as it is practically unenjoyable due to it's sheer level of difficulty. Even though there might be "over 50 levels" this is by far more difficult than any platforming game I've ever had the chance to experience. In truth, this game reminds me of the extremely challenging mario rom hacks, which are made for professionals.

I am a veteran player, and I even find some of this gut-wrenching in difficulty. I actually made it to the third level of the first world, and I found a spot where one is supposed to make an impossible jump. It doesn't seem to be possible by means of the character's jump height and width. Jumping from the platform and trying to land on the paratrooper just right is frustrating enough, but then one is forced to make a jump from a low platform and land on a higher platform that is just an inch higher than the parameters allow.

It is impossible.

I also noticed that Mario has an underwater bar. WTF? This completely kills the formula of the series. Mario usually cannot touch the bottom of the screen in water, but in underwater stages, has infinite air.

Of course, fullscreening the App also yields small buttons which should be fixed. There are also a great deal of spelling errors. But these are minute compared to the difficulty. You  say, "I hope you enjoy this for years to come" and I might just do that, if I were a professional gamer who participates in speed-runs daily. But you must realize that the players of this game might not be as skilled, and you should recognize that. It's a good idea, but it is dreadfully unbalanced. Please fix these issues and re-release.

Have you actually finished your own game, and collected all of the star medals? Damn, after collecting the first one, I had to rush like hell to complete a rather frustrating opening board in less than a minute. Getting to the second part of that board leaves you with about 4 seconds, and it's almost physically impossible.

In closing, this is the hardest Mario game I've ever played. Thanks, but no thanks.

I also have to mention that there's a major bug now that is preventing me from playing this at all. As soon as I reloaded my game, I was stuck between a level 2 which I couldn't enter, and a level 1 which would not let me access either. I had already beaten level 2, but the game considered it incomplete. So now I cannot play the game at all. Apparently, more work needs to be done on the game and a re-release should be advised.

[Wetwoo]

I also noticed that Mario has an underwater bar. WTF? This completely kills the formula of the series.

Super Mario 64 has a limited air supply. Now if the underwater levels are designed with unlimited air in mind with a limited air supply, then that's a problem.

[Din]

In response to the Green Star:

Requiring the player to kill themselves is a very ROM-hacky design choice.  It seems that the player isn't required to do so, so I'd say it's fine.  Just don't make a star that can only be obtained via suicide.

I haven't played this yet, but I'll try giving it a shot.

[BuzzNBen]

I'm sorry if the game is too hard for some players.

It IS suppose to be a challenging game, but not to the point where you want to rage quit. Some level edits were done, that actually made it harder in a way. The koopa in W1-3 I can't even get passed sometimes. Sigh. Maybe i'll just re-reupdate

[ZephyrBurst]

So I decided to try this for a bit. The controls were decent, a bit stiff at times for Mario, but not shoddy. Played through most of the first world and there's a few issues I noticed.

http://gyazo.com/74d4ef028396bdb02c6e52bafb854343 - Intro Screen
Right away, we're treated to a missed word in your intro dialogue.

http://gyazo.com/0ec6c89e96e84a8ff52b97c8c75836ff - Intro Screen
I set auto-save on, then this prompt comes up again when it tells me all the options are set.

http://gyazo.com/616142bc503fa3620af39af3ec4743de - World 1-1
Right away, the player has to make a somewhat tricky jump from a small platform. The player has no time to adjust to how this game plays before being presented with this.

http://gyazo.com/af413fd24df487fdcb1cc20a279e0b9e - World 1-2 (If I remember right)
Graphical issue. Is it supposed to be behind the water, yet the pipe is not? Seems a bit odd.

http://gyazo.com/8cc33f7affaa50f0bb20b6982b5fc843 - World 1-4
In this scenario, the screen is auto-scrolling very slowly to the right and you have to make a jump that's impossible without the help of bouncing off of something. Those para-sailing goombas were fine, but they disappear off-screen before the platform is visible. They need to spawn on the screen much higher to give the player an indication of what's coming and be usable for a lift.

http://gyazo.com/6fadb50a0fd61eba8eeb6e0a319bfb80 - World 1-4
As the screenshot says, that paratroopa doesn't move until you stomp on him. I get that the shadow coin is behind him, but it's just odd that he doesn't move. Perhaps another way to get that coin is in order as that paratroopa would probably be too far off for the player to lift off of it before that platform for the coin is visible.

I don't have screenshots for the rest, but there were some issues with the Blooper Fortress as well. That hallway before the boss fight would be incredibly frustrating if someone didn't have fire usage. It just wouldn't be fun.

For the boss himself, one of his tentacles just appear on you when the fight starts, and while they don't deal damage to you, there was no indication that you just had to touch the blue part to beat him. The breath time limit is a bit much for this by the time the player figures out that all they have to do is touch it. There was no checkpoint by him either, which just felt odd for it being the first boss encounter.

In world 1-3, you have the player make a running jump (again) from small platforms, platforms which have enemies that glide around them. Again, the player is just thrust in without being taught how these things work.


A major issue which needs fixing is Mario's hit box is far too large in every direction. There were quite a few times I was hit by something and I was not touching anything. Like running under something where Mario clearly did not touch an enemy above. The threshold for jumping on nearly everything was awkward and gave very little leeway to the player. In any other Mario game, you can get away with nicking the corner of an enemy and still be able to bounce off of them. The large bulletbill specifically comes to mind. I was hit by that thing but clearly on top of it. (Front corner)

The consistent issue I found with all of the levels is they didn't seem to flow well, there was a lot of memory based things going on.

The game, from a technical stand point works well. It isn't broken in most regards, but there are quite a few major design flaws in the level design department. Nothing is ever taught to the player in strides, they're just thrown in with no context.

[thefallenalchemist]

I agree. Not a bad game, but needs just a little more polish. I'd be glad to pick it back up as soon as it got the necessary fixes that it deserves.

[BuzzNBen]

Ok. I just made an update. People say this game is overly frustrating at times, especially in the first world of the game, so I took the time to change it and make the player adjust to the difficulty. It's the same download link, just download it off of yoyogames.

I hope now you won't rage quit.