• Add Review
  • Subscribe
  • Nominate
  • Submit Media
  • RSS

An understandably poor first attempt at a community Mario game, but there are a few decent levels.

  • Decky
  • 11/05/2012 03:43 PM
  • 3157 views
Disclaimer: I had to judge these games for All Stars, so I figured I'd beat a dead horse and review it as well. Virtually everyone involved in this game has improved at making Mario levels by LEAPS AND BOUNDS. I'm going to hold very few punches here.

People have said some pretty harsh things about this game. I'm not going to be that rough on it, but it is still a poor game overall. The next two games get slightly better, but it will be up to Super RMN All Stars Super RMN World to ultimately redeem the series.

I'll go ahead and give this an AncientNoob-style review, going over my judging notes for All Stars and assigning each level a numerical rating. The story is what you expect from Mario: collect stars etc. The hub world is quite the jumbled mess and is too large and involved; hub worlds and overworlds should be tightly focused and streamlined.

1-1 by VideoWizard
Rating: 1.5/5
Comments: The level, a supposed tour-de-world-1-zones, is pretty random and jumbled. Plants don't even emerge from pipes. The areas are way too short as well. It just seems like VideoWizard was experimenting with the tiles and NPCs of each game.

A Very Regal Mario by CaptainRegal
Rating: 2/5
Comments: Here, there are a few issues that drag down an otherwise simple and average platformer level. The white spikes against the white background are beyond annoying; please use something else to make the hazards more salient. Too many enemies suicide off the platforms before they become a threat. One of the early ? blocks far too annoying to obtain due to their positioning. The P-Block next to it requires rebounding a shell off another block to obtain - far too tedious.

Arcophobia by MaxMcGee
Rating: 1/5
Comments: At least the name makes sense! It's an athletic sky gauntlet with a bunch of bullet bills and other enemies. There are enemies swarming at Mario before the player can even get his bearings! The level just has the look of a random, gimmicky gauntlet. Too many random enemies and obstacles. And get this: one of the powerup blocks is ONE TILE off the ground - and you can't get back to the course afterwards because you can only reach it via one of those collapsible blocks!


Already? Already?!


Ankle Biter Forest by Ankylo
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: This one isn't too bad. It's an average forest platformer with a series of minor issues. The water isn't swimmable (a problem that plagues most of the levels in this game) and it's a bit lacking in the visuals department. Still, not terrible by any stretch.

Blasting Zone by Solitayre
Rating: 3.5/5
Comments: Solid level. It's overdecorated and the Bob-Omb segment gets a little tedious, but it's pretty and not annoying. Some of the areas and platforms are a little too hard to reach, and there aren't enough powerups, but these issues don't drag the level down too much.

Bob-Omb Battlefield by D-Bones
Rating: 1/5
Comments: Welp, the red coin collection gets very annoying; this level requires you to scour a full-sized level and collect 8 coins to progress...all without a checkpoint. There are too many hazards and tricky segments for this level to be anything but annoying.

Bob-Omb Facility by Dudesoft
Rating: 2/5
Comments: It's not a terrible level, but I found the switch puzzle to be fundamentally flawed. I was able to sequence break without realizing it, but then I died and tried a different route and ended up elsewhere and BOY I WAS JUST CONFUSED! The confusing layout and sequence of the level, combined with the tedious switch block platform segment, drag down the level for me.

Bowser Road by D-Bones
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: I didn't hate this level as much as Brickroad! I found it to be a fun challenge level, but it IS quite harsh on new players, and it features way too many douchebag moments and tricky jumps for an actual game like this. In other words, it's borderline Kaizo at times, and Kaizo isn't a good thing in a game like this. Good luck dodging thwomps and lava hazards on movable platforms!

Bowser by ???? (I think this might be the final boss)
Rating: 1/5
Comments: A ton of powerups and dual bowsers does not a good final boss make.

Break Bowser's Blockade by GRS
Rating: 2/5
Comments: This level goes over the top with enemies. It's a short onslaught of enemies and tricky-to-reach powerups. I don't really have many other notes besides that.

Cavern Calamity by Ratty524
Rating: 2/5
Comments: It's a sensible idea and concept, but in execution it's lacking a bit. You basically have to take a few different routes to ultimately unlock the star in the middle of the level. Backtracking can be a real pain if you accidentally take the wrong pipe. There are some segments that could be unwinnable if, say, I don't have a fire flower or a shell.

Cliffside by D-Bones
Rating: 3/5
Comments: I liked this vertical ascension level, but there are a few faults. Plants aren't in pipes (yet again...) and there are a bit too many projectiles being flung at Mario in random directions. Otherwise it's fine.

Dark Kingdom by Solitayre
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: This SMB1-style level isn't bad, but it's too short and the powerup placement is off. The fact that Solitayre's worst level is still average-to-above-average says a lot about his skills with the engine.

Fairbreeze Lake by WIP
Rating: 3/5
Comments: Another solid level, but it's a little random and confusing at points. I love the airship segment and the layout of the level. A few jumps are just far too tricky or awkward for my taste. Some of the NPCs don't say anything as well.


"I'm the King of the World!"


Fairway by Max McGee
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: Some of the tile arrangement and layout in this level is off, mostly toward the end. I still found it pretty decent. The springboard hidden in the egg was a bit of a head-scratcher, and I might get stuck if I run out of beetles in the underground segment.

Gazelle Steppe by Shinan
Rating: 3/5
Comments: Not too shabby! We're in the middle of a streak of decent (if still flawed) levels here. This level needs a checkpoint because it's so long. There are some head scratchers present, such as the bullet bill wall and the need to defeat enemies to progress. Both are unnecessary, methinks.

Giga Underground Way by Gigabowser
Rating: 3/5
Comments: Another decent level, but sadly this one doesn't seem to live up to its name. There aren't enough giant enemies! There are also a series of minor issues that drag down the level, such as mushrooms in ? blocks (instead of fire flowers or some other second-tier powerup) and powerup distribution. The SNES-to-NES music switch is a little jarring as well.

Grassland by D-Bones
Rating: 1.5/5
Comments: This simple grassland platformer is far too short, even for a checkpoint-free level. It also features some oddly placed enemies (the first one you face is just too close to Mario!).

Highup by D-Bones
Rating: 1.5/5
Comments: It's a scatterbrain of a level - a bit too random and jumbled. There are too many enemies placed in annoying or awkward locations. My notes mentioned something about "blocks on the falling wooden thingies", but I have no idea what the heck I was talking about. So I'll just say this: CURSE THOSE BLOCKS ON THE FALLING WOODEN THINGIES! ;)

Jungle Fever by Solitayre
Rating: 3/5
Comments: The usual pitfalls here (lack of powerups, unswimmable water, a bit too short) but it's pretty and well put together. There is a segment involving a Koopa that might be unwinnable if it dies.

Floodplains by Kentona
Rating: 3.5/5
Comments: Nice! I like the rising and falling water gimmick. The length of the level is just right. However, the volume of bullet bills is far too excessive in some areas (especially when they appear as the water is lowering).

Kentario Desert by Kentona
Rating; 3/5
Comments: I didn't care for this one too much, but I gave it an extra point because everyone else seems to like it. I kept dying in cheap ways, such as hitting an invisible note block and falling into a bottomless pit. I lost a powerup when it scrolled off the left edge of the map. There are a few other issues that prevent the level from being "player friendly": leaps of faith without coin guidance, ice blocks leading directly down to a bottomless pit, etc.

Kentonia by Kentona
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: This level is decent, but it's far too short. It's not bad or annyoing by any stretch of the imagination, but it does feel like an experimental short level in a creator's early days.

Kensnowna by Kentona
Rating: 2/5
Comments: The level's not bad except for the fact that it's an autoscrolling level in a time before SMBX had true autoscrolling functionality. This really screws up Mario's jumps and everything else. Powerups move awkwardly and everything is just...off...because the tiles are moving instead of the screen. It's a pity, too, because the level layout seems really nice otherwise.

Lava Locks by VideoWizard
Rating: 1.5/5
Comments: It's a very short and claustrophobic level, featuring one too many lava pits! Powerups and 1-ups are far too tricky to obtain. The star appears before the boss is defeated.

Lava Underground by Arcan
Rating: 2/5
Comments: There are some cheap shots - it's very easy to slip up and fall to your death. The jump featuring the two piranha plants is especially annoying - even if you time it just right, it's still a challenge to make. There are other minor issues, such as mushrooms in ? blocks and a Koopa shell that should be a generator to prevent players from getting stuck.

Lazy Lake by Dudesoft
Rating: 1.5/5
Comments: My issue with this level was the clash of graphics. The tiles just don't mesh well at all. That might affect my opinion of the level - I noted that it was a "random level without much cohesion", but that could be the graphics influencing my perception. Still, I didn't care for it all that much.


Graphic Clashes Ahoy!


Wild Ride by MaxMcGee
Rating: 1/5
Comments: Everyone seems to really like this level, but I couldn't even get the slide to "work" properly. I kept falling into spikes and lava. Perhaps there was a physics change between the versions of SMBX?

Mediocre Central by Anaryu
Rating: 3/5
Comments: Mediocre Central might actually be a tick above mediocre, I think. The level does need some decoration and polish, and the sky segment isn't particularly inspiring, but it's fundamentally solid early-world platformer.

Pampers by uh
Rating: 3.5/5
Comments: It's quite an involved and complex level. Lots of pipes and invisible blocks. The invisible blocks might be a little unintuitive in the eyes of some players, but it's not that big of a deal to me. I was able to find them and progress after a few seconds. The homing Koopas could be taken out of the level and I wouldn't complain! The 3-up at the end should probably just be a 1-up because it's not that hard to reach. Also, the pit leading to the star should be garnishes with a couple coins just to show that the player can head down there. Most of these are nitpicks and don't bug me too much at all.

Pipe Dreams by Karsuman
Rating: 2/5
Comments: I had a series of minor gripes with this level that really dragged it down. The pipe tiles clash with the water graphics. What does that P-switch do? Water is once again not swimmable.

Piranha Palace by Solitayre
Rating: 3.5/5
Comments: A nice forest/water hybrid. The level's a bit too busy between the waterfalls, vines, NPCs, etc...but it's not to the point of distracting. The star appears in a rather awkward location once you beat the boss.

Piranha Plant Mountain by LittleWingGuy
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: Were those red coins even used for anything? I have a few gripes with this otherwise decent level: the slope failed for me - it didn't propel Mario over the bottomless pit. I also found the note block jumps to be a little too tricky due to the piranha plants and the sheer height of the jumps. There's just not enough margin for error there. Some of the passages are also a little too low, I think.

Precarious Platforms by GreatRedSpirit
Rating: 3.5/5
Comments: Pretty good level! However, I died when I reached the star (Mario fell off afterward). Some of the moving platforms move quite awkwardly. I also felt that there were too many enemies on or around the moving platforms.

RMN Trip by calunio
Rating: 1/5
Comments: It gets an extra half star for the backgrounds, but the layout of this level is a massive head scratcher and I couldn't even beat it except on God Mode because I had to defeat that enemy in the enclosed space to progress. :(


Nostalgia! Too bad the level wasn't as cool as the background...:(

Return to the Fortress by Magi
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: It's an interesting level visually, but some of the tiles have misleading passability. Some of the jumps are too tricky, and this is compounded by some awkwardly placed enemies.

Saguaro Samba by Magi
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments: Not bad at all, but it might be too long, busy, and complicated; collecting 20 red coins for a reward seems excessive. The ice blocks should regenerate as well.

Skyjinx by Anaryu
Rating: 1.5/5
Comments: Another failed autoscroll level that's light on powerups. It's a little underdecorated and features a few too many tricky jumps. Take away the autoscrolling, or fix it with the real autoscrolling feature added in a more recent SMBX update, and it's probably a decent level.

Snowy Plains by VideoWizard
Rating: 1/5
Comments: This level is amazingly short - we're talking 3 screens. The last...screen and a half isn't too bad, but the first screen and a half is very cluttered due to a vertical path toward a 1-up.

The Castle Aaagh by Max McGee
Rating: 1.5/5
Comments: It's just a long castle gauntlet full of strings of random enemies. It's too long, formulaic, and systematic. The underwater segment isn't too bad but it suffers from the same drawn out and systematic issues as the castle portion. This level made me go Aaagh ;)

Trap Jumps by Calunio
Rating: 1/5
Comments: It's just a short, experimental, and random level that was thrown together. No real rhyme or reason here - Calunio was probably just having some fun with the maker.

Underground Run by Shinan
Rating: 2/5
Comments: It's not terrible, but it's pretty bland. The slopes aren't broken, but they are overlong. The level features yet another example of the Boom-Boom miniboss - he's featured way too much in this game ;)

Wild Climb by Ratty524
Rating: 1/5
Comments: There's a random clown car segment, small pipes leading to large pipes, random invisible coin block stairs, a random Link cameo, and 'RMN RULES' spelled out in coins. Meh. Also, if those 3 Koopas die, I'm screwed and cannot progress. Le sigh.

Ylo Bro! by Ankylo
Rating: 2/5
Comments: It's not terrible, but I had a few gripes with it. I didn't finish the rather lengthy level and, as far as I can tell, the level doesn't have a checkpoint. There's also a powerup without any space above it near the beginning. Ruh roh! It's a so-so eclectic level - probably closer to a 2.5 for me.

Overall: 2/5 (perhaps not quite an average)

I didn't care for this first attempt at a Mario community game. Brickroad was indeed right about this one. There are lots of design flaws: poor powerup distribution, fake water, graphical glitches, over- and under-decoration, failed autoscroll levels, etc. Put together a bunch of novice Mario developers together and, well, this is the result. But like I said, many people who worked on this game would go on to make some VERY entertaining levels. We all have to start somewhere!

Unfortunately, the next two games in the series aren't much better. SRB2 also gets a 2/5 in my book, and SRB3 only fares a little better at 2.5/5. There are a few enjoyable levels here, but I'd look elsewhere if I were you.

Favorite levels (or, should I say, levels that annoyed me the least):
Blasting Zone
Cliffside
Jungle Fever
Floodplains
Piranha Palace
Precarious Platforms
Gazelle Steppe
Giga Underground Way
Mediocre Central
Pampers
Piranha Plant Mountain
Saguaro Samba

Posts

Pages: 1
Holy shit! I didn't realize there were so many levels in this!
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
Was there any level that scored at least a 4? Dang :x
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
I kinda feel mean for doing this review, even though I had absolutely no intention of being a douche or trying to bury this game even more. I was judging entries for a compilation and I like to review every game I play: it was what it was ;)

Re: Ratty. In hindsight, I think Pampers, Floodplains, and Piranha Palace should really get 4's because they're well done outside of the same widespread faults seen throughout the game. GRS' hubworld was a massive undertaking and it succeeded on some levels (such as interactive ability), but ultimately was too much for a hub. I really like GRS' very tasteful work in Mario vs. the Moon Base. In that game, he keeps his ability to make engaging gimmicks but reels them in at the right moments. Both GRS and Hali have had quite the task in these RMN Bros. games, and I have faith that this series can be revived.
I think the hub world is the definition of effort in != quality out. Having a good basis of idea (protip: I'm going to make an exciting and cool hub world! is not one of them) is required first! You can always put more effort into an existing good idea to improve it but nothing will save a bad idea. I'm glad I've gotten better since then :)
Any of these levels actually worth using?
author=Deckiller
I have faith that this series can be revived.
Revived to what, the way it began? (this). I think improved is what you want...
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
Nope, revived. It was an exaggeration; the series was dead before it even started due to numerous factors that could only be revealed through making mistakes and reflecting back.

Never mind. More precise wording would've been "I have faith that our approach to Super RMN World will revive the potential of the series." Or "I think our approach to Super RMN World will put us in a position to attain the lofty goals of the series." In other words, I believe we're doing the right things in RMN World to ensure that we live up to the high expectations set forth before SRB1 was made. Revive expectations and improve the series. That sort of thing :D

Edit: sorry if I'm not making any sense. I've had 4 hours of sleep in the last 2 and a half days.
Dudesoft
always a dudesoft, never a soft dude.
6309
Bob-Omb Facility was the best and probably will be the best thing I ever make in SMBX lol...
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
author=Dudesoft
Bob-Omb Facility was the best and probably will be the best thing I ever make in SMBX lol...


Haha it was pretty cool at points I thought.
Pages: 1