Super Mario Run
Nintendo EPD – iOS
Is there any figure in games less dignified than Mario? The trials he undergoes are totally absurd. His princess- and toad-rescuing missions are repeated ad nauseam. He operates in worlds where the very touch of another living creature can cause him physical pain, or even death, and yet, even after he’s killed, it’s expected that he’ll spring back to life, ready for another go-around, all while maintaining the facade of a peppy demeanour and goofy smile.
Sad to say, his latest adventure won’t be any less damaging to his self-respect. Previously held at an abstract remove from us, his cruel puppet-masters, he’s now operated in Super Mario Run by direct contact from our greasy, stabbing fingers. On a smartphone screen, he resembles more than anything a terrified bug desperately trying to avoid being squished under your thumb.
On top of all this, Mario carries a surprisingly weighty burden. As Nintendo’s first proper mobile game, after the decidedly weird social-network/market-research app Miitomo, Run is a bellwether for the company’s future in the modern world. I mean, if Mario can’t do the business, what hope does anyone else have?
Thankfully, after all of his tribulations, it looks like this one overarching mission is one he’s capable of accomplishing. Super Mario Run is as assured a debut as Nintendo is used to putting out, and even if it doesn’t quite sit with the likes of Super Mario World or 64, it does know the strengths and limitations of its platform pretty well. In order to simplify the controls, Mario has been set to run automatically from right to left, leaving players to control his jumping. If nothing else, this does give the pleasurable sense of every level being a speedrun, with the maintenance of momentum your primary goal. There are also a few deviously hidden secrets in each level, many of them forcing players to counteract Mario’s forward motion in clever or surprising ways.
In the end, though, we can only hope that things work out well for the moustachioed plumber. Like, what can Mario do if this venture fails? Definitely not go back to his old job – Run is probably the closest he’s gotten to plumbing work in decades, and that’s only from being played on the toilet.
Bamboo EP
Sokpop Collective – Windows
Not to be overly down on the very premise right off the bat, but “EP” is a bit of a misnomer. If anything, this mini-collection is really more of a single, albeit an absolute cracker of one. There’s a killer A-side, a B-side that feels like a diversion with hidden depth, and cover art that has a weird puzzle or mystery embedded in it.
That cover, in the form of an interactive menu screen, is probably one of the better game introductions you’re likely to see. Controlling a little stick figure swimming around a tiny, hemispherical pond-planet in outer space, you can enter one of the main games, or you can just float about, dragging some bamboo and bothering the local frog population. There are obscurities to be found, but it’s mostly a space for quiet reflection.
The heart of the collection is, well, “Bamboo Heart”, a sword-fighting platform game. Playing as a spurned animal, banished from its society, you go on a mission of revenge, cutting down enemies with a sort of balletic grace. Taking place against the backdrop of a lush bamboo forest, with banks of fog rolling in at particular sections, the whole thing is very Flying Daggers, without the unconvincing-in-retrospect CGI.
Rounding things out is “Bamboo Ball”, a dodge-ball-ish game played against either the computer or another person. Chucking balls from one end of an arena to another, you have to hit your opponent’s bamboo wickets before they get yours. It’s a bit of knockabout fun, embellished by different stages, the weather conditions of which subtly affect the game.
To add to the charm, the collection has the look of having been blasted straight out of 1986. Wait – could the Commodore 64 read cassingles?
Like a Boss – Ian Lamont
“Hey Leo! Hope all is well with you. Any chance you could send the games stuff over this afternoon? Cheers.”
Don’t be fooled by his friendly demeanour – there’s an unspoken but iron-willed authority behind the words of Totally Dublin’s outgoing editor. Sure, he may have a roguish charm to go along with his devilish good looks, but this serious-minded professional would never accept a cheap hagiography as compensation for three-days-late submission of game reviews. No, sir.
Words: Leo Devlin
