I just replayed Mario 1 and Lost Levels back to back yesterday and it was kind of an interesting experience actually. Looking at these two games as two halves of a whole certainly adds a bit of appeal to both games.
Anyway, Mario 1. Super important, super iconic, super... meh. It doesn't even need to be stated that it set the groundwork for the Mario franchise, because that goes without saying, but that also means that most Mario games are literally just better versions of this game. So there's just straight up no reason to play this game today unless you either want a history lesson or a harmless way to spend 45 minutes. The controls are stiffer than they should be, the music gets repetitive, and some of the game's later levels are just copy pastes of earlier levels in the game. It certainly is no Mario 3, let alone Mario Wonder. Still, the Mario fun is there, so I can't hate it too much.
Something I find interesting is that I actually find this game quite fun when I'm speeding through it as fast as I can. I think the game flows really nicely when approaching it in this manner, as opposed to playing the game slowly and carefully since I'll have to deal with the game's annoying momentum more.
Anyway, Mario 1. Super important, super iconic, super... meh. It doesn't even need to be stated that it set the groundwork for the Mario franchise, because that goes without saying, but that also means that most Mario games are literally just better versions of this game. So there's just straight up no reason to play this game today unless you either want a history lesson or a harmless way to spend 45 minutes. The controls are stiffer than they should be, the music gets repetitive, and some of the game's later levels are just copy pastes of earlier levels in the game. It certainly is no Mario 3, let alone Mario Wonder. Still, the Mario fun is there, so I can't hate it too much.
Something I find interesting is that I actually find this game quite fun when I'm speeding through it as fast as I can. I think the game flows really nicely when approaching it in this manner, as opposed to playing the game slowly and carefully since I'll have to deal with the game's annoying momentum more.
Local italian plumber causes chaos in the kingdom after getting stoned on some weird mutated mushroom,
Witnesses claim he started jumping over pedestrian heads while throwing molotov cocktails at anyone who approached him,
Officer K. Boswer who was present at the scene, claims that the suspect kept going from building to building searching for his "Peach" and "Princess" which he insisted was taken from him, It was later found our that it's the nick-name for his daughter which tragically lost her life a few weeks ago when their pet turtle accidentally pushed a hammer over her head.
The suspect's brother Luigi claims that his brother was in a mentally unstable condition after the incident and pleads innocent to all the charges presented against him.
Witnesses claim he started jumping over pedestrian heads while throwing molotov cocktails at anyone who approached him,
Officer K. Boswer who was present at the scene, claims that the suspect kept going from building to building searching for his "Peach" and "Princess" which he insisted was taken from him, It was later found our that it's the nick-name for his daughter which tragically lost her life a few weeks ago when their pet turtle accidentally pushed a hammer over her head.
The suspect's brother Luigi claims that his brother was in a mentally unstable condition after the incident and pleads innocent to all the charges presented against him.
Still a really fun game. However, the limited scope is
noticeable. There is little variety and you soon start to notice that you've seen it all. They will continue to rearrange the same elements throughout the game, but there are no more surprises to be had (except for the "looping" levels).
It's still a fun, quick game, but its shortcomings are more apparent today.
noticeable. There is little variety and you soon start to notice that you've seen it all. They will continue to rearrange the same elements throughout the game, but there are no more surprises to be had (except for the "looping" levels).
It's still a fun, quick game, but its shortcomings are more apparent today.
This is the game that started it all and marked Mario as the face of gaming. It's scary to think that next year will mark this game's 40th anniversary.
There is a very good reason for why this game achieves its classic status. The game is just a very solid platformer. It controls with the right amount of momentum just as you would expect and has otherwise very simple features that everyone can understand.
Speaking of features, you jump when you run into obstacles, eat pickups that grant you special abilities, collect coins for points and just try to get to the end of the level. The classic pickups which are the mushrooms (red makes you bigger, green ones are usually hidden and give you an extra life) and the flame flowers that allow you to toss flames. The game is pretty simple yet challenging at the same time. I will be surprised to hear that someone could get through even the first level completely unscathed when first picked up this game.
Speaking of challenging, there is a reason I didn't finish this game. I got stuck at that level where endless hordes of fish jump and attack you. I simple cannot find an open room to wiggle through and basically gave up. There are many parts of this game that felt way too challenging than it should be and look like attempts to pan out the game.
If you consider yourself a gamer, you probably are looking to play this game if not already. This is a true classic of gaming history and definitely should be appreciated in the present age.
There is a very good reason for why this game achieves its classic status. The game is just a very solid platformer. It controls with the right amount of momentum just as you would expect and has otherwise very simple features that everyone can understand.
Speaking of features, you jump when you run into obstacles, eat pickups that grant you special abilities, collect coins for points and just try to get to the end of the level. The classic pickups which are the mushrooms (red makes you bigger, green ones are usually hidden and give you an extra life) and the flame flowers that allow you to toss flames. The game is pretty simple yet challenging at the same time. I will be surprised to hear that someone could get through even the first level completely unscathed when first picked up this game.
Speaking of challenging, there is a reason I didn't finish this game. I got stuck at that level where endless hordes of fish jump and attack you. I simple cannot find an open room to wiggle through and basically gave up. There are many parts of this game that felt way too challenging than it should be and look like attempts to pan out the game.
If you consider yourself a gamer, you probably are looking to play this game if not already. This is a true classic of gaming history and definitely should be appreciated in the present age.