league of its own. The screenshots show Mario-esque worlds.
And a number of friendly
faces. Hey, didn’t I see you at Luigi’s Halloween party in 2001?
That’s about all the
screenshots say. They don’t reveal anything concrete about the gameplay other
than the presumption that you play as a ball-shaped Mario, and your only two
control mechanisms are left and right paddles. What is Mario Pinball Land
really about? Is it Pokemon Pinball with a Mushroom Kingdom twist? Or is it
like Sonic Spinball, featuring weird platform elements? Let us shrink, deform
and reshape to discover what makes this game spin.
You ain’t got nothin’ on me,
Liquid Plumber!
Mario Pinball Land is
exactly what the title states: it’s a pinball game set in a Mario “land.”
Every area is based on or at the very least inspired by the worlds of the
previous Mario games (Super Mario Bros., Mario World, Mario 64, etc.). This
game has a haunted mansion; a puzzling pyramid; a slippery ice world; and a
grassy stage that’s loosely based on the environments of Mario Sunshine.
Racking up points is important, but the real goal is to defeat each world’s
boss and acquire four special keys. These keys unlock the castle to
everyone’s favorite Princess-snatcher – Bowser!
You’ll be taken back a
couple decades when you see these stages for the first time. I’m one of the
biggest Mario fans on the planet, so it was a real treat to see all of the
characters redesigned for a pinball universe.
Stages are short but
deep. No stage can exceed the size of the Game Boy Advance’s screen, but the
developers crammed quite a bit of depth into that tiny amount of space.
Take a good look at this
screen. Your eyes go right to the center of the picture where the pyramid
lies. When you enter this stage the pyramid isn’t even there! You have to
bounce Mario around and hit the statues on the left and right side of the
screen in order to make the pyramid rise above the sand. Skillful gamers
should notice that before the pyramid has fully risen, Mario can roll up the
side of it and jump off with ease. Four annoying birds circle the area, and
while they could be there for decorative purposes only, wouldn’t it be cool if
you could hit them? Remember, in this game Mario is a pinball. Flip him like
one and hit the four Klepto birds.
Doing this gets you a
star. Yep, you’re in Mario Heaven. Coins (red, blue and yellow), mushrooms
and other priceless items are a part of this adventure. Shy Guys sneak around
like Solid Snake; Koopas fall on their butts when you hit them; and Goombas do
exactly what they do in every other Mario game – nothing! They just run
around and hop very lightly. I love ‘em though. I love all of these
enemies-turned-pinball-objects. The cactus critters (called “Pokey”) from
Mario World/Mario 64 make an appearance, as do the lovable penguins from Mario
64.
When you choose to enter
the pyramid (or accidentally flip Mario inside prematurely), you’ll discover
that the next stage has two separate paths, both of which lead to even more
paths. This leads to lots of backtracking, careful flipping, and more
attention to detail than you’d normally give to a pinball game.
Backtracking isn’t a
problem, though it’s not always allowed. You can’t come and go as you
please. Once inside a world you may let Mario fall between the paddles to
backtrack through the various stages. But if you fall through the paddles on
the beginning stage of a world, kiss your extra lives – I mean extra balls –
goodbye.
To move freely from world
to world, work your butt off and defeat each boss. Winning boss battles gives
you keys and unlocks an exit point, letting you come and go whenever you
please.
The piranha plant is a
hungry beast.
Goombas and Koopas are
guaranteed to leave coins behind, but you can also hit question mark boxes and
stationary objects to boost your earnings. Coins can then be exchanged for
special items, similar to Mario RPG, though without the extensive options.
There are classic items, like red mushrooms that double Mario’s size (in this
case he becomes a bigger, more menacing ball), and green mushrooms that give
extra balls. Then there’s the lightning bolt, which was taken from Mario Kart
and damages all enemies in the area. The pipe power-up is a new item that
other Mario games used as a level entry and exit point. In this game the pipe
temporarily blocks the gap between the paddles, lessening your chances of
falling in.
Mario Pinball Land isn’t
a long game, but it isn’t an easy one either. You could beat in a day, but
it’s unlikely that you’d unlock each and every secret. Even if you did,
there’s no reason to take your game back to the store and demand a refund.
The replay value is just high enough to ensure that you never, ever want to
part with it.
|
|
Gameplay: 8
The coolest
pinball video game since…no wait, this IS the coolest pinball video game!
Enter this land of Goombas and Koopas and guys who are shy. Take on Bowser in
an entirely new way. Collect eight red coins to reveal additional stars;
collect several blue coins to take on three Bomb-om and Bullet Bill stages.
If you’re not careful you might even run into a big bad Boo. A bumbling bee
may try to sting the spherical plumber, but in the end I know you will
prevail. There’s no evil a red mushroom can’t defeat.
Graphics: 8.2
Technologically,
Mario Pinball Land’s graphic effects are not that advanced, but I love ‘em
anyway. Mario and the gang are fully-rendered (presumably sprites). Their
animations are trademark to the series. The bold-looking backgrounds have an
almost CG-like appearance, something rarely seen on the Game Boy Advance.
Sound: 7.5
Some decent tunes
can be heard, but where’s all the classic Mario music? Where are all the
themes from Mario World and Mario 64? At least the sound effects are true to
the series.
Difficulty: Medium
Not too
difficult, not too easy. Mario Pinball Land is challenging enough to make
every Mario fan smile upon completing each task.
Concept: 7.9
Excellent use of
Mario characters, items and environments. The gameplay puts a new spin
on the genre.
Overall: 8
It’s not like
Sonic Spinball. It doesn’t play anything like Pinball of the Dead, nor does
it have anything in common with the Pokemon pinball games. And that’s exactly
why I love it. Mario Pinball Land is the first pinball game that plays like
its adventurous predecessor. The coin collecting, boss-battling,
I-can’t-stop-playing-till-I-win gameplay is guaranteed to please every Mario
fan. I should know – I’m not just the president of the Mario Club for Men.
I’m also a client.
