Ok, so I've been contemplating whether or not I should even make a post regarding this game. Should mods and hacks be privy to Beat All Games? My gut feeling says no, however, being an avid fan of romhacking to begin with and lingering around on the fringes of a few different mod/hack communities, most notably SMWC, for the past few years, well.... Besides, I never stated anything about only playing officially licensed/recognized games. I only stated that games must have a definitive end - which I have apparently broken that rule as it is already, so there you go. Still, it seems wrong to be posting a romhack, but then again, we're talking about a serious romhack here. At the same token, though I have played hundreds of romhacks over the past few years, this is the first one I've played since I started Beat All Games - the idea sort of forcing me to take a sabbatical from all of these "unofficial" games that are out there on the net. However, I've been awaiting this game for awhile, especially being a fan of the VIP series as well as ASMT - basically, the notion of SMW-built collab hacks - so I just had to take a break from my current roster of games and give this a go. Oh, and you may have noticed the peculiar absence of a Haiku-Review. Well, I decided since I'm allowing myself to invite this sort of stuff here; I'm going to represent it sans-haiku. :-P
Truthfully, I've already spilled most of my thoughts about this game over on SMWC's board, so it seems pointless to rattle through all of it again, so I'm just going to highlight a few points. Unlike ASMT or the VIP's, I really feel this hack lacked that certain something which just leaves you wanting more - that is until about halfway through the game. If it wasn't for my sheer want to continue pushing through and see what lies ahead (since I know the SMWC community is more than capable of producing some truly amazing material, well, the right people at least), I probably would have let this game go. Fortunately, my hopes were satisfied and the second half of the game easily delivered, definitely proving its worth.
Since the game is still Super Mario World in spirit, I always find myself to be a bit wishy-washy when it comes to an involved storyline. Ninety percent of the time, they don't work, easily grind the pace of the game to a halt and generally just fall flat on the ground. This is definitely the case here, the biggest issue being that the various characters seem to be completely out of character. Talk about rolling one's eyes - ugh. Overall, plot devices are left out or kept to the bare minimum in platformers for a reason and it is a rare find to find one that works.
Of course, there are so many other things I could nitpick about, but outside of the community, it's either pointless or going to resemble something like that of Greek. However, misgivings aside, it is a very well made hack and can easily make a name for itself, much like the VIP's, so kudos to that. For the casual gamer who's never experienced a romhack, it's worth a go, although it certainly wouldn't be my first recommendation by any measure. However, be warned, this hack is a world away in difficulty from the original Super Mario World, maybe more.
Nano-Rant:
I've already said so elsewhere, but let me just say again how much this game has come to make me hate Torpedo Teds - a whole hell of a lot!!
Rating: 3.5 Reggie-Shrug Bills out of 5
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