This is part 2 of my review of Something Else, part 1 is here:
https://froginaboxstudio.blogspot.com/2026/09/games-from-frogs-box-20-something-else.html
WORLD 5- BEACH OF WONDERS
Another very good stage, but it's not QUITE as consistent as world 4, since there's a couple stages in here that really rankle me. Of note is that this world has two exits- a normal one and a secret one, that lead to different halves of World 6. Of course, I'll be covering both...
And also, this is where the game's biggest flaw starts to really come into play. Remember what I said about levels being overly long earlier? Pretty much every stage in the rest of the game has this issue to some extent, so I need to take a break to talk about level pacing.
DIGRESSION: LEVEL LENGTH
In a lot of Super Mario World hacks, there is only one midpoint per stage. No more, no less. And that's fine- not everybody feels like adding more checkpoints for whatever reason.
But... long levels aren't always fun. Especially the more difficult they get, going for extremely long screens full of hazards where one slipup means restarting the entire thing.
That is Something Else's biggest flaw- that towards the endgame, the levels feel like more than one stage bolted together in terms of length, without the checkpoints to match it. It's not fun to constantly have to redo stuff just to get past to that one part you messed up on. In a game like Mario where one hit can mean death, shorter punchier stages are better.
Something Else missed that memo by the second half, with stages so long they start to feel like a slog.
All this to say, I was abusing savestates heavily by the endgame- not because the challenges weren't fair, they are for the most part. There's just... too MUCH of them, in single levels, in a game that is already on the upper end of the length spectrum. I just wish the later levels were a bit less exhausting.
Anyway, digression over. Yogui, if you're reading this, don't take it personally. Back to the levels.
CAT BEACH
The objective of this stage is... well, find 75 cats. What is this, some kinda cat planet? In any case, there's no time limit, just you and a big open area to run around in and explore.
Look at them, they're adorable. Though they do blend in slightly with the tileset- but who cares. The animation of them flicking their tail draws your eyes enough to stand out.
They are quite obtuse to find in a few spots, like jumping over this ceiling, or going through long complicated pipe sequences just to scrounge up a few more cats. Thankfully, there's very few hazards around to get in your way, and those that are present are generally rather easy to dodge.
The secret exit, though, is pretty annoying to find, with it hidden behind invisible blocks at the start...But the segment of the level beyond is pretty neat, with the suspended bits of water and dodging around Cheep Cheeps and bloopers.
Note: you CAN spinjump out of the water, use that to get past the urchins... oh, and the bloopers that can cross between single tiles of air are quite a thing. Still! A great addition to the level that doesn't outstay its welcome.
STAR OCEAN
No relation to the JRPG series of the same name. The central gimmick of this stage are these angry stars that swirl around a central orbit, all in a lovely water stage. I do love the stars in the background, it really adds to the theming.
As for other enemies, jellyfish, cheep cheeps and volcano plants are all present to get in your way, but they're really no issue at all. Even the stars that bounce up and down don't really pose much of a threat unless they're in tight quarters.
The most memorable part of it is this little maze filled with stars- it's a tight squeeze to slip your way through, but it plays perfectly fair.
And look at these stars made out of coins! So whimsical, I love it.
This is another chill stage for the beach world. It's not effortless, but it's not excessively mean either. And the calming music really helps in that department.
THE MYSTERIOUS MAZE
After a brief outdoor segment, you'll enter a narrow, cramped temple, full of spikes, Thwimps, spiked balls, and ADORABLE little star enemies. Half of the place is underwater, so don't swim too fast or you'll be skewered! Especially with those dark clouds obscuring the bottom half of the level.
Throughout the stage, you'll find blue doors you can't enter- those are where you're sent if you enter the WRONG doors around, of which there are plenty. Take the first segment- there's a door at the end, but to really progress, you have to grab a star guy, toss it into a block, climb up, grab the spring, then leap up past it.
Very roundabout progression, and it only gets more confusing.
This segment right here near the end with spikes is a bit aggravating because the hit box for them is larger than it appears. It's so easy to get clipped and have to do a lot of the stage over again...
Look at them, they're adorable. Though they do blend in slightly with the tileset- but who cares. The animation of them flicking their tail draws your eyes enough to stand out.
They are quite obtuse to find in a few spots, like jumping over this ceiling, or going through long complicated pipe sequences just to scrounge up a few more cats. Thankfully, there's very few hazards around to get in your way, and those that are present are generally rather easy to dodge.
Just look at how happy the cat is when you finish the level, it warms my heart.
The secret exit, though, is pretty annoying to find, with it hidden behind invisible blocks at the start...
Note: you CAN spinjump out of the water, use that to get past the urchins... oh, and the bloopers that can cross between single tiles of air are quite a thing. Still! A great addition to the level that doesn't outstay its welcome.
STAR OCEAN
No relation to the JRPG series of the same name. The central gimmick of this stage are these angry stars that swirl around a central orbit, all in a lovely water stage. I do love the stars in the background, it really adds to the theming.
As for other enemies, jellyfish, cheep cheeps and volcano plants are all present to get in your way, but they're really no issue at all. Even the stars that bounce up and down don't really pose much of a threat unless they're in tight quarters.
The most memorable part of it is this little maze filled with stars- it's a tight squeeze to slip your way through, but it plays perfectly fair.
And look at these stars made out of coins! So whimsical, I love it.
This is another chill stage for the beach world. It's not effortless, but it's not excessively mean either. And the calming music really helps in that department.
THE MYSTERIOUS MAZE
After a brief outdoor segment, you'll enter a narrow, cramped temple, full of spikes, Thwimps, spiked balls, and ADORABLE little star enemies. Half of the place is underwater, so don't swim too fast or you'll be skewered! Especially with those dark clouds obscuring the bottom half of the level.
Throughout the stage, you'll find blue doors you can't enter- those are where you're sent if you enter the WRONG doors around, of which there are plenty. Take the first segment- there's a door at the end, but to really progress, you have to grab a star guy, toss it into a block, climb up, grab the spring, then leap up past it.
Very roundabout progression, and it only gets more confusing.
This segment right here near the end with spikes is a bit aggravating because the hit box for them is larger than it appears. It's so easy to get clipped and have to do a lot of the stage over again...
I'm not really a fan of this segment right here either, because the bouncing Podoboos can REALLY get in awful spots and in your way...
Then this bit with like ten doors, and only one of them is the right way forward. It's pure trial and error, and not fun in the slightest. Which brings me to another issue. This is the first stage that is FAR too long for the amount of checkpoints it has, and the abundance of purely frustrating or tedious rooms that are not fun to go through does not help.
Thankfully, the second half of the stage is a bit better, with the disco ball illuminating past the darkness and clouds. But it's still not immune to random acts of cruelty.
You know, like falling through a fake floor to progress to get to the next area. Rude.
And then you have to find a hidden door, only visible with the disco ball, on top of an INVISIBLE BLOCK. This is a real "how the hell was I supposed to know to do that" kind of moment. And by this point, I was running out of patience with this stage.
And there's a SECRET EXIT on top of that... which is actually easier and simpler than the rest of the level. You know, once you find it. By jumping into a pit, that isn't, and running all the way past the entrance.
At least inside you get some fun platforming involving jumping on top of flying mermaids and platforming over Munchers. It's hectic, but still very fun.But... why isn't this a separate level? Like. This could have been a separate stage, since it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of visually or gimmick-wise.
Basically, this is a level that didn't understand when too much is too much, and as a result it feels like an enormous slog.
DDDARK CASTLE
It's a Kirby's Dream Land 2 reference, and this stage goes ALL THE WAY in its tribute, cramming in tons of gimmicks to really make it stand out. Starting with the enemies-
the Bronto Burts are a bit annoying with their loop-dee-loops, but once
you get the hang of em they won't be an issue. Just don't stand on the
small circular platforms too long or you'll fall!
Also, this VICIOUS autoscroller with cramped hallways and grab blocks in the first part. Gotta keep moving otherwise you die by crushing.
Then, an underwater segment with the sea anemones that you can't kill. Thankfully, they're fairly easy to dodge around, so that's not a real lissue.
And then falling stalagtites and platforms over spikes, YEAH. Those falling platforms really blend in with the rest of the level, so keeping your eyes peeled is a must.
And THEN, invincible Gordos flying about everywhere at top speed, while Kabus jump around. And all that? That's the FIRST HALF of the stage.
Thankfully the second half of the stage is much shorter- the only challenging part is this autoscrolling vertical segment with Gordos constantly flying in....
Then, once you reach the top, there's an actual bona fide boss fight with King Dedede himself. He's got hte usual assortment of attacks, though he jumps around a lot more than usual. The first phase isn't too tough, though he does take a LOT of hits. Just don't jtry to jump on him with his jumping attack, you're likely to get hit yourself in the process.
But in the second phase, he gets possessed (of course) and the battle picks up significantly, with him leaping across the entire screen and spewing Dark Matter blobs at you. Though, you can just kind of jump off him repeatedly in the corner to win. I'm not complaining- these phases last long enough as it is. And it's still a great capper to one of the hack's best stages.
SECRET BONUS AREA
Beating this stage unlocks the bonus area, where you can get free powerups and play the bonus games at any time. Ain't that nice?
You're going to need those powerups later, trust me.
A CALM DAY
In this stage, you get a red baby Yoshi, and a lot of koopas to devour- so what are you waiting for? Baby's hungry! The only thing that really poses a threat to you are the shell-kicking koopas- everything else can just be breezed past.
The bit with the Albatosses and cheep cheeps can be pretty tight if you don't have a way to get the fish out of your way, though. Other than that, I don't really have much to say about this level- it's a nice chill romp of a stage.
I would call this a boring level, but after DDDark Castle, a breather is appreciated. And this level serves that purpose just fine.
FLOWER ISLAND
Fuzzies, fuzzies everywhere, and flowers all around too. Mostly fuzzies, though. The patterns they travel into can get pretty amusing- look at this mushroom! it's adorable.
Then this bit with like ten doors, and only one of them is the right way forward. It's pure trial and error, and not fun in the slightest. Which brings me to another issue. This is the first stage that is FAR too long for the amount of checkpoints it has, and the abundance of purely frustrating or tedious rooms that are not fun to go through does not help.
Thankfully, the second half of the stage is a bit better, with the disco ball illuminating past the darkness and clouds. But it's still not immune to random acts of cruelty.
You know, like falling through a fake floor to progress to get to the next area. Rude.
And there's a SECRET EXIT on top of that... which is actually easier and simpler than the rest of the level. You know, once you find it. By jumping into a pit, that isn't, and running all the way past the entrance.
At least inside you get some fun platforming involving jumping on top of flying mermaids and platforming over Munchers. It's hectic, but still very fun.But... why isn't this a separate level? Like. This could have been a separate stage, since it has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of visually or gimmick-wise.
Basically, this is a level that didn't understand when too much is too much, and as a result it feels like an enormous slog.
DDDARK CASTLE
And then falling stalagtites and platforms over spikes, YEAH. Those falling platforms really blend in with the rest of the level, so keeping your eyes peeled is a must.
Thankfully the second half of the stage is much shorter- the only challenging part is this autoscrolling vertical segment with Gordos constantly flying in....
Then, once you reach the top, there's an actual bona fide boss fight with King Dedede himself. He's got hte usual assortment of attacks, though he jumps around a lot more than usual. The first phase isn't too tough, though he does take a LOT of hits. Just don't jtry to jump on him with his jumping attack, you're likely to get hit yourself in the process.
But in the second phase, he gets possessed (of course) and the battle picks up significantly, with him leaping across the entire screen and spewing Dark Matter blobs at you. Though, you can just kind of jump off him repeatedly in the corner to win. I'm not complaining- these phases last long enough as it is. And it's still a great capper to one of the hack's best stages.
SECRET BONUS AREA
Beating this stage unlocks the bonus area, where you can get free powerups and play the bonus games at any time. Ain't that nice?
You're going to need those powerups later, trust me.
A CALM DAY
In this stage, you get a red baby Yoshi, and a lot of koopas to devour- so what are you waiting for? Baby's hungry! The only thing that really poses a threat to you are the shell-kicking koopas- everything else can just be breezed past.
The bit with the Albatosses and cheep cheeps can be pretty tight if you don't have a way to get the fish out of your way, though. Other than that, I don't really have much to say about this level- it's a nice chill romp of a stage.
I would call this a boring level, but after DDDark Castle, a breather is appreciated. And this level serves that purpose just fine.
FLOWER ISLAND
Fuzzies, fuzzies everywhere, and flowers all around too. Mostly fuzzies, though. The patterns they travel into can get pretty amusing- look at this mushroom! it's adorable.
Aside from the fuzzies, the main hazards are chargin' chucks (AGAIN) and cheep cheeps. The chargin' chucks are mostly the rock-tossing variety, which makes them useful for spin-jumping past hazards.
Probably the most annoying thing in the level are the floating platforms on the water- if they sink too far, it can screw up your jump at the worst possible timing.
I'm not a fan of how you have to jump off the cheep cheep to get up there, and if it goes away you're screwed and have to respawn it by running offscreen and back? That's just mean.
Sadly, this stage is not the greatest, and it's
mostly because of the Fuzzies. Some of the configurations they're in are
far too busy to slip past consistently, especially if you're big. It
feels like you're designed to take a hit there- and if that's true,
there's far more elegant ways to do that.
The second half of the stage is full of LONG jumps over pits, often requiring you to land on moving Fuzzies to get where you need to go. Not to mention constantly putting chargin' chucks in narrow spots? When jumping off them sends you at an awkward angle likely to get you killed? Meh.
It's not a bad level necessarily, but it could have used another pass to iron out some of the more janky challenges.
FLOWER TOWER
From the start, this stage makes an impression with its Yoshi's island tileset and consistent theming- flowers are EVERYWHERE. In pots, just scattered about, it all just pops.
And the stage backs it up with fun gimmickry, too. These big pots can be pushed around to make platforms to new areas, and thankfully it doesn't take forever to shove 'em where you need to go.
That's right, this is a puzzle stage, and for once it isn't a painful one.
What's really fun is that you can kill Thwomps with the big pots- a rare treat in any hack.
The other ingredient to the stage's puzzles are the On/Off Switch blocks- but they're not the main focus. For the most part, there's not a lot you have to do with them- they're just a means to faciliate pot-pushing puzzles.
There's some really clever setups like getting a Star to push a pot across a line of Munchers...
Or climb all the way up and down a huge room to deliver a pot just so you can enter a door off the ground. It's hard to puzzle out- but oh so satisfying when you get it right.
What separates this stage from a lot of other frustrating puzzle levels- powerups. This stage hands them out like candy, and they respawn when you enter a failed door, so one missed jump or grazed enemy won't result in having to do a lot of tedious stuff all over again.
Great final level to World 5.
BOSS- YOBIGSHI
Now this is an interesting boss. He'll constantly run back and forth across the screen, jumping on him makes him retreat into his shell, the usual Mario boss pattern. Thing is, you HAVE to make him hit the wall in order to progress the fight...
And when he does, he'll change a different color, and use an ability pertaining to that shell. Blue jumps up high, yellow does a ground pound that makes egg rains from high up, red spews fireballs... it's a lot to keep track of.
And that's before he starts tossing out Koopa babies at you to get in your way- which is the green shell ability. Which is honestly the most annoying part of the fight, since there's no obvious tell for it- I thought it was random at first.
Still, though, once you know the patterns it's not too difficult to deal with him. A very complex boss- but a fun one.
WORLD 6-
World 6 has two halves- an easy half, and a hard half, both ending in a castle. And, unfortunately, it is also where the game's biggest flaw starts to come up... the levels are getting long. Like, excessively long. And there's only one checkpoint, still.
You'll see.
CRAZY NIGHT
This stage's big gimmick is bouncing on a Torpedo Ted travelling to the left, all while dodging all manner of shit. The Gusties are one of the biggest issues here, since landing on them can disrupt your momentum enough to fall right into the pit.
Not to mention the Flutters... can't land on those either, otherwise you will have NO place to get away from them. Once you piss them off it's basically a death sentence since they take SO LONG to get bored and leave. Those guys bring the level right down every time they appear- but the rest of it is very fun.
There are spots throughout where you can get off the Torpedoes, but honestly, it's more fun- if dangerous- to follow the same one as far as you can. You can't do that everywhere, though...
Buzzsaws can also be quite a thing to deal with in this level, with how cramped some of the segments can get. Like, look at this. Trying to keep a powerup through this is an ordeal.
This level is ALMOST a slam dunk, but a few aggravations like the Flutters keep it from being really great. Still a brutal test of reflexes and skill, though.
MAXIMUM ATHLETIC 2
Dude, where's my goal?! The post is missing, how am I supposed to finish the level!
No but seriously, this stage is very fun. You get the Athletic Peach to slip your way through a ton of tricky jumps across all manner of moving platforms, all while funny faces and creative patterns are drawn with the lines.
Lots of tricky walljumps are required here, but it never hits the "too-difficult" category- though, there are a lot of bits where you have to get to the other side of a wall by throwing yourself into a pit, double jumping with perfect timing, and then kicking off said wall.
Or ones where you get tossed onto a platform that's falling into a pit and you have a split second to react. This is the sternest test of your raw platforming abilities yet, and I think it's a good one.
It feels like a friendly level, not a mean one. The fact that there's no enemies in it helps a lot here- yet another stage that justifies the Athletic Peach's inclusion all by itself.
BULLET BIRD BOOM
So in this level, the pink bullet birds explode when they impact with walls. Get ready for a lot of limited space to deal with, and tight dodges around constant projectiles.
As you can probably tell from the snow, this level has ice physics again, and there's a LOT of tight jumps over pits with enemies in your way. The bats and Bowser statues in particular can really get in your way. Keeping a tight handle on your momentum is necessary to avoid a swift fall.
And there are a LOT of small ledges you have to make long jumps off- difficult with ice physics in play.
It is really funny when the Pink Bullet Birds fire themselves right into walls and explode. Well, unless it's right next to you, of course.
Still a very creative use of the gimmick.
The real fun part of this level is the ending, with a vertical ascent through scrolling, SMALL ice platforms that go from side to side. Don't fall if you can help it, because getting up is just as much of a pain the second time.
If you can get a handle on the slippery physics, this is a fine level with a lot of clever setups. If you can't, though, be prepared to suffer a bit.
SPIKITU CASTLE 2
When I saw this name on the world map, my jaw dropped. Why would you make two of the secret challenge levels the *same kind of stage?* Wouldn't it be more interesting to make them unique?
Don't be so hasty to write it off, though- this sequel stage is a vast improvement over the original. It's still absolutely brutal and will kill you a LOT, but it's far less tedious than the first.
There's no autoscroll this time, so you're far more clear to evade the spiky death machines. It trades the careful tense dodging of the first stage for high-speed precision jumps involving Thwomps and falling platforms, all with death raining from above.
But because you have to make CONSTANT wide jumps, across falling platforms, all while mr Spikitu up there is yeeting his babies onto your head. Speaking of that guy, he always flies JUST low enough that you might jump into him, which is QUITE aggravating. It's still quite random- or at least it feels that way.
The Thwimps also have a nasty tendency to get in your way, stopping you long enough to get zinged.
Also, the falling platforms blend in a BIT too well with the solid ones. I know that's the point, but it can feel really unfair when you think you hit safe ground, and then it plummets away beneath your feet.
The boss is also a significant improvement, since you actually have room to move, even if there's more things to dodge. The baseballs are easy to get around since you can make the Chuck jump by jumping yourself, and the bullet bills are not too hard to bounce off of.
HONESTLY, I like this one more than the first. The water in the second half makes the rain of spinies significantly more tolerable, and the boss is a lot of fun. It's still hellish and precise, and will kill you plenty, but I respect it a heck of a lot more than its prequel.
THE LAST CASTLE
You know that when the timer starts with 999 seconds it's gonna be a doozy. And the aesthetics- a dark, gloomy castle lit with torches- are wonderful.
The hammer guys on the ground are a dangerous hazard, since you can't just jump on them easily. Regular Hammer Bros. are also present, and if you don't have a fire flower, you might be in trouble here.
The second segment has a snakeblock above lava. It's a fun challenge trying to keep up with it, but I have seen FAR more aggravating snakeblocks in my day. I do also appreciate the coins highlighting wehre the Podoboos will come out- not a common courtesy.
Next, there's these cute little evil penguins that function like Rip Van Fishes, but on the ground. They're so cute- and also barely a threat, unless they go running OFF of platforms, in which case they slowly float down.
Also shoutouts to this bit for making a trial and error fall actually fair through the background tiling. Not a common thing!
Then, you get outside the castle, and you get to a long, difficult ascent up chains, menaced by firebars and dry bones, it's Great stuff, especially with the background showing how high you're going.
What really tripped me up are the firebars that swing from side to side and not all the way around. They're a neat variation on an old gimmick.
And after ALL THAT... is the midpoint. There's still a boss at the end of this...
Or not. The Evil Guy hasn't actually prepared for the final boss yet. On to the second half of world 6- on the MOON, where the most brutal levels in the standard progression are placed.
SWITCH ROOM
Hell yeah, Mega Man x2 fortress music. Anyway, this stage has four paths, each with one of the four switches at the end- and they're ALL required to finish the level. Conveniently, this also functions as makeshift checkpoints for the stages, dodging around the usual "one midpoint" problem that so plagues the rest of the hack.
Needless to say, this is BY FAR the longest level in the entire hack- and yet, for once, it doesn't feel bloated.
The red path is full of lava, on the floor AND ceiling, with podoboos popping out of it every which way. One slip up can spell your doom, and it can get VERY nasty.
The flowers are the worst part of this, they ALWAYS seem to smack you when you least expect it- they were responsible for most of my deaths in this part of the stage. The bit where you have to run at full speed is also a bit rough after everything else... but at least it's clearly telegraphed by the arrows on the floor.
The Blue Path has the unique gimmick of a descending ceiling that you can only keep at bay with switch blocks, it's pretty neat in concept... but I have mixed feelings about its execution. If the ceiling comes down far enough, you're basically hosed, since it NEVER retreats back up... and the gaps between switches are very wide.
Also, jumping out of the water blobs is a bit annoying with the controls- not a problem you want to have where every wasted second could mean death. Definitely my least favorite path.
The yellow one is probably the easiest, with its only hazards being caped koopas and moving bullet bill cannons. Easy to just rush past, for the most part.
I repeat- for the most part. The buzzsaws can be placed really inconveniently at times, and the CHARGIN CHUCKS are up to their usual brand of stonewallery. But still, it's not too bad. Probably the least distinctive path, to be honest.
The green path is the most fun one- you get stars to run about and through thwomps and munchers, but the twist is, the invincibility period only lasts like two seconds.
So you HAVE to constantly be getting the next one, or die. It's frantic as hell, but very fun.
And then a long run across blocks that only appear when a p-switch is active, keeping up the high-speed momentum from the rest of the stage. Definitely my favorite path of the four.
After ALL OF THAT, the midpoint finally appears. There's still one more segment before you can clear this absolute gauntlet.
The rest of the stage is a lighthearted romp through space, with low gravity and having to dodge around angry stars.
The low gravity physics are a bit different from what you'd expect, but once you get used to them, you can really kite around everything there, it's a breeze. Well, compared to the rest of the level.
I do applaud this segment, where you're forced to spinjump across a gigantic array of yellow blocks, which disappear beneath your feet. Very creative, even if it killed me so many times.
You know, it's weird. Normally I complain to hell and back about levels this long. I mean, it's practically five separate stages bolted together... but there's one thing that elevates it.
The checkpoints. Using the Four Switches as a checkpoint system is GENIUS, and keeps the stage from feeling too sloggy. I love it. This might honestly be my favorite level in the game... it's SO good, and the level design (blue path aside) is top-notch.
Honestly, this could have been the final level in the game and it wouldn't stand out in the least. It's that climactic and epic.
THE SPACE HIDEOUT
No more messing around. This level is just a balls to the wall gauntlet of nonsense, complete with buzzsaws, platforms, and fireballs around the edges of intangible lines. The Evil Guy is gonna make you WORK for your victory.
Also, a new enemy, these cannons that fire REALLY fast bullets. Thankfully, you can jump on them- and you'd better, since those projectiles are too fast to dodge normally.
You had BETTER get used to spin-jumping off things, because this stage requires that a LOT of dexterity out of you, especially with the buzzsaws. They are everywhere, and oftentimes they're the only stable footing you have- that, or they're right in the way of moving platforms.
And it finally, finally brings back the crusher gimmick from Mario World, now with extra venom thanks to the stupid cannons getting in your way. I raged at this gimmick a lot in the first Something, but here it's much better implemented.
There's always enough holes to slip into to dodge the crushers, and dodging around the lightning while juggling all of this is tense yet exhilarating.
Oh, and the Magikoopa enemy now has a spike helmet, so you can't dispose of him easily.
This is the only part of the level i don't like, mostly since the inherent randomness of the Magikoopa's attacks can really screw you over. especially since you need him to get rid of blocks in your way.
And all of that? That's the FIRST HALF.
The stage keeps going. With carting the single-use springs around, jumping past buzzsaws, dodging cannon fire,
Slipping around Thwomps in tight spaces, trying desperately to not get clipped lest you have to do all of this again, then finally getting to a red spring that lifts you up into the next segment.
After a minute or so of dodging koopas, you finally get a BLUE YOSHI of all things, and fly your way up past a gauntlet of munchers, and a HUGE amount of cannons, constantly firing, and aiming towards you.
That... is the level. Is it long? absolutely oh my god, this could have used more checkpoints. or been broken up. but still. it's an AMAZING rush, and plays completely fair. I can't bring myself to hate it.
For the last standard level in the game, it's a great blowout of a finish.
BOSS- THE EVIL GUY
It's finally time to take him down! You know it's good when the skull above the boss door is MADE OUT OF SKULLS.
And the Evil Guy is no slouch, either- constantly running back and forth and tossing giant moons onto your head. The trick is that he can only use one at a time- so when the moon goes up, that's the time to whack him.
Sadly there is no second phase, since his plan to unlock the ultimate power failed, but there is the Special World. and unlike in Something where it was mostly duds... THIS one is a Special World to remember.
SPECIAL WORLD
Unlocked by completing all the other exits in the game, the Special World is... actually kind of easy. Well, not entirely- but compared to the last few stages of world 6, and ESPECIALLY the special world from Something, it's kind of cake. At least at first.
HOWEVER, it is entirely jank-free this time- all the levels in here are of high quality. It's a great note to end the game on.
SPECIAL SPACE
Honestly a chill start to the Special World, this is a downright pleasant level. The only really difficult things involve a LOT of bouncing off of buzzsaws. And sine-wave goombas- gotta have em!
Oh, and those aggravating fireball enemies from Sakura Tori (though they're far less annoying here, since there's just less going on in the level in general. For the most part.)
I do like this bit with the long lines of platforms towards the halfway mark, they're very fun to deal with, dodging around all the buzzsaws. Except for the abrupt fireball enemy trying to trip you up.
I think someone was having fun with the lineart. Also, the fourway pidget bills, my old friends from Pain Fortress! How fun! They're only really threatening in the beginning of the second half- after that, they're effortless to dodge around.
No, the fireball enemies are the real pain- if you can jump on them, do so. After a certain point, it's just a friendly ride to the finish.
A great start to the Special World, a nice challenge without being too bullshit.
ABOVE THE WORLD
Oh boy, it's a vertical autoscroller! Let's GO! Thankfully, it's not too fast- but there are Flutters to get in your way once again. Mercifully, they're much easier to dodge here.
The real issue in this stage is the Hammer Bros. You don't have TIME to carefully slip past them, so the Fire Flower is basically your only option- better hope you kept it.
Also, there is VERY little stable footing here- only these falling acorns are present for the majority of the level, so you'd better not fall down.
It only gets marginally easier when you have to jump across a sequence of vines- if you miss the input to grab on, kiss your run goodbye.
The second half of the stage shifts it to a horizontal scroll, with cloud platforms that continually float up, often accompanied by various obstacles to maneuever past. It's tense, but everything moves JUST slowly enough to give you enough time to think.
And there is a LOT of bouncing on those acorns to keep them from falling down, or this bit, where you bounce off a Dry Bones to get on top of this high ledge. The scrolling even slows down when you do it, to give you enough time to process- or curse your failure if you screw it up.
The third and final section is comparatively much easier, with the only hazards being koopas and message boxes that lie. Lmao.
Everything here just comes together very nicely- this is one of my favorite stages so far, even though it's not really that creative compared to some others. But the design is rock solid, and that's what matters.
WET WEIRD FOREST
Well, it's certainly wet, but not particularly weird. I mean, it's just got water all over the bottom of the screen... and you're allowed to jump over most of it.
There are pink dolphins around to jump on over giant pits of munchers to add some excitement. Keeping above the deathly devourers is a nice shot of adrenaline, since there's zero stable footing around.
Honestly the biggest annoyance in the level are the hammer guys, trying to jump on them sucks, and that's if you're even allowed to- half the time they're surrounded by blocks or otherwise inaccessible. Rushing forward is your only hope of escaping unscathed.
The most memorable part of the stage is the midpoint trap, where if you go down- and you might, because the midpoint isn't on screen yet- you'll get blocked from going back up by invisible blocks. Very mean.
The second half is underwater, and has enemies and hazards scrolling up and down, with trees obstructing your view. All things considered it's not too hard, honestly.
The bits with jellyfish scattered everywhere can be particularly tight squeezes, but they're no threat as long as you stay patient and precise with your swimming.
I do have to shoutout this level's aesthetics- they're very charming, since everything has this pastel look to it that just relaxes the eyes, along with the chill music.
The layer 3 message box gag did get me, lol. One of the longest-running injokes of the SMW community that makes zero sense to anyone outside of it.
This is a perfectly fine stage, but it probably won't stick in your head. But as a breather after Special Space and Above The World, it's well placed.
SNOW FURRY TEMPLE
Ghosts of all types? Check. Ice physics? check. furry thing from Touhou with angry sun AI? check. Yep, this has the makings of a hard level.
You'd think that, but this stage is surprisingly reasonable. It feels like a punch was pulled here- but I'll take a stage that doesn't feel like an endurance test for once.
The most annoying thing about is the piranha plants that spew fireballs everywhere, and even those can be slipped right past with some careful movement. Even the flying fuzzball isn't too tough to deal with, since the level is open enough where you're never forced to engage with him.
I will say, using the vines as barriers for the bouncing boos and fireballs is pretty neat, though. I just think this level could've gone a little farther with that concept. It's weird to say that, I know.
But this level is short there's not even a midpoint. Compared to the last few worlds so far, it's a breeze... and that's why it's one of my favorite levels. Maybe it's the placement elevating it in my eyes, but I had a very good time with this stage.
This is also the LAST stage I beat without excessive savestates, so if you're playing this... buckle up. The endgame is going to whip you into shape or die trying.
THIS IS SOMETHING
Ha ha ha ha very funny, spelling out SOMETHING ELSE with blocks in a dark room with ninjis everywhere, how clever.
The odd volcano plant or chargin' chuck is the only difficult part of this, and its cake compared to everything else you've had to deal with up to this point. I do like the football players' graphical edits, though.
After you get through that, you go to an ominously thundering area with a bunch of small weird little guys. Oh well, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about-
SURPRISE, THE BULLET HELL GIMMICK IS BACK! Now with spikes everywhere, the aiming cannons, and rapidly moving Gordos ALL over the place. Have fun! Oh, and touhou music, fittingly.
The firebars in here are REALLY FAST, actually- especially when there's a lot of them around. Dodging around them is pretty hectic, especially since you have one hit. At least the gravity-bound firebars are differently colored to keep things from being too obtuse.
And when you get to the end... there's no boss. What gives?
This is a perfectly fine stage, but it probably won't stick in your head. But as a breather after Special Space and Above The World, it's well placed.
SNOW FURRY TEMPLE
Ghosts of all types? Check. Ice physics? check. furry thing from Touhou with angry sun AI? check. Yep, this has the makings of a hard level.
You'd think that, but this stage is surprisingly reasonable. It feels like a punch was pulled here- but I'll take a stage that doesn't feel like an endurance test for once.
The most annoying thing about is the piranha plants that spew fireballs everywhere, and even those can be slipped right past with some careful movement. Even the flying fuzzball isn't too tough to deal with, since the level is open enough where you're never forced to engage with him.
I will say, using the vines as barriers for the bouncing boos and fireballs is pretty neat, though. I just think this level could've gone a little farther with that concept. It's weird to say that, I know.
But this level is short there's not even a midpoint. Compared to the last few worlds so far, it's a breeze... and that's why it's one of my favorite levels. Maybe it's the placement elevating it in my eyes, but I had a very good time with this stage.
This is also the LAST stage I beat without excessive savestates, so if you're playing this... buckle up. The endgame is going to whip you into shape or die trying.
THIS IS SOMETHING
Ha ha ha ha very funny, spelling out SOMETHING ELSE with blocks in a dark room with ninjis everywhere, how clever.
The odd volcano plant or chargin' chuck is the only difficult part of this, and its cake compared to everything else you've had to deal with up to this point. I do like the football players' graphical edits, though.
After you get through that, you go to an ominously thundering area with a bunch of small weird little guys. Oh well, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about-
SURPRISE, THE BULLET HELL GIMMICK IS BACK! Now with spikes everywhere, the aiming cannons, and rapidly moving Gordos ALL over the place. Have fun! Oh, and touhou music, fittingly.
The firebars in here are REALLY FAST, actually- especially when there's a lot of them around. Dodging around them is pretty hectic, especially since you have one hit. At least the gravity-bound firebars are differently colored to keep things from being too obtuse.
And when you get to the end... there's no boss. What gives?
Surprise! There's FOUR MORE stages to end the game with. Have fun! As soon as you exit to the map, a mysterious castle appears. Better get ready.
ELSE CASTLE 1
This level starts off with a bang that kicks the adrenaline into overdrive. Riding in on a high speed platform, grabbing the ladder before you get shoved into a wall, all to MM2 Wily 1... excellent.
For the most part, this stage is fairly standard platforming- except for these Koopas, that explode when you jump on them, Super Mario Land style. If you can avoid dealing with them, do it- but thankfully they wait for you to bounce high enough to blow up.
Oh, and these giant freaking spiked ball launchers, now with goofy faces. They're just as fast and hard to dodge as before, so treat them with care.
When you get outside, there's these PINK koopas, that spin around and spew fireballs when you get close- just rush past them, and they can barely hurt you. But the longer you stay around them, the more dangerous the area becomes.
What WILL hurt, though, are the constant stream of bullet bills coming in from the other side of the screen. Those can be really tight to dodge if they appear in the wrong spot- but react quickly and you'll win the day.
The second half features boos, dry bones, and birdos that function like the cannons in the Space Hideout. constant high speed bullets- stay out of their way, and jump on them when you get a chance.
And BOTH varieties of bowser statues to dodge around, too. As is becoming a refrain at this point, this level is long and quite brutal- but when you get into the groove, it's oh so good.
Oh, and there's a boss- every level in Else Castle has one at the end. The Eyeball is BACK, and it's actually somewhat difficult this time. Mostly because of the wide arena, which makes it hard to catch up to. And the absurd amount of hits it takes. Don't fall in the spikes, and you'll win the day.
A phenomenal shot of excitement for the start of Else Castle- this is one of my favorite stages in the game.
ELSE CASTLE 2
I hope you like walljumps! Because the Atheltic Peach is back again, and you have to do a lot of funky puzzley tricks with it- mostly involving these red death blocks. You touch 'em, you die.
The puzzles involve a lot of switching between fire flowers and athletic peaches, with a few tricksy sections getting the right powerup in the right place. For example, to melt these ice blocks.
The siderooms behind doors house the powerups you need, and they can get pretty devious.
It is clever that the level requires you to be small to get past these blocks, but the way you have to do it is pretty roundabout and a bit tedious. Switching to a fire flower, melting ice to get to a specific door, and running around all over the damn level...
I do like this solution, though, it's clever in its simplicity. You have to sit there and shoot fireballs to destroy the ice blocks, because the Athletic Peach is right next to you and if you pick it up you can't progress.
At least there's a death block there to kill you and reset you back to the checkpoint, so no softlocks here.
There's a final confrontation at the end of the stage, and this time, it's a reprise of the four birdos from Something 1. Hm, suspicious... but you get a fire flower, so you can just like. Kill them. Really easily.
But it's actually an enemy rush of various situations, each more devious than the last. They're very fun, though I do wish the checkpoint was placed before this given how long this segment is.
Especially the segment with the pink koopa, that can go sour real quick.
This stage loses a bit of energy from the previous one, but it's still well-designed to be sure. It's just not my kind of level.
ELSE CASTLE :3
The first segment of the stage is a slow autoscroller with the funny ghosts, Albatosses, and...
Hey, remember those banzai bills and the red coins? Yeah they're back. And there's a lot of them.
Hell, look at this segment with like four different signs of them at once. Fun, isn't it? If you mistime that floating platform, you're dead.
But that's not the real meat of the stage. No, that's these doors... that contain past levels made by Yogui from various forum contests (or his vanilla hack Super Mario Ocean), selected randomly based on time. You'll have to go through four segments in total before you're through.
Honestly I don't have much to say about most of these... they're far less memorable than anything else in the hack. Except this one, the rainbow palette is cool.
And the big Yoshi graphical edit in this stage is funny.
This one is a particular highlight aesthetics-wise, with the gloomy palette and piranha plants descending from the ceiling.
The most memorable segment is this one, with the lights going in and out and the unique graphical style.
Honestly, I wish I could just like, pick a segment or play through all of them in sequence, because the time thing is a bit annoying.
Whatever levels you end up going through, there's a boss at the end (again). but the skull is upside down... hm.
It's just one shell-less koopa.
Honestly, I didn't find this stage that exciting. I respect the idea of it, but i think this level would be better if its segments were freely selectable, or came all in a row in an endurance test. as it is now, you might miss the most interesting parts of it. And most of the segments stick out like a sore thumb from the quality of the rest of the hack.
BOSS- SOMEONE
It's Ballser! He's BACK! And he's just as easy as he was last time, with his walking back and forth and occasionally firing projectiles- but that's not the end. OH NO.
He FUSES with the evil guy. It's time for the final showdown! With the most epic music in the game, a combo remix of Mario and Mega Man 2 motifs. It slaps SO HARD.
Phase 1 is pretty interesting, with his hands constantly flying around at you while the main head drops stuff from above, occasionally giving you something to chuck up at his grinning head. Honestly the hands are the hardest part to deal with, they are VICIOUS in their pursuit. This might actually be the hardest head and hands boss I've ever seen.
Hitting him is really difficult when he constantly stays on the right side of the screen, moving up and down, especially while dodging around all his stuff.
But it's perfectly doable once you get into a groove.
Well, provided he actually spawns koopas frequently- which sometimes he doesn't.
And as the phase goes on, he'll start shooting FAST fireballs at you instead. And he takes so... so many hits. But it's fun... provided you can put up with the battle of attrition. And it's certainly climactic enough for the end of the Special World, to boot.
Not gonna lie, the Evil Guy's final form just being a goofy kickable fish is pretty funny. Anyway, Ballser congratulates you for beating the Special World, and you depart in peace. That is, finally, the end of Something Else.
Honestly? Best boss in the game, bar none. It's frantic, but once you figure out how to kite around the hands and properly damage phase 2... it's so much fun. A perfect note for the game to go out on.
BONUS
Don't worry, this isn't another level, it's just a goofy little joke level. There's a music room and everything. It's a nice little reward. Plus, Yogui gives me a password to use in a future hack... and, well, he did make one, Truc Bidule. Hopefully that password sees some use there. There's one LAST thing to bring up though...
THE EASTER EGG
In the stage Darkave, there's a pipe at the start that can only be accessed with the Athletic Peach. Enter it for the weirdest, most inexplicable thing in the entire hack.
Go through it, and you end up in the test room from the original SMW, with the only exit being an invisible pipe built into a pit...
Then this room, where angry apples fly in while you glitch yourself out on the ramps, while the music' just one discordant note over and over that sounds like a steel drum hit in water.
Which you have to go through twice, and only one of the doors lets you leave.
And then this room, where a 3-up room is just out of reach, it overlaps with another one at the end, but just when you're about to collect it...
You finally get plunked back at the start, with your time limit reset like nothing happened.
This has no bearing on the rest of the level or the game, but I thought it was really funny and felt like I needed to mention it.
FINAL THOUGHTS
PHEW. WOW, that was a lot of game, wasn't it? Damn. This hack was Something Else. (LAUGHS)
Even though I had to use a LOT- a lot- of savestates towards the end, it never felt like the levels were jank or asking too much- unlike Something's endgame, where a lot of it was just pure pain. The later levels are on a bit of the difficult side, but never send you screaming into Kaizo territory.
Basically, Something felt like a grab bag of ideas, and a fair few of them didn't work very well, despite the gems hidden in there.
Something Else, exceeds it on every front. It's more difficult, it's more polished, the visuals are for the most part to die for, it's got more custom ASM in it that's (mostly) jank-free. This hack just feels like a GAME, a proper whole, rather than a collection of discrete ideas.
Phenomenal work. Even if the back half was a bit too difficult for me- mostly because of the sheer length of the levels- that's a me problem. Other players might buy what Yogui's selling and get engrossed in his craft.
For sheer originality and consistency in design, this is one of the best hacks I've ever played. Just, if you play it- keep in mind the caveat of the long endgame stage. If you don't have the patience for long stages, have the savestate button on standby.
FAVORITE LEVELS (Yeah, there's a lot of them here, but there's a LOT of levels I liked in this hack. The fact that the bosses aren't on here is more a problem of them being so short and not having a level attached than them being bad.)
KABU KATAKOMB
A TRIP IN A TREE
WALLJUMP EXTREM DX
HARU MORI
YUREI NO JINJA
YOSU NO TERA 2
KILL BANZAI BILL
RUNNING CAVE
MINE CARTASTROPHE
CAT BEACH
DDDARK CASTLE
FLOWER TOWER
MAXIMUM ATHLETIC 2
SPIKITU CASTLE 2
THE LAST CASTLE
SWITCH ROOM
THE SPACE HIDEOUT
ABOVE THE WORLD
SNOW FURRY TEMPLE
THIS IS SOMETHING
ELSE CASTLE 1
BOSS- SOMEONE
GAME LINK: https://www.smwcentral.net/?p=section&a=details&id=6304
Shoutouts to raocow for like, four freaking screenshots that i forgot to take when playing in the last few levels. I was getting pretty exhausted by then.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gp_AMXBmgf4&list=PLB9IUOsLqF2RNE4_COTgpFQSWVYIHY-df&index=19
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