Super Mario Bros.: Dual Dash

From Mario Fan Games Galaxy Wiki
Super Mario Bros: Dual Dash
SMBDualDash.PNG
Developer(s) Hello
Announce Date Unknown
Release Date October 18, 2007
Genre Platform
Players 1
Input Standard keyboard
Medium Game Maker 6
Platform Windows
Status Finished

Super Mario Bros.: Dual Dash was released by Hello in late 2007, around the beginning of his decline in productivity (and a corresponding increase in originality). In this game, whose title is obviously inspired by Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, players control both Mario and Luigi at the same time. Together the brothers must defeat enemies, solve puzzles, and traverse obstacles. Because certain blocks and items can only be used by a specific brother, Mario and Luigi must often take different routes to complete the levels. This is where the split-screen mode, a rare feature for fangames, comes in handy. Both Mario and Luigi jump at the same height and move and slide at the same speed. Both brothers are always "big" size; there are no traditional power-ups like the Fire Flower or Hammer Suit, although there are a few SMB 2-style mushrooms that grant an extra hit. There are only ten levels, and while no level is extremely long, each one takes a while to finish. The levels include few new settings, although the game does visit familiar settings like forests, caves, hills, and fortresses. Solving puzzles often requires cycling through switch blocks and using your partner's head to cross gaps. While the game is a 2-D platformer in the mold of SMB 3 and SMB 2, there are plenty of similarities to Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and even Donkey Kong Country 2. There are also some Zelda elements, especially from the Four Swords games.

Story

Bowser and Wart have teamed up to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, so Mario and Luigi have also decided to join forces to deal with this double threat. Because Wart is also in the picture, we see more SMB 2 enemies, especially Shy-Guys small and large, than in most Hello games. Still, nothing terribly special occurs at the game's conclusion.

Music

The theme song for this game is a remix of the Super Mario RPG theme - a game that's almost never alluded to in Hello games. We also hear a much-overused SMB 2 medley in the forest levels, including the opening level.

Reception

SMB: Dual Dash is one of the most-reviewed games on MFGG. Some reviewers praised this game's originality, its capable engine, the relatively small (less than 6 megabytes) executable file, and the appearance of Mario and Luigi in interdependent and equal roles. Some were also happy to see a Birdo boss. Others complained about the steep learning curve for the often-awkward controls, the lack of dash and pause buttons, the unoriginal music and graphics, and the long time it takes to complete levels. Many players would have liked to have been able to save after each level. While the levels are often difficult, the lives count never goes down. Because both plumbers must hit the tape on the level exit to clear the level, most players will at some point experience a bad glitch: If one brother completes the level and another loses a life, the level will not restart and thus will be impossible to complete.


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