Super Mario and the Ultimate Quest

Princess Peach seems to be unable to remain un-kidnaped for more than a few minutes, apparently, because she’s constantly being taken by dragons, wizards, and various other generic villains. Not only that, but Mario must save her again and again, putting his life in jeopardy hundreds of times, just to watch the cycle repeat itself over and over again.

Super Mario and the Ultimate Quest is an indie production that aims to build on the adventures of the famous plumber and provide you with a few challenging levels to try and pass. The emphasis is put on the difficulty of the platforming sections and the classic Super Mario experience, rather than a unique story that makes sense. Hence, you shouldn’t expect more than that because you’ll be severely disappointed.

Story-wise, everything is explained in the first five seconds, during the short cutscene that presents Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach talking about her finally being safe. Naturally, Bowser appears out of nowhere and he transforms the princess into a puzzle, only to disappear with the pieces and prompt yet another long and tedious journey for Mario.

Although many of the gameplay elements are the same, some additional gimmicks have been added to spice the experience a little bit. Hence, rather than walking from castle to castle looking for Bowser’s lair, you can use doors that transport you to the desired stage. However, you must collect the necessary number of keys in order to open certain doors, so you still have to explore the levels from start to finish.

There are a few problems with the gameplay mechanics as well, such as the fact that Mario slips an awful lot whenever you start running. Since running appears to be the default mode, it gets pretty frustrating to miss jumps because the character cannot break in less than a few meters. However, after enough tries and gameplay time, you can sort of get used to the annoyance and integrate it into your play style.

In the end, Super Mario and the Ultimate Quest has more than enough flaws, but it can also grow on you if you are a fan of the series. As such, if you are prepared to deal with some issues and you do not mind the lack of a proper story, this game may be of interest to you.