MFGG - Mario Fan Games Galaxy

Review Information

Game Reviewed	Toadette Strikes (Toad Strikes Back 2), by Thunder Dragon
Review Author	lostpretzels
Created	Jan 27 2015, 3:36 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview

It's been an awfully long time since I've played a fangame like Toadette Strikes, but I'm so glad that it was the first one I chose to pick up after a long hiatus.

The game is absolutely chock-full of content and doesn't pull any punches when it comes to its length or how many easter eggs it's crammed with. The entire game is a total joyride from start to finish. Some might be inclined to say it's better than actual, real-deal 2D Mario titles... and I'd be inclined to agree.

Pros	+ Absolutely stunning level design choices & gameplay design. + The variety of levels, worlds, & enemies far EXCEEDS what's normally expected for a Mario game. The choices all make sense and fit within the levels perfectly. +Very intriguing story with some fun twists thrown in.
Cons	-Setting up controls is a bother; getting a game over also forces you to rebind them, which adds insult to injury. -Beating a level does not restore your health, forcing you to start other levels with a disadvantage. -Gamepad support is a bit lacking; the run & jump buttons are in odd positions and cannot be rebinded.

Impressions

Gameplay 8 / 10	Toadette Strikes has some really high moments, but a few discrepancies that sour the experience slightly. The controls are solid, but could use a bit of tweaking- as I said in the overview, binding controls is already pretty annoying. One example I came across was Thwimps/Thwomps- in other Mario games, they work very similarly all across the board. In Toadette Strikes, though, you can stand on them without being hurt, which I found out the hard way; and Thwimps can be picked up and thrown, which the game doesn't hint to you at any point, making certain areas very difficult unless you know this. Besides that, though, the levels are designed in such a clever way that you almost always know what to do next, even in the most puzzling areas, and even in areas with completely new concepts. Basically- the gameplay is AMAZING, but there's a few issues that can be smoothed out very easily.
Graphics 9 / 10	The graphics are super fresh & nothing clashes, really. All the sprites are colorful and animated with love. I only wish there was a decent way to resize/fullscreen the game without having the pixels stretch; it does NOT look good and should really force an aspect ratio. That minor quirp aside, the game really does excel in looks. Everything looks like it fits right into the Mario universe.
Sound 10 / 10	Every enemy sounds perfect. They've got voices & clips that fit each individual one super-well, giving each enemy an extra layer of lovability. The sound effects are choice-picked from a variety of Mario games, and they work here better than they probably worked anywhere else. Things that were once silent now have sounds. It's wonderful. The music is also lovely- instead of just using MP3s or generic MIDIs, the author picked a great variety of Mario music and ran them through different soundfonts to make them sound fresher than ever. I've never seen it done before, but I instantly fell in love with it.
Replay 10 / 10	There. Are. So. Many. Secrets. Seriously. Every level has an extremely well-hidden coin to find, and some even have easter eggs to scope out (headbanging snakes, anyone?). The NPCs have such lovable dialogue, you'd think it was a Paper Mario title. I still have a lot of things to unlock, despite beating the game's final boss. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say there's a secret ending waiting for those who find all the secrets...

Final Words

Toadette Strikes is awe-inspiring, lovable, and possibly the best MFGG has to offer. Some things need to be updated, but they hardly detract from the overall experience. Give it a play and you will NOT be sorry.

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Comments

	SuperKirby Jan 28 2015, 8:51 PM
Just use Joy2key for the controls m8. I agree the basic ones are garbage but that might just be multimedia fusion (or whatever clickteam product he used) being stupid

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