Super Mario's Wacky Worlds

Last updated

Super Mario's Wacky Worlds
Super Mario's Wacky Worlds Greek 1.png
The first stage, Greek 1
Developer(s) NovaLogic [1]
Publisher(s) Philips Interactive Media [2]
Designer(s) Marty Foulger
Programmer(s) John Brooks
Silas Warner
Artist(s) Nina Stanley
Series Mario
Platform(s) Philips CD-i
ReleaseCancelled
Genre(s) Adventure, platform
Mode(s) Single-player

Super Mario's Wacky Worlds is a canceled Mario platform video game developed by NovaLogic for the Philips CD-i system. The game was conceived as a sequel to Super Mario World , a game released for Super NES in 1990. An early prototype received positive feedback from Nintendo, but the game was soon canceled due to the declining sales of the Philips CD-i system. [3]

Contents

Development

NovaLogic, the developer of Super Mario's Wacky Worlds, was hoping to be hired by Nintendo. [4] Philips was developing Nintendo's Super NES CD-ROM peripheral, and as part of that deal had the right to use Nintendo's characters in its own games for its existing CD-i console. [5] A Nintendo sales executive suggested to NovaLogic that a simplified style of Super NES games could be adapted to the CD-i, so they decided to demonstrate a follow-up to Super Mario World . Developers Silas Warner and John Brooks worked reportedly 24 hours a day for two weeks on the game, finishing only a part of one level to present to Nintendo. [1] Nintendo was impressed, but because of poor CD-i sales was forced to cancel the game. [6] Multiple designers also left to work for Electronic Arts. [7] This ended the CD-i career of Warner, who had expected Nintendo's reaction. Other developers such as lead artist Nina Stanley stayed with the project. Though the developers were highly enthusiastic about making a traditional Mario game (partly to establish their reputation surrounding Nintendo-licensed characters), NovaLogic hoped to use as little money as possible on the project. The company intended to make a small amount of profit while focusing on games such as the Comanche series. The game's final prototype is a pre-alpha at Version 0.11, finished on March 3, 1993, after one year of work. Approximately 80% of the game's art, 95% of its design, and around 30% of its code was finished.[ citation needed ] The prototype contains music taken from Super Mario World and no sound effects beside the jumping sound. [8] [9] This seems to be an early placeholder, as the idea for the final game was to take advantage of the disc format and use a flexible audio range rather than port unimproved synthesized sound. [4]

Accurately capturing the sprites of Super Mario World was difficult for the Wacky Worlds development team, since the CD-i had a different sprite-making style than that of the SNES. [8] To create their characters, they copied sprites of Mario and several Koopa Troopas from Super Mario World. [4] Their original designs include a Greek Koopa, knight Koopa, eskimo Koopa, vampire Koopa, and a walrus. [10] The backgrounds were all hand-drawn, [8] [4] based on real-world locations. [11]

Three prototypes are in circulation. [4]

Gameplay

SuperMarioWackyWorldsTitle.png

As an incomplete pastiche of Super Mario World, Mario can only walk and jump. [4] Enemies are not programmed correctly, as they disappear when Mario ends up above them, suggesting incomplete stomping implementation. [8] Enemies cannot harm Mario, and are stopped if touched, even if it means floating in the air. Mario can't die when he falls into a pit but floats on it. [12]

Level progression can be pieced together by the selectable stages, with two or three levels per world. Each level has an exit such as a Warp Pipe, a Trojan Horse, or a stylized "M" object holding tape—some of which are non-functional, [8] so the system must be restarted. [4]

Reception

Kombo wrote that the game paled in comparison to Sonic CD , another platformer sequel released on a CD-based platform. He criticized the real-world setting as not befitting the "Wacky" monicker, suggesting that its cancelation helped avoid the laughingstock fate of the other Nintendo adaptation for CD-i, Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon . [11] GamesRadar writer Tom Goulter compared its quality to fan games, stating that while it was an impressive effort, the CD-i's limitations made it fortunate that it was never released. [1] Joystiq's Justin McElroy said that the game would have been better off to have not been rediscovered. He said that the real-world settings were an odd choice and that it was not a worthy successor to Super Mario World. [13] Digital Spy's Mark Langshaw said that the limited sprite count and the CD-i's pointer controls would have tarnished Super Mario World had it been released. [14]

Related Research Articles

Mario Kart is a series of kart racing games and a spin-off Mario franchise developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up items. It features characters and courses mostly from the Mario series as well as other gaming franchises such as The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero, Excitebike, and Splatoon.

<i>Super Mario Kart</i> 1992 video game

Super Mario Kart is a kart racing game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The first game in the Mario Kart series, it was released in Japan and North America in 1992, and in Europe the following year in 1993. Selling 8.76 million copies worldwide, the game went on to become the fourth best-selling SNES game of all time. Super Mario Kart was re-released on the Wii's Virtual Console in 2009, on the Wii U's Virtual Console in 2013, and on the New Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in 2016. Nintendo re-released Super Mario Kart in 2017 as part of the company's Super NES Classic Edition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koopa Troopa</span> Fictional race of turtle or tortoise-like creatures from the Mario series

Koopa Troopas are a fictional turtle-like race of characters from the Mario media franchise. They are commonly referred to as Koopas, a more broad classification of creatures that includes Bowser, his Koopalings, and Lakitu. Predecessors to Koopa Troopas, Shellcreepers, first appeared in the 1983 game Mario Bros., while Koopa Troopas themselves debuted two years later in Super Mario Bros. (1985). Koopa Troopas are a common staple in most Super Mario and spin-off games. When defeated, they may flee from or retreat inside their shells, which can usually be used as weapons. Koopa shells are a recurring weapon in the franchise, particularly popularized in the Mario Kart series, in which they can be fired as projectiles against other racers. Despite making up the bulk of Bowser's army, Koopa Troopas are often shown to be peaceful, sometimes even teaming up with protagonist Mario.

<i>Super Mario World</i> 1990 video game

Super Mario World, known in Japanese marketing as Super Mario World: Super Mario Bros. 4, is a platform video game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was released in Japan in 1990, North America in 1991 and Europe and Australia in 1992. The player controls Mario on his quest to save Princess Peach and Dinosaur Land from the series' antagonist Bowser and the Koopalings. The gameplay is similar to that of earlier Super Mario games; players control Mario through a series of levels in which the goal is to reach the goalpost at the end.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yoshi</span> Video game character

Yoshi is a fictional dinosaur who appears in video games published by Nintendo. Yoshi debuted in Super Mario World (1990) on the SNES as Mario and Luigi's sidekick. Throughout the mainline Super Mario series, Yoshi typically serves as Mario's trusted steed. With a gluttonous appetite, Yoshi can gobble enemies with his long tongue, and lay eggs that doubly function as projectiles. Yoshi is the title character of the Yoshi series and a supporting character in Mario spin-off games such as Mario Party and Mario Kart, as well as many Mario sports games. He also appears as a playable character in the crossover fighting game series Super Smash Bros. Yoshi is a member of the same-named species, which is distinguished for its wide range of colors.

<i>Yoshis Island</i> 1995 video game

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island is a 1995 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It is the sequel follow-up to Super Mario World. The player controls Yoshi, a friendly dinosaur, on a quest to reunite baby Mario with his brother Luigi, who has been kidnapped by Kamek. As a Super Mario series platformer, Yoshi runs and jumps to reach the end of the level while solving puzzles and collecting items with Mario's help. The game has a hand-drawn aesthetic and was the first in the franchise to have Yoshi as its main character, where it introduces his signature flutter jump and egg spawning abilities.

<i>Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins</i> 1992 video game

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins is a 1992 platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It is the sequel to Super Mario Land. In Super Mario Land 2, the player assumes the role of the protagonist Mario, whose main objective is to reclaim his personal island, Mario Land, from the clutches of his greedy rival Wario. The gameplay builds and expands on that of its precursor with innovations carried over from Super Mario World.

<i>Super Mario Bros. 2</i> 1988 video game

Super Mario Bros. 2 is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was first released in North America in September 1988, and in the PAL region in 1989.

<i>Super Mario Bros.</i> (film) 1993 science fantasy film

Super Mario Bros. is a 1993 fantasy adventure film based on Nintendo's Super Mario video game series. The first feature-length live-action film based on a video game, it was directed by the husband-and-wife team of Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel, written by Parker Bennett, Terry Runté, and Ed Solomon, and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures through Hollywood Pictures. It follows brothers Mario and Luigi Mario in their quest to rescue Princess Daisy from a dystopic parallel universe ruled by the ruthless President Koopa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Argonaut Games</span> British video game developer

Argonaut Games PLC was a British video game developer founded in 1982. It was known for the Super NES video game Star Fox and its supporting Super FX chip, and for Croc: Legend of the Gobbos and the Starglider series. The company was liquidated in late 2004, and ceased to exist in early 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Super FX</span> 3D graphics chip used in Super Nintendo games

The Super FX is a coprocessor on the Graphics Support Unit (GSU) added to select Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) video game cartridges, primarily to facilitate advanced 2D and 3D graphics. The Super FX chip was designed by Argonaut Games, who also co-developed the 3D space rail shooter video game Star Fox with Nintendo to demonstrate the additional polygon rendering capabilities that the chip had introduced to the SNES.

<i>Hotel Mario</i> 1994 puzzle video game

Hotel Mario is a puzzle video game developed by Fantasy Factory and published by Philips Interactive Media on the CD-i format on April 5, 1994. The player controls Mario, who must find Princess Toadstool by going through seven hotels in the Mushroom Kingdom; each hotel is divided into stages, and the objective is to close all of the doors on each stage. Each hotel ends in a boss fight with one of Bowser's Koopalings, culminating in a battle with Bowser.

<i>Super Mario</i> Video game series

Super Mario is a platform game series created by Nintendo starring their mascot, Mario. It is the central series of the greater Mario franchise. At least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console. However there have also been a number of Super Mario video games released on non-Nintendo gaming platforms. There are more than 20 games in the series.

<i>Mario</i> (franchise) Video game franchise

Mario is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Japanese game designer Shigeru Miyamoto for video game company Nintendo which produces and publishes its installments. Starring the titular Italian plumber Mario, it is primarily a video game franchise, but has extended to other forms of media, including television series, comic books, a 1993 feature film, a 2023 animated film and theme park attractions. The series' first installment was 1983's Mario Bros., although Mario had made his first appearance in 1981's arcade game Donkey Kong, and had already been featured in several games of the Donkey Kong and Game & Watch series. The Mario games have been developed by a wide variety of developers including Nintendo, Hudson Soft, and AlphaDream. Mario games have been released almost exclusively for Nintendo's various video game consoles and handhelds, from the third generation onward.

<i>Super Mario Bros.</i> 1985 video game

Super Mario Bros. is a platform game developed and published in 1985 by Nintendo for the Famicom in Japan and for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America. It is the successor to the 1983 arcade game Mario Bros. and the first game in the Super Mario series. Following a US test market release for the NES, it was converted to international arcades on the Nintendo VS. System in early 1986. The NES version received a wide release in North America that year and in PAL regions in 1987.

<i>Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games</i> 2016 video game

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games is a 2016 crossover sports and party game in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, released for the Nintendo 3DS in February 2016 in Japan, March 2016 in North America, and in April 2016 for Europe and Australia, and for the Wii U worldwide in June 2016. The game is officially licensed by the International Olympic Committee, as are the other games in the series. It was developed by Sega, with assistance from Arzest and Spike Chunsoft, and published by Nintendo. It is the fifth title in the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series. The game is a collection of Olympic sports themed mini-games featuring characters from the Mario series and the Sonic the Hedgehog series.

The Nintendo data leak, also known as the Nintendo Gigaleak, is a series of leaks of data from the Japanese video game company Nintendo on the anonymous imageboard website 4chan. The leak started in March 2018, but became most prominent in 2020. Ten main sets of data leaked on 4chan, ranging from game and console source code to internal documentation and development tools. The name "Gigaleak" mainly refers to the second leak on July 24, 2020, which was 3 gigabytes in size. The leaks are believed to have come from companies contracted by Nintendo in the design of these consoles, and/or from individuals previously convicted of intrusion into Nintendo systems. An earlier, much smaller leak had also occurred in 2018 which contained the Nintendo Space World 1997 demos for Pokémon Gold and Silver.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Goulter, Tom (January 29, 2011). "The worst games you never played". GamesRadar . Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  2. ↑ "Company Bio: Philips Interactive Media". GameSpy . Archived from the original on March 24, 2023. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  3. ↑ "The Mario Series: 10 Games That Were Canceled". The Gamer. July 25, 2019. Archived from the original on November 15, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Sidewalk CD-i Playground [ permanent dead link ] (Accessed on 6-19-08)
  5. ↑ Samuel Clemens (July 4, 2022). "Stephen Radosh: An Interview with the Creator of Hotel Mario". Games Reviews. GR Media. Archived from the original on July 5, 2022. Retrieved July 5, 2022.
  6. ↑ Langshaw, Mark (April 22, 2011). "Retro Corner: 'Super Mario World'". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  7. ↑ East, Tom (April 10, 2009). "Rare Mario games". Official Nintendo Magazine . Archived from the original on January 7, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Quebec Gamers Archived January 10, 2007, at the Wayback Machine (Accessed on 6-19-08)
  9. ↑ Gerardi, Matt (September 17, 2014). "Read This: A peek into the making of a lost Mario game". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  10. ↑ Mario Fan Games Galaxy Archived March 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine (accessed 6-19-08)
  11. 1 2 "Super Mario's Wacky Worlds Footage Revealed". Kombo. May 4, 2012. Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  12. ↑ YouTube Archived December 12, 2017, at the Wayback Machine (accessed 6-20-08)
  13. ↑ McElroy, Justin (September 7, 2009). "Super Mario's Wacky Worlds should have stayed buried". Engadget . Archived from the original on January 28, 2024. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  14. ↑ Langshaw, Mark (May 29, 2011). "Feature: Lost Levels: The Best of Vapourware". Digital Spy . Archived from the original on May 25, 2019. Retrieved May 26, 2019.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.