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Halibabica's Gauntlet

The Gauntlet of Halibabica

One thing done right about the next Super Mario Brothers RPG Maker Network Edition 3 is the title: "Pit of Challenges"

That is exactly what you are going to get. A huge pit of challenges. And I mean huge. At 120 levels with 180 stars total, this game is big. You only need 150 stars to win but you are still going to be looking for hoards of stars to proceed. (I played the normal or 'locked' edition but I wouldn't recommend it as the number of stars, secret ones even, required to proceed is quite steep in some worlds)

If you are looking for a pit of challenges or a difficult gauntlet to test your patience and determination then this is your game. If you are looking for a good mario game then... well... um *ahem* Look over there its a rabbit!

First let's focus on what I liked about it.

- A good chunk of the levels are well done. There are a few levels that are even amazing.

- There is even a tutorial that explains in detail what the hell is going on. It even goes over the eight Yoshi types, even though they never appear in the game (except secret land).

- I liked the 'stuck in a hopeless pit' feel. It suits this game nicely.

First of all, I would like to thank those who put this together, even though I'm about to ruthlessly tear it apart. Making a good SMBX game is incredibly difficult and getting a group of 20 or more people to make a good SMBX game is nearly impossible. So basically what I am saying is thanks for the effort anyway. Hey this game isn't all bad, it has some amazing levels even though they are few and far between. I'll make sure I point those out.

Okay, let's get started.

Just a little note:
Reviewing levels is not completely objective. It is very subjective and I'm not going to pretend otherwise. There are a lot of feelings that go into the process of calling a level good or bad. For instance, you can have a technically perfect level that is no fun, or a ridiculously terrible level that is charming.


Grades:
A quick chart of the grades I'll be giving.

A+ (6 / 5)
the best damn level(s) in the game.

A (5 / 5)
Good fun mario level. Requires the following:
1) I like it
2) I did not die excessively or unfairly or have to repeat it constantly
3) Did not have to bust my ass looking for some dumb secret star
4) Looks good
5) Original
6) It has to make me feel an emotion. (Not anger)

A- (4 / 5)
Almost an 'A' level but I found some stuff wrong with it. 4 / 5

B (3 / 5)
This is an acceptable level. Requires the following:
1) I did not get angry at it or have a big problem with it
2) I did not die excessively or unfairly or have to repeat it constantly
3) Technically competent

C (2 / 5)
This is a mediocre level. Not desirable, should only be used as last resort as filler if nothing else is available, or fixed into a decent level. These are the 'meh' levels. Nothing too bad, but nothing good. Easily forgettable. Or, it can have good parts weighed down by really bad parts.

D (1 / 5)
Terrible. A pointless score really, because with a D you still fail, just not quite as bad. The game may still survive if it contains 1 or 2 infamous 'D' levels.

F (0 / 5)
Fail. Level causes nothing more than anger, frustration, the very opposite of fun, or is just plain altogether poor.

F- (-1 / 5)
Level must be taken to the abandoned lands, and then buried in the deepest of the bones, and then cast into the abyss, and then teleported to the 9th circle of hell as soon as technology allows.

Level Types:
I believe mario levels fall into one of the following types (or a mixture of)

ADVENTURE:
Sightseeing tours. Plenty of exploration. Few threats or enemies. Happy Mario music playing in the background. Most Mario levels exist here. In Mario 3, most action panels are adventure levels.

CHALLENGE:
The level is hard. Aesthetics are not as important. Lots of threats. These levels often scroll. The main goal of these levels are to make the player sweat. Or in some cases, it can be a puzzle level forcing mario to think. In Mario 3 or SMW, these would be the castles, airships, scrolling action panels, mazes, etc.

GIMMICK:
Level built around some unique idea. Mario 3 had a couple of these, like the Angry Sun level, sprinkled throughout the game. Sometimes works, and can be amazing if done right, but oftentimes looks like a child going "omg look at meee I'm creative!". They often have no rhyme or purpose and are made 'just because'. These levels are far too common in RMN Mario games. To put it another way, if you only need 2 points of gimmick in your game, RMN would give you 15.

NEWBIE:
New category created for an obvious first level or inexperienced level.

TUTORIAL
Grade: A-
Class: Tutorial
The tutorial is, actually, quite well done. Good job on that.
It IS quite long and DOES have stars in it however, compelling the player to play it just to save up those much needed stars for skipping the bad levels.
Tutorials should always be optional. Not counting for 2 stars.



WORLD 1
A very important thing for any mario game to succeed is NOT TO PISS OFF YOUR PLAYERS IN WORLD 1!
World 1 will be used as a basis to judge your entire game. If there are terrible levels in world 1, a player will only assume that it's going to get worse and decide that they have seen enough. Already, the player gets an impression of a gimmicky, silly, hacked together hodge podge of a world 1, and will have to be as insane as I am to continue playing.


Rock bottom indeed.


Stop the clock by Faenon
Grade: F
Class: Gimmick (freezing time)
I think everythings been said about this one. It looks whipped together in 10 minutes and very unprofessional. It was also the first level I played. Very very bad first impression.


Awesome Hills by ldida1
Grade: D
Class: Newbie
Hardly awesome. Too many enemies randomly shoved in, seems rushed, has HOMING KOOPAS, poor placement of enemies, and a pointless slow water section thrown in for no reason. This looks like someones first level thrown together randomly as he/she was learning how to use the editor.


Wooden World by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Adventure / Newbie
This is a basic Mario 3 level and was somewhat fun to play with okay platforming. The mario 3 boss fight in the out-of-place little room made me chuckle.


Great Grasslands by Tomstar
Grade: D
Class: Newbie
Not really that bad, but it is ridiculusly short. It takes 15 seconds to win. What's the point?


Supra Mairo Bors 2 Dessert by kentona
AND
Supra Mairo Bors by kentona
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick (throwback to Super Mario Brothers 1 and 2)
First of all.... the spelling wrong is not funny. The only thing a player is going to think is that you are an ass not taking this seriously.
Second of all.... this level just feels like a computer generated clone of levels from Mario 1 and 2. I'd grade this higher if these levels were not ALL OVER THIS PROJECT.
I am not a fan of copies from SM1, SM2, SM3, SMW, or any other well known mario game. Although technically the level is good, it is also boring.
It is difficult to explain these levels. It is like someone showed a computer all the old mario games and then issued the command 'Make Level'
Yes I'm being hard on otherwise good levels, but the constant clone levels and throwback levels need to stop in these RMN games, otherwise I'll just go play the real Mario 1/2/3 again instead. It is not a good idea to reference a better game in your bad game...


Picky picky by halibabica
Grade: A-
Class: Gimmick (digging for the star)
You will be picking up grass looking for a star as Toad. Your companions are there, not faring quite as well as you are. This level was a fun break from the gauntlet of pain and made me smile. But it loses points for having too many enemies and the needless 2nd star. Also, Link doesn't say much does he?
Link: .......


Partners in Prime by seiromem
Grade: F-
Class: Gimmick (escort the ninja)
Are you kidding me? This is the worst gimmick I have ever seen in a Mario level! And I have played RMN 1 and 2!
It is not fun. You have to sit and wait for the stupid ninja guy to hop along his stupid path and pray that nothing gets in the way and screws everything up. It's difficult.
It's boring. It's frustrating. Your greatest enemy in this level will be your own patience.


This level suuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks



shell Game by nin8halos
Grade: F-
Class: Gimmick (carry the shell)
More like shell hell, THIS level is a classic example of what is wrong with this game as a whole. Sure it looks nice. Sure the mapping is decent. But someone had to add that stupid shell gimmick in to waste the players time.

Rule #1: DON'T WASTE THE PLAYERS TIME

Any gimmick that serves only to slow the player down (like Partners in Prime) is detrimental. Everyone feels this huge need to make their level stand out with some stupid original "creative" gimmick. No one is going to think you are clever. Everyone is going to think you're an ass.

What is the gimmick I'm whining about?
Through every section of this very long level, you must carry a shell all the way to to the end, without losing it, or you cannot proceed. Losing the shell means REPLAYING THE SECTION. And it goes on FOREVER.

The saddest thing about this level is it could have been good if you only
removed the shell. And made the level shorter.


Vivid Void by jackalotrun
Grade: B
Class: Gimmick?
You will be jumping up and up in this fast-paced climb to the top, but it is a little weird and not very mario like. Floating water? At least this level was solid, quick, and enjoyable.


Mario in the Mines by seiromem
Grade: A-
Class: Adventure
Finally a level done properly. It has a custom tileset, it is original, it is enjoyable, it is not super crowded with enemies, the length is good, the difficulty is good.
Thumbs up. But why is it not an A? The jumping star guys, They slow me down and kill me a lot and serve no purpose for being there just because. Also, it is difficult in some parts to tell which tiles are solid and which are not.


Bowser's Lava Castle by DarklordKeinor
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
This doesn't feel like it belongs in world 1. It is a climactic Bowser castle level and a very basic one at that. But it wasn't bad. The platform is slow and boring. No one likes riding slow platforms, why don't you guys get that? I kept dying from the fireballs in the slow platform part.


World 1 Summary
1.5 / 5.0

So there you have it. World 1. Not exactly a clean start. But at least there are some okay levels. If you are still playing this game after 'Shell Games' or 'Partners in Prime', you are automatically insane. And I've only just begun......



WORLD 2
Yeah, this review is turning into a reading gauntlet. But it is quite fitting. Make a guantlet - get a gauntlet. Lol. bad jokes.
World 2 is kind of strange; it is much better than world 1. In fact, just drop world 1 and let world 2 take its place. Almost every level is good, but there still are a few boring levels and a few SMB1/SMB2 clones.

Green Suede Shoes by Solitayre
Grade: B
Class: Gimmick
Automatic A just because Solitayre made it. Just kidding. It loses a point because I've seen him do better. And it also loses another point because that green shoe is overdone and is not very fun in the first place. It makes jumping difficult. People keep thinking 'oh I'll throw in a green shoe / clown copter / special weapon and that automatically makes the level good' when all it serves is to add yet another Gimmick to the list.


Forest Stroll by DarkloadKeinor
Grade: A-
Class: Adventure
Wow, a good level? Nothing annoying? No gimmick? And it's about time I found Yoshi. WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN, YOSHI? I missed you. Too bad I'll not be seeing you again for the rest of the game. More levels like this, please! Still, a bit too short. At the end of this level, I wanted more.


Epic Elites by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Challenge / Gimmick (everything at 2x speed)
It has a gimmick but at least it is a fun gimmick. Everything moves at double speed! But I have to remove points because:
-level looks sloppy and rushed and bare
-the Birdo at the end totally kills the fun and gets in the way
-level is ridiculusly short (the fun part)
This idea had potential but was poorly implemented.


Magma Caverns by seiromem
Grade: A
Class: Challenge
Excellent level with well-fitting music. My new favorite so far, but unfortunately your competition is lacking. It is a fast paced climb with lava chasing you and it is the perfect level of difficulty. Not frustrating but not easy. It causes sweat, and that's exactly what you want in a level like this.
Big thumbs up!


Cold Clouds by Tomstar
Grade: C
Class: Adventure / Newbie
Very basic level of cloud jumping and red turtles, but it's not interesting at all.


Castle Notsobad by Isrieri
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
We have a basic SMB1 castle here. It really isn't so bad. I forgot all about it, however.


SMB2 by seiromem
Grade: D
Class: Gimmick (clone of Super Mario Brothers 2)
That bomb wall near the start was lame, and you already know how much I like SMB2 clone levels. I just quit after dying there and saved myself terrible Super Mario 2 cave music.


Supra Mairo Bors Boswer's Castl by kentona
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick (clone of Super Mario Brothers 1)
Another kentona remake with poor spelling. The best word to use is "meh"


Fairy Boy by halibabica
Grade: B
Class: Gimmick (throwback to Zelda 64)
"You got the thing!"
Nice Zelda 64 memories here. I liked this level in general, but my problem with it is the abundance of enemies and constantly dying from them, and also I don't really like the fairy mechanic too much. It just kept glitching out.


Boss Blitz Bonanza by jackalotrun
Grade: D
Class: Challenge / Newbie
You blitz through small areas and fight small bosses. Room with Mario 3 miniboss. Room with Birdo. Yay. How exciting. This level really does not need to be in the game as everyone gets to see these tired old bosses many many more times.


RMN Super Beach Level by mariomanty2
Grade: B
Class: Adventure
More happy mario platforming. Lots of powerups.


Ruins of Muda by nin8halos
Grade: A+
Class: Adventure
Brilliant! This level is truly stunning. I can't believe a level this good is within this game. And I also can't believe the same person created 'Shell Games'. Now why is this level so good?
Visuals: It is gorgeous! Best looking level in the game without looking way too busy.
Pacing: A relaxing tour through long-lost underwater ruins. Underwater is not exactly fun in mario games, but the swimming section is kept very short.
Enemies: Perfect amount, not packed with stupid annoying enemies just sprayed all over like some other levels.
Length: A little long, but a level this good has earned it. I also almost took a point off for the secret star (more on that later) but I decided not to penalty this level for the flaws in other levels regarding secret stars. The level is not long enough to overstay its welcome.
Music: The perfect choice for a level like this.
Originality: Yes, and all without using an in-your-face gimmick.
Traps: You have plenty of time to dodge the traps. No cheap kills at all.
More importantly, this level creates a feeling. You get a sense of stumbling on beautiful and old ancient ruins and just the act of exploring them is rewarding on its own.


pritty

Halibabica's zero design / zero restrictions approach has paid off for once.
One out of ten levels maybe?

World 2 Summary
2.6 / 5.0
This world is strange indeed. It contains some great levels! If this game left a bad first impression with world 1, it leaves a mediocre second impression with world 2. But does it last? Stay tuned to find out!


WORLD 3
Let's go into world 3 with a happy face, shall we?


Tomb of the Toadstool Emperor by Ratty524
Grade: B
Class: Adventure
The first half of the level is about perfect, the second half is a bit dull. Ratty524 sure likes the mini-level approach, where you encounter a locked door and need to complete about 3 mini areas to unlock. Usually it works out horribly but in this level it isn't bad. Example of RPG logic incorrectly placed in a Mario game.
The mini areas are somewhat rushed and lacking. You get a mini switch puzzle, then a silly climb with over 100 spineys, then a platform ride over quicksand. I'm not sure what is up with the slow pointless do-nothing-and-win platform ride.


Oasis Ruins by Deckiller
Grade: A
Class: Adventure
Well done! This is a pleasant desert level with lots of ups, downs, insides, and outsides. And the Super Mario Wii music is always welcome.


Goomba's Pass by DarklordKeinor
Grade: B
Class: Adventure
Another good level. Again, Super Mario Wii music is always welcome. It was a little short and you can basically jump over the level with that sky area, and placements were a little cluttered or wobbily.
And the Goomba in the corner talked to me and made me laugh.
Perhaps this game isn't so bad after all!


Peach's Stroll by seiromem
Grade: C
Class: Adventure
Good level, once again. Except that irritating Bob-omb battlefield theme is not welcome. Reminds me of.... that weird frog that does remixes of... I can't remember what it's called but it's so.. enough about the song, the level is good with lots of ups and downs and exploring.
UNTIL THE SECOND HALF. There is a part with bubbles that you have to get through by swimming up into the sky and peach-gliding around. My thumb HURT after that part. Like ow. And it was not fun at all. I fell and fell and fell. It took me forever to get through it. That section needs to go as it drags the level from Good to Shit.


Thumbs will be sore here


Blasted Boos by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
A wrap-around simple ghosthouse climb. It was good until the boss showed up. Way too many hit points on that thing. Also, the second star is... really? I can't figure out how to get it at all. Not without the level editor. I don't like having to waste my time looking for secret stars where they don't belong.


Woodcutter Castle by nin8halos
Grade: A-
Class: Adventure
This level has a solid theme, looks nice, and is fun to play. It gets a bit long and the sections get very repetative but at least the stuff you are repeating didn't come out of someones ass.


Brilliant Battle by Tomstar
Grade: C
Class: Newbie / Challenge
Annoying music and silly battles. Let's just run back and forth and hit the win buttons. This feels like some kind of SMBX layer concept test.


The level never leaves this room


Sky Mountain by Davenport
Grade: A
Class: Adventure
Entering the world of Davenport is always going to be unique. I don't know what else to say besides "It's Davenport"
This level was great. All it is, essentially, is a giant journey upward. There are lots of flying powerups and flying items. Ascend to the heavens as fast as you can. Really, you will feel free like a bird here. The level is huge, open, and you can go up forever. Excellent work.


Dr. Toadly by seiromem
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
Those toad levels. They don't sit well with me for some reason. The levels themselves are just... annoying and the music is... annoying.
Guess we got a reoccurring villian now, but I can't decide if it should be funny or menacing or what.


He will get very annoying


Jackalotrun's Castle by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
This level is kind of thrown together and it shows. It contains a tired old SMB3 mini-boss fight, homing koopas, airships inside a castle ???, and a birdo reskinned as the blue ironknuckle from zelda 2?


ugh

Sand Tombs by apa649
Grade: B
Class: Adventure
Another decent desert level, not as nice as the other desert levels I've played so far but there is definitely nothing wrong with it, except perhaps an overuse of enemies in tight corridoors. It doesn't really stand out however.


Supra Mairo Bors 3 Angry Sun by kentona
Grade: B
Class: Challenge / Gimmick (Super Mario 3 angry sun levels)
Another kentona throwback. But this one isn't so bad. Those brick monsters are tricky and it keeps you constantly on your toes. The angry sun didn't work and failed horribly. It shows up for a sec, goes WHHHAAAAAZZZUP and then disappears, never to be seen again.
I would give this a bad grade except the gameplay of this one turned out to be pretty fun. Without those carefully placed brick monsters, on the other hand, would make this yet another remake, and a broken one at that.


World 3 Summary
2.8 / 5.0

This world was mostly okay, nothing too offensive. A few gems.



WORLD 4
Six Worlds Under

Vanilla Lake by Link_2112
Grade: F
Class: Adventure
It has a cool mole. But it also has a pointless switch pipe beside the cool mole to artificially pad out the levels length. After a few deaths you will be sick of doing this. And then you have to get through this cluttered level without dying. And then you miss the secret star so you have to start it up again. And then you find the pipe going to the secret star. And then you have to go backwards through the level. And then you have to play a stupid fucking ring mini-game and if you fuck up (which is very easy to do) you have to restart the whole level again. Without the secret star, this would be a 'C' and without that mole section to start the platforms, this would be a 'B'


You can only fly through here once. If you fly through the wrong ring, you don't get the star.
Dick move. This is where I stamped the 'F' and moved on.


The Cave by ldida1
Grade: C
Class: I don't know... falling level?
This level is fun, but as a mario level design, oh god is it bad. It's basically a pit you have to collect red coins in and the pit is full of random everything.


Excellent mario design at its best


The Factory by seiromem
Grade: A-
Class: Adventure
Pure fun. The enemy generators made me laugh, and the level design was quite good. So this is where bombs and crabs and goombas come from? Is this Bowser's Eli's War Factory?


Hilly Hyrule by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick (Zelda 2 throwback)
The Good:
- It plays like a mario level would
- It is not a complete duplicate or carbon copy from a previous game
The Bad:
-Pointless lake of 'filler' for no reason
-Really short
-Little design effort


Mario vs the Tree Base by kentona
Grade: A
Class: Adventure
Kentona knows how to make good levels, and it shows here. It has a fun theme, the music is pleasant, the platforming is good, even the secret star felt like it belonged. This is one of the few levels that did the secret star thing nicely. I know it's a 'throwback' of sorts but it is not obvious nor is it from a game everyone has played 50 times.


Narbacular Drop by everyone
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick (chain level)
A noisy clusterfuck.


Shrooms in the Night Sky by seiromem
Grade: D
Class: Adventure?
Enter level, speakers start screaming, frantically hit the 'mute' button. This level is just a bunch of stuff thrown together at random.


Lakitu Bros by halibabica
Grade: B
Class: Gimmick (allied Lakitus)
This one was good. You get allied lakitus! Still, even with 2 lakitus helping you out, this level is jam-packed with a clusterfuck of enemies and the lakitus often are of little help besides confusing you and cluttering the screen with busy activity everywhere. Almost an A, but not quite.


Ghost House Blues by Desmo360
Grade: A+
Class: Challenge / Gimmick (mirrored tower)
I loved it! But I am a sucker for it's music so I'm sure I'm a little biased here. And you actually have to think in this level! Thinking in a mario game! Who knew? Finally a puzzle level. That mirror climb was both tricky and welcome. I don't know if it's technically the best level, but it sure is my favorite! I don't even think this quite deserves the 'gimmick' branding as it is arguably not, but whatever. This level had a great idea and executed it well.


Coffee and Donuts by nin8halos
Grade: A
Class: Adventure
After playing this level, I got in my car and went for some coffee and donuts. It's not just the coffee and donuts theme, everything in the level just flows together nicely and things are not placed needlessly.
Everything is just done right. The pacing; nothing is artificially stopping you from running through as fast as you can (such as a pointless pool of water or a wall you have to bob-omb through). The use of space; nothing is crammed together.
I just want to reiterate that even without the coffee and donut theme, it would still be an A, because this level is technically excellent too. Some levels just throw shit in because they can. But in this level, every block has a purpose.
I'm starting to see a pattern here. nin8halos knows how to make mario levels. Sure he messed up with the Shell Games, but he hasn't let me down since.


mmmmmmm donut

Crystal Cave by jackalotrun
Grade: B
Class: Adventure
This crystal cave lacks design and reasoning and includes a few things just because it can, but I sure didn't mind playing it.


Mushroom valley by DarklordKeinor
Grade: C
Class: Adventure
It started out pretty good, but with that pointless lake crammed full of fish, the homing koopas and the needless hidden star, and the irritating Bob-omb battlefield noise track in the background...
Could be a B if this stuff was fixed, or an A if the level was less sloppy and designed somewhat better. Making better use of space and less enemy density would sure help too.

World 4 Summary
2.7 / 5.0

Worlds 2, 3, 4 are definitely the good worlds. At this point, RMN3 is turning out to be a playable game. But of course I must press on, there are many more levels to do.

Spoilers: It gets much worse later on.

WORLD 5
The Middle Ground

Jellyfish Lake by DarklordKeinor
Grade: D
Class: Adventure
I don't like underwater levels much in the first place, but this one is just random stuff thrown around and it is too cluttered. It's got that Mario 1 hand-fish at the start that everyone will try to jump on. It forces you to navigate through narrow jellyfish passages crammed with fish. It is slow, boring, and needs opened up a lot.


Dr Toadly's Revenge by seiromem
Grade: D
Class: Challenge
I just had difficulty here. That asshole Dr. Toadly. Boss has so many hitpoints and I often died before delivering the final blow. The boss is waaaay too long. And remove the fight with the damn Mario 3 miniboss! I had to refight that asshole 10 times as a punishment for making a mistake fighting Toadly.


Smash Bro by Link_2112
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick
What started as a fun gimmick started to go on. And on. And on. And on. And topped with a secret star. No clue where it is. Not going to go through all that shit again to try and find it either.


Mad Metroid by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick (Metroid throwback)
A metriod throwback. This is a mario game here people. Just because the editor has metroid stuff in it doesn't mean its a good idea. The level here is not too bad but that tired old motherbrain boss just has too many hitpoints. And I know how many more metroid levels are coming up. Hint: way too many


Luigi's Mansion by halibabica
Grade: B
Class: Challenge
A good old ghost house level. Had quite a bit of frustration at the lakitu however, and where the secret star is - beyond me.


Spike Palace by seiromem
Grade: A-
Class: Challenge
Really liked the level and its theme. But it had no reason to shove in the secret star, especially after the checkpoint (if you get the checkpoint, you cannot go back for the star). My favorite part is when the spikes are closing in slowly and you have to quickly climb the platform tower.


Satellite of Love by nin8halos
Grade: B
Class: Gimmick (Metroid throwback)
Another metroid throwback? While this level was technically good, it felt out of place and in the way, probably because of the metriodness and jumping through all the switch hoops. No one really likes switch mazes all that much. Too much RPG mentality for a mario game. Because of the switches, this level ends up being too long.


Supra Mairo Bors 3 Clowds by kentona
Grade: A
Class: Gimmick (Super Mario 3 throwback)
Another copyclone. Except this time kentona picked my 2 favorite levels from SMB3 and fused them together. This level is much more than just 'hey I maed surpa maior bros 1-1' when compared to the others. It is just hands down a great level, even if it is ripped off from Mario 3.


Mario in a Flash by UPRC
Grade: F
Class: Gimmick (Megaman throwback)
Ok these throwbacks are starting to get really really old. This level is just megaman or something copycloned in, and doesn't work at all like a fun mario level would. Slippery floors. Invisible question mark blocks. Tight corridors. Level fails.


Geee, does this level look fun or what

Airship G by seiromem
Grade: B
Class: Adventure
Why are all the goombas committing suicide at the start? Lol. This level is a basic airship, covered in goombas of all shapes and sizes.


Goomba Caves by apa649
Grade: F-
Class: Adventure
Holy hell. This level...

Ok, let's start with the good. This level looks okay tehnically, and can be a decent cave level if you take a small subset of it.

Now. The bad.

This level is overblown and it is WAY WAY TOO LONG. There are switch walls forcing lots of back and forth as well to pad an already insane length. Ever wonder why the old mario games had TIME LIMITS?

Also. to get the 2nd star you must collect RED COINS. STOP WITH THE FUCKING RED COINS. There is a reason red coins were banned. I don't care if it's 'only for the secret star'. This level is so long that if you die, you are going to be throwing your controller across the room and cursing as you reluctantly reloading the level. One of the red coins is IN A FUCKING PIT. That means YOU HAVE TO FUCKING DIE TO GET ONE OF THE COINS. But dying causes the coins to reset. Damnit!

I had to open this level in the editor and make a doorway to the end giving me both stars for my pain. If your level pisses me off, I am not above raping it in the ass.


There are more than one red coins like this.


Desert Dunes by jackalotrun
Grade: A
Class: Adventure
This was a nice easy pleasant level. It was a nice needed break after having a fit brought on by Goomba Caves.


World 5 Summary
2.2 / 5.0

The good levels are coming to an end, and quickly. Soon we will be entering star-hunting red-coin-collecting madness and overblown long-as-hell levels.


WORLD 6
Moving on Up
(more like moving on down)


Crimson Slipper by halibabica
Grade: A-
Class: Adventure / Gimmick (red shoe)
This is a good level, but a little gimmicky. It has an annoying secret star, but at least this one is hidden in a fair way. Fair as in the player gets an idea where the star might be the first time through the level.


Black Sea by seiromem
Grade: D
Class: Adventure
A decent level ruined by a red coin collect-a-thon. I wanted to like this one until I realized it was overblown and pointlessly shoved in a 2nd star, in which you must collect every damn red coin. Hope you don't die and have to restart the hunt again and again!


Dangerous Den by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Challenge / Gimmick (every room is 1 screen)
A series of quick, basic, 1 screen rooms. Not bad but it is, after all, only a gimmick.


21 rooms like this


Major Linkage by Link_2112
Grade: D
Class: Adventure / Gimmick (Zelda 2 throwback)
Link2112, link2112, link2112....
This level could have been so good.
Getting the 1st star is okay. The level is quite long, but it is enjoyable.
Getting the 2nd star is just 'NO'. And you have the balls to demand the player go find a THIRD STAR. The Zelda charm of this level is drowned out by it being a humungous overblown gigantic maze. Huge involved mazes belong in Zelda games and they belong in RPG games. They DO NOT BELONG IN MARIO GAMES.

There are 2 paths (they branch off to more) to take in this level. Following every branch I could find put me to the same exit (out of the 3), even the slow boring WATER segment you were supposed to remove. I wasted like 30 minutes on this level. If you do something wrong, you cannot backtrack to get any secret stars.

However, the mapping is very well done, as well as the Zelda 2 theme. I just don't have any more patience to run through your hoops only to accidently die and have to start over, again and again, combing for stars.


Mario in Heat by nin8halos
Grade: D
Class: Gimmick (Megaman throwback)
I'm already annoyed at the indicator that this level has 2 stars in it. And it is yet another throwback. This time it is Megaman, with the ever-so-fun disappearing blocks. This level is also way too long, and the boss will kick your ass, forcing you to do the disappearing block segment, again and again and again. And then also looking all over for star #2. THERE IS NO NEED FOR A STAR #2.


Supra Mairo Bors Lost Leevls by kentona
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick (Super Mario Brothers Lost Levels throwback)
Didn't I already play this one?


Sky Rush by apa649
Grade: F
Class: Challenge
This is a broken scrolling level. It gliches out and I die. A lot.


Triad Airship by Deckiller
Grade: A
Class: Challenge
This is a well designed airship challenge. The scrolling is seamless, the enemy spacing is just right, and there are no unfair jumps.


Pipe Works by seiromem
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
This is a giant pipe maze. Can't find the needless second star either.
Hint: If you must make a giant maze, DO NOT PUT A SECRET STAR IN IT. The reason is simple. No one will want to run through that gauntlet (I sure have to use the word 'gauntlet' a lot in this review) a 2nd time just to try and find it.


Rockin Retro by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
Yet another damn throwback. This one was saved from failing by being short and having decent music.


Bob-omb Cave by DarklordKeinor
Grade: C
Class: Adventure
Also a secret star I can't find. And the skull platform part is no fun either. All the secret star does is force you to play it twice.


Fortress of Flame by nin8halos
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
3 stars? I have to find 3 damn stars? This level is good quality and if it had one star in it and was shortened quite a bit, it would have been an A, but noooo, we have to be epic and shove TWO SECRET STARS in. What a fast way to make a level wear out its welcome. Now I got to comb this place 3 or more times at least, if I'm lucky.

World 6 Summary
1.9 / 5.0

Not so good. Levels are getting overblown and huge, annoying throwback clones are everywhere, and levels are forcing you to find a ridiculus amount of secret stars. And don't start the whole 'but you don't need secret stars!' argument, because yes you do. I was stuck in world 6 because I didn't have enough stars to keep going. I had to replay and even level edit to get the stars I needed. 2 star levels should be rare. 3 star levels should never exist. And needing to skip bad levels, like 'Partners in Prime' really adds up to the number of secret stars you must find to compensate.

Ugh.

I need a coffee.


WORLD 7
Ascent!
(More like descent)

Snow Tomb by seiromem
Grade: A
Class: Challenge
This is a good looking challenging level. It is difficult but still is fair. Good use of Peach's float-jump. Not much else to say really.


Chainsaw Massacre by halibabica
Grade: B
Class: Gimmick (chainsaw)
A good level and I had fun with it, until I got bored. It is really long. And I screwed up getting that secret star at the end and had to start over. But... it was cleverly hidden. This is one secret star that I would keep. Why?
A) The player has a good hint to where it is
B) The player has to think a little in order to obtain it
Just shorten the level up and you get 'A' quality.


The Stronghold by DarklordKeinor
Grade: A-
Class: Challenge
This level was fast, fun, and had good platforming design and proper spacing. Nice music too.


Frosty Tower by nin8halos
Grade: B
Class: Challenge
This is a slow scrolling climb through a tower. A good level but once again its main problem is its length, and the slow scrolling limits your speed.


Labyrinth by Isrieri
Grade: D
Class: Challenge
An average level. Just pipes everywhere with plants on the surface that lead to many sloppy Mario 1 style underground. I also can't find the exit after many tries. Skip and move on.


Supra Mairo Bors 3 Pippes by kentona
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick (copy of SMB3)
A copy of the good level of SMB3 in world 7 where you have to make a coin bridge across some plants. A good level on its own but I'm so tired of these remake levels.


Dr. Toadly's Return by seiromem
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
Same annoying music. Same annoying toad. Really really looooong road with nothing but enemy toads and bullet bills and red ghosts. Bowser fight at the end.


Forest Castle by outcry312
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
At first it is a neat looking forest themed castle, although a little barren and spaced out. Then you find out you have to collect 4 blue coins for a secret star, but at least you can go back for them. The level is very long and the boss fight is just a Mario 3 miniboss. Again.


Speed Spurt by jackalotrun
Grade: F
Class: Challenge
Take an already existing level and slap on a chasing wall. This level took 5 minutes to make. As if this game didn't have enough levels already. At least it's an easy star.


Watch That First Step by hedge1
Grade: F-
Class: Gimmick (falling down long hole) / Challenge
What the hell is this? I fall down a hole that takes forever. It also goes way too fast and I always die on something. As I'm falling I'm seeing signs (doors and pipes) that I have to climb back up this toilet of a level, and I've been falling for what feels like 20 minutes. Imagine how long the climb will take.
SKIP!



Please, just let it end

Gloom Catacombs by Davenport
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
This is one of Davenport's random levels. Things are thrown in randomly and it looks like a mess. And it is also a slow switch maze with running and running back and forth.



Those Pharaoh Thwomps are awesome, however


Poison Valley by apa649
Grade: A+
Class: Adventure / Challenge
What a level. Very gloomy and despair. You feel like walking through the valley of death. This is great stuff here. Everything just goes together. The deep trenches. The dead grey-brown colors. The lost forest Zelda theme. Amazing job, definitely one of my favorites.


This place is dead

World 7 Summary
2.3 / 5.0

Getting a little better. Slightly.

This game is like eating Lucky Charms (after someone took a shit in it). Every now and then you get a sugar marshmallow but it's probably not worth it...

WORLD 8
So far, looks no different from the last 7 worlds. C'mon, this is world 8. It HAS to have a menacing theme. Instead we have to listen to yet another remix of the stupid underground level music that everyone has heard over 9000 times. Oh sorry, this game is too long to be contained in 8 worlds, I forgot there is a world 9...


Coffee and Donuts 2 by nin8halos
Grade: A
Class: Adventure
I went straight for this level right away. Again, it was great. The boss fight at the end was clever, instead of the tired old mario 3 boom-boom. It also gave me a serious craving for coffee and donuts.


Supra Mairo Bors 2 Whale Whale Whale by kentano
Grade: B-
Class: Gimmick (Supra Mairo Bores 2 throwback)
It is yet another SMB2 copy, but at least it's an interesting one besides the tired old world 1-1. It also has a stupid secret star than I can't find.


Power Plant by Isrieri
Grade: C
Class: Gimmick (Supra Mairo Bores 2 throwback)
This is a Megaman throwback, but it manages to remain a mario level. Because of that, it works, kinda. It has one of the best music tracks and doesn't require knowledge of Megaman to enjoy. And most importantly, no disappearing blocks and no secret stars. The falling through lava part in the second half was a bit bullshit, however, as well as the constant unnecessarily high jumps with those tall pipes.


a sparkman level

Snow Mountain Castle by outcry312
Grade: F
Class: Adventure
Just no. Here comes another overblown, long, time wasting switch maze. First you get hard-to-jump-to floaty blocks, only to get a basic powerup when you were expecting a secret star or an advanced powerup. Then you get a slide that causes you to miss a vital switch block. And yet another homing koopa. The jumps to get to the doors are too high forcing an annoying run-jump which takes even longer because the level is ice. You will be wasting time going back for switches only to pad the level's length.
Then, when the level should end, you are greeted with a checkpoint and the music changes, queing PART FUCKING TWO. You do more running through a giant long bullet hallway TWICE, then go through a silly ice maze with boss music, then you get to a boss fight with 2 SMB3 bosses in a tiny room with frozen fireballs bugging you where you will die 50 times and then have to restart.


sigh

Hotel Heights by seiromem
Grade: C
Class: Adventure
This level was okay, but too long


Cool Clouds by jackalotrun
Grade: F
Class: Adventure
Deja Vu? I thought I played this level already.
This level is a slow, boring scroller with terrible music. (First 4 seconds of mario cave music looped again and again)
Further proof that all levels that include the words: "Awesome, cool, ultimate, etc..." suck.


The Night Sky So High by DarkloadKeinor
Grade: C
Fun level, had lakitus in it that were very annoying, but very satisfying to stomp later with the clown copter. Make the pipe at the end of the copter part high enough so that you don't get stuck if you happen to be big mario.
That being said, something about this level was sloppy. Needs better use of space.


Mushroom Factory by apa649
Grade: F-
Has a dumb gimmick where if you don't kill any 'rare' blue enemies you get the secret star. Too bad blue enemies are everywhere. Not to mention POW blocks, which you need to progress, which can accidently kill a blue guy. It was also far far too LONG and there are many many deaths and replaying here. There is also a POW block you can drop (very easy to do) putting the level in an unwinnable state. Then after all the grueling I didn't get the star cause some blue guy died without my knowing. Fuck this level. I opened the map editor and put a door to the end of this level at the start and got both stars.
I like the menacing factory concept however, too bad it was wasted.


Ghost Wall by kentona
Grade: B
You are my hero because this level contains no secret stars.
This is a fun chase level except for the very last obstacle, and the length. I died there a lot and had to restart the whole damn level again. Multiple times.


Splinter Bay by Davenport
Grade: A-
I enjoy your crazy levels Davenport, this one was great.
You're on a boat with spikes all over and splinter eggs and a bunch of toads whining about splinters. And everything has crazy colors.


Ghastly Ruins by seiromem
Grade: B
IT'S MADE OF SKULLS! Those toads are always getting into trouble. And the pipe maze made me lol. Too bad you put a secret star in. Haven't a clue where it is and you just lost your 'A'.

I'm sorry but I've had it with these motherfucking secret stars in this motherfucking pit.

Mr. L by halibabica
Grade: B
That was different and entertaining! But did I just kill mario? I'm confused.
A fun, original level. Has a Clown Car with guns at the end. Unfortunately clown car mechanics can be a pain in the ass with hitboxes and such, and nothing was done to migitate this. Clown cars should not go UP through a level, they should go DOWN, otherwise there are too many bullshit ways to die.


World 8 Summary
2.0 / 5.0

Bad levels mixed with good ones, and fewer secret stars. Still has some terrible levels.



WORLD 9
Finally at the menacing endgame world. I'm really not looking forward to those... levels... Something tells me I'll be pulling my hair out soon enough.


Stratosprint by Isrieri
Grade: D
Class: Challenge
The appropriately named Stratosprint is a simple run-really-fast chased-by-a-wall level. Except it has many cheap tricks, like a little bug that lands on the first block you need to land on and kills you almost every time. Nothing more than a frustrating death grinder. Almost everything is designed to kill you. Even the leaf power-up screws you up because of the note blocks. It's just.... aaaaaaarrrrrrrrgggggggggghhhhhhhhhh.


Spinning Hazard by GreatRedSpirit
Grade: F
Class: Challenge / Gimmick (bouncing on saws)
I tried to say this level was bad but no one listened. Surprise! It still is.
But this one can be fixed. Removing a few spikes and the secret star can potentially bring this to a 'B' quality and can be that really tough level that everyone fears, like the fast airship in the original mario 3 in world 8.

There is a series of spikes after the checkpoint and I simply cannot get past them. I probably died 50 times trying.


I hate this place


Arctic Adventure by DarklordKeinor
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
Lovely theme music and atmosphere. But still only a basic switch maze with many opportunities to die and restart the level, including hard to see spikes that blend with the background. And it does not help that everything is ice. The yellow switch is just busy work. When the player gets the blue switch, it should just end. Not greet you with an annoying as hell yellow wall which forces backtracking. Once again, this is RPG thinking in the wrong game. And also, yet again, pointless second star.


Cavetastic Voyage by Link_2112
Grade: C
Class: Adventure
Annoying bob-omb battlefield music. This is just a Link_2112 maze. There is a secret star that I don't care to find. Otherwise, the level is merely okay.


supra Mairo Wrold Crush Cavs
Grade: D
Class: Gimmick (YET ANOTHER smb throwback)
There were slow moving crushers that meant constant waiting for the right state. But at least RMN remembered this game had Yoshi in it. What is this, the 2nd level with Yoshi? This level is also too damn long. I died many times out of boredom waiting for the crushers to move and trying to get it over with too quickly.
At its best, this level just made me want to turn this game off and go play SMW.


Funklen Forest by seiromem
Grade: B
Class: Adventure / Challenge
So many things. Wildlife everywhere. I guess that is what you expect in a jungle, but wow this jungle is busy. There are things playing catch, really long pokey towers, and things buzzing around. It was fun. But still. Where is the secret star and WHY DOES THIS LEVEL NEED A SECRET STAR?? The boss at the end: fighting a mario 3 miniboss with a hammer guy, bats, 2 shooting plants, and 1 spitting lotus at the same time. Really? 'A' potential, but annoyances bring it down to a 'B'.


Pokey towers


Hammer Hideout by apa649
Grade: F
Class: Challenge
Another sad waste of effort. I wanted to like this level. I did. It was unique and interesting and had a nice theme. But it is way too long and overblown AND you feel the need to throw in 3 fucking stars so the player needs to run through all that shit 3 times. No one even wants to play a GOOD level 3 times. I'm tired of this game when will it END!!??


Lava Lair by jackalotrun
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
A decent level. The pointless secret star was pointless. A level like this should just have one path and be done. If I didn't take that pipe to get the secret star I would have been all arrrrgh and had to play the level again.


Blood Ocean by nin8halos
Grade: A
Class: Challenge
This is a perfect endworld level. It has a malevolent atmosphere. I mean, an ocean of blood. Reminds me of stepping into World 8 on the original mario 3 when I was a kid. But unfortunately, it went on what feels like forever.


Molten Valley
Grade: F
Class: Gimmick (ride Birdo's egg) Challenge
I got about halfway though and just gave up. It is just long and frustrating. Had to use god mode just to see the level.


Jungle Cavern by seiromem
Grade: D
Class: Challenge
Nice green jungle theme. I liked the level until the climbing part with the slow sideways moving beanstalk that goes up and up. Then I just quit.


Skyward Sword by halibabica
Grade: C
Class: Challenge
Link going through a SMW Castle style level. It works pretty well for the most part. The trampoline part was long and unnecessary. Then you get to the checkpoint and the level turns into hell. The climb up while you are a fairy is difficult and frustrating and slow. The battle with the boss took way too long. The upwards thrust randomly doesn't work at times and when you finally defeat him with the 10 or so stabs you have to fight him again. Then he reappears AGAIN. And then it has a damn secret star. At least I don't need those anymore cause I'm cheating now.


World 9 Summary
1.5 / 5.0

I just want this game to end already.



Eli's Fortress of Doom
This is it. Time to get out of this pit and stop playing this game already.

Grade: B
Class: Challenge
Eli's fortress is potentially a great final level. This level does a good job in making you feel like all of the Mario characters are working together as a team and everything is coming to a focal point. The boss fight is also well done. (The final one). Self inserts are lame, but after all this I did enjoy throwing bombs and shells at halibabica. It even has donkey kong in it for some reason.

Although this level is quite good, it is very long. If you screw up, you will be redoing a LOT. And it also feels more like the ending of an RPG than a Mario game. I got frustrated at this level a few times, but since it is the last level it is kinda expected. The first boss fight against Eli is also pretty long and drawn out and boring.

Still, the level made me laugh a few times:
Toad: I'm on mushroom duty
Link: ...

Let's get the hell out of here

Finally

Time to leave this god forsaken pit.

How are there so many different Mario cave remixes?

Yet more levels?

What? There is a world 10?? No. I am done with RMN Bros 3. The game is over.

I actually went and played world 10 later when I learned that this world was the 'reject' pile. Only 6 levels rejected, out of the 126ish submitted. Of course, all these levels get an F, except for one. It is called 'Amazing', tucked right along the left edge near the top. And it simply is... amazing! Everyone should check it out at once! This is A+++ stuff right here.

SUPER RMN BROTHERS 3 OVERALL

RPG MENTALITY
The gretest problem with this game seems to be the RPG mentality used in its design. A typical RPG has things like mazes, exploring, and long drawn out dungeons. But RPGs are very different from mario games. You can save at a save point, for starters. RPGs are slow and methodical. In RPGs, holes and things don't really one-hit-kill you. And so on. I think everyone gets what I mean.

Mario is a fast action platformer. It is not an RPG.


SECRET STARS
I've given out a lot of grief based on Secret Stars. It basically comes down to this: The 2nd star in these levels is mostly used as a cheap way to artifically lengthen it by forcing the player to play it twice. Rule #1 comes up again.

DON'T WASTE THE PLAYER'S TIME!

Even Talking Time brothers did this with the secret stars, and it was a pain in the ass. But I'll cut it some slack as it is pretty much the only thing they did wrong.

Given that, some levels deserve to include a second star. These levels are very exploration oriented and have very little things that can kill you. And the star is hidden in a place more worthy than just thrown in some secret pipe somewhere. But too often in this game, the 2nd star just was thrown in because the creator CAN.

If you want to have secret collectables, something other than Stars would work much better, because Stars are required to pass the game. Sure you don't need ALL the stars, but players will have a difficult time passing them up. If you skip some of those terribad levels, you will have to find many secret stars to compensate. Sure I could have played the unlocked version, but no. I am reviewing the game the way it's designed to be played, and just throwing in an unlocked version to make up for a bad decision is a cop-out. It will make players feel like they are 'cheating'. Plus it doesn't unlock the final dungeon anyway. I realized towards the end that the unlocked edition is still not fully unlocked...

Still, I am not saying hidden stars alone are bad.

-If you have a small number of big levels then secret stars are great.
In RMN 3, every level is huge and there are lots and lots of levels and almost all of them double in time-size with stars.

-Secret stars should exist separately from normal stars
In RMN 3, secret stars count the same as normal stars and are needed just like normal stars
At least they don't end the level, that is a step in the right direction.
If there were 2 counters, one for normal stars and one for secret stars, and secret stars unlocked secret stages, then I would have been much more tolerant. But I don't think SMBX can do this so best just stay away from it altogether.

-The game should never force the player to find them or any other secret thing.
In RMN 3, if you play every level without skipping, you must find at least 9 secret stars. There are plenty of terrible levels that need skipping so the number rises up to 15 or beyond.


RED COIN COLLECTING
This just does not work in mario games! It takes forever, and if you die, it is restart the whole collectathon again! I thought you guys knew this by now, but apparently you need a refresher. No one likes collecting red coins.


OVERBLOWN LEVELS
Mario levels need to be short. Perhaps why that is the reason the level timer exists in traditional mario games. I would almost argue that levels should be short enough so that they do not NEED a checkpoint. Some of the levels in this game go on well past the standard 300 seconds, and you will have died 6 times over had this been timed.

Mario levels need to be short because the longer they are, the more likely you die, and the more shit you have to redo again and again. Redoing long levels is a quick path to making players angry.


LACK OF DESIGN
I was afraid this game was going to be an incoherent hodge podge, and it turned out much worse than expected. There is little sense of any kind of order. It is a list of 120 random levels. It is a gauntlet of trials.

Mario games should be adventures. You should be traveling the lands and seeing the world. There should be well-thought-out breaks and challenge areas. Pacing should exist, and so should a reason to go forward.

This games design method was a little too free. Halibabica, I still don't understand why you cling to this no design stuff. Although it produced the occasional excellent level, on the whole it produces games with no rhyme or reason for anything.

On the other hand, if you get the wrong person in charge, then UH OH. Just imagine. "Thou shalt make 50 water levels". Oh fun.

We also got the worst hub world out of RMN1, 2, and 3. At least the hub in RMN1 had a lot going on and was fun to explore (for me, anyway. It was also overblown and I understand why others hated it). This hub world is just 9 identical caves. And busy jumping as you climb up. Why not have jumps short enough to not require running starts all the time?


THEMES
Themed worlds in mario are a good thing. I'm not talking about strict themes, like this section must be water or this section must be all desert. Look at the original mario 3. In waterworld, the third world of mario 3, there are only 2 swimming levels (action panel 1 and 5 I believe). The rest are mostly above ground, and some levels (panel 6 and 7) have no water at all. The designers knew that a world of 10 underwater levels strung together would suck balls.

Themes are good, but themes don't need to be rules and sure are not a magic silver bullet, but a Mario game without themes at all feels... wrong.

Every world being the same is incredibly boring. This world hub is incredibly boring. The same music for every world is also incredibly boring.


THROWBACKS
Just because Link and Metroid are in the engine does not make it a good idea to use them! And constantly used, they were. There were almost as many throwback levels as regular levels in this game! Everyone is sick of world 1-1 remakes. And metroid remakes. And megaman remakes. And any remake whatsoever. Having maybe one level themed on Zelda 2 is one thing, but a carbon copy of an existing Zelda 2 level in a mario game is just .... getting ridiculus. And then there are kentona's Mairo Bors levels. There were something like 30 throwback levels in this game. That is a LOT. There should be one or two at best, and they should usually be secret levels. And instead of dumbshit secret stars, why not have secret exits leading to these throwback levels if you absolutely must have them?

I don't even know why Link is in SMBX. There needs to be more focus on actual mario, otherwise you get a clusterfuck of a game.


CHARACTERS
Seeing all these M blocks and L blocks and P blocks and T blocks made me dizzy. You guys really need to come up with a solution to the multi character mess. How about just have Mario and Luigi? Or just allow them all and stop caring which level they enter? Really, it is very annoying. Either have a game with many characters or don't, quit forcing silly walls to try and control it cause it makes a mess everywhere.


YOSHI
Where the hell was Yoshi this whole time? There were even more clown copters than Yoshis.



VERDICT
Although there are some individual levels that are excellent and made by talented people, the game taken as a whole is..... bad to the point of unplayable.

The average scores of the levels themselves are 2.2 / 5.0. Which averages out to a 'filler, mediocre level'. Not too abysmal, but certainly not good. The levels mix together so poorly that it drags everything down even further, combined with the yawn-tastic plot, no themes, poor hub world....

My final overall score? 1.5/5. Somewhere between terrible and mediocre. There are much much better SMBX Mario games. Instead, try:
Moon base Mario (but everyone already knows this)
Talking Time Brothers
Super RMN Brothers 2
Hell, I'd rather play RMN Brothers 1 if only because it's shorter (by far).

To sum up, I would recommend this game to masochists and those who like to test their endurance and patience. A good exercise for Klingon Warriors who wish to test their tolerance to pain before going into battle.

SUPER ROLE PLAYING GAME MAKER NETWORK MARIO BROTHERS 3:
Experience BIJ




I'm sorry hali, I still think you are awesome.

Posts

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halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
from Deckiller
Ghost House Blues deserves its A+.
I'm glad I'm not completely crazy for choosing it. I don't quite agree anymore, though, because it has a few problems I noticed.

It's mostly with the invisible block section near the end. Yes, the two sides are mirrored and you can tell where to jump from that. But all the blocks (seriously, almost all of them) are just single tiles. That makes for some incredibly tedious platforming. Also, the fast-moving elevator section is very difficult to do without taking a few hits, and should probably have been slowed down a little. I don't have any problems with the ideas themselves; just their implementation.

My two fifty cents.
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
After replaying this recently...wow, World 1 was bad.
Supra Mairo Bors 4 lyf
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
author=kentona
Supra Mairo Bors 4 lyf

Well your levels were fundamentally good. The reviewer was admittedly biased about throwbacks. I like fundamentals. There's nothing wrong with a romp through a classic SMB3 zone as long as it looks prettier than SMB3.
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
It's not just World 1. I had a lot to learn when I started this mess.
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
author=Deckiller
After replaying this recently...wow, World 1 was bad.

Actually, I think World 1 did a good job in setting the entire tone of the game: bland rooms filled with either sloppily made or overly gimmicky levels, with at least one throwback level and one or two actually good levels. The whole process repeats itself for 8 more worlds.

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