Super Mario Advance

Super Mario Advance was developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development,^[1] and was a launch title for the Game Boy Advance. It is a remake of the 1988 Nintendo Entertainment System game Super Mario Bros. 2, and includes several new features. Following its release, Super Mario Advance 2, 3 and 4 were released, which were remakes of Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island and Super Mario Bros. 3 respectively. All four contain a new version of Mario Bros. as a two player minigame.

Gameplay and premise

The game is altered from the original in several ways, including the addition of the enemy Robirdo (a robotic Birdo acting as the boss of World 3, replacing Mouser), the addition of the Yoshi Challenge (in which players may revisit stages to search for Yoshi Eggs), and an all-new point-scoring system (a first for the game). Graphical and audio enhancements were also added in the form of enlarged sprites, multiple hit combos, digital voice acting, and such minor stylistic and aesthetic changes as an altered default health-meter level, boss-order, backgrounds, the size of hearts, Princess Toadstool being renamed to the now-standard "Princess Peach," and the inclusion of a chime to announce Stars.^[2]

Development and release

Reception

Super Mario Advance received generally positive reviews, garnering an aggregate score of 84% on Metacritic.^[3] One reviewer concluded "all nostalgia and historical influence aside, Super Mario Bros. 2 is still a game worth playing on the merits of its gameplay alone", also saying that "the only reason you may not want to pick it up is if ... you already own it in another form."^[4] However, GameSpot thought that Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World would have been a better choice for a launch game considering their respective popularity;^[5] both titles were eventually also remade as part of the Super Mario Advance series. Conversely, IGN praised the choice, calling it "one of the most polished and creative platformers of the era".^[2] The game was named one of the NES best games ever by IGN, saying that the game offers greater diversity in graphics and gameplay than the original, making it a great bridge game between the other NES Mario titles.^[6]

References