UNORIGINAL (Episode 1 v1.5 Download Available) [UPDATE: 3-27-2025]

[Lotica]

So... You know how I said I may be revisiting this project at a later time? Well, that's slightly a lie, because I'm starting that revisiting now.

Yes, my friends. UNORIGINAL is back with a new focus on what I want to accomplish. This all starts with Episode 2.

Originally with Episode 2, I had a lot of ideas going for it. I wanted to make it very distinguished from Episode 1, as I saw that as a sampler of what was to come. However, I got stuck on trying to make the levels too different from one another, straying away from the original goal of making a project similar to Super Mario World. That's the style of Mario I like the most, and I wanted to do my own spin on it. It also resulted in levels taking a lot longer to complete. Only one was completed overall, and that level has since been deleted (Good riddance, it wasn't that fun to begin with).

Now with a clearer vision of what I want to do with this thing, let me present to you the newest level called Shifting Sands Sprint:



Ah! I see you caught on to the new theme of Episode 2.

Personally speaking, I felt like the cavern setting just didn't really fit the flow of the levels I had, and honestly, I feel the concept of a cavern world just doesn't appeal to me. It was an idea I had brought over from previous ideas in the past, but with these episodes going forward, I want to try to stray away from rehashing old stuff and come up with, ironically, original stuff. Now, that does contradict my goal of making this a SMW-style experience, but I'm only saying the level designs and concepts are new to what I have done originally, not SMBX2 in general.

I'm not going to make any concrete promises or talk this project up. After all, this is a hobby project. This is something to get my mind off the horrible things going on in my life right now. I need some happiness to keep me sane, you know?

Anyways, on that depressing note, over time, I do plan on not only making videos on all the levels from Episode 1, but I want to go back and make some adjustments to the episode overall. Unfortunately, the update I did before I stopped the project briefly hasn't been recovered, but that will at least allow me to start fresh with what I have, and I have the feedback still on this thread to look at.

I hope to keep on this project as long as I can, and I hope you stick around for updates.

Thanks for reading!

[Retro]

So... You know how I said I may be revisiting this project at a later time? Well, that's slightly a lie, because I'm starting that revisiting now.

Yes, my friends. UNORIGINAL is back with a new focus on what I want to accomplish. This all starts with Episode 2.

Originally with Episode 2, I had a lot of ideas going for it. I wanted to make it very distinguished from Episode 1, as I saw that as a sampler of what was to come. However, I got stuck on trying to make the levels too different from one another, straying away from the original goal of making a project similar to Super Mario World. That's the style of Mario I like the most, and I wanted to do my own spin on it. It also resulted in levels taking a lot longer to complete. Only one was completed overall, and that level has since been deleted (Good riddance, it wasn't that fun to begin with).

Now with a clearer vision of what I want to do with this thing, let me present to you the newest level called Shifting Sands Sprint:



Ah! I see you caught on to the new theme of Episode 2.

Personally speaking, I felt like the cavern setting just didn't really fit the flow of the levels I had, and honestly, I feel the concept of a cavern world just doesn't appeal to me. It was an idea I had brought over from previous ideas in the past, but with these episodes going forward, I want to try to stray away from rehashing old stuff and come up with, ironically, original stuff. Now, that does contradict my goal of making this a SMW-style experience, but I'm only saying the level designs and concepts are new to what I have done originally, not SMBX2 in general.

I'm not going to make any concrete promises or talk this project up. After all, this is a hobby project. This is something to get my mind off the horrible things going on in my life right now. I need some happiness to keep me sane, you know?

Anyways, on that depressing note, over time, I do plan on not only making videos on all the levels from Episode 1, but I want to go back and make some adjustments to the episode overall. Unfortunately, the update I did before I stopped the project briefly hasn't been recovered, but that will at least allow me to start fresh with what I have, and I have the feedback still on this thread to look at.

I hope to keep on this project as long as I can, and I hope you stick around for updates.

Thanks for reading!

the man returns! good luck on episode 2 though

[Lotica]

So... You know how I said I may be revisiting this project at a later time? Well, that's slightly a lie, because I'm starting that revisiting now.

Yes, my friends. UNORIGINAL is back with a new focus on what I want to accomplish. This all starts with Episode 2.

Originally with Episode 2, I had a lot of ideas going for it. I wanted to make it very distinguished from Episode 1, as I saw that as a sampler of what was to come. However, I got stuck on trying to make the levels too different from one another, straying away from the original goal of making a project similar to Super Mario World. That's the style of Mario I like the most, and I wanted to do my own spin on it. It also resulted in levels taking a lot longer to complete. Only one was completed overall, and that level has since been deleted (Good riddance, it wasn't that fun to begin with).

Now with a clearer vision of what I want to do with this thing, let me present to you the newest level called Shifting Sands Sprint:



Ah! I see you caught on to the new theme of Episode 2.

Personally speaking, I felt like the cavern setting just didn't really fit the flow of the levels I had, and honestly, I feel the concept of a cavern world just doesn't appeal to me. It was an idea I had brought over from previous ideas in the past, but with these episodes going forward, I want to try to stray away from rehashing old stuff and come up with, ironically, original stuff. Now, that does contradict my goal of making this a SMW-style experience, but I'm only saying the level designs and concepts are new to what I have done originally, not SMBX2 in general.

I'm not going to make any concrete promises or talk this project up. After all, this is a hobby project. This is something to get my mind off the horrible things going on in my life right now. I need some happiness to keep me sane, you know?

Anyways, on that depressing note, over time, I do plan on not only making videos on all the levels from Episode 1, but I want to go back and make some adjustments to the episode overall. Unfortunately, the update I did before I stopped the project briefly hasn't been recovered, but that will at least allow me to start fresh with what I have, and I have the feedback still on this thread to look at.

I hope to keep on this project as long as I can, and I hope you stick around for updates.

Thanks for reading!

the man returns! good luck on episode 2 though

He has indeed. Thanks for the encouragement!

Speaking of returning, if you missed it on the SMBX Discord, I recently announced that I have recovered the files for not only the first version of episode one but also the first patch that fixed the Big Spike boss and modified the Cave of Wonder to make the secret easier to find. That saves me a lot of time on modifying the first episode for a re-release, but I want to do more than just reupload the episode. Here's a list of what I want to do:

-Rename all the levels with names that are not generic and give a good idea of what to expect in each level
-Modify the level design to improve the pace of the levels
-Add a level similar to Yoshi's House in the original SMW that is supposed to be a little fort that Toad made (It's a joke, because... you know, it's Toad)

This will come soon, along with a series of videos that show the levels in a new light, since even though I recovered many of the files from the SMBX2 project, the videos haven't been as lucky. Only one video has survived, which was a sneak peek of one of the levels in the original episode two. Oddly enough, all the videos I had on the SMW version of UNORIGINAL and their thumbnails survived (Though I haven't found the illusive commentaries I did, and if that doesn't happen, I don't mind redoing those). However, all of this will come down the line.

I'm more encouraged to do this project now because of this discovery, and I hope you stick around for more!

In fact, just because you followed along, here's a sneak peek of the latest level I'm working on in episode two called Ruined Ramparts:

[Retro]

Looks cool! glad to see you back in shape! i wonder, i could send you a link to some cool stuff to use in your epsiode, for example.
Master Of Disasters acsessory.lua if you need it
Marioman2007s pausemenu.lua (very recommended to use btw)

it shouldnt require too much lua coding it into the episode, considering i saw you use jukebox.lua so yeah, happy making bro.

[Lotica]

Looks cool! glad to see you back in shape! i wonder, i could send you a link to some cool stuff to use in your epsiode, for example.
Master Of Disasters acsessory.lua if you need it
Marioman2007s pausemenu.lua (very recommended to use btw)

it shouldnt require too much lua coding it into the episode, considering i saw you use jukebox.lua so yeah, happy making bro.

Thanks for the suggestions. I would definitely add the pause menu for sure, as it is getting a little annoying having to go back into the map to restart a level. Not sure if I would use Masters of Disasters because I haven't come across a scenario yet where that would benefit me, but I will consider it when necessary.

[Lotica]

Well, the work on updating UNORIGINAL Episode 1 once again has begun. I have already completed fixes on three levels in the project, completely changing how they play. The main focus with these changes was to lower the difficulty and improve the pace. In some of the levels you're about to see, there aren't as many changes as you would think, but some of the later levels will definitely see some big ones.

Let's start from the beginning with Sunrise Stroll, formerly known as Getting Started:



Originally, I had some smartass titles for my levels, but this time, I want to be a little more creative, so in this update, they'll be changed to sort of fit the theme of the first world. I will say that things may not be as different with this level, which I expected to be the case, since I am overall pleased with this one. There were only a few changes to help with pacing.

Next is Shellback Creek, formerly known as Critters and More. This level has seen the most changes so far:



Admittedly, that original title was lazy, while this one gives a better description of the common enemy you'll be facing in this level. Yes, there are more than enemies with shells, but it's cute, so you can't argue that.

When making these changes, I wanted to stay true to the objective of this level, which was to have a short and simple level that was a breeze to go through before going to the level that could be considered one of the harder ones. Just another sampler platter, but I wanted to make sure it at least had a vibe that the player could get into, which is why the music was changed here. I wanted to have some new forest music, but some that still fit the beach-like vibe that I'm trying to convey with this first episode.

Lastly, we have Glimmering Grotto, formerly known as The Cave of Wonder:



Honestly, I was pretty satisfied with this level after the 1.1 update, but I felt like I could do more to reduce the difficulty and improve the pacing. I also changed the music in this one too as I felt the original, while good, felt a bit TOO relaxed in my opinion. It's weird, but I feel like the new choice is better.

I'm not going to include what exactly I've changed in these levels, as I want to save those for when I release the patch. However, if you are curious, on each video's description, I have included all the changes made.

The next level to be modified is Mole Mountain. This one will take a bit longer than the others, as I already have 25 fixes I want to implement, and more may be made as I get further along in the process. We'll see what happens.

Make sure to stay tuned for future updates!

[Retro]

Nice! i even bookmarked this to see the pogress on this episode! cant wait

[Lotica]

Another level updated! This time, it's Burrow Hill Climb, formerly known as Mole Mountain, the secret level of the episode.

This one has seen the most improvements by far, with over 30 fixes implemented, mainly to help with difficulty spikes and pacing problems. It's definitely at a spot that I can say I'm fine with it.

Three more levels to go before the new update!

[Lotica]

Another day, another level! Next on the platter is Lilypad Lagoon, formerly known as Lakeside Antics.

The goal for this level was to have a small, feel-good level after dealing with a slightly difficult level. Sort of a palette cleanser, as you would say. I think that sort of accomplished the goal, but there were some difficulty spikes here and there, especially in the second half of the level. I also thought the level was a bit too short, so I extended it slightly to help transition to the next level and give the player a slight relief. Overall, pretty pleased with this one, and the music changes give this level a different atmosphere.

Two more levels are left in the update, minus the teaser level. However, the changes I plan on making to these next two levels are going to radically change how they play and feel, so they may take a bit longer to get out there.

[Lotica]

Once again, here with another level updated, and it's the second level in the episode to see some significant changes, mostly in the atmosphere department. This is Mistveil Meadow, formerly known as Fuzzy Vision.

When replaying this level, nothing really stuck out at me, as it felt like a generic romp. With this version, I wanted to emphasize atmosphere and go with the beach-like theme, hence the title and the addition to mist to the level. Combined with the new music, it does add a lot more to the area I think. Otherwise, much of the level is the same, minus some enemy removals and decrease the length of the end-level lift ride, as it went on for far too long.



Added in 57 seconds:
Well, here it is! The final level of episode one updated, and this has seen some of the most significant changes in the entire episode. This is Spike Ball Brawl, previously known as Big Spike's Domain.

There were two problems I set out to address when updating this level: Reducing difficulty and having better enemy variety. That's why I completely redid the first part of this level, as the original ONLY had Spike enemies and nothing else. That, along with the flat and short level design, made it not only a chore, but a bore. I think with these updates, it makes it more of an epic feeling when you get up to the newly named Mr. Spike. That's the hope at least.

With that, all the levels from the original episode have been updated. What I'll do now is complete the teaser level, playtest through the episode multiple times, and polish any issues that come about before releasing the update. Stay tuned!

[Lotica]

Well, I've talked about it, and here it is! This is what I'm calling version 1.5 of Episode 1.



DOWNLOAD HERE!

Originally, I was going to simply re-release the version 1.1 patch I had released before I abruptly stopped the project, but I decided to play episode one again to see if there was anything special I could do to refine it better to my new vision. In short, there were a LOT of things that needed to be fixed. In fact, I wanted to fix over 100 things.

With version 1.5, I wanted to fix two major issues that have always been an issue with my levels in the past: Enemy placements that are borderline dickish and pacing problems. Granted, there are people that don't mind those things, but to me, 2025 has been all about change, and this time around, I wanted to do something that would be out of the norm for myself. So I went back through all the levels and completely changed how they play and made them more consistent difficulty-wise. I wanted to make this a Mario adventure that anyone can pick up and play, and given how my brother, who is a casual platform player, couldn't even get through level one, I knew I needed to change things up a bit.

Now, this is not to say that I've turned this to baby-level Mario, far from that. With this changes, I've made sure that players can play the ways they want, whether they're new to Mario or not. It's akin to how I view the original Super Mario World, and as this is my homage to that game, I want to keep that feeling at the heart of the project.

Thank you guys for the feedback and keeping up with the project. I'm taking a break for a bit (I mean a bit, not months), then I'll get back on episode two.

[Lotica]

I'm still taking a small break from working on the project as I'm dealing with some real life issues, but I went ahead and compiled all the songs from Episode 1 (minus the ones pre-1.5; those will come later) and now you can listen to the songs all in one video whenever you want. Enjoy!