pianomanty
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Inch wide, mile deep.
Inch wide, mile deep.
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Super Mario Wonder is the best Mario game since Super Mario World. It remembers that Mario is wacky, and that makes all the difference. With wacky levels, wacky power-ups, and most importantly, wacky wonder seed sequences, this game has surprises packed in at every turn. I had a smile on my face the whole time I played, and even though it wasn't the most challenging platformer ever, it was truly fun through and through.
This review contains spoilers
Games designed from the ground up exclusively for co-op play are special, and It Takes Two might be the quintessential example of this. From fun, varied gameplay, to an engaging story, everything ties in to the co-op nature of the game, making for an unforgettable experience.
The game's core mechanic is that there is no core mechanic, other than the fact that the game is co-op. Every level, or even different sections within a level, outfits each player with new abilities that complement each other as a pair. It then teaches you how to use them, and then lets you solve a variety of puzzles together. I especially like that each player has a distinct ability, making sure that neither player ever feels unnecessary or that they're holding the team back. For example, one level gave one player a gun that sprayed sap, and the other a gun that set the sap on fire, requiring them both to shoot together to take down enemies and puzzles. Our favorite level had us each have one of the poles of a magnet, which made for super cool puzzles that had us switching off each other depending on if we needed to attract or repel something. Not every mechanic was perfectly polished, but they were all fun, and the variety was fun in and of itself. The abilities each character had always did a great job of complementing each other, and the puzzles were well designed to show that off and explore the level's unique mechanics to their fullest potential.
The game's story explores the real ebbs and flows of how people fall in and out of love and how that love can be found again. It involves a couple on the verge of divorce, Cody and May, that get turned into dolls and have to solve all sorts of challenges together to turn themselves back into humans, learning to rekindle their love along the way. Dr. Hakeem's Book of Love, a self-help book about relationships that comes to life, hilariously guides them through the process, thrusting them into the challenges that will help them reignite their affection. While not true for every mechanic, several of them are analogous to aspects of a healthy relationship, such as magnets representing attraction, or gardening abilities representing Cody's personal passions and the passion in their relationship. The one thing I didn't like about the story was that the pacing of them rediscovering their relationship felt a little uneven. I would've liked it if they grew to appreciate each other a little more chapter by chapter, but it seemed more like that progress happened all at once, with May and Cody showing few signs of relationship progress even in the second to last chapter. I do love the way the story tackled some heavy hitting topics like falling out of love, cruelty between partners in a relationship, and children feeling like they're at fault for their parent's divorce. It didn't shy away from what these things really look like, but showed how they can be overcome in even the most entrenched toxic relationships, as long as those involved put in the effort to do so. I also really like how the story and co-op mechanics were really well woven together in every level.
I'd like to make special mention of the game's accessibility. The developers clearly understood that, like me playing it with my wife, there would be a lot of pairs playing this game where one player was a lot more familiar with video games than the other. It Takes Two strikes a perfect balance of having complex enough mechanics for it to be engaging, while keeping them simple enough to be approachable. Boss fights are challenging, but respawn you after only a few seconds if you die, and only stop you if both players die. Aiming sections give you generous auto-aim, wall jumps were sticky, and chase sections saved frequently enough that there weren't many setbacks. My only gripe in this area was that the second boss was a huge difficulty spike that I even struggled with, and the game never really got that hard again. If you or your partner feel intimidated by games, know that special care was taken to mitigate any friction for non-gamers, and my non-gamer wife quickly got acquainted with the controls and felt little frustration throughout the game.
Despite an unevenly paced story and a few unpolished mechanics, It Takes Two manages to deliver immense gameplay variety of consistently great quality and a heartwarming story of rediscovering love, all while being engaging and accessible for seasoned gamers and newcomers to gaming alike.
My wife also left the glowing review of "I think It Takes Two is the funnest game I've ever played".
The game's core mechanic is that there is no core mechanic, other than the fact that the game is co-op. Every level, or even different sections within a level, outfits each player with new abilities that complement each other as a pair. It then teaches you how to use them, and then lets you solve a variety of puzzles together. I especially like that each player has a distinct ability, making sure that neither player ever feels unnecessary or that they're holding the team back. For example, one level gave one player a gun that sprayed sap, and the other a gun that set the sap on fire, requiring them both to shoot together to take down enemies and puzzles. Our favorite level had us each have one of the poles of a magnet, which made for super cool puzzles that had us switching off each other depending on if we needed to attract or repel something. Not every mechanic was perfectly polished, but they were all fun, and the variety was fun in and of itself. The abilities each character had always did a great job of complementing each other, and the puzzles were well designed to show that off and explore the level's unique mechanics to their fullest potential.
The game's story explores the real ebbs and flows of how people fall in and out of love and how that love can be found again. It involves a couple on the verge of divorce, Cody and May, that get turned into dolls and have to solve all sorts of challenges together to turn themselves back into humans, learning to rekindle their love along the way. Dr. Hakeem's Book of Love, a self-help book about relationships that comes to life, hilariously guides them through the process, thrusting them into the challenges that will help them reignite their affection. While not true for every mechanic, several of them are analogous to aspects of a healthy relationship, such as magnets representing attraction, or gardening abilities representing Cody's personal passions and the passion in their relationship. The one thing I didn't like about the story was that the pacing of them rediscovering their relationship felt a little uneven. I would've liked it if they grew to appreciate each other a little more chapter by chapter, but it seemed more like that progress happened all at once, with May and Cody showing few signs of relationship progress even in the second to last chapter. I do love the way the story tackled some heavy hitting topics like falling out of love, cruelty between partners in a relationship, and children feeling like they're at fault for their parent's divorce. It didn't shy away from what these things really look like, but showed how they can be overcome in even the most entrenched toxic relationships, as long as those involved put in the effort to do so. I also really like how the story and co-op mechanics were really well woven together in every level.
I'd like to make special mention of the game's accessibility. The developers clearly understood that, like me playing it with my wife, there would be a lot of pairs playing this game where one player was a lot more familiar with video games than the other. It Takes Two strikes a perfect balance of having complex enough mechanics for it to be engaging, while keeping them simple enough to be approachable. Boss fights are challenging, but respawn you after only a few seconds if you die, and only stop you if both players die. Aiming sections give you generous auto-aim, wall jumps were sticky, and chase sections saved frequently enough that there weren't many setbacks. My only gripe in this area was that the second boss was a huge difficulty spike that I even struggled with, and the game never really got that hard again. If you or your partner feel intimidated by games, know that special care was taken to mitigate any friction for non-gamers, and my non-gamer wife quickly got acquainted with the controls and felt little frustration throughout the game.
Despite an unevenly paced story and a few unpolished mechanics, It Takes Two manages to deliver immense gameplay variety of consistently great quality and a heartwarming story of rediscovering love, all while being engaging and accessible for seasoned gamers and newcomers to gaming alike.
My wife also left the glowing review of "I think It Takes Two is the funnest game I've ever played".
Super Mario World is a triumph of a game and is my personal foundational gaming experience.
Super Mario World is clearly crafted with an immense amount of love, exuding a unique kind of charm throughout every level. Mario controls wonderfully, possessing a perfect amount of momentum while still feeling perfectly maneuverable. The levels are tightly designed to complement these abilities, giving the perfect playground to test your skills without ever being so challenging that it bogs the player down. In terms of abilities, the cape in particular stands out. New players can have fun running and easily flying up to new areas, and experienced players can master sustained flight to race through levels, with the cape feeling satisfying in either case. Additionally, the game sports 24 secret exits. With one exception, (Valley of Bowser 2) the secret levels are again the perfect mix of being hard enough to find to be satisfying, but easy enough to not be frustrating. And finding them is truly rewarding, as they eventually unlock a fast-track to Bowser's castle, as well as special challenge levels to test your skills.
It feels like the developers were constantly focused on the most important question when designing this game: "What makes this mechanic fun?" They focused more on how cool it is to ride Yoshi, or how exhilarating it is to fly, without ever worrying too much about the cape trivializing levels or Yoshi breezing through enemies, because flying is fun and riding Yoshi is fun. The levels are well designed around these mechanics, and for the most part mechanics are well balanced, but there were never mechanics that were made less fun in the name of "balance".
SMW also sports a uniquely charming art style. Almost everything has a pair of eyes, including fireballs, blocks, plants, clouds, and hills, making the world feel welcoming and alive. The enemies have personality, from koopas kicking shells to wigglers getting angry and red and chasing you when you jump on them. The animations have enough frames to show personality, but are quick enough that everything feels snappy. The graphics are unique and colorful and exude the wonderful potential of sprite art and the capabilities of the Super Nintendo. The special care put into the art leaves a lasting impression and is a cornerstone of what makes the game feel special.
Finally, Koji Kondo did a banger job with the soundtrack. The songs take full advantage of the SNES's upgraded sound capabilities, doing cool things like adding in a track of bongos whenever the player is riding Yoshi. Of note is the fact that there are only a few core tracks. For example, the overworld, athletic, underwater, underground, bonus room, ghost house, and castle themes are all the same tune, remixed (and sometimes put into minor) to fit the level theme. Remarkably, rather than the tune feeling tired by the end, this choice makes the game feel expecially cohesive throughout, perfectly complementing the gameplay rhythm found in each unique environment.
If I had any criticisms to levy, it'd be against the autoscrollers and the boss variety. There are a few levels that are autoscrollers, or due to having to ride a platform or wait for stage elements to move, function like one. With Mario's movement being as dynamic as it is, these interrupt the pace that is usually dynamically set by the player themselves. In the boss department, there are four fortresses throughout the world, all guarded by the same boss "Reznor". Reznor is a fun boss, but feels old by the fourth fight. Similarly, though there are seven Koopalings to be fought in the world's castles, three of them essentially boil down to slightly harder versions of earlier fights. None of these issues are significant enough to mar the experience, but like any game, SMW has its imperfections.
Ultimately, the supreme quality of the game is exemplified by the fact that I was able to grasp this game enough to beat it as a kindergartener while still having a blast playing it now, almost 20 years later, with lots of fond memories in between. Despite the dozens of times I've beat it before, it never ceases to feel fresh whenever I pick it up, and I expect to revisit it for the rest of my life.
Everybody needs to experience Super Mario World.
Super Mario World is clearly crafted with an immense amount of love, exuding a unique kind of charm throughout every level. Mario controls wonderfully, possessing a perfect amount of momentum while still feeling perfectly maneuverable. The levels are tightly designed to complement these abilities, giving the perfect playground to test your skills without ever being so challenging that it bogs the player down. In terms of abilities, the cape in particular stands out. New players can have fun running and easily flying up to new areas, and experienced players can master sustained flight to race through levels, with the cape feeling satisfying in either case. Additionally, the game sports 24 secret exits. With one exception, (Valley of Bowser 2) the secret levels are again the perfect mix of being hard enough to find to be satisfying, but easy enough to not be frustrating. And finding them is truly rewarding, as they eventually unlock a fast-track to Bowser's castle, as well as special challenge levels to test your skills.
It feels like the developers were constantly focused on the most important question when designing this game: "What makes this mechanic fun?" They focused more on how cool it is to ride Yoshi, or how exhilarating it is to fly, without ever worrying too much about the cape trivializing levels or Yoshi breezing through enemies, because flying is fun and riding Yoshi is fun. The levels are well designed around these mechanics, and for the most part mechanics are well balanced, but there were never mechanics that were made less fun in the name of "balance".
SMW also sports a uniquely charming art style. Almost everything has a pair of eyes, including fireballs, blocks, plants, clouds, and hills, making the world feel welcoming and alive. The enemies have personality, from koopas kicking shells to wigglers getting angry and red and chasing you when you jump on them. The animations have enough frames to show personality, but are quick enough that everything feels snappy. The graphics are unique and colorful and exude the wonderful potential of sprite art and the capabilities of the Super Nintendo. The special care put into the art leaves a lasting impression and is a cornerstone of what makes the game feel special.
Finally, Koji Kondo did a banger job with the soundtrack. The songs take full advantage of the SNES's upgraded sound capabilities, doing cool things like adding in a track of bongos whenever the player is riding Yoshi. Of note is the fact that there are only a few core tracks. For example, the overworld, athletic, underwater, underground, bonus room, ghost house, and castle themes are all the same tune, remixed (and sometimes put into minor) to fit the level theme. Remarkably, rather than the tune feeling tired by the end, this choice makes the game feel expecially cohesive throughout, perfectly complementing the gameplay rhythm found in each unique environment.
If I had any criticisms to levy, it'd be against the autoscrollers and the boss variety. There are a few levels that are autoscrollers, or due to having to ride a platform or wait for stage elements to move, function like one. With Mario's movement being as dynamic as it is, these interrupt the pace that is usually dynamically set by the player themselves. In the boss department, there are four fortresses throughout the world, all guarded by the same boss "Reznor". Reznor is a fun boss, but feels old by the fourth fight. Similarly, though there are seven Koopalings to be fought in the world's castles, three of them essentially boil down to slightly harder versions of earlier fights. None of these issues are significant enough to mar the experience, but like any game, SMW has its imperfections.
Ultimately, the supreme quality of the game is exemplified by the fact that I was able to grasp this game enough to beat it as a kindergartener while still having a blast playing it now, almost 20 years later, with lots of fond memories in between. Despite the dozens of times I've beat it before, it never ceases to feel fresh whenever I pick it up, and I expect to revisit it for the rest of my life.
Everybody needs to experience Super Mario World.