Review Information
Game Reviewed Mario & Luigi Superstar Platformer, by Ultramario
Review Author rchammer97
Created Sep 2 2015, 5:11 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview
M&L Superstar Platformer, while simplistic, is not a bad game for a first try. It thirsts for polish and little touches here and there, but is still a fun little Stomp-Em-Up game. It's a great time-waster, and it's even better with a friend.
 
Pros -Simple, but effective: Stomp all the things!!
-Play as Mario and/or Luigi.
-Multiplayer Co-op!
-Easy to learn, fun to play.
 
Cons -Single song choice quickly becomes irritating.
-Enemy placement leads to taking unfair hits.
-Presentation is lacking.
 
Impressions
Gameplay
6 / 10
The minigame is basically jumping from platform to platform and trying to stomp as many baddies as possible before you get maimed by the Koopa Troop or fall off a cliff. Simple enough.

You start as Mario, moving with the LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys and jumping with UP (This is the ONLY time I'll accept UP being the jump button, since mechanics like running and wall-jumping aren't included or needed with this type of game).

You have 5 Hearts, representing your Health. When Mario loses all of his Hearts, Luigi takes his place and you keep fighting until Luigi faints, which means Game Over.

...That is, unless you fall off the stage with Mario. Then it's just an automatic Game Over.

Why don't you switch to Luigi when you die by falling as well as by enemies? I don't know. Makes a ton of sense, doesn't it?

You could also play Co-Op mode, having one player control Mario with the arrow keys, and another be Luigi using W, A, S, and D. It's basically singleplayer mode with a buddy, which one would think would make it easier, but be warned. If one of you dies once, that's it. Game Over.

The concept and execution is simple enough. The levels have a bit of variety to them, with regards to placement of enemies and platforms, and the last level taking place in an entirely new location with a few new obstacles. But the way levels are crafted often sets the player up for failure. Oftentimes, the player will be trying to dodge enemies on the platform they are on by jumping, only to take a hit from enemies covering the platform above them, even if they perform the lowest possible jump. That's hardly fair. Still, that doesn't happen often enough for this game to be considered cheap.

Overall, the system works, but it definitely could use some big changes here and there to make it seem more complete.
 
Graphics
6 / 10
That pitiful title screen aside, the MLSS graphics look great all over.

My only real complaint (besides that barren, empty title screen that conveys no information except that you play as Mario and Luigi) is the lack of feedback. You have Health Hearts above your head that tell you how hurt you are, but the score is kept in the top bar of the window, barely visible. A colorful little in-game score counter would have been nice, as well as some little pop-ups that tell you how many points you get when you jump on enemies, ala the 2-D Mario games.

Little touches here and there. You'd be surprised how much better this would be with them.
 
Sound
4 / 10
One song: The battle theme from MLSS. On an infinite loop. From the moment you start the game, the song will play infinitely, no matter how many stages you clear, and even if you get a Game Over and go back to the start. The only way to make it stop is to exit the game. So... that situation could be better.

Other than that, the sounds are crisp, clear, and fitting. I can see the voice clips becoming annoying to some, but the little combo noises that play when you jump on more than one enemy before hitting the ground are a nice touch.
 
Replay
6 / 10
Go for that fabled High Score and try to beat your friends out. It's short and simple enough that you could play it a few times over, if you need to kill time.
 
Final Words
7 / 10
Polish is definitely needed to make it great, but as it is, it's good enough for a minigame: Short, sweet, and fun.

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