Super Mario - Signal Interference (mini-episode)

[Shinbison-Kof]

Hey guys! I forgot to post here, but the "Self-made Island" did a very nice gameplay of my episode! Check it!

[Danat Nukem]

It's a god damn little masterpiece, like... just one feature with gravity should already have pretty good atention, but it's wasn't, and thats a SHAME! Good on ya.

[Shinbison-Kof]

It's a god damn little masterpiece, like... just one feature with gravity should already have pretty good atention, but it's wasn't, and thats a SHAME! Good on ya.

Thanks! XD

[lan vuhoang]

Will it work with the new SMBX2 bta 4 patch 4? I don't want to have another installation just to play this episode.

[ditditdit]

my FAVOVORITE episode!
I beat it like 8 times

[Shinbison-Kof]

@lan vuhoang, yeah it's works!

@ditditdit, Wow, thanks! I'm glad you liked it

[ditditdit]

the world map was a surprise and extremely cool!

[halibabica]

If you would like me to LP/review a level or episode you made, feel free to ask! My queue accepts all takers, so long as it is your own project.

Full Let’s Play

Signal Interference is a futuristic episode where Mario must journey up to a rogue satellite that’s causing all sorts of problems. It’s not very long, but definitely far-out and varied in what it has to offer.

Let’s Talk About Assets!

I’d be hard-pressed to tell you where they came from. There are some ordinary graphics and edits, but most of them are new. The aesthetic varies wildly by stage, but each one has its own sense of place. The world map is one big image that you progress upward as you near the satellite at the top. As a whole, the episode is a bit of a hodgepodge and can be visually busy at times, but it works well enough and is certainly interesting to look at. I’m not sure I recognized any of the music it used, so it’s pretty fresh on the sound front as well.

Let’s Talk About Writing!

There isn’t much, but what’s there is a bit unclear and awkward. The premise is that a satellite has been infected with a virus and is interfering with the island’s signal, hence the title, though I don’t really know what that means. Anyway, the satellite is causing problems like explosions and climate change (somehow). This explanation is found on the episode page, as you only get the lightest briefing from a Toad at the start: satellite corrupted, go fix it.

Toad assists you on this journey by leaving holograms to give you hints. [s]You will be hearing from Agent Toad’s lawyer.[/s] The English is a little broken in these, so while the meaning is usually discernible, the flaws are noticeable. While dialogue isn’t a big component since it’s just the reason for the adventure, it could do with some fixing up.

Let’s Talk About Design!

It’s a straightforward episode where the action-packed stages are the selling point. There aren’t any collectibles to worry about, but 1-ups are scarce and it gets difficult at times, so you shouldn’t neglect to grab coins when you have the chance.

The gameplay varies between stages as it presents a variety of platforming challenges. I wouldn’t call it gimmicky since most of the obstacles are derived from the setting rather than specific concepts. There’s a good mix of things to do and the stages really stand out from each other with few exceptions. I think the diverse levels are its strongest facet, as it’s consistently engaging and you can never be too sure what it will throw at you next. Since each level has its own style, it also manages to stay fresh and avoid overplaying any one gimmick.

The only time I felt it dragged was in the finale, which isn’t really a battle, but more like an endurance run. Spoilers ahoy…

Spoiler: show

The final confrontation is against an evil AI that took over the satellite. While Toad is hacking to remove it, you need to survive a series of phases in a chamber that changes dramatically each time. The challenges are in a fixed order, so it can be learned and there’s a definite endpoint, but it can take a while since the phases aren’t too short and there’s nothing you can do to advance faster. It fits the varied style of the rest of the game, but I think it would benefit from a midpoint.

Let’s Wrap This Up…

While this episode can be a bit much at times and is a letdown in some regards, I think the parts that work are good enough to make it a trip worth taking. The presentation is substantially different from what’s typical of Mario, so it feels unique even if the mechanics are familiar. The ever-changing style of the stages and their challenges keeps it from growing dull, and it’s just long enough to pull that off consistently. I’d say the writing is the only serious weakness, but that doesn’t really impact the gameplay, so it’s pretty good overall.

3.5/5


In space, up and down mean nothing.

[Shinbison-Kof]

Thank you very much for playing my minisode! I agree with all the comments here.

As for the history, it's merely background information. My main intention was to create a level collection. I've made many levels between 2018 and 2020, so I wanted to organize them into a pack. That's why the episode exists, haha.

Today, I really want to change MANY things in these levels, because the level design falls short in some aspects, especially the last level, and the snow level and the fisrt level. But it's okay.

For example, this level would be much better suited as a final level than the episode's last level:



Thanks for the feedback; I appreciate all of it.

Fun fact: it's a big reference to Mega Man X5.

[Just_Thomas]

Holy sh1t, that level does look sick (in a positive way). That's really impressive. I really would like to check the parallax backgrounds and Luna Lua scripting there, in the hope of learning something from it. I admit, I'm more of a fan of traditional SMW or SMB1 styled levels, but of course with new extras and not just default assets.

[MarioStar]

Wow! What an interesting episode! This episode contains visual effects and aesthetics! Good job!

[Froglord]

How did you do the world map background? I'm trying do something like it.