The controversy began when a patent was discovered back in January, revealing what was then referred to as the “Kind Code.” And people were soon in an uproar over the thought of games playing themselves, and started taking up pitchforks and lighting torches, despite not really knowing for certain how the application would actually work.
Things eventually went quiet until E3, where it was revealed that despite the patent’s Zelda-esque illustrations, the idea would first be presented in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and people went back to shouting “Rabble! Rabble! Rabble!”, though they still didn’t know what it would do.
Well today, at long last, we know exactly how the “Kind Code,” also known previously as “Demo Play,” but now officially known as the “Super Guide,” will work.
The lucky ducks at Kotaku were able to check out the feature in action this morning, and say that it will offer gamers “an unprecedented amount of in-game assistance.” However, it’s not something that anyone can simply activate at any time they please; in fact, if a player is good enough, it’s not impossible that they would get through the entire game without even having had the opportunity to initiate it.
For one thing, as one might have logically suspected, the option does not work in the game’s multiplayer mode; despite that being the game’s biggest draw, single players only are able to apply. For another, that single player has to have failed at a level eight times before the option becomes available to them.
As a result of this, however, it seems that the developers have been able to cut loose a bit, and people who found New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS to be too easy for their tastes will have little to fear. Kotaku describes the game as “devilishly difficult,” and noted that the levels seen today “seemed harder” than those in the DS iteration.
So, this is how it works: as with most Mario titles, the player starts with five lives. In order to activate the Super Guide, the Nintendo rep had to lose those lives, continue, and then die three more times.
With that done, a green block then appeared at the start of the troublesome level. Using the only available character for single-player, Mario, she hit the block, leading to the level starting over again in Super Guide mode. Mario was then replaced by Luigi, who began to traverse the level on his own.
The playthrough was in real-time with the game’s engine, not a pre-recorded video (as some early speculation had it), and was similar to the “ghosts” seen in racing games such as the Mario Kart series. However, unlike those, Luigi runs solo; Mario does not follow alongside him.
The Nintendo rep showed two such levels, explaining that Luigi’s Super Guide runs would be bare-bones, basic run-throughs that would reveal no shortcuts or secrets. Nor were these runs performed as expertly as one might expect a speedrunner to do in so many videos on YouTube; “a more faulty human hand was evident.”
As a matter of fact, in the pre-release version, the Super Guide Luigi actually died while attempting one level, something Nintendo says isn’t supposed to happen in the final version. Perhaps the fact that even the Super Guide died will relieve those fearing this game would be little more than a cakewalk.
And for those wondering, Luigi survived the other level just fine.
Of course, there has been much debate over how the function can serve the player, and whether or not they can take control at any point, “letting the game beat itself.” During the Super Guide run, the player can press a button to cancel the computer control of Luigi, with an indicator staying on to show that Super Guide mode is still in effect.
But the breakthrough in the feature is that the player is not starting the level from the beginning. They are taking control in the midst of the Super Guide run. Thanks to this, players who repeatedly struggle with a tough part of a level in New Super Mario Bros. Wii will be able to let Super Guide Luigi get past that tough part for them. Even though a player takes over as Luigi using this help system, the completion of the level counts and they can play deeper into the game.
So there you have it: the full dirt on “Super Guide” mode and how it works, and how it can even benefit the more skillful and experienced players out there.
Of course, there will still be people who complain. As one Kotaku commenter notes, they “probably also get annoyed when DVD movies allow you to put on subtitles and take them off at will. ‘I’m not deaf, I don’t need this, how dare they include subtitles!'”
Indeed, it’s simply impossible to make everyone happy. But hopefully, this will come a little bit closer than we’ve ever known.
Of course, I will lodge one possible complaint: I hope that Luigi, and maybe the Toads, will actually be playable in single-player mode when the final game goes to retail. I typically use Mario myself, but a change of pace is nice, and I know Luigi and the Toads have their fans. And while Luigi might make a “Super Guide,” I’m sure some people would still rather just use him regularly.
