Super Mario Classic Two: Mushroom Archipelago
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| Super Mario Classic Two: Mushroom Archipelago | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Zero Kirby |
| Announce Date | September 23, 2007 |
| Release Date | TBA |
| Genre | Platform/Adventure |
| Players | 1 |
| Input | Standard keyboard |
| Medium | Game Maker 7.0 |
| Platform | Windows |
| Status | First Level Demo |
Super Mario Classic Two: Mushroom Archipelago is the third Super Mario Classic game developed by Zero Kirby. It is the official sequel to Super Mario Classic: Return, and the second game in the "true" storyline.
Story
Bowser once again attempts to kidnap the princess, however the attack is noticably over the top, even for Bowser. Mario thwarts him and stows away on one of his escaping pirate ships, hoping to find out the reasoning behind the vicious attack. He soon finds himself in the Mushroom Archipelago, a lost series of islands in the Mushroom Sea.
Gameplay
Much like the previous Super Mario Classic games, "Classic" is thrown out the window in favor of more imaginative gameplay and to be less generic than "yet another Mario platformer."
In this game, much like Return, Mario features a health bar that depletes as enemies attack him. Even though he can collect powerups like the Fire Flower, they are destroyed and damage is still taken when he is hit. There is also the introduction of the Slide, which can be used to attack enemies and slide under small gaps, much like in Kirby or Mega Man.
The game features three basic modes of play; free-roam, mission, and sailing.
In free-roam, you can control Mario in a 2-D platforming environment without a timer. Exploration is encouraged, as you can talk to various characters to gain hints or play special Bonus Missions for prizes.
In mission, you play through either a level or a Bonus Mission while on a timer. For levels, the goal is to get from the beginning to the switch at the end, which destroys certain color blocks in the World's plaza, allowing you to continue. Bonus Missions have various other goals, from races to defeating all the enemies to just finding something. Each mission area has a hidden Blue Coin (excluding the Bonus Missions, the Blue Coins are gained by completing the mission), the purposes of which are unknown.
In sailing, you control a boat and move around the islands of the archipelago. There's not much exploration in this mode, and is the one you will be in the least.
Several departures from previous installments include the graphical changes, which instead of being in a Mario & Luigi overworld style, are now a 2-D platforming style. The style uses fairly unused graphics and has been applauded, but also critiqued for being too bland.
Another change is the absence of Light Beams, which Zero Kirby considers to be a staple of the series. Unfortunately, he cannot think of a way to implement them with something new.
Various other changes are very small, from the amount of health to the powerups scattered about.
Development
The engine is one of Zero's smoothest; it has very few glitches. It's also reached the First Level Demo, and has gotten some praise for the atmosphere almost perfectly portraying a pirate feel. However, as mentioned before, the lack of a background and poor use of tileset has resulted in a bit of blandness, something Zero hopes to correct in order to increase the feel of the game.
A new screenshot detailing the graphical changes has been released.
