Review Information
Game Reviewed Mario vs the Koopas, by Castor
Review Author Zero Kirby
Created May 24 2008, 1:14 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Stop reading this review.

I'm serious. Stop reading, download the game, and start playing. Seriously, go do it. Now. Stop wasting time. I don't care if your internet connection sucks, it's worth the time.

... So you're still here. So you want to read the review? Okay, don't say I didn't warn you; you're missing out on something the whole time you read this, and I hate to spoil surprises.

Okay...

Honestly, with a name like Mario vs the Koopas, you really can't expect much. I mean, it's kind of a silly name. Plus, he says it's his first fangame. High hopes yet? Probably not.

But don't be fooled.

He says it's his first fangame. Whether he's made other, original games I don't know, but apparently, he knows how to make games.

And it shows.

Man, it's been a while since I've handed out such a high rating. I wonder if I know how to do it anymore.
 
Pros + The gameplay is simple and amazing.
+ The graphics are wonderful.
+ The bosses are imaginative.
+ The levels don't get stale too quickly.
+ The music is amazing and not overused.
+ It's simply amazing.
 
Cons - Can't really put anything down here.
 
Impressions
Gameplay
10 / 10
The game seems to flow seamlessly from one idea to another. He's come up with something amazing here folks, and I'm here to tell you what it is.

From the beginning, you're launched into chaos in the Mushroom Kingdom. Once you enter the level, you are treated to a stampede of Toads and a background of pure chaos... the detail is amazing.

The game controls smoothly. You don't go too fast, you don't have too much trouble stopping, and there's no Insta-Stop... it's amazing.

Some pretty cool ideas shake it up, too.

You have a health bar, which fills up to 3 normally, but to 4 by collecting a Mushroom. Of course, running out of health means you lose a life.

To help Mario survive, he's given a jumping ability, and a drill-spin, which can break through blocks beneath him, akin to the Spin Jump from Super Mario World. Cool, huh?

He can also pick up objects and throw them in any direction across a semi-circle, meaning full aerial defense. They also plow through blocks and other enemies and the like. It's very innovative.

There's a multitude of enemies in the game, some of which are pretty cool. Tornados and the SMW Goombas are a few, but there's also Parakoopas carrying bombs, bomb spitting Piranha Plants, and some Piranha Plants that move along a certain path.

It's not just the new ones, either; several classic enemies have had some upgrades, the most notable of which is the Ninjis, which are so awesome I can't describe it here because it's all the more awesome for you to find out yourself.

The bosses themselves are incredibly amazing as well, and imaginative. The first little mini-boss is a blast in more ways than one, and the first "real" boss is so awesome I can't describe it.

The levels themselves don't get stale very quickly because you get shaken up level to level. The first one seems to be a classic flat level, but switches to a side-scrolling section on a doomship, which crashes and plants you on top of some floating platforms. Future levels get vertical, mazelike, and puzzle-solvey, combining everything you could love in a game in a convinient little package.

Never before have I seen such care put into a game. Never. It's impeccable, it's amazing, and, well, it's an instant classic.

Gameplay gets a perfect ten.
 
Graphics
10 / 10
I say... is this the first good graphics score I've given in a long time? Why so it is!

The graphics appear to be fully custom, seeing as they were submitted to this very same site. For this, they get bonus points.

Not only that, but they look good together as well. Not a drip of clashing at all!

It's very difficult to create so many sprites and yet get them all to look good and not look like something you've seen five minutes ago.

Graphics get a perfect ten, which I've always been eager to pass out for quite some time.
 
Sound
10 / 10
Forget that silly old SMB theme... this one has MP3s and MIDIs combined, something that, while on paper, may not look like a great idea, turns out to be amazing.

Best of all, most of these tunes, you don't really hear in a Mario game! You got the Super Mario Kart Mario Circuit theme in here, along with the Doomship theme from Super Mario Galaxy. You got various remixes and such, and boy, you better believe that it all sounds so good I could fall over.

The sounds themselves are also really great and fit perfectly. I just love this game. It's ear candy. Ahh...

Sound gets an amazing ten as well!
 
Replay
10 / 10
The replay. What's cool about this game is that most of the levels have splitting paths, so you might want to go back and try a different path that you haven't done yet.

Plus, you know you want to fight the bosses again. They're so much fun.

Replay gets a ten, too.

See, now what did I tell you? Don't you wish you had quit out of this review sooner and downloaded this game? C'mon. Admit it.
 
Final Words
10 / 10
Don't let the simple name fool you! You'd be hard pressed to find a better game than this one. Topping Toad Strikes back and the like, Castor's foray into the fangaming world is an instant classic, and it's amazing enough to earn my first real ten out of ten.

Comments
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Zero Kirby
May 26 2008, 6:24 PM
I only give games a ten when everything else is a ten. Including graphics. A ten is a sign of perfection and as such shouldn't have any flaws.

This game is awesome. That's all I have to say.
 
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