Super Mario Bros. Crossover
Encyclopedia
Super Mario Bros. Crossover is a crossover platform
flash video game launched on Newgrounds
on April 27th, 2010 by Exploding Rabbit. It is based mostly on the game-play of Nintendo
's Super Mario Bros.
for the NES
. The only major difference is the ability to control characters that debuted in other Nintendo Entertainment System
games unrelated to the Mario series. The latest version available (1.2) was released on the 15th of December of 2010.
browser-based platforming game. The game's levels and graphics are all primarily duplicates of those found in Super Mario Bros.
; each of the game's eight worlds feature four levels. In three of the levels, the goal is to reach a checkpoint to complete the level, while the final level has the player facing against Bowser in hopes of rescuing Princess Peach
. Enemies such as Goombas and Koopas will block the player's attempt to make it successfully through the level. As Mario, the player can jump on enemies to kill them, use Koopa shells to knock enemies over, and acquire powerups from special blocks that serve to boost health, shoot fireballs, or remain invincible for a short period of time. Besides completing the level, the player can also earn coins and points, attempting to achieve a high score.
Crossover varies this formula by adding in several additional main characters in addition to Mario
that the player can play. In the same manner as with Super Mario Bros. 2
, the player selects one of the additional characters at the start of each level. Each character, based on other classic Nintendo Entertainment System
games, uses different attacks and movements that are related to their original game, as well as their own signature music. These characters are:
Jay Pavlina has also expressed interest in making villains such as Bowser playable characters. Each character has been designed to play similar to their original game but within the Super Mario Bros. framework, requiring the player to take in account for limitations of the characters when selecting levels. For example, the player is unable to control the direction of Simon during a jump, similar to other Castlevania games, making some of the necessary jumps very difficult within the game. As Samus, the player cannot fire directly on most foes due to the elevation of her gun, and requires the player to find other methods to dispatch or bypass the foes. Version 1.1 of the game adds some features that the player can enable to bypass some of these limitations.
The game was instantly very popular on Newgrounds where it was first posted. After its first six hours online the game had 12,000 views and had won two awards. His latest update, released on December 15th, 2010, version 1.2, included Sophia the 3rd as a playable character, as well as some minor bugfixes. The creator also claims to have many more future updates in the works.
s Chris Kohler considered the game a "surprisingly thoughtful 8-bit mashup" and praised Pavlina's efforts for "how these six disparate characters all feel like they were ripped from their own classic NES titles, but fit in perfectly to the Mario levels". Margaret Lyons from Entertainment Weekly
called the combination of characters with the Mario universe "a mindfrak for the ages". Dan Ryckert of Game Informer
appreciated the attention to detail, from both the original levels of Super Mario Bros., and the music and sound effects from the other games, that were present in the game.
Platform game
A platform game is a video game characterized by requiring the player to jump to and from suspended platforms or over obstacles . It must be possible to control these jumps and to fall from platforms or miss jumps...
flash video game launched on Newgrounds
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
on April 27th, 2010 by Exploding Rabbit. It is based mostly on the game-play of Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
for the NES
Nes
-Localities:In Norway:* Nes, Akershus, a municipality in the county of Akershus in Norway* Nes, Buskerud, a municipality in the county of Buskerud in Norway* Nes, Hedmark, a former municipality in the county of Hedmark in Norway...
. The only major difference is the ability to control characters that debuted in other Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
games unrelated to the Mario series. The latest version available (1.2) was released on the 15th of December of 2010.
Gameplay
Super Mario Bros. Crossover is a FlashAdobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
browser-based platforming game. The game's levels and graphics are all primarily duplicates of those found in Super Mario Bros.
Super Mario Bros.
is a 1985 platform video game developed by Nintendo, published for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1983 game Mario Bros. In Super Mario Bros., the player controls Mario as he travels through the Mushroom Kingdom in order to rescue Princess Toadstool from the antagonist...
; each of the game's eight worlds feature four levels. In three of the levels, the goal is to reach a checkpoint to complete the level, while the final level has the player facing against Bowser in hopes of rescuing Princess Peach
Princess Peach
is a character in Nintendo's Mario series of video games. She is the Princess of the fictitious Mushroom Kingdom, and often plays the damsel in distress role within the adventure series. In 2007, Princess Peach landed on Forbes magazine's Wealthiest Fictional People list, with a fortune upwards of...
. Enemies such as Goombas and Koopas will block the player's attempt to make it successfully through the level. As Mario, the player can jump on enemies to kill them, use Koopa shells to knock enemies over, and acquire powerups from special blocks that serve to boost health, shoot fireballs, or remain invincible for a short period of time. Besides completing the level, the player can also earn coins and points, attempting to achieve a high score.
Crossover varies this formula by adding in several additional main characters in addition to Mario
Mario
is a fictional character in his video game series, created by Japanese video game designer Shigeru Miyamoto. Serving as Nintendo's mascot and the main protagonist of the series, Mario has appeared in over 200 video games since his creation...
that the player can play. In the same manner as with Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2
Super Mario Bros. 2, often abbreviated SMB2, is a platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System as a sequel to the 1985 game Super Mario Bros. The game was also remade as part of the Super Mario All-Stars collection for the Super Nintendo Entertainment...
, the player selects one of the additional characters at the start of each level. Each character, based on other classic Nintendo Entertainment System
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
games, uses different attacks and movements that are related to their original game, as well as their own signature music. These characters are:
- Link, based on The Legend of ZeldaThe Legend of ZeldaThe Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
, uses a sword and boomerang to attack enemies. Collecting powerups increases the potency of the sword's attacks and the range of his boomerang. He is the only character with fundamental control changes from his original game, being given the ability to jump, which wasn't possible until Zelda 2. - Mega ManMega Man (character)Mega Man, known as in Japan, is a cybernetic video game character, and the main protagonist of what has been referred to as the original Mega Man series developed by Capcom since 1987. The pixel art for the character was created by the designer of the original game in the series, credited under...
Possesses an arm cannon which he can use to fire forward to destroy enemies, with additional powerups to increase his firepower, and has the ability to slide under small spaces. Within version 1.1, Mega Man's jump height is reduced but now has the ability to call in Rush, his robotic dog, to assist in high jumps. - Samus AranSamus Aranis the protagonist of the Metroid video game series. Introduced in the 1986 video game Metroid, Samus is a female ex-army soldier bounty hunter usually fitted with a powered armor suit with weapons that include beams and missiles...
, from the MetroidMetroidis an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
games, also has a gun she can fire and which gains power with powerups. Samus is also able to transform into her "morph ball" form, rolling through narrow spaces and planting bombs. As of Version 1.1, the player starts off playing as Samus in her Zero-Suit, and upon the capture of a mushroom, gains her Power Suit. In Version 1.2, Samus can pick up missiles when enemies are defeated. Each missile sprite icon gives Samus 2 missiles. - Simon Belmont, the protagonist of the early CastlevaniaCastlevaniaCastlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
games, has a whip and can throw axes at foes, the attack strength and number of axes on screen increasing with additional powerups. He has the ability to double jump, which he doesn't have in the original games. His jump can also be changed in the options to a more controllable Easy mode. - Bill Rizer, one of the playable characters in Contra use a gun to fire on enemies, which increases in power and spread with further powerups. He can shoot in 8 directions, even when jumping.
- Ryu HayabusaRyu Hayabusais the protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden video game series as well as a player character in the Dead or Alive series, both published by Tecmo. According to the game canon, Ryu Hayabusa is a ninja and the leader of the that has spiritual, physical and magical ties to ancient dragons...
from Ninja Gaiden was added in the version 1.1 release. Ryu, as a ninja, is able to use a sword and throwing starsShurikenA shuriken is a traditional Japanese concealed weapon that was generally used for throwing, and sometimes stabbing or slashing...
, and has the ability to climb and jump wallsWall jumpThis article is about the video game move. For its real-world counterpart, see wall flip.A wall jump is a technique players can execute in several video games.-Technique:...
. - Sophia the 3rdBlaster MasterBlaster Master is a platforming and run and gun video game released by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a localized version of a Japanese Famicom game titled , which was released on . The game was released in North America in November 1988 and in Europe on...
, the tank vehicle from Blaster MasterBlaster MasterBlaster Master is a platforming and run and gun video game released by Sunsoft for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It is a localized version of a Japanese Famicom game titled , which was released on . The game was released in North America in November 1988 and in Europe on...
, was added in the version 1.2 release. Sophia's capabilities include hovering, clinging to walls and ceilings, and homing missiles, but is also the first character with a limited amount of ammunition and power, requiring the player to refill these capacities through collection from defeated foes.
Jay Pavlina has also expressed interest in making villains such as Bowser playable characters. Each character has been designed to play similar to their original game but within the Super Mario Bros. framework, requiring the player to take in account for limitations of the characters when selecting levels. For example, the player is unable to control the direction of Simon during a jump, similar to other Castlevania games, making some of the necessary jumps very difficult within the game. As Samus, the player cannot fire directly on most foes due to the elevation of her gun, and requires the player to find other methods to dispatch or bypass the foes. Version 1.1 of the game adds some features that the player can enable to bypass some of these limitations.
Development
The game was created by Jay Pavlina and Zach Robinson. It took 15 months to create. It was written using Action Script 3, and made in Adobe Flash CS5.The game was instantly very popular on Newgrounds where it was first posted. After its first six hours online the game had 12,000 views and had won two awards. His latest update, released on December 15th, 2010, version 1.2, included Sophia the 3rd as a playable character, as well as some minor bugfixes. The creator also claims to have many more future updates in the works.
Reception
Super Mario Bros. Crossover has received positive attention from gaming journalists. WiredWired (magazine)
Wired is a full-color monthly American magazine and on-line periodical, published since January 1993, that reports on how new and developing technology affects culture, the economy, and politics...
s Chris Kohler considered the game a "surprisingly thoughtful 8-bit mashup" and praised Pavlina's efforts for "how these six disparate characters all feel like they were ripped from their own classic NES titles, but fit in perfectly to the Mario levels". Margaret Lyons from Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
called the combination of characters with the Mario universe "a mindfrak for the ages". Dan Ryckert of Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
appreciated the attention to detail, from both the original levels of Super Mario Bros., and the music and sound effects from the other games, that were present in the game.