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The first level of world 8 featured a jump which needed a fair bit of precision (the jump onto the singular pillar towards the end of the level), but at least you could see the landing zone when you made the jump. About halfway through the second level, you were denied that opportunity.
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| Well, I mean… there has to be something over there, right? |
I remember when I was 11 years old and got to the final castle in SMB3 for the first time. I was so excited, and so nervous. So nervous, in fact, that I literally tiptoed over each square, terrified of what might be coming. As it turns out, tip-toeing is not the best strategy.
Somehow, though, I was able to avoid instant death. I just wish there were more surprises like this throughout the game.
For this challenge I teamed up with Bret, my former teammate. He wrote a story about a reason for revenge, and I wrote the revenge served cold.
Continue reading Survivor XV, Challenge 15: Best Served Cold
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Most of the bosses in the NES Mario games just aren’t particularly imposing. Sure, there was Koopa (or his imitators or whatever) in the first game, but those fireballs moved so slooowly, and all you had to do was get behind him. The Koopa in the third game don’t do much better, and are generally the easiest of whichever level they inhabit. This is not a problem that SMB2 is burdened with.
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| A mouse? Who throws bombs?? WHILE WEARING SUNGLASSES!?!? Hell, yeah! |
With some moderate exceptions, most of Super Mario Bros 3 is pretty easy, especially if you’ve accumulated extra lives in the many easy ways the game gives you. Anyone who was able to win either of the first two games no doubt walked through this one with ease. That is until they got to World 8.
Continue reading 15. Here Comes The Sun And I Say It’s Not Right
Prior to the internet, glitches in games (that could be repeated) were insanely popular. It felt like you had a special secret that few people had: breaking a game programmed by gods. Of course, I learned about glitches from Nintendo Power. Still, breaking a game could often be more fun than trying to win it outright. And there’s nothing more fun than trying to enter Super Mario Bros’ minus world, if your idea of fun is trying to make awkward jumps forty-eight times in a row while the clock of death is winding down.
The most annoying world in Super Mario Bros. 3 is hands-down world three. Plumbers apparently are terrible swimmers, and navigating underwater is only marginally less frustrating than killing off all four ninja turtles in two minutes. The designers felt a frog suit would be a nice bone to toss at gamers, but it’s barely an improvement underwater, and a nightmare when back on land.
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Super Mario Brothers 2 introduced a lot of cool, quirky gameplay aspects to the series, but one of my personal favorites was the idea the jumping onto an enemy’s back might not immediately kill said enemy. The idea of riding on an enemy over an otherwise deadly obstacle opened the game’s level design up to all sorts of interesting possibilities. My favorite of which is today’s moment.
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| All aboard! |
Write a story about a group of characters working towards the same goal, while one of them, obviously, is not on the same page. Word Limit: 1500
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“I hate that fish. He just gulps you and you’re dead. Fucking bullshit.”
– Some eloquent YouTube Commenter
You get messily devoured a couple of times the first time you encounter him. After all, he’s one of the very few enemies that can kill Mario no matter how powered up he is. He feeds on your complacency. He doesn’t care that you have a raccoon tail or a fire flower (well, technically, he might care a bit about that). You’re just swimming along, and suddenly – GULP – you’re back to the world map. You’re just bait to him.
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| Exhibit A: Mario about to be reduced to chum |
Death By Troggles 
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