Given that Mari0 is a platformer game about a small Italian plumber going off to save Princess Peach from Bowser, it should come as little surprise that the game feels similar to other Mario titles. You’d think having more players would make the game easier, but this isn’t necessarily the case. Up to four players can be in a match simultaneously, which brings back all kinds of Portal 2 nostalgia. These include downloadable map packs, game modifiers, a level editor function, character customization, and even multiplayer. Portal gun physics go hand in hand with platforming, and with new playable characters, a control system, and an array of original power-ups, Mari0 does take on a life of its own - something that’s a creative nod to its origin rather than a boring, derivative knockoff project.īesides being a complete recreation of Super Mario Bros, Mari0 also has other quality features. This fusion of ideas is one that no one asked for, but that makes more and more sense the longer you think about it. Mari0 begs the question of what could happen if Valve and Nintendo teamed up together. Fans who have played Super Mario 3D before will hugely appreciate the new options and complexity to bolster a familiar experience. Now that Mario can zip across the screen at higher speeds, vault past obstacles, and ensnare his foes with the Portal gun, the classic temporary enhancements of Mario games hold even more possibilities. With it, Mario can reach great heights, accelerate his momentum, avoid deadly obstacles, and toss enemies around to their doom - or even out of the level completely. The idea is simple, but the implications for a Mario game are huge. Just like in the Portal games, the Portal device fires blue and orange portals that connect to each other across any distance. This time, however, Mario has a secret weapon: The almighty Portal gun.

Luckily there’s an array of tokens, smash tiles, and special abilities to help you survive attacks from Bowser's henchmen and save Princess Peach. Similar to Super Mario Bros, it’s a mad hop, sprint, and Goomba-stomp through the colorful obstacles of Mushroom Kingdom.

Combining the puzzle-solving of Portal with the traditional platforming of Mario is a match made in heaven. This game is easy to pick up, but difficult to master the exact sweet spot that many other indie games try so hard to accomplish. The concept of outfitting video gaming’s most famous plumber with his own Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is not hard to wrap your head around.

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