I love Mario, but I'm mostly fond of the SMB3/SMW era. Although I respect SMB1, it is quite the limited game in hindsight. The formula evolved over time, culminating in the perfection that is Super Mario World. That, to me, was Mario at its 2D peak. You see, non-RPG franchises tend reach an optimal point around their 3rd or 4th installment. Sonic 3/Knuckles. Super Metroid. SMB3/SMW. A Link to the Past/Ocarina of Time. I see it all the time. It usually takes a couple games to perfect a formula; everything after that is parody because that specific brand of that specific genre has been taken to the limit. You could combine mechanics and genres, sure, but then the result wouldn't be true to the franchise; that's where the indie community comes into play. Sure, good franchises were able to evolve and innovate into 3D, but any new 2D releases would be mere copycats of their predecessors. Unfortunately, everything before these "optimal" releases comes across as inferior as well. Limited and archaic, but offering promise and a hint at what was to come. No classic franchise hit a home run on its first installment (in hindsight of course).

With that said, SMB1 still featured simple, elegant platforming tropes that are still used in some capacity to this day. In this short game, Zeigfried demonstrates a solid understanding of SMB1-style platforming design and incorporates his own little twists throughout.

First off, the engine is fairly responsive; jumping and running are reasonably fluid. With that said, I unfortunately don't like the way SMB1-era Mario moves at all. I will always recommend SMBX to people because it replicates the SMB3/SMW controls nearly perfectly (with a few little exceptions). Consequently, I found myself dying occasionally due to my own lack of control mastery. It just felt a little awkward to me, sadly. With that said, the enemy hit boxes seem quite forgiving, which saved my rear a few times. The egotist in me chalked it up to my superhuman reflexes, while the realist in me attributed it to a super loose hit box. Oh, the internal conflict.

I have nothing against this very capable editor, but this sort of project would benefit greatly by being transferred to SMBX. For all its shortcomings, SMBX does offer greater flexibility in graphics and style (as well as world maps and other features!). I think decades of laziness have caught up to me, because I just can't stand old school save mechanics (or lack thereof) and unforgiving platforming; I don't want to lose all my progress if I get a game over, because I don't have the time to master games these days! I like my levels challenging but with little penalty. I can't fault the developer too much for that, though - he set out to make a specific project based on a specific game, and he succeeded in replicating said game.

My favorite level is fairly early in the project: the second level, in all its mushroom platforming glory, is a well designed athletic stage featuring moving platforms, hidden 1-ups, well-placed coins, and other goodies. Most deaths were my own fault. Speaking of coins, Zeigfried was very liberal in his placement of those shiny little goodies. There are at least 100 in each level, which more than makes up for the relative lack of little secret paths and what-have-you.

I won't get into Zeigfried's depression mechanic/theme too much, though I did see little words spread throughout the levels in all their subliminal glory. I feel like I may be glossing over some major things in that department. It's an interesting wrinkle, I guess, though I came here for some good 'ol fashioned SMB1-style platforming and got what I wanted (for the most part). I think if Zeigfried completes his next project in the more expansive SMBX, it'll pay dividends. He clearly shows potential at being a competent platform designer in this game, as all the blocks are well placed and none of the enemy placements are cheap or annoying. Unfortunately, the shortcomings of the editor/the SMB1 format, combined with a general sense of something "missing", held the game back a little bit. Still, it wasn't bad! I recommend checking it out if you like old school Mario.