MarloW in Apocalyptic Acid World

It’s pretty difficult to create a platformer without taking inspiration from the classics, including names like Sonic, Metroid or Super Mario. However, there’s nothing wrong with that, at least as long as you strive to include your own ideas in the process. Hence, building a better game on a foundation laid by others is a great idea, especially if you manage to tell an interesting story at the same time.

MarloW in Apocalyptic Acid World is a 2D platformer in which you play the role of an anarchist by the name of MarloW, who’s bent on leaving his mark on the terrible world he was born in. In essence, the game is Super Mario in a different set of clothes, because almost everything about the gameplay mechanics is borrowed from the old Nintendo classic, except of course for the colorful world and the Italian plumber.

Your goal is to collect coins and make it to the end of the level, where an antenna instead of a flag awaits you and MarloW creates graffiti on the door of the building you arrive at. Everything along the way is designed to hinder your progress, including the environment itself and the enemies that are part of it. On the other hand, your character has a few tricks up his sleeve as well.

You can also destroy blocks and watch out for bonuses that provide your character with permanent special abilities, at least until you die or touch an enemy. Hence, you can increase your speed or start throwing beer bottles, depending on which power-up you happen to find. It’s a great way to diversify the experience, as well as add another layer of difficulty to the whole thing.

As far as the graphics are concerned, the retro style is both colorful and calming at the same time, and it’s that much more pleasant if you are old enough to have played the games it draws its inspiration from. The landscapes can be a bit barren and repetitive sometimes, but then again you’ll be much busier trying to jump over gaps and avoid the constant stream of enemies.

In spite of the fact that MarloW in Apocalyptic Acid World is more or less a Super Mario clone with a different character and different textures, you can still have a lot of fun with it, especially if you are up for a challenge. The similarities with Super Mario are pretty well disguised most of the time.