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A Level Pack About Saving Princess And Exploring The Archipelago

Note that this is my first time completing a smbx game (or even a mario game in general). I also watched youtube videos to complete some of the levels.

Intro
Yoshi's Archipelago is a smbx level pack containing 101 levels with secret ending. There are 9+2 worlds in total, with 1 being tutorial world and the other one being a bonus world with less level than the normal world, which usually consists of 10 levels. The game also offers a collectable in the form of flowers that has 5 in each levels. Collecting all 5 flowers will net you a star which can unlock some new levels and items.

Graphics
The graphics in this game are decent. The mappings for each levels look great and i don't see anything weird with them except the log in HQ Pipe in world 5 which i think doesn't match with the background. Flowers (collectable items in each level) and green mushrooms are also placed in tricky places that always challenge your skill to get it. However, i notice that the levels in the first world looks out of sync to each other, especially the level Mushroom Steppes since it looks like mario games in NES era.

Sometimes, i also got confused with the powerups because they do the exact same thing although they have different icons (like flower and stars). This might be because the map is made by different people, although i think that it'll be better if they decide on which icon to use beforehand. I don't think it's a problem if it's different in different world though, but some of these are displayed differently in the same world.

Story
To be honest, there are barely any story in this game. Most of the dialogues are about agent toad talking about one liners (note that i find that some of them are funny) and tutorial about new enemy or a trick to beat the next enemy. However, there are some stories near the end of some levels and i noticed 3 stories that are quite long and meant as a conclusion for the episode: one about rescuing the princess, another about beating an evil guy, and the last one being a developer note kind of thing. I enjoyed them all although i admit that the long monologue on the second story (the evil toad) is just too long and i feel like wanting to skip it. I admit that it's the point of the whole thing though. The first story feels a bit short for me to feel anything and as for the last, i enjoyed reading the thoughts of the making of the project. It's nice to read it as a breather and the pacing is also good.

The game
The game offers a tutorial right on the first stage. For someone that hardly play mario games, there are just too many stuffs for me to learn in the tutorial that i ended up forgetting everything except the basic control. I think it's better to make tutorial for new mechanics on the fly, especially for the advanced stuffs so that i won't forget. This becomes worse once i was on Mirage Manor where i have to figure out how to break a block below me to reach a flower. I did it by pure luck and just realized that the alternate jump button exists until i reach Rockin' Roll Ridge. The same thing happens again when i didn't know how to proceed in Fire Temple Redux since i didn't know how to pick up crates below me. I was also suprised that it also work for plants (and i didn't even know that picking plants are a thing) in Princess Etiquette. If there isn't any youtube video that i can watch i doubt that i can finish the game. I know that some of the mechanics are also listed on some levels, but they usually have alternatives (like how you can hit a boss with a hammer suit instead of picking up bombs and hit them with it) and i either have no capability to performing such task repeatedly (like throwing things above me to hit the enemy above me) or i just don't know what is the creature that was mentioned beforehand.

The game also loads very slowly that i have to wait for almost a minute just to enter a level. Luckily, moving the character images to the game folder helps to solve the problem (i do still have to wait some time for the level to load, but it's not reaching the point that i'm getting bored just to wait for it).

The game has ~101 levels in total (including the tutorial). You can just play the game casually by reaching the goal, and if you want some challenge (or if you're a perfectionist like me), there are also 5 flowers that you can collect in each levels. Collecting 5 flowers in a level will net you a star at the end of the level and these stars can help you to unlock several things such as extra levels or unique items. In fact, the bonus levels and secret ending won't be unlocked unless you collect all the stars.

There are also Yoshi at most levels that you can ride to make it easier to finish the levels. He can kill the enemies quickly, give you an extra jump boost, and somehow give you an extra life (since you won't die if you get hit by the enemy). I find him annoying at first since i'm not used to the controls but later on, i become too attached to him that i find it hard to lose him. I hate it when i leave him to another area to get a flower (because he can't reach the area) and he's gone when i come back though.

There are different yoshis with different special abilities in each world (except for the last and bonus world) and i like the grey yoshi the most since it makes the level to be very easy to clear. Although there are no new yoshi in the last world, each levels in the last world gives different yoshis from each world. At first, i thought you only get green yoshi at the last world. While it feels great to see the yoshis in the last world, i end up making sure i'm not losing my black yoshi since i think that he's the most powerful one out of the rest of the yoshis, making the yoshi given in the level to not be used.

There is a boss fight at the end of some levels. I honestly didn't know what to do at some boss fights, but i managed to figure out how to do it in the end (either by figuring out myself or watching some youtube videos for it). Also, i didn't know that if you die on the boss fight, you don't have to redo the level from the beginning and collect all the flowers again if you already get the star. One of the toads give this information in the final boss fight in the first world, but i faced a boss fight in one of the levels beforehand so the information come out a bit late.

As i said before, there are 9+2 worlds in this game. Each world has 9+1 bonus level in total while the last two world has 4 and 7 levels, with one being tutorial levels and the other being bonus levels. The early levels in the first world are quite easy, although i notice the difficulty spike in Giga Funklen. The difficulty stays there (or perhaps gradually increasing little by little) until world 8. I noticed that Future Shock, the first level in world 8 is very hard compared to the previous levels (the level name kinda matches with how i felt at the moment though). The difficulty kinda drops in the next world though, since most of the early levels in that world can be completed just by flying above everything with yoshi. Also, it's kinda hard to know how to unlock bonus world, Bonus Bonanza. I did get all the stars but it still took me some time to figure out how because it can't be unlocked right after you finish beating the boss on the last world (before the cutscene).

There are also some powerups in the game. I like how you can get at least one powerup in each stages and that there are free mushroom or powerup in the beginning of the level and the checkpoint. It makes it easier (especially on later levels) to clear the levels. Speaking of powerups, there is a HQ in each world where you can grab free mushroom in it. You can also grab a free powerup if you unlocked enough stars.

There are also 5 playable characters in the game. You'll start with having mario and luigi to play with and you'll unlock other characters as you progress the game. Each character has their own strength and weakness although i ended up getting attached to mario too much that i can't play as anyone else (especially the princess).

I didn't know that you can make a credits rolling style in this game so i'm kinda surprised when i saw it on the last level. I like how it is made though. It's just that some of the text might be hard to see when it goes over a lighter colored background. Perhaps it'll be better if there's a border like the one in the smbx main menu. I'm not sure if it's possible though.

Lastly, since each level mostly different from each other, i think it's better to have some comment for some of the levels that i find interesting instead of summarizing it as a whole, so here it goes:
- Giga Funklen is tricky. Since there's no hammer suit, you mostly have to finish the levels with yoshi and jump accurately. However, i didn't know drop item button exists at that time so i had a problem in completing it. I end up finding that the button hasn't been set up and the level becomes easier after i'm able to do that.
- Naval Piranha's Bog needs Tanuki Leaf in order to 100% it (you need spin attack for the vines leading to 2 flowers). I don't really think it's a good design to make you to get the powerup outside the level. The same also happens on Dragon Dungeon where you need Tanuki Leaf (or the light blue yoshi) to get a better chance for obtaining the third flower.
- I like Castle Vanilla level. You need to be clever to get the flowers and i like how there are 2 worlds in it. I just don't get the boss battle though.
- I hate Snake Pit level. You need to have Tanuki Leaf to get to the second main portal but the game only provides Fire Flower on the last powerup.
- Barrel Volcano level is very challenging for me, but perhaps you need to remove the flowing lava background in the first flower location because i'm lagging so much in that place.
- I like that you can finish the first phase of Borg Volcano boss with taking damage as long as you have Yoshi with you. I won't be able to make it without that.
- I like the music in Scurvy Skyrates.
- I hate Boom-Boom Bastille because it's really hard but the reward for killing the difficult bosses worth the effort. I feel great after finishing it too.
- Princess Etiquette is so confusing. I didn't know that you have to beat the pink monster to proceed. I also didn't know that you need to put the key to the "mouth entrance", and not to mention that i somehow can't seem to kill any enemies by putting the ball over my head. Well, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Perhaps it's just my skill but you get my point.
- I hate Burny Burny Furnace. You need to wait for yoshi for such a long time just to lose it in the next few screens. Well, actually you can keep yoshi until the end (i finished it with yoshi actually), but it's really hard to accomplish. Sometimes you'll also stuck if you try to get the yoshi manually and hit the yellow block with spin jump.
- Mini-Boss Factory is hard. I don't think i'll be able to finish the level without watching a youtube video. I didn't know that you can survive the big spike block near the end just by running if you're on the platform below if i didn't watch the video. I also won't even notice the boss behind the guy who is throwing the bombs on the boss stage. I reached the boss level after losing yoshi once before i watched the video and i lost so fast because i didn't know that touching the bomb when you're carrying a bomb will deal some damage so i had to bring yoshi to the boss fight for it since i'm sure i won't be able to time my timing right to throw the bomb without taking damage. I didn't know that you can just kill the boss with hammer suit though. Anyway, as for the level itself, the level is kinda harsh if you don't bring yoshi with you, especially since you have to deal with those mini bosses that are basically endless.
- Checkpoint in Clown Cars Incorporated seems to not be working. I also hate that level since i keep on dying. The boss is also too hard for me to beat and there are like 5 phases of him. Sometimes i also got hit by the last enemy on the area with clown cars and flower even though i was clearly above the enemy.
- Serenity Jungle looks like a hard level at first but it becomes easier if you are able to fly. I believe the same will also happen if you have hammer suit, but i didn't really try it. I don't know if i pressed the wrong button somewhere, but somehow my character changed to Luigi after i cleared the level even though i used Mario beforehand.
- A Cheesy Level is also the same as Serenity Jungle; it's a hard level, but it becomes easier if you're able to fly.
- I like Trails in the Sky. Flying around the stage as a star while avoiding enemies is just a good refreshing stage for me. I also like the relaxing music very much.
- Quit Clowning Around seems to be the easiest boss fight in the game since it's the only boss fight that i beat in one try and have no idea what i was doing. I have fun in blasting the cannons though.
- Yoshi's World Tour level is interesting and fun, but it is hard to clear. I have fun playing it though.
- Debilitating Depths is tricky. I didn't know you can break the huge ice with hammer suit. I thought you must break it with turtle shells which is kinda hard to do.
- Fire & Brimstone level is very hard, especially when you are aiming for the last flower. I'm glad you can still get it with yoshi or i won't be able to get it.
- Awesome Ice is cute. I thought the dolphin(?) like creature hurts you although it's not. I can't seem to reach the last flower without black yoshi though.
- The Koopaling Armada, being one of two levels with different boss fights in it, is actually very challenging. I keep on dying to the Koopalings that spins around the area (in fact, i think that those enemies are harder than the actual final boss), but i'm feeling satisfied after beating it.
- One Meta Ton is a hard level in a disguise of an easy level. I like that there's a secret ending in it. I also like how you can't lose yoshi in the final battle of the non secret ending, but the level after that is kinda insane for me. I'm completely shocked when my yoshi suddenly goes out of the box while i couldn't reach it. Also, it took me a few runs before understanding what the "command" really means. I didn't know that you just need to fight and grab items when you need it. However, after experiencing it a few times, it becomes quite fun to do although i admit that i'm having trouble in some of the phases (especially the ones with hammer suits in it).

Pros:
- 9+2 worlds
- 5 playable characters
- Collectable flowers in each levels
- Challenging boss fights on some of the levels
- A lot of powerups in each levels
- Yoshis

Cons:
- Confusing tutorial
- Some controls are not explained in game (picking up flowers, alternate jump)

Conclusion
This is an enjoyable smbx level pack. I was a bit frustated when i was playing it for the first time (which was more likely because i didn't really know how to play) but it goes better as i proceed to the later levels. The game also can be made easier to complete since there are yoshis on almost every level. You might need to understand some tricks to finish the game though.

---
Bug:
- In Clown Cars Incorporated, you still get hit by the enemy blue orb even though it only hits your car's lower part. Note that you won't get hit in the same area by a bullet.
- In Fire & Brimstone, if you replay the level through a checkpoint, the "fire cannon" before the fourth flower will release fire non stop and you'll be forced to take damage to reach it.

Posts

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halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
Wow, it finally happened. It took two years, but this game finally got a review! And what a review it is. It's pretty interesting to see this from the perspective of someone who isn't at all familiar with Mario. I can understand the trouble you had remembering the controls, but I promise you, everything you can do is explained in the tutorial stages at one point or another. I wouldn't say this game is suited to being someone's first Mario experience, but you still managed to fully clear it after all.

Just a couple things I want to note: graphical inconsistency is mostly due to the fact that this game draws its resources from all the 16-bit Mario games. Since the collab let people make whatever stages they wanted, we only tried to keep graphics consistent within each level instead of in the game as a whole.

Next, you don't need a leaf in Naval Piranha's Bog to hit that block. If you freeze an enemy with the ice flower, you can kick the ice into the block instead.

Also, it's not a bug that the blue fireballs can damage the Clown Car. It's safe to touch enemies, but not the things they throw. It'd be pointless if it made you invincible.

In spite of the troubles you had, I'm happy to see you enjoyed it enough to give it such a high score. Thanks so much for playing!
We finally got a review! Awesome! Thanks, aquatorrent!

Looks good, too! A lot of details covered, I know Hali made sure to be as rule inclusive as can be for those unfamiliar with the engine.
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
Glad you enjoyed the game! I had completely forgotten about SMBX!

Now where's Brickroad :P
halibabica
RMN's Official Reviewmonger
16873
author=Deckiller
Now where's Brickroad :P


He's still being a butt. You can "buy" an LP from him on his Patreon for $50, and I intend to when I can afford such an extravagance.
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
And I thought I was a dick.
author=halibabica
I can understand the trouble you had remembering the controls, but I promise you, everything you can do is explained in the tutorial stages at one point or another. I wouldn't say this game is suited to being someone's first Mario experience, but you still managed to fully clear it after all.

guess i just forget about them all, haha. to be honest, i forgot almost all the things explained in the tutorial except for the basic controls since there are so many things that are explained there.

author=halibabica
Just a couple things I want to note: graphical inconsistency is mostly due to the fact that this game draws its resources from all the 16-bit Mario games. Since the collab let people make whatever stages they wanted, we only tried to keep graphics consistent within each level instead of in the game as a whole.

that makes sense.

author=halibabica
Next, you don't need a leaf in Naval Piranha's Bog to hit that block. If you freeze an enemy with the ice flower, you can kick the ice into the block instead.

this explains how inexperienced i'm in playing mario games, i guess. i keep on relying on the easiest powerup to complete the game (leaf and hammer suit) so i hardly took the other powerups.

author=halibabica
Also, it's not a bug that the blue fireballs can damage the Clown Car. It's safe to touch enemies, but not the things they throw. It'd be pointless if it made you invincible.
ah, i see. i didn't know that.

author=halibabica
In spite of the troubles you had, I'm happy to see you enjoyed it enough to give it such a high score. Thanks so much for playing!
to be honest, i got more fun playing the game rather than having trouble with it. thanks for organizing such a great project too. it's such a fun play.

author=Illy
We finally got a review! Awesome! Thanks, aquatorrent!

Looks good, too! A lot of details covered, I know Hali made sure to be as rule inclusive as can be for those unfamiliar with the engine.
thanks for making the levels too. i enjoyed them all. and yes, the yoshis and free powerups really help newbies like me to tackle the stages.

author=Deckiller
Glad you enjoyed the game! I had completely forgotten about SMBX!

Now where's Brickroad :P

at least you remember now, haha. also, thanks for creating the levels!
Decky
I'm a dog pirate
19645
No problem, thanks for reviewing!
Ratty524
The 524 is for 524 Stone Crabs
12986
This is seriously the only review on this game? Damn. Thanks!
You're welcome!
What's really matter is that people who were having some fun with it :) I saw some let's play videos and a lot of people talking about how they enjoyed the game when i played this one (and looking for hints hahah).
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