MFGG - Mario Fan Games Galaxy

Review Information

Game Reviewed	Super Mario Block Puzzle Game, by MegaTailzChao
Review Author	Hatman
Created	Sep 13 2007, 2:16 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview

The puzzle genre. A video game that requires you to do more than just smash 386 random enemys and get from point A to point B. It requires you to think, as well. "Super Mario Block Puzzle Game" (the title doesn't roll of the tongue, now does it?) is an example of a prime puzzle game that really puts your noggin to good use. Let's give this game a rundown, shall we?

Pros	+Very nicely developed engine for a puzzler +Wonderfully imaginative puzzles +Adds often hard-to-earn coins for replay value
Cons	-Though the engine is nicely developed, glitches are often showing their ugly faces -Enemies and health feel like an afterthought -The penalty for losing all your health is a one-way trip back to Stage 1

Impressions

Gameplay 7 / 10	Ever play "Block Dude"? Block Dude is a game specifically made for a graphing calculator. The game focuses on a little guy (Block Dude) working his way through a series of puzzles to reach a goal. He gets through these puzzles by lifting and dropping blocks to help him reach said goal. Super Mario Block Puzzle Game plays pretty much the same way. The only comparable differences are the fact that Mario can jump, Block Dude cannot, and Mario has to pick up blocks while standing on them, while Block Dude needs to be on either side. SMBPG is pretty much a simple puzzle game with not so simple puzzles, just like Block Dude. The goal of the game is to guide Mario to the end warp pipe of each stage by setting up blocks in a possition so that Mario can jump on top of them, or manuver past them. Mario can jump over at least 3 blocks. Once the player figures this out (which he might have by just reading my review), the puzzles make themselves much more clear. The game has a lot of neat tricks and items that become very interesting to figure out as you play the game. The game features 2 types of blocks: solid and breakable. The only difference between the two is that the breakable blocks cannot be dropped from a height larger than one block, and if the player drops a solid block on top of one, it shatters. This serves for some pretty facinating stages in the ice world. The game also features coins (which... pretty much do nothing except restore a unit of health) and warp pipes. However, the game unfortunately does lack in some departments. For instance, enemies and health only serve as a pester in a puzzle title. In this one, they're just plain annoying. You can easily get past them and continue on with the stage. Getting harmed means you lose 1 unit of health, and once your health meter's empty, that's it- you start from stage 1. Not stage one of the specific world you're in, just stage 1. Also, the engine was developed to keep Mario on a 16x16 grid, yet sometimes the engine acts up and throws Mario into one of the blocks he's supposed to carry, or into a wall. It's easy to escape from those situations, but it's just annoying to have it happen in the first place.
Graphics 7 / 10	Super Mario Bros. 3 takes up more than 90% of this game's graphics. The remaining 10% are the boss character's sprites and the health meter, which are both from Super Mario 64 DS. The developer decided to mix it up around World 2 and use the Ice Cap Zone background from Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the ice stage. It, oddly enough, works just fine with the editted SMB3 ice-world tileset and doesn't bother me in the least bit.
Sound 6 / 10	The sound in this game consists simply of Mario's voice and other assorted Mario sound effects like coins and warp pipes and the like. The game's music is veru unique for a Mario fangame. The first world- an underground stage- uses the underground theme from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. Somewhat suiting until it loops at the same predictable position. The second world uses the Ice Cap Zone theme from Sonic the Hedgehog 3, to match the game's background. Once again, somehow suiting.
Replay 4 / 10	Once you've solved a puzzle, you don't go back and try to solve it again. What's there to figure out? Unfortunately, this game's only good once. The only reason you'd return to this title is to grab a coin you missed, despite the fact that coins do nothing to the overall game.

Final Words

This game's got the goods, but the goods are only good the first time around.

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