{"id":1916,"date":"2021-05-30T11:06:30","date_gmt":"2021-05-30T11:06:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/?p=1916"},"modified":"2021-05-30T11:06:32","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T11:06:32","slug":"the-weirdest-super-mario-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/2021\/05\/30\/the-weirdest-super-mario-games\/","title":{"rendered":"The Weirdest Super Mario Games"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Super Mario<\/a> is\nNintendo\u2019s biggest hitter, where nowadays only the best will do the for the\noverall-clad plumber. In times gone by however, he\u2019s face has appeared on some\nweird and wonderful projects and today we\u2019re looking at some of the strangest\nindeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Mario\u2019s Cement Factory (Game\nand Watch – 1983)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Being that the Game & Watch was one of\nNintendo\u2019s least successful consoles (beaten only by the disastrous Virtual\nBoy), there\u2019s many games on the hardware that have been lost to annals of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mario\u2019s Cement Factory is one such game,\nalong with a host of others that looked to cash in on the immense success of\nthe Donkey Kong arcade title by mimicking very similar game design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this construction-based title, Mario has\nto guide the cement spewing from the machine above him and into the trucks\nbelow him without covering his co-workers on either side of him in the process.\nTo do this, he has to release the cement in each unit to the bottom before it\noverflows, and is impeded by the fact that moving platforms dictate when he can\naccess the right and left side of the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both a tabletop and handheld version exist,\nas do multiple updated remakes of the game, but none are quite as peculiar as\nthe original game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I Am a Teacher: Super Mario\nSweater (Famicom – 1986)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Early on in the life of video games in the\nlate 1980\u2019s and early 90\u2019s, the surge of a new industry led to everyone wanting\nto get in on the act and take a nice slice of the pie. Looking to breach\nspecific markets while at the same time targeting a very young demographic and\nselling the game to parents, and an influx of edutainment titles flooded onto\nhome consoles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now we can look back with the hindsight of\nintact cringe, but Nintendo were not immune to this explosive frenzy. Super\nMario had been established as their mascot and the chief way of marketing to\nensure a seal of quality, so the Italian plumber was slapped onto a number of\neducational games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Possibly one of the strangest Super Mario\ngames (and even one of the oddest Nintendo games) is I Am a Teacher: Super\nMario Sweater, in which players would use the software to design a print and\nthen send floppy disks to the Japanese sewing company Royal Industries Co Ltd.\nalong with a fee to have their designs printed onto jumpers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A US version was considered that would ship\nwith a full-size knitting \u201cprinter\u201d, but after the Japanese version had very\nlimited appeal, it was (thankfully) scrapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Super Mario Bros &\nFriends: When I Grow Up (PC – 1991)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Following on from the wave of educational\nrelated games is another one that is more loose in its approach to teaching but\nbecomes a stretch to call it a fully-fledged \u201cgame\u201d and is more a piece of\ncreative software that kids can use to digitally colour things in, akin to a\nspecialised version of MS Paint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Produced by Merit Software in their line of\nElectric Crayon games, this title featured various scenes of Mario and Luigi\nthat the player could colour in, acting as a sort of virtual colouring book but\nwith the bonus of that it could be reused again and again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Super Mario appeared in scenes inspired by\ngames like Super Mario Land and Dr. Mario, with a screen of text giving context\nto the illustration and an explanation or series of facts about the act the\nbrothers were performing or their location, e.g. Mario and Luigi are at a\npharmacy, the following text explains what a pharmacy is, what they sell, etc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Nintendo IPs pop up in a few scenes\nlike Link and the Monster buggy, as well as additional Super Mario characters\nlike Peach, Bowser, Toad, and Lakitu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can also print the pictures once you\u2019ve\ncoloured them in, which to give it it\u2019s due, having a drawing of Mario in his\nSMB3 Tanuki form being examined by vet Luigi is quite cool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mario\u2019s Time Machine\n(NES\/SNES\/PC – 1993\/1994)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

A more purist entertainment title and one\nof the better known ones, Mario\u2019s Time Machine focuses on teaching kids about\nhuman history by having Mario stop Bowser screwing up the course of historical\nevents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In MTM, Bowser travels back in time to\nvarious points in history to steal special artifacts like the declaration of\nindependence using his special time-travelling Timulator, displaying the items\nin his castle\u2019s museum. As Mario, you use the Timualtor to return the items to\ntheir correct year and location while learning about the events and people\nassociated with the item by answering questions and talking to people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game does have a strange look to it\nwith very un-Nintendo visuals set as the background with the Mario sprite from\nSuper Mario World overlaid on them, but the game at least achieves its goal of\ngiving children an overview of various historical events, albeit in snapshot\nform (with some errors and inaccuracies actually being present).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game was re-released on PC in 1996 as\nMario\u2019s Time Machine Deluxe with (cheesy) voice acting and updated visuals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hotel Mario (Phillips CD-i –\n1994)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Coming about from the deal Nintendo struck\nwith Phillips that allowed them to use the Super Mario and Legend of Zelda\ncharacters (the latter being infamous for their awful games), Hotel Mario was a\npuzzle game developed by Fantasy Factory and published by Phillips Interactive\nMedia, and is often mentioned in the same damning breath as the Zelda games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this very hollow outing, Mario has to\nsave Princess Peach from Bowser and his adopted children (hardly breaking any\nnew ground for the plumber story wise) by visiting hotels and closing all the\ndoors. That is literally the entire game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now I\u2019m not saying you can\u2019t make a great\ngame based around a single mechanic, but the variety factor is non-existent,\nrelying on the same trope over a tedious amount of levels, and the bizarre plot\nis the most perplexing element in this puzzler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game shared the same strange animated\ncutscenes that were present in The Legend of Zelda CD-i games, with equally\nweak\/strange voice acting. As such, Hotel Mario is often cited as one of the\nworst Super Mario games in existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mario No Photopi (Nintendo 64\n– 1996)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

A Japan exclusive, this oddity was\napparently meant to widen the fissures of the Japanese PC market by way of\nusing Mario as Nintendo\u2019s infiltrating agent on the Nintendo 64 to give people\na glimpse of what types of things were possible using this N 64\/PC hybrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mario No Photopi is sort of like a Super\nMario themed version of Photoshop before it became the global standard in image\nediting as well as a colloquially adopted verb. The cartridge itself has two\nslots in the top for SmartMedia cards that allow you to import and\/or export\nimages to and from the game and other devices that support SmartMedia. There\nwere also special SmartMedia cards created for the game that featured special\nNintendo themed images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using preset tools, players can create\ntheir own pieces of art using clipart, borders, and fonts that can be output in\nseveral formats like postcard and poster. Images then feature in mini-games as\nbackgrounds or as part of puzzles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was meant to have a compatible version\nwith the elusive N64DD, but this never saw the light of day, and the game has\nsince become a true collector\u2019s item.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mario Picross\/Mario Super\nPicross (Game Boy\/Super Famicom – 1995)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Mario Picross and its sequel Mario Super\nPicross definitely fit the category of an eclectic title. Occupying the same\nniche as games Brain Training or the mathematical conundrum generator Sudoku,\nMario Picross is a puzzle title that has become a cult classic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Picross, one is given a nonogram (a\npaint by numbers or picture logic puzzle) to solve in a 5×5, 10×10, or 15×15\ngrid by chiselling away at blocks to reveal a picture underneath, guided by the\nnumerical clues. Players have thirty minutes to solve the puzzle and an\nincorrect chisel will cause a time loss.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game didn\u2019t really excel in North America,\nso it\u2019s sequel Super Mario Picross only came out in Japan and supported the\nSuper Famicom mouse. It\u2019s largely the same but with colour\/better visuals, and\nwith Wario levels that alter the gameplay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mario Paint (Super Nintendo –\n1992)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Similar in spirit to Mario No Photopi but\nhaving a more focused approach that oddly gave it more breadth that the N64\ntitle, Mario Paint was an unconventional title that had a real element of charm\nto it despite it\u2019s very un-Mario themes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Playing very much like a Super Nintendo\nversion of Microsoft Paint, Mario Paint came bundled with the Super Nintendo\nMouse Peripheral and offered players different avenues of artistic creation to\nexplore, from different forms of animation to creating Nintendo-centric music.\nAny created work could then be recorded to VCR (yes, VCR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not without its gameplay, there was a\nmini-game to play called Gnat Attack where you played as a sentient fly swatter\nwho had to squish a horde of tiny insects before taking on their queen. Even\nthough it is merely a nice novelty addition, the level of challenge present is\nfairly substantial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While its reception split reviewers down\nthe middle at the time, in retrospect Mario Paint offered a very accessible way\nfor people to flirt with what can be very daunting creative prospects, and was\na great way for children to discover a new interest or hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshi\u2019s Safari (Super Nintendo\n– 1993)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

While it\u2019s not strictly a Super Mario game,\nYoshi\u2019s Safari is too unique to not include in this list, mostly because it\u2019s a\nFirst-Person Rail Shooter. A Super Mario, First-Person Rail Shooter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also known as Yoshi\u2019s Road Hunting, this\nwas another game looking to shift one of the Super Nintendo\u2019s many additional\nperipherals, this title requiring the SNES\u2019s light gun the Super Scope in order\nto play it, developed with the intention of bringing relevance to the gun\ncontroller.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game takes place in Jewelry Land, with\nMario and his trusty dinosaur steed having to get back 12 sacred gems from the\nvillainous Bowser and his Koopalings. Across 12 levels, you ride your green pal\nacross the aforementioned land, blasting Koopas, Goombas, and all manner of\nSuper Mario enemies off the screen whilst managing your weapon\u2019s power and\navoiding taking damage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game has the bright visual pop that\nSuper Mario is known for, and the gameplay stands up pretty well even today.\nHowever, the game is fairly short and the difficulty curve is more of a speed\nbump than anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The game was also a victim of circumstance,\nbeing released at the same time as the SNES port of Mortal Kombat which had\namassed a whirlwind of controversy and bad press, taking all focus off of it\ncompletely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Mario Artist series (Nintendo\n64DD – 1999\/2000)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Yet another stab at reuniting the\nMediterrainian tradesman with both brush and canvas, the Mario Artist series\nwas likely a semi-revival to the previously stated Mario No Photopi for the\nill-fated Nintendo 64DD, featuring three games for the series in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Altogether, there were three versions\nactual games under the umbrella; Mario Artist: Paint Studio, another painting\nand animation title standing on the shoulders of Mario Paint and No Photopi\nfeaturing tools based around Pokemon, Banjo-Kazooie, and Diddy Kong Racing;\nMario Artist: Talent Studio, a more contextual application that put more\nemphasis on video and had functionality with VCRs; and Mario Artist: Polygon\nStudio, a version that focused on 3D art and computer graphics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An internet utility called Mario Artist:\nCommunication Kit was also released that allowed users to share content with\nand download content from other artists via the Radnet dial-up service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If nothing else, the Mario Artist games are\nan interesting window into failed technological ventures at the turn of the\nmillennium, which stand in stark contrast to the successes of the era such as Old School\nRunescape<\/a>. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Super Mario is Nintendo\u2019s biggest hitter, where nowadays only the best will do the for the overall-clad plumber. In times gone by however, he\u2019s face has appeared on some weird and wonderful projects and today we\u2019re looking at some of the strangest indeed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[210],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mario-lists"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1916"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1917,"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1916\/revisions\/1917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mariomayhem.com\/bowsers_blog\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}