GAMES FROM THE FROG'S BOX: SOMETHING ELSE
Technical Note: I played this hack in SNES9X, so it should work there just fine.
Back in the SMW Hack space again, with another nostalgia pick for me. Released in 2014 by Yogui, Something Else is the sequel to Something, and outdoes it in basically every way. It's bigger, bolder, with more creative gimmicks, an actual (thin) story, an entirely new powerup, and a more consistently even difficulty curve across the board. Even if you bounced off Something (and really, with certain levels in it I wouldn't blame you) this one is definitely worth looking into.
WORLD 1- GREEN GRASSLANDS
The first world is generally easygoing and won't seriously push you for most of it. Though I won't lie, it is a little bit plain for my liking. But, I'd rather have simple yet competent levels than wild jank that doesn't work.
SCENARIO
Surprisingly, there is a real storyline this time. In an alternate reality, the EVIL GUY has come to take over the world, putting the cute race of bears native in jeopardy.
They try to summon Mario to save the day, but get Luigi instead. Oh well, he can do the job just as well!
Listen, it's a Mario ROMHack, I'm just impressed there's a story at all.
FIRSTEP VILLAGE
There's really nothing to note here other than the bears all around, but their dialogue is pretty funny. On the whole, I think the dialogue and writing in this game is a lot better than in the last one- if only because it's more confident in its delivery and not just "haha metajokes" like Something was. It's still very funny and meta at times, though.
I love ROMhacks.
Instead, I'll take some time to talk about the visuals. They're a LOT improved from Something. Whereas the first hack used the Special World enemy sprites from vanilla SMW, this one has all-new graphical edits- like these goombas with glasses. This level isn't much, but it's a cute little setpiece.
DINOSAUR LAND
I was going to say "no relation to the setting of SMW" but then the koopas have Yoshi heads as their shells and ruined the joke. That aside, this is a mostly chill and relaxing opening stage.
You get Yoshi here, so get to eating the shells. Engage in cannibalism for the benefit of Luigi. (Which is one of the best sentences I've ever written.)
The only really notable part is if you bring Yoshi all the way to the end, you can use a P-switch and blue shell to get a ton of coins above the goal. No secret exits- yet.
APPLE JUNGLE
This level's signature feature are the apple-themed palette swaps of Piranha Plants- they look adorable. And have a nasty tendency to hop out of bushes- assume any bush in the background is hiding one.
There's a few tight squeezes here and there, but otherwise... there's not much else to say, really. It's an unmemorable but pleasant stage. It probably wouldn't be out of place in a legitimate Mario game, and that's high praise in and of itself.
ELECTRICAVE
This stage is a step up in originality and difficulty, a dank cave full of electric jellyfish (reskinned from the cloud of boos from vanilla SMW) swooping down from the ceiling. As long as you keep moving, they shouldn't be too much of an issue- but stay too still and you'll quickly get overwhelmed.
Unfortunately, Mega Moles and bursts of electricity coming from the blocks are constantly getting in your way, exposing you to the menacing jellyfish. Good timing is needed to make it through.
This is ALSO where I noticed there's no reserve box- instead, getting hit just reverts you to the previous stage of power-up. Not that Fire Flowers do anything in this stage, since you can't kill anything in it.
Also, this massive line of electricity bursts- the timing on these is 100% consistent, so it's perfectly fair to get through.
Near the end you get a star, which would be great if the end of the stage wasn't literally right there. But it plays Guile's Theme, which got a chuckle out of me. Overall, Electricave is the first real "Something" level from the hack- creative and posing a decent challenge (if a claustrophobic one).
CLIMBING PARADISE
This level's gimmick is vines, with the bugs from SMB2 crawling up and down them. Don't worry, it's not too nefarious...
Except when Volcano Flowers get involved, with their usual area denial tactics providing the expected level of discord. They're not too bad here, thankfully. Also, enjoy the most cursed graphical edit of a Pokey i have EVER seen.
Later on, yellow versions of the vine bugs are introduced. They move faster, but they're still not much of a threat. Just jump off 'em and move on. I do have to shoutout the visuals here- the yellow Yoshi's Island background with the ziggurat in the background is very pleasant to look at.
The level culminates in a long climb upwards with bugs everywhere and the occasional Spark, with no stability other than the vines. Keep moving, dispatch the bugs when you can, and this level will be over before you know it. Another pleasant- if a bit plain- level.
MOVING RUINS
The Slash Man MM7 Music immediately got me perked up, and the stage itself didn't disappoint on that front. This stage is all about segments of the level moving up and down gradually, with various hazards peppered throughout.
Among them are the first Chargin' Chucks of the game (YAY), Hammer Guys, along with Ninjis everywhere. As usual, it's easier to just run past the football-playing hooligans and hammer-tossing jerks. Though I do love their shocked expressions.
The second half of the level goes for a more straightforward crusher arrangement- that are thankfully static rather than tuned to your screen position like in SMW. They move slowly enough that they're not really an issue, but it does make dodging around enemies and buzzsaws that much more claustrophobic.
If there's one flaw I would point out, it's that since the crushers use the same graphics as the rest of the level, it can make determining where they start and end a bit difficult until they start moving... which did result in a few cheap deaths. Nothing too crazy, but still a bit peeve-worthy. Usually there's subtle signs of it, like a divot in the floor or coins, but... eh.
Not a perfect level, but it keeps the ball rolling.
KABU KATAKOMB
The first level with a proper secret exit, this stage marks another slight hike in difficulty from the general easygoing vibe so far. It's an autoscrolling stage set in an underground tomb, with Kabus of varying behaviors getting in your way all the time, along with a few bats for flavor.
The jittery movements of the ones that slide along the ground can make them more difficult to dodge than you'd think, and the jumping ones getting stuck in the ceiling and jittering around is hair-raising until you get how it works. Keeping the Fire Flower on you will serve you well.
The second half picks things up even more, setting you underwater with Blurps joining in the fun. The screen scrolls so fast that for the most part, you'll be shoved to the left side, carefully maneuvering around all the foes in your way. The scroll speed is fast enough that Grab Blocks changing the swimming physics is the only way to really get ahead- that is, if you can keep from crashing into enemies.
After one last autoscroll above ground with a LOT of jumping Kabus, the level concludes.
As for the secret exit, it's fairly easy to spot- there's a pipe high up at the first part of the level, so make some quick jumps and it's right there.
This is a fine stage with a distinct theme and gimmick, and solid level design. The most memorable level so far.
SIDE NOTE:
This hack ACTUALLY changes the Bonus Game, which i heavily appreciate considering how many don't bother. It's a high-speed auto-runner through a room full of coins and 1-ups.
PUZZLE TEMPLE
This game pulls a New Super Mario Bros. DS early on, where an entire world is optional- but not for me- and Puzzle Temple leads to World 3, while the normal exit to Kabu Katakomb sets you on the path to world 2. Anyway, as far as puzzle stages go, this one is fairly pedestrian, with the big new thing being white springs that disappear after one use. There are doors all around the stage to reset it if you get stuck, so no chance of a softlock.
The exit is blocked by barriers of brown blocks and munchers- that's right, it's a p-switch puzzle. Only problem is, how do you get up there to get rid of the coins first? There aren't enough springs...
Unfortunately, the solution does require something a bit outside of the box- and not in a good way. ONE of the doors around sends you to a high-up alcove containing an extra spring, which is necessary to complete the level. It's not HARD to execute once you know it's there, but... like, come on man. That's not cool. At least have that door look different from the ones that put you back at the start.
That flaw aside, this is a fine- if short- puzzle stage. Probably won't stick in your head, though.
BOSS- BIGEYE
All of the standard world bosses in this game don't have levels attached- merely a room with some powerups, and an ominous pounding drum track. Great at hyping you up for a throwdown.
Once you enter, the Evil Guy appears to mock you... and reveal himself from his shadowy silhouette- and it's Mario. It's bootleg knockoff Mario. Somehow that's funnier than if he was a generic evil overlord.
Anyway, he summons his "pet" to take you down, and it's a giant eyeball.
This boss is really easy. All it does is move back and forth and occasionally jump... getting faster as it goes. Almost ludicrously so. But really, it's no trouble at all, you can beat it in less than 30 seconds. It's fun while it lasts, but the spikes on the side of the room are the only difficult part about it.
WORLD 2- SKY GARDEN
This is the first "real" world of the game- the gimmicks get more creative, the theming is incredibly consistent with cloudy and tree-related stages, and the challenges start really kicking up. It's not in full-on brutal territory yet, though- well, outside the secret level.
You'll see.
DINO HOUSE CLOUD
Huge fan of the 3d glasses clouds, they're adorable- and scattered ALL around the stage, so you can really use them to skip past a lot of the enemies if your jumps are precise enough. As are these Fire Dino edits as Baby Yoshis. So cute.
Also, this mean secret. Ha ha ha game, thank you. Thanks for denying me the yellow Yoshi.
MAXIMUM ATHLETIC
Finally, another level with meat on its bones! Featuring a wide variety of moving platforms and some lovely SMB3 music, this level's a long sequence of athletic jumps that finally gives something to write home about. There isn't a single bit of stable footing in this entire level. Swing platforms, the string beans, falling platforms, winged blocks, this stage has it all.
And more importantly, this level introduces the new powerup in Something Else- the ATHLETIC PEACH. You can double jump and walljump with this, and it's as fun to use as it sounds. Jumps that would be impossible are now perfectly attainable- most of the time.
The wall jump works PERFECTLY. Kicking off walls to land on the same one or a different wall work equally well, and you can slide down walls and kick off whenever you choose.
Thankfully, there are coin trails all around, so none of the jumps are blind despite how wide and deep they are. This level doesn't have much else to it, but it's a great playground for the distinctive mechanics of the Athletic Peach.
VILE VINE
Hell yeah, Cave Story Wind Fortress music. Anyway, this stage is a fun one- there's one singular vine continually going up throughout the entire stage, and you need to keep up with it or die. For the most part, you can stay on the vine and just jump to dodge hazards.
The spiked ball launchers can be hairy with their huge hitboxes, but once you get used to them they're not too difficult. What you DO have to do is bounce off them with a spin jump, which takes some precise timing given how fast they are.
Remember- the clouds are NOT platforms, they're background details.
The second half of the level cuts out the autoscroll, but adds clouds that scroll left and right, requiring a lot of rushing to get where you need to go before they go away. This bit with the Gordos and clouds is particularly inspired, with how you gotta squeeze through all those tiny gaps between them.
The secret exit, though, is VERY tough. The second half of the level? You have to RACE the green apple vine up to the top, before it chews through an important block. It gets VERY hectic at times.
I will also say, this level lagged quite a bit- but i have no idea if that's an emulator issue or something else.
Honestly, this stage reminds me a lot of Vertical Chao from Something's Special World, except a lot more chill and and fleshed out. And that was one of my favorite stages in the game, so an easy mode version of it inherits a lot of its good qualities. One of my favorite levels in the game so far.
RAINY CLOUDS
Oh it's rainy all right, so rainy you can barely freaking see anything. It's a good thing this is only half the level.
At least the watery segments of the stage don't have this problem.
Anyway, this level features a LOT of enemies you won't be able to kill or otherwise dispose of easily. Urchins, chargin' chucks, spinies, bloopers, it's all here, and all in your way.
The bloopers in particular are a real kick in the teeth, since they're ALWAYS in cramped spots, and you don't get enough powerups to deal with them effectively. Seriously, why does the powerup block give me the ATHLETIC PEACH in a level that's mostly underwater? Why not a fire flower? Ugh.
I do like these sharks, though, they're adorable.
The second half of the stage is thankfully far more palatable, with less cramped layouts, an actual Fireflower to be useful, and a very neat-looking backdrop. And no distracting rain effect, either.
The red sharks are the only serious threat here, since they rush straight at you. Honestly, if the entire level was like this, then I'd like it a lot more- but damn, that first half is ROUGH.
The level closes out with this aesthetically neat segment with water in the air, that thankfully doesn't last too long. Just make sure to ALWAYS jump out the top, and not the sides. Sadly, this segment gets reprised a few times later in the game, and it's nowhere near as easygoing there... just you wait.
Also there's no checkpoint between the other segment and this. This level feels like multiple levels bolted together, since the last segment has little to do with any other part of the level.
Personally, I really feel like the rainy part of the level could have been cut out entirely and the stage would be better for it.
A TRIP IN A TREE
WOW, this level it's one of my favorites in the entire hack. From the opening notes of the Kid Icarus music, this level had me glued to the screen. It's a loooooong ascent up a tree, with the screen wrapping around to the sides. Bob-Ombs are everywhere, so make sure to get out of their way.
The real difficulty is dodging these spiked balls that wrap around, they go FAST and are quite hairy to slip around. It feels like being funneled through a narrow tunnel, but in a fun way.
Later on the Albatosses appear to toss down bombs, which have disturbingly large hitboxes. These guys will become common foes later, so get used to them now.
Towards the end you'll really have a mess going on with these spiked balls that you have to evade by leaping to the other side of the screen, mid-jump. It's one of those obstacles that requires some multi-dimensional thinking. Even more so when the bombs start dropping during this.
As the level continues into the second half, the flame guys show up and really get in your way. Very annoying- but very fair, owing to their simple patterns. Other than that, this stage squeezes a LOT out of its gimmicks, and never feels unfair or overly long.
This is my favorite stage so far. This is the moment where the hack goes from "good but kind of meh" to "holy shit yes".
WIGGLERS DWELLING
Well, this stage does have wigglers, but it also has quite a few Snifits stalking about the place, shooting their cannonballs all around. The red ones in particular shoot three-way shots of fire, so watch out for those.
As for platforming, these acorns function like donut blocks, so don't dally when you're on top them. Especially in this part, where there's a Snifit that you have to awkwardly jump-duck over. Fun!
Oh, and Flutters are also here- do NOT jump on those, otherwise they'll chase you for AGES, and they can't be killed. They do eventually leave- but you're likely to get yourself killed in the process. They are weak to fireballs... I didn't know that until much later, and I probably could have saved myself some pain.
The second half starts with a vertical climb up another tree- thankfully not as tough as the last one- filled with more Snifits, vines, and Munchers. Space is at a premium, so keep moving and kill Snifits when you can.
Last segment is cake, aside from a few wide jumps with bouncing across wigglers over munchers- good thing those bugs are invincible.
This is a great level, that uses its gimmicks in a wide variety of interesting ways- it's just placed after Trip In A Tree, so it's slightly less exciting.
BOSS- MONKEY KONG
See, this powerup room doesn't even give you any powerups, so you know it's gonna be a good time.
Anyway, this boss is exactly what it looks like- a Donkey Kong parody. Thankfully, you can spin-jump the barrels, so you don't have to worry about getting caught in those narrow passageways.
The boss advances when you get to the top, and you have four courses of this to get through. They're not hard- they're pretty easy actaully- but forcing you to be small makes it a lot more tense. But when you finally get to jump on top of that stupid monkey after four screens of perfect barrel dodging, it's very satisfying. Great boss!
Also that sprite edit is FANTASTIC.
WALLJUMP EXTREM DX
This is the best level name in the entire hack so far. Anyway, there are four levels that lead to the Special World, marked with stars, and they're extra brutal, starting with this one. The entire first half of this level has no proper footing. Walljumping up while dodging all manner of hazards is the name of the game- if you get hit, you're falling to the bottom and dying.
And there's a LOT of stuff to dodge around, too- charging chucks throwing baseballs, volcano plants, munchers on the walls... it's hectic to be sure. But a really good challenge. Slipping through the Volcano Flowers is a heck of a thing, since you have to slide down to wait for the right gaps to appear, THEN leap through.
The second half is horizontal, but still requires some insane jumps with the Athletic Peach through giant hordes of buzzsaws. OH, and spinjumping off of fuzzies, then using the peach's double jump. The game doesn't tell you you can do that, but it's required here, so you'd better get used to that.
Some of the solutions here are a bit outside the box, but perfectly simple to execute when you know them.
Some of the solutions here are a bit outside the box, but perfectly simple to execute when you know them.
Thankfully, the last section doesn't require the Peach, being a simple little obstacle of moving platforms and chainsaws, but it's still a knee-knocker after the rest of the level. Especially since the checkpoint is all the way back at the start of the horizontal section.
Needless to say, this stage is where I had to start using savestates. That's not a knock against this level's quality in any way, it's a skill issue through and through.
By all rights this should be a kaizo stage. But it's so much FUN, and there's actual room for error, and the Athletic Peach controls so well, it's just an absolute joy to play. Amazing secret level.
WORLD 3- JAPAN LAND
Now. From a theming perspective, this world kicks ass, and I love it. It embraces the Touhou/Japenese theming heavily in all its stages, and it's very fun. But good lord, the difficulty balancing is ridiculously skewed here... you'll see. Once you get over the starting hump, though, this world has some of the best levels in the hack in here.
SAKURA TORI
Welcome to Japan. This stage is pretty normal for the most part- piranha plants, koopas, and a lot of bullet bill cannons. The real star is the aesthetics here- that background is GORGEOUS, and the cherry blossom petals blowing in from the side are a nice touch.
Also I love how every level in World 3 has a translation note in it, that's cute.
The most interesting thing are these enemies that I cannot identify, that hover JUST out of your reach and spew huge fireballs all over the place. As long as you keep running past 'em, you should be fine. Assuming the level will let you do that.
Later on the foreground itself is weaponized against you- better keep track of those koopas, lest you run right into them and hurt yourself.
The last segment gives you an Athletic Peach to get through a mire of bullet bill cannons and other assorted nonsense, with pits below you every step of the way. Don't fall! (And don't take a hit during this part, because holy shit is it so many objects it lags the game.) Honestly, this segment is a pain in the ass if you don't have that powerup- it's just so much shit to dodge at once.
Only problem is, keeping it past the opening room is really difficult. But if you CAN keep it, the rest of the stage becomes a lot easier- but seriously, look at this. Two bullet bill cannons, piranha plants everywhere, and a flying enemy that fires homing fireballs.
YEESH.
BAKA KORI
Oh boy it's the ice level (and yet it's still not as hair-pulling as the opening stage... in most ways. Just wait.)
The main hazards are these Buzzy Beetles that toss around the grab blocks abound, and they're given plenty of ammunition placed all over the stage. Thankfully their arcs are 100% consistent- but that's not gonna help you very much given how fast they chuck those blocks.
You're given a Fire Flower right at the start, and that's your only chance to make quick work of most of the enemies here- but even if you lose it, it's not the end of the world.
You're just as capable of making short work of the enemies with all the grab blocks around. What you really need to watch out for are the blue shell-less koopas- if you're not careful, they'll kick your grab blocks right back at you.
Also, i LOVE the hammer guy's cirno cosplay. Represent.
The level's geometry is the really annoying part. There's a lot of icy slopes to worry about, which can make movement somewhat difficult- but still, it's perfectly fair... though there are no powerups in the stage, so you gotta make that fire flower count.
Also, these emoticon enemies always seem to be in your way, made worse because of the ice.
The best way I'd describe this stage is "carefully calibrated deathtraps". I mean, look at this bit. Look at how much ammo the buzzy beetles have! look. LOOK. and that's just the HALFWAY MARK OF THE STAGE- when the first half is about as long as a normal SMW level by itself.
The second half thankfully isn't as madness-inducing, though it strips you of your powerups, and puts you in front of an ice wall. Only a Fire Flower can get past it, and you can't cheese by bringing in one from another stage.
But the quest for that elusive powerup sends you on a wild goose chase, through narrow passages full of literal nineballs. (Ha ha touhou reference)
At least when you get back, entering the pipe will respawn the fire flower, so you don't have to worry about restarting from the checkpoint. That ? Block has a star inside, but getting the grab block to obtain it is really hard before the buzzy beetle throws them away.
I have some... mixed feelings on this stage. It has a great flow to it in theory, far more than you'd expect of an ice level. At its best, you're flying through the enemies, smacking them around with grab blocks and fireballs, and zooming like your life depends on it.
...At worst, you're sliding into hazards, getting hit by projectiles too fast for you to react to while you can't control your momentum very well, and getting ground down by the level's sheer length.
This is going to be a recurring problem in this hack, and this is the first stage where it rears its ugly head. This level's big flaw, is that it's TOO LONG. This feels like two levels of the same type bolted together. You could have split this into two stages and it would have gone down much easier.
It's not even that either half is badly designed, but doing them both in a row was a bit of a slog.
HARU MORI
This level is thankfully, a heck of a lot more chill than the last two, and I enjoyed it a heck of a lot more. From the beginning you'll be introduced to a new custom enemy- the hopping vampires from Super Mario Land! (Aren't those Chinese? Whatever.)
Other fun gimmicks include bullet bill cannons that pop abruptly out of pipes (fun!)...
Snakes that spew fireballs, and walking fireball flowers. All assets from Super Mario Land. Basically, this entire stage is a Chai Kingdom sendup, and I couldn't be happier. That level is one of my faves in Mario history, and referencing it in any way is a fast way to charm me. The enemies are placed numerously, but not so much that it's utterly overwhelming.
The aesthetics, too, are very nice- the pink trees really pop here, and the fuchsia background and occasional flower petals fluttering by increase the ambience significantly.
As for the gameplay side of things, there's a nice variety of challenges going on here. This segment with the snakes underwater in a narrow passage is deceptively difficult, what with their aimed diagonal fireballs- but very creative. About the only bit of out-and-out meanness is hiding enemies behind the foreground trees, but just jump past them every time and you'll be fine.
Now, how about that secret exit? Well, it's just in a slightly out of the way underwater pipe, nothing serious. On the other side is this even MORE pink area. Of note is that this is how you activate the checkpoint, it's hidden in a secret- for when you exit this area normally.
For the SECRET exit, you need to jump off to the left with the Athletic Peach...
Then run through the DREADED FLYING CHEEP CHEEP BRIDGE... yeah, this part is a little weak. Especially when you have to progress by going through a fake wall under a tree. Still, weak secret exit aside, this level is a joy to play. Great aesthetics, great enemy placement, and being a reasonable length for its difficulty- I couldn't ask for much more than this.
FANTOMU MURA
This stage starts off with a cute little village of Reimu palette swaps, warning of a mysterious ghost village in these parts- ooh, spooky.
I do love how one of them warns you about ghosts changing into people, then the very next one turns into 4 boos. That's a great gag.
As for the actual level part of the level, the leader of the Miko enchants Luigi to be inflated and fly around with a P-balloon, and dodge around all manner of ghosts. One hit, and you're dead. If you've played Something 1, you may be having some flashbacks right about now...
Don't worry, it's not like Yosu No Tera. You actually just move in four directions- quite fast, actually- without having to worry about gravity. Thank god.
Honestly the really tough thing to deal with here is the diagonal lines of ghosts, they can be really difficult to dodge around. But honestly, this level is over so quickly that I don't have that much else to say about it.
Which isn't a bad thing, mind you. Breather levels have a place, and this is a fine example of such.
YUKKURI TAKE
Right off the bat there are Touhou ghosts everywhere, flying in devious patterns designed to trip you up. And, of course, after a certain point, the extremely conspicuous Yukkuri comes flying down in an angry sun pattern.
Mercifully, this level isn't as brutal with its platform or enemy placements as it could be- rarely will you be forced into the Yukkuri's path. It's more there to trip up bad play than actually get in your way.
Also, yet more foreground obstruction with this bamboo garden, but it's actually fair this time since there are little gaps you can see through. Plus, it looks aesthetic as hell. A generally generous stage so far.
The second half of the level, though... you can't take it easy anymore. (All right, that was terrible, I'm sorry.) The Reimu Yukkuri now wraps around the screen during its descent, making it MUCH harder to dodge. But! It's new pattern comes with new safe spots- the bottom and top of the screen are mostly completely immune to its attacks, so it's very manageable to dodge around.
Thankfully, you get a star at the very end to knock out the weird floating head. Honestly, this stage is very chill and not that difficult... it really makes me wonder why it wasn't placed earlier in the world.
Not that it's a bad level mind you. Just that the difficulty curve has a weird dip in it now.
HAIOUKU
At least when you get back, entering the pipe will respawn the fire flower, so you don't have to worry about restarting from the checkpoint. That ? Block has a star inside, but getting the grab block to obtain it is really hard before the buzzy beetle throws them away.
I have some... mixed feelings on this stage. It has a great flow to it in theory, far more than you'd expect of an ice level. At its best, you're flying through the enemies, smacking them around with grab blocks and fireballs, and zooming like your life depends on it.
...At worst, you're sliding into hazards, getting hit by projectiles too fast for you to react to while you can't control your momentum very well, and getting ground down by the level's sheer length.
This is going to be a recurring problem in this hack, and this is the first stage where it rears its ugly head. This level's big flaw, is that it's TOO LONG. This feels like two levels of the same type bolted together. You could have split this into two stages and it would have gone down much easier.
It's not even that either half is badly designed, but doing them both in a row was a bit of a slog.
HARU MORI
This level is thankfully, a heck of a lot more chill than the last two, and I enjoyed it a heck of a lot more. From the beginning you'll be introduced to a new custom enemy- the hopping vampires from Super Mario Land! (Aren't those Chinese? Whatever.)
Other fun gimmicks include bullet bill cannons that pop abruptly out of pipes (fun!)...
Snakes that spew fireballs, and walking fireball flowers. All assets from Super Mario Land. Basically, this entire stage is a Chai Kingdom sendup, and I couldn't be happier. That level is one of my faves in Mario history, and referencing it in any way is a fast way to charm me. The enemies are placed numerously, but not so much that it's utterly overwhelming.
The aesthetics, too, are very nice- the pink trees really pop here, and the fuchsia background and occasional flower petals fluttering by increase the ambience significantly.
As for the gameplay side of things, there's a nice variety of challenges going on here. This segment with the snakes underwater in a narrow passage is deceptively difficult, what with their aimed diagonal fireballs- but very creative. About the only bit of out-and-out meanness is hiding enemies behind the foreground trees, but just jump past them every time and you'll be fine.
Now, how about that secret exit? Well, it's just in a slightly out of the way underwater pipe, nothing serious. On the other side is this even MORE pink area. Of note is that this is how you activate the checkpoint, it's hidden in a secret- for when you exit this area normally.
For the SECRET exit, you need to jump off to the left with the Athletic Peach...
Then run through the DREADED FLYING CHEEP CHEEP BRIDGE... yeah, this part is a little weak. Especially when you have to progress by going through a fake wall under a tree. Still, weak secret exit aside, this level is a joy to play. Great aesthetics, great enemy placement, and being a reasonable length for its difficulty- I couldn't ask for much more than this.
FANTOMU MURA
This stage starts off with a cute little village of Reimu palette swaps, warning of a mysterious ghost village in these parts- ooh, spooky.
I do love how one of them warns you about ghosts changing into people, then the very next one turns into 4 boos. That's a great gag.
As for the actual level part of the level, the leader of the Miko enchants Luigi to be inflated and fly around with a P-balloon, and dodge around all manner of ghosts. One hit, and you're dead. If you've played Something 1, you may be having some flashbacks right about now...
Don't worry, it's not like Yosu No Tera. You actually just move in four directions- quite fast, actually- without having to worry about gravity. Thank god.
Honestly the really tough thing to deal with here is the diagonal lines of ghosts, they can be really difficult to dodge around. But honestly, this level is over so quickly that I don't have that much else to say about it.
Which isn't a bad thing, mind you. Breather levels have a place, and this is a fine example of such.
YUKKURI TAKE
Right off the bat there are Touhou ghosts everywhere, flying in devious patterns designed to trip you up. And, of course, after a certain point, the extremely conspicuous Yukkuri comes flying down in an angry sun pattern.
Mercifully, this level isn't as brutal with its platform or enemy placements as it could be- rarely will you be forced into the Yukkuri's path. It's more there to trip up bad play than actually get in your way.
Also, yet more foreground obstruction with this bamboo garden, but it's actually fair this time since there are little gaps you can see through. Plus, it looks aesthetic as hell. A generally generous stage so far.
The second half of the level, though... you can't take it easy anymore. (All right, that was terrible, I'm sorry.) The Reimu Yukkuri now wraps around the screen during its descent, making it MUCH harder to dodge. But! It's new pattern comes with new safe spots- the bottom and top of the screen are mostly completely immune to its attacks, so it's very manageable to dodge around.
Thankfully, you get a star at the very end to knock out the weird floating head. Honestly, this stage is very chill and not that difficult... it really makes me wonder why it wasn't placed earlier in the world.
Not that it's a bad level mind you. Just that the difficulty curve has a weird dip in it now.
HAIOUKU
Ooh, the vanilla ghost house tileset, how scary. Though those chairs are very nicely drawn- and the big boo with small eyes and smug face is TERRIFYING.
The real gimmick of the stage is that some (okay, like, two) objects are possessed by ghosts- if you see a chair hovering a bit off the ground, it will come flying at you when you get close, so don't fall for that. They're fairly easy to dodge just by jumping right over them, where they'll fly harmlessly past.
Sadly, breaking the boos out of the ? boxes does nothing. Oh well. The standard exit is pretty easy to find, but what about the secret exit?
Yeah, about that... I don't like this one. First, you have to get the Athletic Peach, jump up to the top of a tall platform by bouncing off Boos with a spin jump, then double jumping. Positioning them is pretty annoying.
There's a P-switch up there, which you have to cart to the end of the stage, below the goal, hitting a block that makes directional coin train, which you turn into blocks, but only after it's already progressed a significant amount to the right, otherwise you'll run out of time. It's not HARD, necessarily, but it is very obtuse, and I don't like it very much.
This level didn't really stick in my head much, but it's mostly inoffensive.
YUREI NO JINJA
First off, this stage looks great. The Japanese temple aesthetic, the bamboo, everything just pops. Also, Septette for the Dead Princess is a great choice of music. As for the stage itself, it is chock FULL of ghosts. Big ghost rings that get in your way are stashed all around, making rushing through a bad idea.
Plus, the bamboo spikes hurt, so don't touch 'em.
The new custom asset here are Red Boos- they EXPLODE after enough time has passed, in the same vein as the Smiling Boos from that one stage in Something's special world. Thankfully, these ones are clearly marked, so there's no chance of getting clipped because one boo arbritrarily didn't explode.
They're fun to dodge around.
Later on, the flying bullet hell gimmick from the last stage returns for a proper showing, with autoscrolling and Boos!
The red boos are quite a nuisance here- you really have to bait them away from where you need to go, then dodge around them before they explode. It's tense, to be sure- but quite satisfying to bob and weave through all this. And since you have a lot of space to maneuver through, it never feels like you're forced into a bad situation. Unlike a certain level from Something 1 I could name.
And all of that? THATS THE FIRST HALF OF THE STAGE. There's more. Following that, you'll have to jump across ladders over a pit, with exploding Boos flying around everywhere to try and make you flinch.
And the level finishes off with another bullet hell segment, with the horizontally flying ghosts buffeting you every which way, and red boos taunting you from the sidelines. It's a great climax to the level. Not too rough, but definitely not effortless, either.
Now, I know I ragged on Baka Kori for being too long, but that stage was long in an exhausting way. This stage is similarly lengthy, sure, but its challenges aren't difficult or precise enough to make it feel like a slog, and i respect the hell out of it for that. This is what a long level SHOULD be like in my opinion. A relatively gentle endurance test instead of demanding absolute precision at all times.
That's the difference between a level that leaves you thinking "that was fucking exhausting" and "wow, that was incredible".
BOSS- WARU BOREI
Dark ominous power up room, go. But you get an Athletic Peach, at least!
Oh hi, Yuyuko! Anyway, this is an actual challenge of a boss compared to the last two- toss the bob-ombs up and smack her, while dodging all the other shit she throws your way. It's not that difficult, as long as you keep on your toes and keep the playfield from getting too crowded.
Not that in all phases, everything in the fight has to be dead before it'll progress to the next one- so if there's one Bob-Omb still running around dispose of it.
The second phase, against the ghost possessing her is more hectic, but still manageable. Grab the bombs, toss them up while dodging the barrage of downward projectiles the Boo throws. It's similar to the boss of Chateau du Vent in Something, but thankfully there's no wind or worry of grabbing away the floor- and much more fun as a result.
Ironically, the last phase where the boss just turns into a regular boo, was the only one that actually killed me, when the boo exploded in my face. Wasn't expecting that one.
This is a very fun boss, with none of its multiple phases dragging out longer than they should. It's a short, yet explosive fight- exactly how a Mario boss should be.
Well, there's still the secret challenge level to get to.
YOSU NO TERA 2
Let me tell you, when I saw this level name, my jaw dropped. Yosu No Tera was, for better or for worse, the most memorable level from the first game. It was creative, audacious, and distinct- but also incredibly frustrating with its reliance on slow, janky P-Balloon physics.
But this sequel improves on the concept significantly. The bizarre tileset, the fairies that fire lasers from above, the orbs that fly up and down, the goombas that fly in aggravating sine waves... it's all here, and it's all just as deadly.
But there IS one new enemy here, these giant eyeball orbs that fly towards you while descending slowly. They're deceptively difficult to dodge, so spin jump off them for safety. Thankfully, this stage is FAR less claustrophobic than the original, which makes it actually a fair challenge this time!
Well, except for this part with the fairies. But still.
Especially when the bullet hell segment starts- thanks to the overhauled P-Balloon physics in this hack, the stage is SO much more fun to control. No more fighting the constant rising momentum to dodge hazards!
Not only that, instead of it being an autoscroll, you control the scrolling this time. Which makes it far faster and less tedious to get through. Gotta love it.
The goomba swarms especially are a hell of a thing to dodge, especially when the passages start getting narrower, but the altered p-balloon physics make it a joy. What a difference that makes- turning the concept from a creative yet tedious and frustrating exercise to one that's actually REALLY smooth and fun.
The raising and lowering spike passages can get pretty hairy later in the level, to be honest- but they're never TOO tight, and there's always just enough room to slip through.
The second half kicks off with a new section- a rising elevator, spikes on the top and bottom, with fairies spawning in all over the place to rain their lasers down upon you.
By far the biggest threat of this segment is getting crushed, thanks to the walls constantly getting in your way. Don't dawdle... especially when giant barrages of the eyeball orbs come rocketing down. Those gaps are SMALL. Remember- one hit, and you're dead.
And finally, the end of the stage, a reprise of the infamous bullet pattern room, now with a menacing eyeball to stare into your soul. But now, with the new physics, it's less a "know where to dodge exactly" obstacle, and more of a "dodge with twitchy reflexes" obstacle- which is FAR more fun to deal with.
Literally the best sequel level ever- it takes everything that worked about Yosu No Tera, and improves upon it with better p-balloon physics. This is one of my favorite levels in the game by far.
Great job, Yogui, for taking a flawed diamond of a level and turning it into a precious gem. This is the kind of stage I play SMW romhacks for. Wild innovation of the type that you won't find in any official Nintendo project.
WORLD 4- MOUNTAIN CAVES
Honestly, this might have the most consistently good set of levels in the game so far. There's like, one dud here, and that's IMPRESSIVE. So many bangers all around. And they're all (mostly) of manageable length, too.
Sadly, it's the last world that I can say that about it's pacing, but enjoy it while it lasts.
YOSHI'S MOUNTAIN
Contains 100% less Yoshi than advertised- these koopas are fakers. And they WILL get in your way by crawling into the yoshi-head shells and bouncing all over the place. It is really easy to pick up the shells by accident while the koopas are crawling inside, and then they'll pop out and kill you- better to avoid them entirely.
And remember folks, yellow koopas are built different- if you can keep them from getting into a shell, do it. Otherwise they'll make your life miserable with their disco shells.
What's more threatening- and incredibly aggravating- are these Yoshi Blarggs- they can get really difficult to dodge in these cramped spaces. Especially with all the other enemies running around. And the fact that even when they're underground, their EYES peeking out are still a hitbox.
Really, though, the most annoying part of this stage is the cramped design- everything is SQUEEZED into tight spaces with pits everywhere. Rooms like this, with the low ceilings keeping you from dodging the Koopas properly, with slopes designed to dunk you into pits, are quite annoying.
But the worst part... is this tunnel, with Yoshi blarggs in it. Not only are their eyes hidden by the background grass, which is a problem by itself, you have NO space to avoid those. And trying to slip past them is really difficult- made worse by koopas flying down and getting in your way! You can spin-jump off them, but it's still not a fun room.
I think this room is where I gave up trying not to use savestates, because it pissed me off that much and I died so many times.
The second half isn't much better, with these spikes popping up out of the ground abruptly with no telegraphing- which of course is combined with a small tunnel, Yoshi Blarggs, and a muncher ceiling. It's a mess.
Something about this stage just rubbed me the wrong way. This is the first level in the hack I would outright call... I wouldn't say "bad", but it could've been cut from the hack entirely and it would have lost nothing.
Thankfully, this is easily the worst level in World 4- the rest are, for the most part, absolute bangers.
DARKAVE
Now this, THIS is a fun level. The only light you have in the entire stage are these glowing blocks, so there's gonna be a lot of bumbling around. But thankfully, there's no pits in between blocks that aren't clearly marked by visible edges. This stage could have SO easily been a mess with blind jumps, but the restraint shown is admirable.
Just make sure not to bump into these GIANT BLACK BUBBLES OF DARKNESS- they hurt- but they also follow the same swooping pattern every time, so once you know one's coming, it's not too hard to dodge.
Honestly the only part of the level I actively dislike is the music- it's a bit too repetitive. Still, though, a great stage that makes the most out of potentially aggravating gimmicks, and doesn't outstay its welcome.
KILL BANZAI BILL
This is a fairly slow-moving autoscroller with the amusing graphical edit of Rexes with Chargin' Chuck helmets- but soon the gimmick will make itself known in explosive fashion.
As the name suggest, there are a LOT of banzai bills around here- but! Red coins are always present to warn you of their presence. And they are placed VERY well, too- there's just enough time for when they appear for you to get out of the way before the Banzai Bills attack.
Also i LOVE that new graphic for them, they look TERRIFYING.
Honestly the most annoying thing in the stage are Chargin' Chucks, which tend to chase you out of your safe zones. Killing them as soon as possible if you can is mandatory. Those Banzai Bills move far too quickly to dodge if you're not already out of their way.
As the level progresses, the scroll speed picks up, and more and more pits start appearing- precision is needed lest you get clipped by a Bill or plunge into a pit.
The second half of the stage is very interesting- you have three rows of red coins, that appear to do nothing as the stage scrolls to the left... but when the stage comes around to the right again, the bills all trigger. Better hope you didn't collect those coins!
Oh, and don't touch those cacti, they hurt. Found that out the hard way.
The last Bill behind the goal is pretty mean, but it is a great gag. Very good stage, one of my favorites that squeezes a lot of cool situations out of a potentially frustrating gimmick.
RUNNING CAVE
You know it's a good stage when it starts with throwing freaking baseballs at you from offscreen. The Chargin' Chucks reign supreme here, and they can get VERY tedious to deal with. But that's not the real issue.
The real issue is that you get 70 SECONDS on the timer to start off, and you don't have a single frame to spare- not a fun prospect when there's tons of tanky enemies in your way, that you're either forced to dodge around or engage with at the cost of time.
Not only that, the yellow platforms sink down VERY slowly, which only increases the frantic pace of the stage- both when you're desperately waiting for them to fall down, and trying to outrun them sinking into lava or falling on your head.
(I know this screengrab is blurry, but just look at how close that ceiling is.)
And the timer doesn't stop when you reach the goal, so don't dally.
This stage has all the hallmarks of a recipe for pain- tanky foes, precision, practically requiring a speedrun- but its brevity works IMMENSELY to its advantage. By showing admirable restraint and keeping it short, this stage is a bite-sized, fair challenge rather than a brutal gauntlet. Very fun level.
CHAOTIC SKY
Right off the bat i love the aesthetics here, the pink and purple sky, the shaded clouds, it looks VERY clean. This stage isn't just a pretty face, though!
The majority of the hazards here are fire-spewing watermelon plants and the cute happy ghosts you can spin jump off. The plants' fireballs in particular can get really tight to dodge around.
Plus, these flowers that toss fireballs in an arc directly towards you. Kind of annoying to dodge, but at least they don't appear very often. If you rush past them past enough, you'll usually be safe. What you see is what you get for the majority of the level- tight squeezes around deviously placed enemies.
The second half of the stage, though, really heats up. You jump on a blue platform that speeds off in to the clouds...
And when you get out of the dense cloud cover, it's snowing! Such a cool aesthetic detail.
The jumps only get more tough from here, with a lot of projectiles to dodge every step of the way. Thankfully, you get an Athletic Peach to mitigate some of this.
Those fire-spewing flowers are particularly a mess to deal with down the home stretch of the stage- they always seem to be able to hit you if you're not paying attention. They were responsible for most of my deaths.
Overall, good stage with some beautiful visuals, just not one of my favorites on the gameplay side of things. Especially coming after a few excellent levels.
MINE CARTASTROPHE
Ah, minecart stages. You either love 'em, or you hate 'em. This stage, though, puts a unique spin on the typical tropes of a minecart level. Instead of being locked into the cart and dying if you hit anything, here they're separate platforms for you to stand on and jump off at your leisure.
Instead, the minecarts move forward when you step on top of them, and you have to jump off with appropriate timing. They even slow down when they go up slopes!
The rails are not solid, so don't try standing on them.
More importantly, these numbered platforms that fall when they hit 0 are ALSO interspersed throughout- so there's a lot of jumping from platform to platform, from minecart to count platform, with no stable footing. It's SO much fun.
Those Ninjis can get really aggravating in places- mostly the claustrophobic parts where running under them is one of the only viable options. But such bits of the stage are small bumps in the road of the high-speed thrill ride of the rest.
Especially the part at the end of the level where you're leaping from minecart to minecart is awesome, frantic yet not too outrageous.
And the secret exit, where you have to chase a minecart across the underbelly of the level while dodging all manner of obstacles? ALSO great. This level is just a winner all around- one of my absolute faves.
MOUNTAINOUS VILLAGE
The Pogo Toads from Something are BACK, and they're menacing the poor bears of this village! It's time to show them what for. As a reminder, jumping is the only thing that works on them- no fireballs.
Literally the entire stage is full of them, and it's surprisingly easy to chain jumps across the acrobatic amphibians.
Only problem is, that's literally all the stage is- just dodging the frogs. It's not a bad level, but it feels like a bit of a nothingburger for the final standard stage in the world. At least there's the occasional bit of funny dialogue.
BOSS: VON TOAD II
He's BACK, from Something 1, and about time too, now he's here, performing for- wait, that joke would have worked better for the boss of world 2.
Anyway, Von Toad II is a heck of a lot more fun here. Just bounce off the balls to jump on his head- while dodging the lightning that falls from the pipe. Sound simple, right?
Nope. Those balls are VERY hard to get the right angle on, so you'll probably slip and fall right into a hazard more than a few times. Especially given the inconsistent bouncing heights of the balls.
On the other hand, you can possibly chain hits together if the balls cooperate. Still, it's a very fun boss fight, and I do appreciate the reference to the first game. Plus the fact that there's no level beforehand makes it a lot more easy to stomach dying a lot in the process.
A great capper to one of my favorite worlds in the game. Of course, there's still the secret challenge level...
SPIKITU CASTLE
The secret level of World 4 is quite a doozy, though not in the way the other secret stages have been. No, it's comparatively simple. Namely, you have a lakitu up above, constantly tossing spinies down, and the level is autoscrolling so you can't just run away from him.
Keeping the fire flower you get at the start is MANDATORY, otherwise you'll get overwhelmed fast. Even the lakitus in pipes have spikes on their head, so you can't get rid of them easily through headbonks. And if you're not careful, you might just jump right into Spikitu himself.
To make matters worse, the stage layout is heavy on spikes and light on safe ground. And some of the pipes raise up, directly into spikes. And NOT ONLY that, there's so many enemies in it in places that it actually lags the game.
You know the Spikitu just shotgunning spinies at you is too much if that happens.
And that's just. the first half. of the stage.
The second half, thankfully, is much more fun. You get a lakitu cloud yourself, and have to maneuver around all sorts of hazards. Spikes on the walls, spikes on balls, and the good old Spikitus in pipes getting in your way.
There's some tight squeezes here, especially with the lava. Thankfully, this part's short enough that you don't really have to worry about the cloud disappearing.
What is surprising is that this stage has a boss at the end! Another Lakitu appears, and tosses both spinies and bombs- gotta toss the latter up at him. It's only really made difficult by the spikes all around the arena and the limited stable ground... but this, after the rest of the stage? Without a checkpoint? Yeesh. At least it only takes three hits.
Honestly, the stage would be a lot better if it was more like the second half... and if you HAD to keep the first half, it needed a couple extra powerups. Please. That part is unbelievably annoying depending on how the Spikitu yeets his children.
This level doesn't lack for originality or creativity, but it's just a SLOG for the most part. Worthy of the secret challenge slot, but I would not play it again.
This hack was so big i had to split the review into two parts- the second half, containing worlds 5-6 and the Special World. Trust me, there's MORE than enough meat in that last part of the game to talk about. I'll link that part of the review when it's up!