Mario & The Mushroom Genie

[stageleft]

Bowser and his kids keep comming back and its upto you to stop them again!
Princess Toadstool drags Luigi ahead with her, while Mario and Toad take a moment for a heavy drink at the bar!
An easy going episode were you can plow through levels, or explore then progress using Stars.
There are a few similar themed stages however its a good episode if you want every level to be different.
200+ stages

-Screenshots-

Spoiler: show

-Screen shots-

Spoiler: show

--Download-- (revised 2018) (Under revision)

[Fuyu]

Well ... fuck I really don't know what to say here. Everything looks really messed up, except for the third and fourth screenshots. I mean, there's cutoff almost everywhere, the clouds in the last screenshot are way too close to each other and there are no other cloud BGOs to be seen either, and I am still trying to understand the second's screenshot mess of graphical mixture.

Also, it took you 2½ months to make an 80 levels long episode? It really makes me not want to see the rest considering what I am shown through the screenshots. No offense here, but this entire episode could use a complete re-work. Try taking a look at other levels posted on the forums and playing some more, that might help you get on track.

[stageleft]

I don't appreciate you looking at some screen shots and sizing up the game. thats bull, try the game before you judge.

[Fuyu]

Have you even taken your time to read my post? Yeah, I'm judging the entire game based on those screenshots you posted, but why am I to blame here? The looks of the project itself just doesn't make me want to play it at all. Everyone when posting an episode/project knows that appeal or gameplay are the ones that call for attention the most and showing them via screenshots is the best way to achieve it, but yours simply shows none of that, in fact it has many cutoffs and even clash, the latter exploding on that second screenshot.

If you don't like my criticism try expanding upon it, fix it so it actually makes me and the community want to play it, that's why we all make episodes, are you any different?

[stageleft]

I did include some clash and some cutoff in places to express the fact its taking place in a dreamworld. It serves an artistic function. This game doesn't need to be re-worked, its edited and been revised over and over. I have played and looked at other episodes and this is a place for creative expressions. It doesn't have to be any particular way. I am open to feedback, advice and bug fixes but rework the entire episode... I'm gonna have to flat out say no way lol.

[Fuyu]

Well if you re-work it or not isn't my concern really, I'm just giving you my opinion, what you do with this episode is up to you to decide. There are many ways to make clear the world you're in is a dream, though. Anyway, if you have some more stuff you may want to share on the forums go ahead and I'll make sure to check it out and lend my feedback. Thumbs up!

[PixelPest]

"It's a dream world" is no excuse for clash and cutoff; it's in no way artistic. That's a poor method of creating a dream world feel. You've mixed so many styles that it's messy, the worst part being the fourth screen when you add in 8-bit GFX. The layout of the map is also very bad with all of the cutoff; if anything I'd recommend working on that since lots of people judge a book by its cover--or a game by its world map.

[stageleft]

Cool Natsu thanks. So that area has been explored feedback is noted, people do judge a book by its cover. However PixelPest, I don't think its upto you to decide for me and everyone else what artistic is. If all of the judges don't like the cover then so be it. There is a full community here and not everyone is gonna think the same way. Diversity is good.

[underFlo]

well i mean there's no such thing as "not art"

everything is art in some way

that doesn't mean it's good though, a lot of art only appeals to a very small number of people, and if that's what you want your art to be, then so be it

Also, it should be the responsibility of everyone to make the cover look as appealing as possible, and I'm rather certain that you must've thought of that. After all, don't you want people to play your episode? As such, it's only fair to judge a book by its cover in this case or at least give an opinion on those screens themselves.

[stageleft]

You are absolutely right. Honestly though I don't see the cut off and clash thats been referenced. Anyway I'm hoping to hear something other than about clash and cut off that would be nice. I did just finish a massive project and so far I've been told it looks ugly. Should I choose new screenshots? The layout of the graphics is the 1 thing I am certainly not going to change.

[Vile Insomniaxe]

DOnt worry about the clash police. Youve made what you wanted and I commend that. I wouldnt particularly defend it as the sticklers would be first in line to harp on it, but not changing is the way to go. As long as the platforming elements are whats up, im game.

[FanofSMBX]

I played most of the levels from the demo version (in the editor, albeit). I particularly remember some pyramid stage that had a lot of vertical levels you could get to if you flew. I really found it interesting because they are just secrets mostly made to be bonuses and not be purposefully for unlocking other things in the level. I also liked how you always looked for more secrets within secrets. You want to fly a little higher, whip a few more bricks, and enter a few more vases. It reminds me of the DOS game "Fury of the Furries" if you wanna look that up. I'm thinking of a sort of arcadey/open world feel with these levels. The graphics definitely look a bit unusual but they ARE explained by the setting and try to generally stick to a theme. It can be rather fun trying to guess what each level is, for example there was one level that looked like
A. A Mario 1 warp zone falling apart
B. A ripped black curtain like Mario 3
Who knows?
The level design is a little hodgepodgy but I think it's a good way to imagine a Mario game that just does whatever and doesn't really hold back on its zaniness just on principle of it being the start of a game. I'll try to play the full version tonight. Good effort no matter what.

[HenryRichard]

Honestly I'm not seeing most of the clash or cutoff - there's a bit of cutoff in the SMB2 sky screen, a SMW koopa shell with SMB3 koopas (different styles of the same thing don't really work), and the 8-bit stuff doesn't work with the 16-bit stuff (which is like the second-worst thing you could do with graphics) - but other then that it looks completely fine to me. I especially like the way the third screen looks. I'll play it and let you know what I think when I'm done.

[stageleft]

Thanks Vile Insomniaxe, its been a long long time since I've been part of an online community guess I'm not used to it yet lol. I downloaded your newest game and really like how it progresses. Starts off simple and gets more and more interesting.

FanofSMBX, wow I really enjoyed your analytical post and you pretty much nailed the meaning behind it all. I really like the idea that an old mario stage could lay dormant inside Wart's imagination and eventually that stage become ruinous or grown over with vines like an old graveyard. I hope you enjoy playing the full version and have more feedback eventually.

HenryRichard, thats great I'm glad to know I'm not going crazy here. I worked to avoid cut off and if there is some, its for the lighting effects. Your right, as this was my first attempt at SMBX ever I think I may have mashed a few different koopas from different SMB and I will actually look into keeping that part uniform because as FanofSMBX said the stages do generally stick to a theme and I want to avoid this clash for the most part.

[Vile Insomniaxe]

THe platforming is pretty fun. The game itself is pretty dang abstract. I like it.

[Lapuente]

I like the way this looks, I will definitely give it a try

[stageleft]

Thanks Lapuente.
Vile Insomniaxe, when I played the second version of your game Mario's Super Linear adventure I got to Larry Koopa's Castle and that boss battle was impressive. I neglected to make my boss battles interesting yet and thats one of the main things Grant Atlus is missing. I'm hoping somebody has some good suggestions for that.

[Vile Insomniaxe]

It comes with playing other episodes and with time. Ideas will come. Btw, I love Twiztid. Majik Majik ninjaz whuuut!!

[Sewpah]

This looks... bad. And I mean REALLY BAD. First of all, 8-bit and 16-bit should never ever go together, even if it's a dream world. There is a plethora of clash as of what I seen in the screenshots. But I'm not judging a book by its cover, though. Maybe the execution may or may not be any better, because that's what matters the most in pretty much everything. But seriously, though, this is ugly to look at.

[stageleft]

Yep heard that one already. The graphics will not be altered or changed. Further comments to this effect will be ignored as it does not give me anything to work with.