Video: Super Mario Satire
I am currently playing through Mario Galaxy with my boyfriend. It's amazing how the ostensibly simple yet spellbinding gameplay breaks new ground, and how it can bring a seasoned platform veteran and a stalwart novice together in matrimonial couch-potato bliss. It's so colourful and 'chunky' and self-aware; it makes me think back to Marble Madness, Toejam n' Earl, Parodius and all those othe gems from the 16-bit days.
Dare I say it, in hindsight not all Mario games are so pleasurable though. I remember playing through the Lost Levels way back when I was in college. Many controllers felt my crushing fury as I died over, and over, and over again. Goddamnit I hated parts of that game (and the anguish of having someone else finish it for me...).
Out of the blue gamer friends of mine Julian Kücklich and Gillian Andrews sent me a link to this little gem, a satirical Super Mario Bros style game, in which you play Hello Kitty a teeny white cat with vacant eyes and an indestructible smile. In a mind-breaking tour of feline fatalities, the level design conspired to make it almost impossible to complete, turning the conventions of the Super Mario game-world in on themselves. The result is a hilarious satire of Mario and its imitators, but I can't help but feel within this sort of indie design a more serious commentary on what gameplay is, how difficulty is scaled, and how (if you read the commentary of people who have played the game here) the most determined player gets their way in the end, no matter how small the window of possible success.
SuperSpecialDavey
Posted to Hot Stuff, Video Games, Videos on 30 December 2007
· Comments (9)
Other stuff like this: Cat, indie games, Mario
That was great! A good satire of those superhard mods. And I love the poignantly defeated ending. Now, can anyone provide translations for the enemy dialog?
Second the request for enemy dialog. Surely some perseverant weeaboo out there can offer a hand.
I'm rolling, though. The end bit is the best.
Played it and freakin finehed that mod...
And if i didn't have a nervous brakedown in the middle of it its becaus i didn't do it all in one time.
The game is a bitch, and the hardest part is at the end of the third level...
Wierdest thing, is that when i got past the frustration i actually enjoyed it.
Lovely little game. I hate its guts :D
http://www.geocities.jp/z_gundam_tanosii/home/applet/Main.html
Hilarious!
I think I've seen a Super Mario mod before that was super hard - this only has hello kitty slapped all over it. Really reminds you how back then, only the difficulty level held the game together.
hey ok (and please don't kick my ass over any mistakes),
regards the japanese text
so when the little cat dies it exclaims 'Gufuu!' which means gust of wind or tornado, he is shouting it like a warning, 'tornado!', but can also mean 'gasp!'
the little monsters say 'nima nima' which is intended as onomatopoeia monstery sounds :)
the yellow line thingy just says 'piiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii' which is more sound-words
the monsters also say 'kaere' which i think is a slang version of the verb 'kaerimasu' which literally means 'go home' or 'return'
they also say 'terayomasu' which is a pun on the english 'terror!' or 'terrifying!'
I can't read the kanji against the background as it is too small and I am not adept enough :D I hope this is useful though
Thanks Davey!
Thanks, Davey. I was mostly wondering if it was supposed to be enemy trash-talk or dismay from the hero. Both! Thank you.