Review Information
Game Reviewed Mario Tails (Flappy Bird Clone), by IAmGreenMike
Review Author Cap'n Coconuts
Created Sep 16 2015, 2:18 AM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Mario Tails is a Flappy Bird clone, though you could probably tell that from the game's title. Aside from using Mario graphics and having a couple of minor tweaks, Mario Tails plays pretty much the same as its inspiration. Unfortunately, that makes it play pretty much the same as dozens of other Flappy Bird clones, so I don't see the point of its existence.
 
Pros + It works properly; no game-breaking bugs
 
Cons - Overly simplistic gameplay
- Clone of another game that already has plenty of clones
- Sprite clashing
- Precious little audio
 
Impressions
Gameplay
4 / 10
Mario Tails is much like the game upon which it is based. You press the Space bar to ascend, with gravity pulling you downward. The entire point of the game is to guide Mario so that he flies through the gaps in the pipes, and you get one point per pipe successfully cleared. If you collide with a pipe, you can restart from a score of zero with the Enter/Return key. Why you must press a different key when the Space key would have worked just as well is beyond me.

That's pretty much it.

Mario Tails is basically Flappy Tails with a paint job and a few tweaks here and there with the intent of making the game a little more pleasant than its inspiration. Collisions are handled better and I believe the forces of gravity are better handled. However, there is zero new content, and it's possible for randomization of pipes and the lack of reaction time to screw you over (really, does Mario need to be in the center of the screen?). Those who enjoyed Flappy Birds will likely enjoy Mario Tails, but those who wanted a game that had effort put into it may be greatly disappointed.

Mario Tails feels sort of like Dodge the Shy Guys in that 1) the point of the game is to dodge things and little else, and 2) the gameplay for both games is overly simplistic and dull. What Mario Tails has over DtSG that it seems to be more competently made, and thus far I haven't found any ways to glitch or break the game. Because the game works properly and doesn't display any real incompetence in game design, I can't give it too low a score. That would be unfair.

One wonders why Mario would subject himself to such a tedious exercise in futility. Perhaps the constant princess kidnappings have caused him to lose his mind, compelling him to perform highly repetitive task out of insanity.
 
Graphics
5 / 10
The backgrounds and tiles are vanilla 16-bit SMB3, which many fan gamers now avoid due to overuse. Mario's sprites are based from Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga, which aren't really a match for the SMB3 style.

Eh... it works, I guess, but there's nothing really special here.
 
Sound
2 / 10
There's no music and precious few sound effects. That generally doesn't warrant a good score.
 
Replay
3 / 10
Well, you could, if Flappy Birds is your thing and you're compelled to get a super duper high score. But given that Mario Tails is just one of many Flappy Bird clones, that kind of undercuts the replay value a bit.
 
Final Words
4 / 10
I just don't get the appeal.

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