Super Mario Bros Forever

Super Mario Bros Forever or スーパーマリオブラザーズ エターナル (Super Mario Brothers Eternal) in japan is a 2D sidescrolling platformer released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System during March and April of 1995, and was developed and published by Nintendo. The game was praised for it's level design and for introducing the Super Nintendo Entertainment System "Multitap" technology and accessory. Which allowed for 2 player splitscreen multiplayer. The game was also the fist Mario game to introduce Wario, Waluigi, Toad, and Sonic the hedgehog as playable characters. And marked the first crossover game between Nintendo's Super Mario Bros and Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series.
== PRODUCTION ==
Super Mario Bros Forever began production shortly before the release of the SNES, and was planned to be a spiritual successor to Nintendo's previous mainline Mario title. Super Mario Bros 3, Shigeru Miyamoto the main developer of Super Mario Bros Forever shared in an issue of Nintendo Power Magazine during development that the game was planned to appear on the next generation Nintendo console as a launch title. And that it was to be the "Biggest Mario adventure yet" in Miyamoto's own words. Throughout development many ideas were tossed around, such as the idea of going back to the basics of the Mario Franchise at that point in time. Such as removing the worldmap and replacing it with level by level progression as seen in the original two Super Mario Bros games, or introducing the pilot stages from Super Mario Land into a mainline series title. These requests would often times be denied by Miyamoto, with him insisting that they continue on forward with development of the game using the new technology they had at their hands. During December of 1989 Nintendo made a deal with Magnus Interactive to help co-produce the game alongside them, with the deal lasting from 1989 to 1996, during this time. Julias Gust and Shigeru Miyamoto would discuss plans and ideas for the upcoming title, thus leading to the idea of UNLOCKABLE CHARACTERS.
During the Consumer Electronics Show of 1990, Nintendo revealed that Super Mario Bros Forever (Codename "Eternal Mario") would not be a release title for the Super Nintendo, instead choosing to release Super Mario World as the launch title of the Super Nintendo. Nintendo revealed that the game would also release throughout the months of 1995 with promises of a large adventure and world to explore. And the game finally released to critical acclaim during March and April of 1995. With critics and fans praising the game for it's unique story, fun level design, and introduction of UNLOCKABLE CHARACTERS to the Mario Franchise
== PLOT ==
The plot revolves around the Mario Bros having to save Princess Peach from a forced wedding with Bowser, It's shown through a mix of storybook cutscenes that Bowser has felt love and admiration for Princess Peach since he first laid eyes on her. And that he now wants to marry her not only out of love but to ensure he can get the mushroom kingdom as well. With him sending his koopa forces after Mario and Luigi to ensure that they can't stop him, It's revealed throughout the unlockable character's storylines that Bowser also tampered with dimensional rifts and accidently brought a newcomer into the fray when testing a new magic Kamek had learnt.
The substories delve into each characters respective reasons for going after Bowser.
== SUBSTORIES ==
=== WARIO ===
It was a normal day for the portly yellow pigsty, he had just completed yet another daring expedition and was planning to tuck in for the day and spend the rest of his time lazying around and eating garlic. Wario gleefully began talking to himself "Finally!, all the riches are mine!. Mine mine MINE!!. Wahahah!" as he began to dance around like a little girl. Though, just as he began to get to sleep. He popped on the news briefly to see if his daring adventures would be featured. But when he tuned into the Mushroom Kingdom's local news channel. He wasn't met with a look at his daring feats, but with the news that Bowser was planning to marry Peach. This angered Wario right to his very little rotten core, he got up and began stomping around his house. Shouting in an angry voice 
"No no no!, How could they skip over WARIO'S daring feats!." Wario continued stomping around until an idea came to mind. If what it took to be popular was to outplay Bowser at his best moment ... Wario's scowl turned into a wicked smile as he went to get on his outfit, he spoke to himself in an almost manic tone. "You bold man Wario!, Wahahah!. If what it takes to be famous famous is stealing from that overgrown turtle than I'll pull the hiest of the CENTURY!. Gwahahahah! I"ll be the first man to steal from the legendary KING KOOPA!!. Bwahahahahah!" And with that. Wario set out on his bike to become the first man to steal the treasures from King Koopa's vaults and live to tell the tale. 
=== WALUIGI ===
Waluigi watched as Wario left the house in a hurry. Confused but not surprised, he continued on with his daily excercises of bench-pressing two large chargin' chucks. Speaking to himself in a confused tone "I wonder why Wario left so quickly. It's not like him to leave the house ... Let alone run!, Wahahah!" Waluigi continued to mock his friends valiant escape from the house, but he had duties to attend too on his own rights. Leaving the house and making his way down to the forest of illusions for his daily suppliments of Bomb-Omb's from Bowser's minions. Upon arriving to the Forest of Illusions he wasn't greeted by the goomba that usually met him there. Waluigi continued to poke and prod throughout the meeting place, waiting for several minutes before finding a note attatched to a nearby tree. 
"I'm afraid we can no longer give you the bomb-ombs you requested. As king koopa wishes to use them for his wedding day - Signed, Goomba" Waluigi couldn't believe what he was reading, It took him a couple moments before it clicked in his head. He turned around and kicked a nearby pebble, shouting out in anger and disdain "THAT TWO TIMING TRAITOR! WE HAD A DEAL. Fine!, if he doesn't want to provide me with the supplies I need. I'll FORCEFULLY take them and shut that entire wedding down!" this singular note caused Waluigi to go after bowser, using what bomb-omb's came at him as a weapon against his forces in an attempt to rid of that stupid wedding
=== TOAD ===
Toad watched as the Mario Bros began to leave the castle to make it to the wedding before it's too late. In a dumb attempt at heroism, Toad followed them shouting to them "She's my princess too! if anyone has any right to save her just as much as you two, It would be me!" despite the very few adventures Toad had before then. He not only wanted to prove to the Mario Bros that he could be seen as a hero. But he also wanted to prove to Peach that Toads can be more than just loyal servants.
=== SONIC THE HEDGEHOG ===
It was a normal adventure for Sonic, his animal friends were once again kidnapped by the dastardly Dr, Robotnik. With Tails following suit, the two arrived to Auqatic Ruins before a large vortex opened up in front of them. Desperate to get away Sonic yelled to Tails "Tails hold onnn!!" and the two were sucked inside the vortex. Appearing on the streetsides of the Mushroom Kingdom the day of the announced wedding of Princess Peach and Bowser, Tails spoke up to Sonic in a nervous "Where the heck are we Sonic?" Sonic stared back at his little partner and looked towards a television displaying the news about the wedding. 
Sonic placed a gloved hand onto the screen and pulled away. His contemplating face twisting into a smile, he looked over to Tails and with an enthusiastic voice said "I'm not so sure little buddy. But if that large turtle guy has anything to do with it, we gotta stop him and get back to Robotnik before he destroy's south island!" Tails, now less afraid and more ready nodded. Sonic quipped in a cocky voice "And if he's anything like Robotnik than this should be nothing more than a cakewalk!" Tails giggled and nodded before two sped off into the distance. Ready to overcome any obsticle that would come into their way. No matter what
== CONTROLS ==
A - Jump, Confirm, Spindash, Instashield
B - Jump, Exit
Y - Run
X - Spinjump, Shoulder Charge
D-PAD - Move Characters
L/R - Bomb-Omb Throw
Start/Select - Enter/Select
==GAMEPLAY==
Gameplay in Super Mario Bros Forever is similar to that in Super Mario World, where players traverse through a worldmap and try to beat levels in a set order to make it to the boss and complete the world. Where it stands out though is with it's characters, Mario & Luigi (alongside the unlockables) have completely different strengths and abilites. Alongside the introduction of branching storylines for when you unlock the unlockable characters, There are 8 worlds that you can travel through with around 8 to 12 levels in each. Alongside Special Worlds that can be unlocked by touching a warp star and completing a challenge level. 
PLAYABLE CHARACTERS
File:MarioMP9.png	The beloved plumber from across the globe!, Mario is the base option for all players and comes equipped with a Ground Pound, Stomp, Triple Jump, Backflip, and more. Mario wants to save Princess Peach from the evil clutches of bowser before It's too late! 	Unlocked by default
File:Luigi SMLWU.png	Mario's beloved brother and lanky green sidekick!, Luigi almost operates the same as Mario. But takes longer to gain traction and has a higher jump than Mario. Luigi wants to prove to Mario that not only can he handle bowser himself but that he's not just a kid anymore! 	Unlocked by Default
File:Wario M&LRQ.png	The yellow-clad opposite to the heroic Mario!, Wario is the brute force of the gang and will do whatever it takes to just crash through everyone's day! He comes equipped with his Shoulder Bash move alongside a much stronger Ground Pound as well as being able to carry enemies over his head. He wants to beat up Bowser not cause he wants to save the day! but because he want's that treasure he has!	Beat the game whilst collecting over 5,000 coins through all the levels
File:Waluigi.png	Wario's best friend and partner in crime, This devilishly handsome beast is the eccentric person in the crew. Equipped with an arsenal of Bomb-Omb's to throw at enemies and a specialized Airswim move that propells him forward with top speed and accuracy. Waluigi can also swim faster than any other character! and has beef with bowser after Bowser stopped supplying him with his bomb-ombs! 	Beat the game on hard mode without losing a single life
File:Toad Artwork - Super Mario 3D World.png	The faithful servant of the mushroom kingdom!, Toad comes alongside the gang in order to save the one woman he swore to protect!. Toad doesn't have any special abilities but is second fastest (Sonic overtaking him) and has the best jump arc in the game 	Find all the hidden Toad Coins scattered throughout the special world
File:SonicTheHedgehogMania.png	The Blue Blur from another dimension!, Sonic comes from Mobius and arrives to the Mushroom Kingdom due to Bowser's bumbling plans. Sonic comes equipped with a Spindash, Peel-Out, and Insta-shield. Sonic is faster than any other character in the game but can not swim and will drown within a minute of being underwater. 	Beat the final Bowser fight within 2 minutes on hard mode
NPC'S
File:Toadsworth CosmicChaos.png	The friendly face of the Mushroom Kingdom and the princess's royal advisor, Toadsworth can be found through many of the locations in game and will provide insightful tips onto how to use your moves.
File:Donkey Kong Artwork (alt) - Mario Party 8.png	The ape from Kongo Bongo, Donkey Kong doesn't provide much assistance verbally but if you manage to beat him in a small arm-wrestling minigame you can earn a power-up from him! Isn't he just a nice fellow!
File:Yoshi - Mario Party 10.png	Mario's trusty stead and resident of Dinosaur land! if you find Yoshi he may ask for your help in getting his friends back home safely. Take up the job and complete it and he'll reward you with a yoshi coin that you can spend at the shops for upgades to your characters!
File:Captain Syrup Smash Bros.png	The dastardly pirate of the Kitchen Island!, she came to the Mushroom Kingdom in order to help you get back at Bowser. She'll usually give you advice and info about how to deal with certain tough enemy situations and may be chartiable and spare you a mushroom to use in the next level!
File:Tails Sonic Mania.png	Sonic's best friend and sidekick!, Tails got sucked through the rift when Sonic did and now is trying to find a way back home. Finding this fox and talking to him allows you to play a special mariofied version of a Sonic the hedgehog special stage! Complete the challenge and Tails will reward you with 3 yoshi coins to spend at the upgrade station!
== UPGRADE SYSTEM ==
Super Mario Bros Forever introduced a new mechanic to the game in the form of an upgrade system that could be used VIA Yoshi coins gained in levels and doing certain tasks for characters, such as beating them in an arm wrestle and more. Upgrades can be obtained by being bosses as well, those upgrades are called PERMANENT upgrades and boost a characters stats permanently throughout the entire game. Upgrades are classified into 4 catagories, offensive, defensive, support, and power. 
* Offensive - Offensive upgrades allows characters to perform a new action or upgrade a previous action to work better or be more dangerous, such as having Mario do a quadrouple jump or Wario's shoulder barge being able to charge through 5 enemies at once
* Defensive - Defensive upgrades allows characters to traverse levels and defeat bosses with more protection, such as being able to bounce off lava. Start the level with a mushroom, or even have one extra life in hand.
* Support - Support upgrades allow characters to boost their friend's moves whenever they are in a pinch, such as protecting a character from death or saving them from falling off a ledge. These upgrades are mainly used in the multiplayer mode.
* Power - Power items give characters NEW abilities that are unique to them, such as Mario gaining a Power-Jump, Sonic receiving a Shield Drop, and more. These upgrades are usually found after beating bosses.
== MULTIPLAYER ==
The multiplayer mode in Super Mario Bros Forever can be accessed by hooking up the SNES Multitap accessory to the system, in multiplayer mode up to two players can select one of the 6 characters in order to play through the game together. With the addition of split-screen multiplayer in this game, players can also go through a Battle Mode, Party Mode, and Freeplay Mode. alongside the original campaign mode. The Campaign mode differs slightly in the multiplayer version by having characters team-up together to take down Bowser's wedding. In terms of actual gameplay, characters are put into a splitscreen-esque mode where the goal is to reach the end of the level together. If a player dies in multiplayer mode they have the chance to help the living player by using the aforementioned support upgrades but by also providing assistance as a ghost player by being able to briefly stun enemies. 
=== BATTLE MODE ===
In the battle mode, players are forced to compete against one another in an attempt to clear certain conditions in order to finish the battle. Conditions consist of beating the level the fastest as a certain character, getting the most coins in a given level and more. Players can select all 6 characters but without their special abilities, as Miyamoto thought it unfair if characters had certain advantages over others. Alongside the clear conditions is a proper battle mode where players fight to the death by throwing items and using the selected characters special abilities and strengths against one another.
=== PARTY MODE ===
In party mode, players go through the entire game again but with wacky and odd scenarios. Such as a level being filled with coins, the floor being ice and more. Completing party mode levels rewards you with Yoshi Coins that you can spend throughout the shop. Allowing you to access more content by completing the party mode, If players defeat the party mode at the highest difficulty. They unlock a gold skin variation for all characters, which sadly doesn't give them new moves but gives them a shiny new pallet, alongside the worldmap being festive with party decorations and more
=== FREEPLAY MODE ===
Freeplay Mode can be unlocked after completing the game for the first time on normal mode as either Mario or Luigi, Freeplay mode allows players to play through any level in the game (including bonus levels and NPC Minigames) with special rule conditions (if applicable), the mode can also be played in the multiplayer mode. With free-roaming controls for all the levels without a time limit.
== ART & SOUNDTRACK ==
Super Mario Bros Forever's art direction differed from the previous Nintendo Mario title, with the game following an identical artistic vision similar to the Super Mario Bros Allstar's collection that released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. With more detailed backgrounds and landscapes, the soundtrack itself was designed by Miyamoto and his partner Genyo Takeda alongside the inhouse developers at Magnus Interactive. With the game featuring a bouncy and light soundtrack inspired by their previous game Super Mario World and the bouncier nature of 70's cartoons.
== RERELEASES ==
Super Mario Bros Forever would feature in various different rereleases through the years, with the earliest re-release being a console bundle for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System that appeared during the late stages of the consoles life cycle. The game would later be bundled with the Gamecube alongside Super Mario World, Super Mario Bros, Mario Bros (Arcade), and Donkey Kong as part of the "Mario's Classic" series of games that released for the gamecube during it's lifespan. The game also appeared in Japanese Hotels on specialized Super Nintendo Entertainment System console boxes that would contain the entirety of the game, playable for 1500 yen per every 30 minutes - 1 hour. The game would also appear in a limited edition international SNES console box with the pricing being around 15 dollars per 1 hour of gameplay, and would feature the main campaign mode and no unlockable characters
The game would also reappear on the Wii virtual channel and costed 2000 Wii Points (20 USD$) upon launch. Later being downgraded to 1000 Wii Points (10 USD$) during the midstages of the Wii's lifespan, Super Mario Bros Forever would appear on the Nintendo DS alongside New Super Mario Bros and Super Mario 64 DS in a bundle collection titled "Mario: Superstars Pack" which retailed for 55$ USD
The game would also appear in various Nintendo properties, specifically the Animal Crossing Series with a full playable version of the game being included in the original Animal Crossing alongside a demo release in Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wild World. Super Mario Bros Forever would later appear in the Super Smash Bros series, with a 2 minute demo of the game being playable in Super Smash Bros: Brawl's legendary classics collection.
In recent years Super Mario Bros Forever has been re-released on the Wii U Virtual Console for 15$ USD and the Nintendo 3DS Eshop for 12$ USD, alongside the game being downloaded in the Nintendo Switch Eshop. The game also appeared in the Mario 50th anniversary game collection titled "Super Mario Legends" for the Nintendo Galaxy.
Category:Mario Games
Category:Sonic (series)
Category:SNES Games
Category:Nintendo