Super Mario Bros. Shine Pursuit
| Super Mario Bros: Shine Pursuit | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer(s) | Hello |
| Announce Date | Unknown |
| Release Date | August 27, 2007 |
| Genre | Platform |
| Players | 1 |
| Input | Standard keyboard |
| Medium | Game Maker 6 |
| Platform | Windows |
| Status | Finished |
Super Mario Bros. Shine Pursuit is a 2-D platformer made by Hello in the second half of his most active period. In order to complete each of the game's ten regular levels, players must collect all of the Shines hidden throughout the levels. Only then will a wall disappear allowing access to the exit flagpole. There are also four unique mini-levels, including one that requires the use of the mouse, and three Hammer Bros. battles. Several levels have secret exits that allow access to Toad's houses on the world map. SMB: Shine Pursuit has much in common with Hello's 2009 game Super Mario Bros: Shine Expedition, but the former is more linear and slightly less refined. Still, the Hello Engine 2 is in a fairly stable build by this time and includes power-ups like the Magic Leaf and Tanooki Suit. The main glitches are the tendency for sprites to bob up and down and problems with springs getting stuck in blocks.
Contents
Levels
Collecting all the Shines involves several recurring themes, notably manipulation of springboards, P-Switches, and Exclamation Blocks. The levels include all the familiar Hello themes, beginning with a standard hilly level and a cavern (as is the case in nearly all Hello games). Players also visit a desert, a pyramid, an underwater world, and a frozen land during the course of the adventure.
Story
SMB: Shine Pursuit's story is not complex and merely sets up the gameplay. Mario has defeated Bowser and temporarily restored the Mushroom Kingdom to a place of peace and happiness. However, Mario has become bored, so Toadsworth challenges Mario to a special shine-collecting game - SMB: Shine Pursuit. At the end of the game, Mario is treated to a special message as well as a unique (albeit useless) gift.
Music
The music was the most controversial element of this particular Hello game. Music from Mario games is not used in SMB: Shine Pursuit. Instead, Hello uses MP3s of songs from Sonic games exclusively, except for the Mushroom Houses. Some felt the use of Sonic music helped freshen up a game made by an MFGGer seldom known for his innovation. Several reviewers called the music "great" or "excellent," while MegaTailzChao said it was "unfitting". According to Sylvaine227, "[A]s good and epic as [the music] sounds, Sonic music in a Mario game doesn't really match the mood." The often-dissonant rock music will probably be loved or hated by whoever plays the game, with little in the way of middle ground.
Reception
Shine Pursuit has been reviewed a whopping 12 times, garnering an average rating of 6.4 out of 10. The same reasons some reviewers raved about this game were also the reasons why others hated it - the music, the graphics, and the very premise of the game. One common complaint was the first level presented too much difficulty too early in the game - not a first for Hello. Hello uses a slightly expanded - and irksome to many - Black Squirrel tileset in this game. The ability to save game progress after every level, along with the emphasis on puzzles rather than stomping enemies, may make this game more appealing to casual game players than many of MFGG's action/adventure titles.
