MFGG - Mario Fan Games Galaxy

Review Information

Game Reviewed	Super Mario Starshine (Demo), by LongLiveLuigi
Review Author	CM30
Created	Aug 28 2015, 6:51 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview

So it's a first ever game. Given the bad track record these have, how does Super Mario Starshine measure up?

Well pretty decently actually. It's not fantastic by any means, but I've seen far, far worse first attempts at Mario fan games (like about 90% of those using the SMB 1 version of the hello engine)

Add a decent level of presentation and some (kind of bearable) physics, and you've got a game which, while not amazing, is mostly at least playable.

Pros	The engine works, Mario doesn't fly all over the place like a lunatic. The level design isn't great, but it's at least not a bunch of enemy spammy or obnoxiously poor. The graphics and music are done decently well
Cons	There's not much to it; three levels gives you about 10 minutes of gameplay at best. The level design doesn't stand out, there's nothing you haven't seen a million times already. The map is extremely basic, with little variation to it.

Impressions

Gameplay 5 / 10	So let's start with the gameplay. To put it simply, it works. Well, it mostly works. It doesn't have a run button or much in the way of acceleration and Mario can't use any power ups that don't involve shooting projectiles, but he at least moves where you tell him to and the level design is generous enough that any mistakes are your own fault rather than the games. And when it is inaccurate? It's at least NICE about it, giving you the benefit of the doubt when the collision detection is slightly off rather than dropping you into a pit early. There's also a (functional) overworld system with an RPG like feel (you can go anywhere rather than just on paths), an equally functional file select screen and a nice 'gimmick' where the levels end once you find a certain NPC rather than with a simple flagpole. That said, the game doesn't have much else going for it. The enemy variety is extremely sparse (Koopas, Paratroopas, Goombas, Spinies), the levels are all either ground or sky levels rather than caves, castles or ghost houses (or anything else). And that's the games main issue; it lacks variety. Every level feels like every other level, with the music and end level NPC being the only variation you get. The overworld needs work too. The graphics used are okay. The mechanics are functional. But it's so boring. Three levels in the middle of absolutely nowheresville without a single piece of decoration bar a few hills and trees. Put a few more things in. Maybe put a Toad Town like hub or a mini game area here or there. Do something to make the free roaming feel useful. So yeah, it's adequate, but no more.
Graphics 4 / 10	They're decent enough. A custom grass tileset, a few simple SMB 3 style backgrounds, some custom overworld tiles from this very site... they all work together for the most part and don't look that ugly in the process. That said, there are a few places where it could be done better. Lots of corner and connectors are missing for the ground, the menu HUD and other such screens look poor, and as mentioned earlier, the map is basically a dead blank space full of empty land.
Sound 5 / 10	It's decent quality Mario music which fits the level moderately well. And hey, each level does have its own unique song, so that's something (though would you expect otherwise from a game with just three levels?)
Replay 1 / 10	Virtually nil. You can collect one star coin in each level, if you really like a challenge and want to extend your playtime by about 15-20 minutes. Either way, you'll be done with this game in no time, and you'll probably never return to it.

Final Words

For a first game, Super Mario Starshine is decent. It's not amazing, it's not an aesthetic or technical masterpiece and it doesn't have a million and one interesting gimmicks, but it's a mostly playable, extremely simple Mario demo that you might get about 10-20 minutes of enjoyment out of on a rainy day.

A nice effort for a first game.

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