Mario Clash

is a video game produced by Nintendo in 1995 for the Virtual Boy. It is the first stereoscopic 3D ''Mario'' game, and a 3D reimagining of ''Mario Bros.'' Reception for the game was mixed.

Gameplay

''Mario Clash'' is a 3D reimagining of the original ''Mario Bros.'' arcade game. The objective is to knock all the enemies off ledges. Players control Mario to complete this objective, who can travel in and out of the background by jumping forward or backward. Meanwhile, these enemies can travel between these two planes through different pipes. Each level has a different arrangement of pipes, platforms, and enemies. It has 99 levels, although the player can only choose to begin from one of the first forty of them. However, the game does not allow for the saving of progress through the games, or high scores, once the game is turned off.

Certain enemies, such as the Koopa Troopas, can be jumped on, causing them to withdraw into their shell. At this point, Mario has to grab this shell in order to defeat enemies that cannot be jumped on safely by throwing it at them, either to his right or left or into the background or foreground. Certain enemies can only be defeated if Mario throws a shell from one plane into another, and certain other enemies may have defenses up that prevent them from being damaged. If an enemy walks into Mario, or Mario jumps on an enemy he cannot jump on, he will lose a life. The game is over if Mario runs out of lives. The game utilizes a scoring system, and a level has to be completed in a certain length of time. Defeating more enemies with a Koopa Troopa shell in a row results in more points earned. Players can utilize a mushroom item which, when touched, initiates Fever Time. This allows Mario to defeat enemies regardless of their defenses.

Development

''Mario Clash'' was developed by Nintendo R&D1, with director Gunpei Yokoi, the same team that was responsible for the development of the Virtual Boy itself. Shigeru Miyamoto, one of the ''Mario'' series' creators, contributed to the game's design. Like all other Virtual Boy games, ''Mario Clash'' uses a red-and-black color scheme and uses parallax, an optical trick that is used to simulate a 3D effect.

The game was originally developed as a straight remake of the original ''Mario Bros.'', and was titled ''Mario Bros. VB''.

Reception

Despite being labeled by '' Next Generation'' as "perhaps the most promising title" for the Virtual Boy before its release, it received mixed reception upon launch. Almost all of ''GameFan Magazine''s staff chose ''Mario Clash'' as their favourite Virtual Boy game during their test of the console pre-release due to its combination of platform gameplay with 3D effects. One reviewer praised the game's 3D effects, while both felt it became tedious over time. ''GamePro'' staff's brief review praised the excellent use of the Virtual Boy's 3D feature but hinted that the Virtual Boy hardware did not do the game justice, expressing hope that the game would be released for the Super NES. ''IGN'' likewise called it "mildly clever" game held back by the Virtual Boy's "awkward" controller and the console's red-and-black color limitation. They also felt it "underrated".

Retrospective reviews were similarly mixed. ''Nintendo Life'' found its sprites "boring" and "flat," as well as criticizing its lack of a save function. However, they did feel that players would find it challenging if they stuck with it for long enough. ''Nintendojo'' felt that it was a "worthwhile romp" and an "innovative departure" from ''Mario Bros.'' GamesRadar praised the game, stating: "It actually made brilliant use of 3D... The level designs featured a huge amount of variety, and figuring each one out was enormously fun." ''Official Nintendo Magazine'' called it a "fun little game", but criticized the Virtual Boy hardware for causing headaches during gameplay. UGO Networks' Marissa Meli felt that the game's font made it look rushed. UGO Networks called ''Mario Clash'' the low point of the ''Mario'' series. Allgame's Scott Alan Marriott felt that the game was fun but that it risked repetition and suffered from the lack of a save system for high scores.

PALGN's Luke called it one of the hardest ''Mario'' games ever made. ABC Good Game wrote that ''Mario Clash'' tried to revive the series' arcade roots but "wasn't very good." ''Electronic Gaming Monthly'' gave it a 7.125 average, but the four reviewers were divided: Andrew and Mike complained of loose control which made it difficult to jump on a target, and felt the game was "okay" but became dull after a short while, whereas Mark and Sushi argued that the simple gameplay was addictive and that the game made perfect use of the Virtual Boy hardware. '' Next Generation'' awarded ''Mario Clash'' three out of five stars. A writer for the magazine commented, "In the end, ''Mario Smash'' doesn't deliver the next generation of gaming, it's not addictive, exciting, or even nice looking, but it's a darn good distraction in an interesting new format."

''Mario Clash'' has been a popular suggestion for a 3DS remake by critics. They also named it one of the five 3D games of Nintendo's past that were most deserving of a rerelease on the Nintendo 3DS, 1UP.com staff called it a good game that would be given new life on the 3DS. In an interview with Nintendo 3DS hardware director Hideki Konno, IGN's Craig Harris said he was surprised a ''Mario Clash'' tech demo wasn't among those created to show off the 3DS console at its premiere event.

Game mechanics of ''Mario Clash'' were also used as a microgame in '' WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!'' for the Game Boy Advance and its remake '' WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Party Games!'' for the GameCube.

Notes

References

External links

Official Nintendo Japan ''Mario Clash'' site

{{Portal bar, Video games, 1990s

1995 video games
Mario video games
Nintendo Research & Development 1 games
Single-player video games
Video games developed in Japan
Virtual Boy games