Review Information
Game Reviewed Super Mario Stardust, by Avi
Review Author Cruise Elroy
Created May 31 2015, 9:20 PM

General Commentary and Game Overview
Before I start, I will say that there may be a bit of bias in this review because this was the first good fangame I've played...EVER. However, that was way-back-when and I never beat it until today, so a lot of this was new to me.

Anyways, onto the review!

Super Mario Stardust is an old fangame from the ages of 2007. It was noted as one of the best fangames during its time as I imagine that there weren't many good fangames before the early 2010's. Does this game still shine bright to this day, or has its glory dimmed out to other games in this decade?
 
Pros +Unique power-up system
+Great graphics
+SMB2 Starman system returns
+Massive levels
+Refreshing soundtrack
+Nice nod to the plot of SMB1
 
Cons -Fidgety physics
-Odd colors in some areas
-Only 8 levels
-Subpar replay value
-Old school saving
 
Impressions
Gameplay
8 / 10
Super Mario Stardust has a plot very similar to the original Super Mario Bros. Bowser, the king of Koopas, uses his dark magic to transform Toads (and Yoshi, for some reason) into bricks, stones, and even hills! Princess Peach is the only one who can revert this curse, but Bowser, not wanting his plan to fall apart right from the get-go, kidnaps the princess and leave the Toads. It is up to Mario to stop the dark magic of the Koopa Clan and Bowser!

As for the gameplay...oh man, where do I start?

This game has a very unique power-up system that I haven't seen in any other fangame before (with the exception of Super Mario Comic Strip (TIME PARADOX WOAH)). We've all seen the Fire Flower and Cape Feather before, but no one has ever really explored the concept of putting the two together. It's a simple mechanic, sure, but it's really fun to use at the same time.

Also, this game actually embraces your flying ability! A lot of the levels are wide open, giving you plenty of room to try out your cape's flying ability. It doesn't constrain you to a small living space, it's really something that lets you explore. The flying isn't the only thing that the level design nails; every single level has care put into it. All the levels are ginormous and each one has at least 3 different branching pathways. There's no dead end in any of the levels that you can get stuck in. You're free to go through all of the levels in any way you want. In fact, if you played through a level a few times, you may have found out which path is the easiest to get through and which one will give you cherries if you're feeling risky.

Speaking of which, something that also helped to benefit this game was the SMB2 Starman system. If you don't know what in the Mushroom Kingdom I'm talking about, the SMB2 Starman system is where you are rewarded with a Starman that slowly floats up from the bottom of the screen when you collect 5 cherries scattered throughout the level. In my playthrough, I could only find 3 blocks that contained a Starman in it (one was very secretly hidden), and most of the Starmen I collected were those that came from cherries. Coupled with the large levels, it made you explore the levels to look for rewards.

Of course, this game doesn't get by without some of its own flaws. I don't know how I didn't notice this before back in '08, but Mario's physics feel...off. You move really, REALLY slow if you're not holding down the run button, and Mario's acceleration feels pretty slippery. Also, instead of slowing down before turning the other direction, Mario can apparently stop on a dime and go from 0 to 60 in a millisecond in the other direction. The collisions do get kind of funky in some places too. I found out the hard way that if you're falling down a pit with an enemy, you'll just get hit by them instead of dealing damage and bouncing off. I also occasionally found myself stuck in the walls a few times, but I could get out pretty easily and it wasn't very major.

Something I did find as major, however, was the save system. Sure, you were able to get to the last level you left off at, but every time you restart the game, all your points, coins, power-ups, cherries, and even lives are reset, like in old-school Mario games. If you are going to exit out at some point, try to do it early on. It's pretty hard to clear the last level with only so many lives.

I was really disappointed to find out that there were only 8 levels in this game. I was hoping that it would continue into more, but luckily the expansive levels and branching paths do help to make up for it. It's a shame that this is the only game that Avi's made, or at least the only one that I'm aware of. I hope that you, Avi, come back one day and continue making games. I really wanna see more from you!
 
Graphics
9 / 10
I really enjoy the graphics in this game. Like, a lot. Just about everything is custom from what I've heard, and none of the graphics feel out of place. I felt like some of the graphics had some weird colors, such as where Mario was a little beige, but ultimately there's not much else wrong with them.
 
Sound
10 / 10
Oh sure, all the music in this is from other Mario games, but each track is a nifty remix from recognizable Mario games, mainly Mario Bros. 3 and World. The sounds have also been picked out very well, and I can't find anything wrong with the sounds in general.
 
Replay
5 / 10
After you beat the game once, you're given a secret passcode that will let you have the P-Wing active 24/7. It's fun to fly around the levels and see them in their glory, but after that and a little more exploring through the alternate paths, there's really nothing left for you to come back for.
 
Final Words
9 / 10
Even after almost 8 years of its initial release, Super Mario Stardust is still an incredible fangame to play to this day. You won't regret downloading it.

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