Super Mario Classic
|
| Super Mario Classic | |
|---|---|
| |
| Developer(s) | Zero Kirby |
| Announce Date | Fall 2006 |
| Release Date | Holiday 2006 |
| Genre | Platform |
| Players | 1 |
| Input | Standard keyboard |
| Medium | Game Maker 6.1, later 7 |
| Platform | Windows |
| Status | Finished (Re-release Version) |
Super Mario Classic is Zero Kirby's first full-length, finished, and fully custom-made fangame. Seeing as it is his first game made with his own engine, and first game ever finished, it is easily not his best endeavor.
Story
Mario is bored, and so decides to bribe Bowser into kidnapping Princess Peach. When arriving at the castle, Mario finds that Bowser has already kidnapped Peach. Mario saves twenty bucks, and so decides to save the princess.
Gameplay
Super Mario Classic is, well, played much like the old Super Mario Bros. It uses a powerup system exactly like Super Mario Bros., minus the Starman. The only enemies in the game are Goombas, Koopas, and boss fights with Bowser.
The game, however, includes a multitude of new features not seen in real Mario games. The most significant change was the addition of Light Beams, beams of light the player could jump upon to reach new areas. The Light Beams were used extensively in many levels. Other additions include Barrel Cannons, originally found in Donkey Kong Country. Aside from static cannons, there were also moving cannons that scrolled along a set path. Another was an endless loop; one would have to destroy all the Blue Goombas in the area before moving on.
The game is played on a 2-D plane with an overworld perspective, using Super Mario Bros.-styled Superstar Saga graphics. Several complaints were raised about how terrible the graphics look, from clashing to overall presentation.
The game included a series of Secret Letters, which, when all were collected, gave the player a code at the end of the game (the Letters themselves make up the code). Entering the code on the title screen, in the original version, unlocked an extremely long bonus stage.
The original file was glitchy and inconsistent, especially since the creator was rushed and made a lot of promises he couldn't keep, particularly to his school friends. It didn't even make it onto the main site.
Later, the creator was able to retrieve the game's source file and updated it with a (somewhat) better engine and a new use for the Secret Letters. He did not, however, change the graphics nor several other issues with the source file, and it still did not perform well on the main site.
The glitches in the game were serious, from Goombas stuck in platforms to blocks that can't be hit to getting stuck in a place impossible to escape from. The concept of the Light Beams themselves evolved from a glitch found in production. Overall it was a very shoddily made game.
Zero Kirby has since improved his skills with Game Maker considerably, releasing a second game in the series, Super Mario Classic: Return. Originally intended to be the sequel, Super Mario Classic's poor performance (the original version) motivated Kirby to change the title to Return, intending it to be the new start of the series.
A further sequel, Super Mario Classic Two: Mushroom Archipelago, was planned after Return's release, but it was eventually canned and turned into Super Mario Zero.
The series is now getting a complete overhaul in the form of Super Mario Classic: Returns: Return 2: The Revenge of the Return: Reloaded. Some elements of this game, such as the world settings and Barrel Cannons, have been redesigned for the new game.
Reception
During production, reception was relatively moderate to positive. This was back in 2006.
After release, the game was slammed, for being poorly made and having terrible graphics. The game's re-release did not fare much better, receiving a 4/10 from the only reviewer to review the game.
