Mario on the ST???
I remember playing it a few years ago, but struggled to get very far, so I decided to give it another bash over the weekend. Shockingly, my skills had not improved, and I rebooted my ST after only a few games - to enable the trainer option!! I hoped that would compensate for my poor reactions. In fact, I had the bold intention to record a "longplay" but those darn flying fish put a frustrating end to the idea, which was so disappointing!
Why is it I'm always so bad at every game I enjoy? Let's crack on with a couple of screenshots...
Stario left the house without a weapon? What a fool...
Now he's gotta squish the nasties using his boots!
A platformer without a gun?
Top Byte Software released this in 1995, so it ranks as one of the last commercial games for our beloved Atari ST. For those living on another planet for the last couple of decades, Super Stario Land is a shameless Mario ripoff - it doesn't even try to hide that fact at all. It was programmed by Adrian Keylock, who did an excellent job considering no enhanced hardware was used. Yup, it's as smooth as silk on any Atari ST computer.
Stario can walk, run (hold the fire button), and jump over his blocky 2D landscape. Many of these blocks can be nudged for points and sometimes a weird bonus - I love the one that makes you grow twice the size/strength, and I will never refuse a much-needed 1UP. The levels are populated by lots of critters that can be killed by stomping on their heads, although some require a double jump, whilst others are immune.
Your environment is very much a "Mario" clone using the expected bric-a-brac with tube-like structures, water, moving platforms, etc. Everything was intended to feel this "familiar", but what interested me was the levels themselves, which follow a large design using randomly generated stages. Sadly, this design will often backfire for a weird Deja Vu feeling as you explore the same bit of landscape... more than once.
Hey, let's see more gorgeous screenshots...
Watch out for falling rocks!!
Every critter is so cute and detailed, even the evil flying fish!!
Looks, sounds, Gameplay?
The graphics are designed by none other than Richard Davey, of the legendary LGD and supporter of AtariCrypt. He's certainly taken the time to get that console look right - from the blocks, the landscapes, and incredibly detailed sprites. The baddies are really cute, it's almost a shame to squash 'em. Well, almost lol.
Audio can be flipped between the default sound effects and chip music by simply pressing the F9 key. The effects are quite good, but there's not enough going on, so you're left feeling empty and wanting more pizazz from your old ST. Thankfully, nothing compares to the gorgeous Big Alec tunes. So that's an easy choice!!
The joystick controls are excellent and incredibly responsive without any lag. Having said that, you should get in a few practice games to master the enormous level of inertia. I wish I had a pound for every time I slid off the edge of a moving platform to my doom! After a few goes, it soon becomes second nature.
It's screenshot time, but these are for all those ST nutters in Australia...
Enter 'australia' into the high score table, and you get a rather unexpected bonus game!!
This is freaky and quite impossible to play, but hilarious at the same time.
The CryptO'pinion?
There are always a few niggles, and Super Stario Land isn’t perfect and has a few that can be frustrating. The flying fish are particularly annoying because their unpredictable patterns make it difficult to judge when they’re coming. This creates a sense of pure luck if you manage to get past them. I said IF.
Stario is unofficially Mario in many ways and offers a ton of console fun. But as a platformer in its own right, this is a fantastic game with superb joystick controls and exciting levels. I absolutely love it, and I highly recommend that you play Super Stario Land. It’s nothing short of platforming excellence!
Super Stario The Mario Wannabe
can be run from floppy or your hard drive.
