 |
|
 |
|
| Details for A Strange Mission |
| Hack Name: | A Strange Mission  - 222.4 KB - 9322 downloads.
Added: 2009-12-23 07:42:11 PM |
| Rating: | 8.0 (88) |
| Reviews: | 31 (jump to reviews) |
| Length: | 8 exits |
| Author: | WhiteYoshiEgg - Submitted by: WhiteYoshiEgg |
| Description: | (Note: Some people say this hack's overrated, and I agree with that. It's not nearly as good as it could have been. Just wanted to make that perfectly clear, heh.)
Update (12/24/09): A few minor bugs fixed and another known bug added to the Readme.
"A Strange Mission" is a hack that I've been working on for almost a year. It's rather short (8 exits), and it doesn't contain many fancy custom GFX, let alone custom music, but there's one thing that makes it special: Every level has a unique gimmick programmed with ASM. Kind of like "Brutal Mario", just not as advanced. For example, there will be the feature to play as Yoshi, doors that teleport you by scrolling the screen, and many more.
To be honest, I'm not completely satisfied with the final product. If I hadn't promised to release it on Christmas, it could have been better and more fun to play... Maybe that's just because I played it too often and grew bored of it, though. In any case, I'm glad this hack is finally finished. |
|
| Screenshots |
| Loading... (If this doesn't disappear, chances are that you do not have javascript enabled.) |
|
| Review by AxemJinx | I walked away from A Strange Mission with the impression that it was more of a testing ground for new ideas than a feature-length project aiming to make utmost use of said ideas, so as a short game I think it plays that role quite well. Having said that, were more time and effort applied to the way level design exploits the ASM modifications, I feel this game would have become more memorable and less of a menagerie in that rather than just give players ideas about how to expertly craft levels with these ASM gimmicks, the hack's own usages of these elements would have impressed.
Most of the levels fall flat because of slow pacing and little breathing room for the player. A good example of this is a boss battle in which the player must dodge 'bad' coins falling from the top of the screen while collecting regular coins thrown down by a lakitu flying overhead. The bad coins trickle down with all the speed of an almost-stationary drop of water on the side window of a car on a rainy day, and in addition the gaps between them are plainly not wide enough for Mario to fit through, so overall I would imagine this section is frustrating for most players because the aforementioned problems evoke a sense of having little control over or interaction with the game. Other sections task Mario with navigating an explosive mine through the level without letting it touch any objects, but because the mine is positioned so closely to Mario and mirrors the way Mario moves, the level quickly devolves into a seemingly perpetual series of close calls that must be trodden with care.
One secret level, through the power of ASM, allows Mario to use the FLUDD device from Super Mario Sunshine to hover through the air using water. Though this is one of the standout sections in the game, the FLUDD is curiously assigned to the up button, the very button needed to jump out of any body of water. This means that as soon as the player recharges the FLUDD by jumping in a little pool of water, he/she will be immediately forced to deplete it slightly in order to exit the pool. While it's true that the level never demands the use of every last drop of water, it's strange to force players to exit pools of water in a particular way, especially if players want to conserve their water until a little later on in the level.
I'd say the idea with the most potential was limiting the number of jumps Mario can use, but the lack of anything to recharge the "jump meter" limits the ways in which it can be utilized. Still, the first of two levels to exploit this concept is one of the best in the game for the simple reason that bouncing on an enemy does not count as a jump. Moving platforms and various enemies give the player plenty of options for how to utilize the limited number of jumps to reach the exit. On the other hand, the second of these levels limits the player to a mere three jumps, which will naturally make most players proceed more conservatively than they would want to, waiting oh-so-patiently for that next set of platforms to dip low enough to run across, just like the previous set.
Surprisingly, my favorite part of the hack arrived at the end, in which the player must traverse the same area in reverse but with added obstacles and heightened tension. The area is familiar, but the return path is slightly different thanks to the difference in platforms' heights, and though speed is imperative it was easy to find myself thinking just a little too long about how to tackle a particular jump in reverse.
Overall, I think this hack needed extra time to lend more variety to the ASM modifications and better exploit them in terms of level design. The hack is somewhat eye-opening as far as the power of ASM goes, but I'm constantly reminded by the fact that it could be so much more than it is, at least in terms of truly engaging the player with its ideas. Also, the hack seems to have too small a focus on spritework; many levels are virtually devoid of enemies, use only the most common ones, or have none at all. Personally I don't think ASM should be a replacement for enemies/sprites- I think the two should compliment each other. So, in the end, I think I'm going to give this hack a 6/10, but with hope that we'll see more ambitious work from the hack author in the future (Disclaimer: I don't know whether this has already happened). | | Posted by: AxemJinx - 2010-08-28 12:24:58 PM |
|
| Review by KaizoFC64 | Okay, let's make a review.
Overworld: 9.9/10
This was great. It wasn't square-ish and it just was... awesome. It actually looks realistic for SMW graphics.
ASM: 12/10
The ASM was so awesome (new ASM each level?!), it went over my rating scale.
Levels: 10/10
Every level having a different ASM gimmick? Crazy talk. Well, the ASM in each level made them each unique.
Graphics: 9/10
Original graphics look "worse" now that we have custom graphics. I think original is good, and the HDMA and other touch-ups made the GFX greater, but not perfect.
Overall: 10/10
Wow, this is fun. A few minor nicks, but nothing terrible. Awesome job, WYE! | | Posted by: KaizoFC64 - 2010-08-21 11:49:10 PM |
|
| Review by .Henix. | Time for me to chip in.
Overworld: Decent, but it'd be nicer if you used multiple submaps and maybe the main OW. 7/10
Level Design: Pretty nice, although the second Yoshi part (Castle) is a LEETLE bit frustrating, and so is the 3 jump limit. Other than that, pretty good. 9/10
Bosses: Oh gods. I had to replay the Toad boss 5 or so times. Bowser battle? Can't even get past it. I have to say 4/10. Lots of room for improvement.
ASM: Awesomeness ensues here. I love the ASM you use here, excluding the bosses. (See above for why I exclude the bosses) I especially like the Yoshi parts, minus the one in the castle. The "limited jump" levels are cute, although THREE jumps is a very small number here. 9/10
Graphics: One thing that DEFINITELY stand out is the HDMA gradient in the castle. THAT is awesome. The custom coins are cool too, except for the RAINING COINS OF DEATH in the Toad boss. XD 10/10
Difficulty: Not sure what to give this one. It's easy in some parts, but hard in others. It's like a tiny part Kaizo though. (The thing that's keeping me from getting through the Bowser battle is the spikes on the ceiling that you have to jump under. They're just a TOUCH too low.) 7.5/10
Gameplay (General): In general, this hack is very nice, but it has somewhat low replay value. The screen-scrolling doors are annoying in some parts, specifically when you can't tell where they're gonna go. 8/10
Overall: 54.5/60
Definitely a decent hack, but it needs a little work. | | Posted by: .Henix. - 2010-08-18 07:41:54 PM |
|
| Review by Zero-X | | This hack was not so bad. However, like S.N.N., and some others said, the great asm didn't give me the Wow! effect. For example, in the forest of doors, you go in a door, and it takes you to another. While this is impressive asm, it doesn't seem to impress one. Other then this, the hack is pretty good. | | Posted by: Zero-X - 2010-07-26 05:24:02 AM |
|
| Review by aj6666 | This isn0t the best hack I've played, but it wasn't bad either.
The level design was good and the ASM made every level diferent from the other ones. Also, the last levels where way more chalenging than the first ones, so you had a good dificulty curve. The level with yoshi was a bit unfair thought, because sometimes the enemies hurt you even if they didn't touch you.
The only thing this hack needs is a few more levels and bosses, to make it more enjoyable.
I normaly don't give a rating higher than 5/10 to the short hacks, but I'll rate this one 6/10 because it was realy nice. | | Posted by: aj6666 - 2010-06-13 07:43:47 PM |
|
| Review by P switch Masta | Domiok Edit: (Next time, it would be nice if you could put more information under each category. It is much appreciated that you did post a review, but it could use some more meat. Thanks.)
Very unique. I loved the parts where you play as Yoshi. The Bowser fight was also very unique. Here is my rating:
Overworld: 5/5
Levels: 5/5
Graphics:5/5
ROMhack:15/5
It was the best ROMhack I've ever played. | | Posted by: P switch Masta - 2010-06-10 02:21:34 PM |
|
| Review by imamelia | All right, first hack review! First time to try out my rating system. So, without further ado, here we go.
Level design: 9/12
It was quite good for the most part, although there seemed to be one or two levels that I think could have been executed better in some parts. The bomb stage and the Toad boss battle were examples.
Overworld: 9/10
The overworld was quite nice here, I thought. Not much to say, but...I liked it.
ASM: 7.5/10
I know you wanted a hack full of ASM gimmicks, but...I don't know. They were interesting enough, they just didn't seem to have that "wow" factor. Nevertheless, they served their purpose, and they worked for what they were designed for, so that's good.
Graphics: 7/10
You did use the original SMW graphics, but you didn't use them in a boring manner. While not *spectacular*, the things you did with the Map16 and whatnot were all right.
Music: 5/10
Meh...I don't *hate* original SMW music, but I don't love it either. Since you were willing to sacrifice the vanilla-ness of the hack for things like HDMA and the VWF cutscene tool, I would have liked to hear some custom music in here.
Story/plot: 4.5/8
Pretty plain, but at least it didn't involve the Princess getting kidnapped. A bit more story might have been nice, although the bit with Toad added to it a little.
Fun: 11/14
This was a decently fun hack, I'd say. There were a few parts that really got annoying, namely the bomb level(s), but I enjoyed playing it for the most part.
Difficulty: 8/10
I really liked the fact that this hack wasn't too difficult. It didn't feel unfair or badly-designed in that respect. However, there were those occasional "argh" moments that kept this from being higher than an 8, including (guess) the underwater bomb section. I actually didn't find the second bomb area as difficult as the first, though. But really, I hardly ever felt strained by the difficulty.
General creativity: 7/9
I'm honestly not sure what to say here. You had some interesting ideas, anyway.
Replay value: 3/7
Unfortunately, there really wasn't much replay value here. The hack was short, and the only secrets there were to find were the two secret exits.
Brownie points: +1
I can't really think of anything here, except that I think you deserve a point for some of the ideas and gimmicks you came up with.
Total: 72/100
So, 7/10. While this wasn't my favorite hack out there, it certainly wasn't bad either. One thing that really stood out was the fact that it actually wasn't too difficult like a lot of hacks are. The ASM was okay, but strangely enough, I didn't really focus on that much. Your level design...it may not have been full of Map16 art like Tails_155's or alternate passages like Jacob's, but you know what? It worked. There's nothing wrong with simplicity. I had fun playing, and I hope to see more from you, WhiteYoshiEgg. | Posted by:  imamelia - 2010-05-31 11:35:37 AM |
|
| Review by Teff007 | A Strange Mission, a quite unique name and it`s also funny to see how ASM is the name shortened, OK, let`s get started:
Level Design: 8/10
The Level Design is pretty good, and the ASM gimmicks make them even better, however, I fell them kinda short and easy.
Palettes:10/10
Incredible work with the palettes, especially with the last level palettes
ExGFX:5/10
Aside from the coins and some other (like the toad boss), there was no great ExGFX.
Music: N/A
No new music, this won`t affect your score
ASM: 9/10
As you said, each level is unique thanks to the ASM gimmicks, especially the playground
Plot: 7/10
Could use some work, but it`s ok considering the lenght of the hack
OW: 9/10
I liked the OW, but it`s to bad that it`s only one submap(if you don`t count the Home map one)
Difficult Curve: 4/10
Mmm...Pretty easy if you ask me
Extras & Replay Value: 9/10
This hack is perfect i you want some fun in a few minutes, also, it has a high replay value, but the thrill won`t last forever
Fun Factor: 10/10
Higly recommended if you are looking for something that you like from the beginning.
Overall Score:75/90
A pretty good hack, but it`s length and easy levels hit it pretty bad, but I recommend it personally, it`s good, very good.
Rank: A | | Posted by: Teff007 - 2010-05-29 12:38:12 PM |
|
| Review by Houndmastaj | This is probably the greatest hack I have ever played!
The levels look great, there is a nice blend of difficulty, there is no glitches (that I have seen) and the OW looks great too.
Especially enjoyed the boss fight in the first yellow switch palace.
Now to break it down.
Overworld 10, looked VERY nice
Level Design, 10, like I said above, there was a nice blend of difficulty
Graphics, 9, Looked very nice
Overall...if I could I would give it 11/10, but since the rating goes up to 10, definetly 10/10!
It was a VERY fun rom! | | Posted by: Houndmastaj - 2010-05-09 06:15:31 PM |
|
| Review by Halol | Domiok Edit: (Just as a rule of thumb, most considered typing in all capital letters to be considered the equivalent to screaming; thus, I'd recommend typing any further reviews without there being unnecessary caps. Thank you.)
THIS GAME IS GREAT,YOU CAN PLAY AS YO? HOLY CRAP,BUT THE ONLY PROBLEM
IS THE LAST LEVEL IT IS A BIT HARD FOR ME.
Level Design:BUT MOST OF YOU LEVELS ARE REALLY GOOD!9/10
Over-world: I AM HAPPY YOU AT LEAST CHANGED IT,THE OVER-WORLD WAS FANTASTIC!! 9/9
Graphics: NOT MUCH DIFFERENCE!! 6/10
OVERALL: IT WAS A GREAT GAME OVERALL I GIVE THIS HACK A 10/10
THIS HACK WAS VERY FUNNY I HOPE TO SEE A Strange Mission 2. | | Posted by: Halol - 2010-04-02 02:34:03 AM |
|
| Review by Dinomar | Review: A strange mission
Author: WhiteYoshiEgg (he hates black people, otherwise it would be NiggaYoshiEgg *shot*
What's the matter with this hack? the only good innovation is ASM and stuff related. Starting from Level design and plot: level design is acutally good but
sometimes it was quite difficult (it's the kind of level design i don't like so much), but not exactely. It have never been unfair at all. This is good. About
the plot, i'd say it's the usual one, and it is good, but there are some part that just clash (like the Bonus world), which there are some elements that could
make Nintendo die via laughing (playground). And the FAQ was a bit too much SMWC related, but it was never like some stupid SMWC references (like easter eggs
that say "OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMN..." The graphics are simple and use orignal SMW graphics, so i don't have much to say. But some HDMA are really well done (like
in credits). The heavy point of this hack is ASM, it was really impressive, but the FLUDD was a bit difficult to control. Great work! The overworld looks normal
but good choice of palettes. Beta testing was great! I believe beta testing the bomb level was a pain in the ass! Congratulations, finally i see something of decent!
Level design and plot: Good concepts, Yoshi as playable characters, a bomb trouble level (it was a bit boring at my eyes), and the rest was acutally great!
But i dislike some stuff, like Playground, that was a bit... -_-
18/20
Graphics: Some graphics are quite enjoyable, and palettes are somewhat of awesome, but Title screen graphics is a bit cheesy. Good Ending parts 
14/20
ASM: Great, i see something of awesome of it! those ASM stuff are acutally well organized, it never made the player getting confused. Good luck with ASM later
(WYE has more time than me and the school makes me throw away every wish  -)
18/20
Overworld: Great one this too: palettes are somewhat of awesome here too and some concept are acutally great.
16/20
Beta testing: This was great too, some stuff were acutally difficult to test, in my opinion and i'd congratulate with beta tester (i guess they were over 9000,
as seen in credis)
20/20
Overall: This hack was enjoyable and few thing make the hack bad (why "Mario Starts" and Yoshy play the level??????) but those are minor problem. great, i liked it,
but i don't like it's overrated (WYE noticed that too and his warning acutally made me lol).
86/100 =
-----9/10----- | | Posted by: Dinomar - 2010-03-14 10:37:22 AM |
|
| Review by pikfreak12 | ASM: 10/10
This had a great variety of ASM ( Player as Yoshi, Limited jumps, etc.). Had a lot of HDMA, which is always a big bonus.
Overworld: 8/10
The hack was a little too short, but the overworld was perfect for the setting and matched the scenery perfectly.
Level-Design 9/10
The levels are very fun, always had me avoiding and jumping over various objects and enemies. Difficulty could have have been lower though.
Graphics: 7/10
I enjoyed the little custom graphics here and there, but you counld have put more effort in adding ExGfx. Use of Vanilla graphics is Ok but would have been much more enjoyable with custom.
Gameplay: 8/10
Gameplay was fun, but the difficilty curve is a little steep, especially with the bombs in the swimming level. Otherwise very standard level progression, which every good hack has or should have.
Overall: 8/10
This is one of the better hacks on SMW Central. | | Posted by: pikfreak12 - 2010-03-07 06:59:08 PM |
|
| Review by Chikane | I've played this hack a few days ago, and to be quite honest, on one side, I enjoyed it really a lot, but on the other side, it was too short in my oppinion.
I liked the way how you made use of a lot of clever gimmicks, I liked the Underwater level and the FLUDD thing the most.
However, I didn't really like the switchpalace, I mean, the toad boss is a clever idea, but because of the weird hitboxes of the coins and the little space you give the player, it's really difficult.
I liked the basic idea, of every-level-has-a-gimmick, but in my oppinion, it was too short, because it felt like just a demo and not like an entire hack.
Appart from that everything is executed really nicely, the Overworld looks nice, the levels were fun, the graphics and details were good.
All-in-all a good hack, with a briliant twist to it.
I give it a solid 8 out of 10. | | Posted by: Chikane - 2010-02-21 02:41:13 PM |
|
| Review by Glitch.Mr | Level design: 4/10
SURPRISE! Others say that's is good... Why? Because difficulty curve is so insane, so from Toad Battle I started to think it's VERY VERY HARD. I used "a lot" of rewinds. But real Mt Everest Mariana Trench is Explosive Pond, especially after Midway Point. I'm not insane player. And also, which is strange... Bowser's Castle was a lot easier...
Graphics: -
I will not rate. Yes, it has some graphics, mainly new graphics for some objects like FLUDD, Dragon Coins, letters, but it's fell SMW.
(also I have small note, Toad Boss doesn't have background, maybe upload it on layer 3)
Music: -
Really, you have no custom music. Also underwater song doesn't sound good for cutscenes, but at least than others musics...
ASM (long - A Strange Mission): 9/10
The only bad thing is Bowser Battle, it's completely not climatic. But rest is so awesome... so I cannot say anything bad.
Overworld: 9/10
It's have few cut-offs, but you have to look with magnifier to notice them. After all OW is not as important as levels (if OW works, of course!)
Rate: 5/10
No, seriously! I think that's should have custom music, and be more fair (!). I won't know why people overrate that...
EDIT: I forgot! If you touch Bowser start check line on wrong Y-position Mario can have forced hit.
EDIT2: I forgot to rate. After rating hack felt from Top5 list. WOW! | | Posted by: Glitch.Mr - 2010-02-20 08:35:10 AM |
|
| Review by Quick Quack | Levels: 10/10
The fun never ends, the playabilty its really good here!
Overworld: 8/10
Very small, but fits with the levels place.
Graphics and Palletes: 9/10
Combined backgrounds, Sloped Bonus foreground, great! forest with red background? Sorry, this is not good.
ASM: Mah boi (kidding phrase), this is AWESOME! 10/10!
Overall: 9/10
Try with more easy levels, otherwise, this hack can be a bit frustrating | | Posted by: Quick Quack - 2010-02-16 12:16:05 PM |
|
| Review by Quaker quail | Awesome work! ASM everywere!
Review:
Level Design: 9/10 - Great! every level has a unique idea, that makes the game very funny.
OW: 9/10 - A bit simple, isn't much impresive
Graphics: 10/10 - All the levels has good graphics, specially the combined backgrounds, I like it!
Palletes: 9/10 - This includes HDMA, very, very good! Except for one thing, the level "Forest of Doors" has a red background, that don't fit.
Difficulty: 7/10 - The two last levels are very hard for me, but I only continued playing because the interesting ASM.
ASM: 10/10 - AWESOME! HDMA, Yoshi playable, bombs, coins, all new!!
Overall: 9.5/10 - The dificult ruined the highscore, but its funny even when is hard. | | Posted by: Quaker quail - 2010-02-16 11:08:23 AM |
|
| Review by dragon | Very very very good work ;-)
ASM: 10/10
I really like the boss battle
and the feature with Yoshi as the player
Overworld: 9/10
I think the hack was a bit too short
Level-Design 10/10
The levels have made a lot of fun and were not boring
Graphics: 8/10
I mean the graphics reminded hack to a Vanilla
a little more ExGraphics could have been in there
Gameplay: 8/10
Makes a lot of fun
But some matters are simply not my style
I'm sorry
Overall: 9/10
I think this is the best hack on SMWcentral | | Posted by: dragon - 2010-02-05 03:27:18 PM |
|
| Review by Pseudo-dino | I'm going to write this review level by level. The main levels can earn up to five points, and the sub-areas can each earn two.
Main area (the strange new world)
Overworld: A nice area with varying themes. In the north is a plateau, to the southeast is a forest, and to the southwest are grassy hills. It's not square at all. 5/5
Where's Mario?: You play as Yoshi in this one. This was a fun challenge, but it seemed too difficult for a first level. Also, some of the walls ended at the top of the screen. Usually this means you can go off the top of the screen. But you couldn't. I liked how you rescued Mario at the end. 4/5
Well-grounded: A very interesting level. You can only jump a limited number of times. You'll want to save your jumps, because there are some places where a jump is required. It seemed too short to me, though. I like how you used the gimmick a lot though, with all the lifts. 4.5/5
Forest of Doors: This level has doors that teleport you. Like others said, the gimmick didn't seem as good as the others. But great level design made up for that, some of the best in the game. Getting its very well-hidden key exit (which exploits the fact that you can't take items through the doors) leads you to BONUS. 3.5 (but closer to 4)/5
Colorful Coin Palace: There are three new coins in this level: coins worth two, key coins, and negative coins. You have to get seventy-five coins to fight an epic boss, Toad! The battle was funny, with the falling coins. It doesn't make sense why getting the coins hurts him, though. There is also a rather well-hidden secret exit. 4.5/5
Toad's House: A simple hidden level where Toad tells you about the hidden exit in the Forest of Doors. The only level without any gimmick. It's kind of meh, because it's an obvious edit of 104, but it serves its purpose. 1.5/2
Exploding Pond: There are bombs that kill you if they touch any object. It was really hard. I think you used the gimmick really well, but for me (and I'm kinda a noob player) I had to use 'lotsa states.I eventually completed it though. When I got to the second part, I literally said out loud, "Oh, come on." 3.5/5
Bowser's Castle: Five levels in one, so I'll review them separately.
Castle Yoshi: A sidescrolling castle version of Where's Mario?. It seemed weird when I saw the monty moles pop out of the rock. It also seemed like you overused the Wing Yoshi power-up. However, I still like the gimmick. 1/2
Castle Grounded: A castle version of Well-grounded. This one doesn't scroll. There are layer 2 blocks in many parts that you must use to get higher or lower. The part with the layer 2 block and Thwomps is nearly impossible to pass without jumping (and you only get 3). I could still complete it, though. 1/2
Castle Doors: More teleporting doors. I think you used them better here than in the forest. You didn't hide the Yoshi coin at all like in the others though. My favorite part was when you had to carry the spring to get up to that high block. 1.5 (though closer to 1)/2
Castle Exploding: Arguably the most linear of the revisits. More bombs. You have to run right under Thwimps and Paratroopas because if you jump, the bomb explodes. There are also belts to make it more interesting. I found this too similar to the well-grounded areas, though. 0.5/2
Vs. Bowser: The king's worst idea yet. Bowser chases you through a room as bullet bills appear randomly. There are also thwomps, maces, and a couple podoboos, which makes it quite harder. Still, this wasn't really a fight because you can't damage him. i think this could've been a lot harder. 0.5/2
Mush Island
Overworld: When you complete Bowser's Castle, a star takes you here. It's a mushroom-shaped piece of land with peninsulas near it. There are hills, flowers, and houses. It looks really polished. 5/5
Back home: The only level on Mush Island. It's an edit of 104 (meh again) but when you go offscreen, the credits, which are the gimmick here, play. It first shows the title logo of the hack, then the credits, which I'm too impatient to watch. If you press X, the level ends. 1.5/2
BONUS
Overworld: An area reached from the forest of doors. There is a brown area with hills, and a void that spells "BONUS" in stars. Since this is a special world, it seems like the land area was unneeded. 4/5
Playground: WYE explains at the beginning that you can generate objects with select. You can switch the object type with L and R. I like how there is a 1up hidden in each area that you can only reach by using objects. An epic idea, WYE. 5/5
FLUDD is back!: You can use FLUDD from SMS here. Only the hover ability is included. It still requite water to operate. Luckily, there's lots of that here. It is actually pretty difficult, but it was still a cool idea. 4/5
F. A. Q.: A little question and answer thingy hosted by WYE. There are three or so questions that he answers. Fun. 2/2
OVERALL
56/62
An awesome hack WYE. I can't wait for Pokey's Adventure. Keep up the great work. | | Posted by: Pseudo-dino - 2010-01-03 12:42:17 PM |
|
| Review by Jacob | A Strange Mission is quite the unique hack. If anything, it seems like an ASM goodie bag. Each level provides a new gimmick (ugh, I hate using this word, but it’s the only one I think fits) which provides interesting twists unique to each level. I can say all but one of these gimmicks is a load of fun. I will delve into that now…
Level Design/ASM: 8/10: I’m combining this into one category as the focus of each level is some type of ASM trick. Every level provides a fresh new experience and challenge. You’re not just jumping from one platform to another in every level (in fact, one level limits you in doing just that!). Whether you play as Yoshi, collect “good” coins while avoiding “bad” coins, or delicately guide sensitive bombs through tight areas, you are sure to be challenged in a new, crazy, but fair manner in each and every level. The difficulty level is just right: no challenge is exceedingly hard.
Out of all the interesting ASM treats, there was a snag in just one of them. The moving doors simply seemed like an unnecessary gimmick, and didn’t really contribute anything to the quality of the level design as other concepts did. In this level, it just seemed like a gimmick completely rather than something to enhance the fun factor. Regardless, all other levels provided a fun experience, so this criteria earns a high score.
Graphics: 9/10: Despite being essentially “vanilla” graphics, I’m giving this category a generous score as well. The default SMW graphics, along with minor tweaks and a smart choice of palettes and tileset combinations made the levels a pleasure to scale.
Overworld: 10/10: The overworld submaps are designed beautifully and perfect accompany the levels that are contained within them.
Lasting Appeal: 6/10: The hack provides for a terrific hour or two of ASM madness and clever level design. However, an hour or two is unfortunately all you can get out of it. I feel this hack had A LOT more potential to continue on further than just one world. Even an extra two or three worlds would have rounded out the length of such a hack. However, the current hack is loaded with a few secrets here and there to keep the player occupied just a little bit longer after the main fun is done.
Final Score: 8/10. Nice work!
| | Posted by: Jacob - 2009-12-30 03:45:35 PM |
|
| Review by Daegon | I tought theat was a Demo, but isn't, well, let's start
ASM 09/10
I love to play only with yoshi without mario, is awesome, and the jump stuff, was nive
Blocks 05/10
Nice, only the custom coins i've see
Overworld 08/10
I love the Overworld, without any bug, nothing, perfect, congratulations
Level design 10/10
The best i've see until today, i love
Overall 10/10
This was a very good hack, congratulations, is going to my list of best hacks, really good work WYE, hope the next be better! | | Posted by: Daegon - 2009-12-29 03:04:59 PM |
|
| Review by GoldenSonic15 | Overworld-9/10 Nothing to really say here, except for the fact that only somebody who presses up in random places for no good reason would find the secret exit to Forest of Doors...
Level Design-8/10 The level design, even though it's better then Brutal Mario, was nothing really special
Custom Music-N/A I wanted custom music. And using the ocean/boss music in the cutscenes is just... Wrong.
Graphics-9/10 Nice use of the original graphics, and I ike the HDMA! (Brutal Mario used custom graphics, but blargh)
ASM-6/10 Other then the FLUDD level, it's not really that great. And the playground level is unique, but disabling most of the values frustrated me, even though you said they broke the game. Also, the Toad boss is frustrating, and the final boss was anticlimatic. And just making Bowser admit he's getting stupid doesn't even make it up for me! And the screen scrolling doors are just a repeat of the screen scrolling pipes, except that they're doors. And the bomb/limited jumping levels were more frustrating then fun. Especially the castle's limited jumpinglevel, you could only jump two times in the whole area to get through it and have the necessary jump at the end! (I actually managed to not jump until the end there, but still)
Overall-7/10 Nothing was BAD, really, but the only really enjoyable level was the FLUDD level. I'd prefer to play Brutal Mario to this. | | Posted by: GoldenSonic15 - 2009-12-28 11:14:19 AM |
|
| Review by S.N.N. | I wasn't really sure what I was walking into when I tried out this hack. I had heard a lot of rave things about it though, so I decided to give it a shot for myself. This will only be the second review I have ever written (surprisingly), but I figure I may as well.
At first, I was unsure what the goal of this hack was. I was kind of wondering what was up with the weird gimmicks and lack of anything really "unique" in terms of GFX and music. It struck me around the fourth level that the title "A Strange Mission" actually shortened to "A.S.M." (yes, it took me that long to figure it out). At that point, I decided to be a bit more lenient on the hack - or at least, I attempted to be.
You clearly have a fair amount of skill in the ASM field, as proven by your gimmicks. However, it takes more than just these gimmicks to make the hack truly fun and enjoyable. How you implement them, and how creatively you decide to use them can really affect the level of fun that the hack gives off. I felt that some of your gimmicks were used quite superbly - the jump counter, the coin collecting in the palace, and the Yoshi levels. You really thought these levels through, and managed to make each one more than just a gimmick. On the other hand, I believe you really fell flat on a few fronts. The Forest of Doors immediately comes to mind here. It was certainly an interesting concept, but I didn't really get any creative vibes from it. Really, all you do is teleport from one area to another a short distance away. I really feel you could have expanded more on this if you were given more time - for instance, color-coded doors, or doors which are controlled by a switch.
I am going to also add that there were two parts in particular which really frustrated me - the Toad boss, and the bomb portions. I thought the boss itself was very cleverly designed, and as soon as I noticed how it would play out, I thought to myself "oh wow - this is going to be an awesome battle." It really felt more chaotic and broken than anything though, especially attempting to run through one-block wide spaces trying to avoid the bad coins (which you'd almost always hit anyway). I don't exactly blame you for this, but I truly do think your placement could have been slightly better. The level after this - "Exploding Pond" - also contained an interesting, yet frustrating gimmick. I wouldn't really say it was as much of a problem in this level as it was in Bowser's Castle, especially considering how unpredictable the jumping Koopas are. There was a specific part where it felt like you had to be pixel perfect to pass, and if you're attempting to do it without jumping, good luck.
On a more positive note, I'm very impressed with what you were able to accomplish here. The use of HDMA with the original FGs/BGs, as well as your "mixing" of BGs made this hack look very visually pleasing. I also thought your overworld was quite nice, as well. I don't exactly have much to say on this though - there really wasn't anything wrong with any graphics-related areas, minus the strange flickering that would happen now and then (after goals, couple points in Bowser's Castle .. HDMA side effect, I assume).
Comparing this to Brutal Mario is silly, and I fail to see why people are doing that here. This hack is unique such that it manages to mix decent ASM gimmicks with decent level design, while still being an appealing piece of work to the player. I do feel that some of the gimmicks need some touching up, as I stated above, but other than that, it was a fun little hack to play through.
8/10 | | Posted by: S.N.N. - 2009-12-26 12:49:51 AM |
|
| Review by JeRRy86 | this was fun. some downsides, but very fun and non-repetitive
OW: 9/10
the red dot without secret exit(AFAIK),had me search a bit, and only found a secret moon. so i guess you should make it yellow(or you lied about the number of exits...) but for the rest it was fantastic and very eye-pleasing to me.
Levels: 9/10
Some minor bad things. some stuff(like toad battle) wasn't cool. it was a bit boring and all. and you can re-enter the red switch palace and almost certainly you can go to the non-existing switch.
Palettes: 9/10
Man, this wasn't hurting my eyes. only the switch palace(yep, again) was a bit too strong colors. but when you won of toad, it was good.
ASM: 10/10
Great ASM stuff. i especially liked 'maximum jumps' and 'bomb in water'. and being yoshi was great too. it was a nice idea to make a invisible mario sprite when he is on yoshi and disable him spin-jumping off.
Overall: 37/40
Great job on this hack. this really deserved to be featured. Only fix that stuff on Red Switch Palace | | Posted by: JeRRy86 - 2009-12-25 02:37:20 PM |
|
| Review by RPG Hacker | I agree with Snowshiro in almost any point. Not bad, but overrated. It's like between the words "gimmick" and "ASM" people ignore the downsides of the hack like the really boring coin level and toad battle. Also good level design doesn't make a fun hack. Good gameplay makes a fun hack. That's why you can't compare this hack to Brutal Mario. Also in the ends the gimmicks didn't enhance gameplay much. I mean: Where's the major difference between having one or four types of coins? Where's the major difference between playing Yoshi with or without Mario? Where's the major difference between having screen scrolling doors or screen scrolling pipes? Takes those "gimmicks" out and you have an under average SMW Hack.
The level editor and the Fludd level however were fun and creative. The level editor, however, could have been enhanced by just limiting the number of blocks and making a puzzle level for it.
Overall what I missed in this hack is simply "Mario" and because of that I rate this hack a 7/10, but it goes more in the direction of a 6.5/10. | | Posted by: RPG Hacker - 2009-12-25 07:38:28 AM |
|
| Review by BobbyBombmaster | I think this is the best hack ever. The bombs level is just chalenging enough, even for noobs like me. The Bowser Battle is not too easy or too hard. All in this hack is perfect for me.
Things you could do tough: A message box that say that Yoshi was sent to save Mario in level 1.
For the Toad battle, i saw no way of dying. Maybe make Lakitu throw
a coin, a spiny, a flower, a coin, a spiny,a flower a coin, a spiny, a flower... The flower would be to kill the spinies. If there is a way to die, put it faster or more difficult.
I give a 98% to this hack! | | Posted by: BobbyBombmaster - 2009-12-24 12:56:13 PM |
|
| Review by Neutron | I'm stunned. Brutal Mario's ASM, but with a funny level design..
Overworld: 10/10: not too much to say.
Level Desing: 10/10: Much better than Brutal Mario's. ASM's level design is quite funny, but rather hard.
Graphics: 9/10: HDMA is cool. But i wanted ExGFX :<
ASM: 10/10: Not as much as Brutal Mario, but makes the levels funny enough.
Overall: 9.5/10: Even without graphics, the hack is nice overall. Loved the Toad battle, and the no jumps level.
i'll submit the videos to Youtube soon. | | Posted by: Neutron - 2009-12-24 12:04:39 PM |
|
| Review by masterchief3683 | Alright let's review this great hack.
Overworld: 10/10
Level Desing: 10/10(Although,I think the bomB level is very very hard for smw beginners)
Graphics: 8/10 nah the original graphics aren't nice but they're ok.The HDMA is really cool
Overall: 10/10
This hack is great WYE but the Bowser level is a bit strange(Bowser follow you and then he fell in the lava)but the toad battle is great.
Keep up the great work WYE and merry christmas ;-) | | Posted by: masterchief3683 - 2009-12-24 06:27:03 AM |
|
| Review by Error 52 | Guess who got the hack featured 
Overworld: 9/10 No obvious cutoff or anything. Not overdecorated or anything.
ASM: While not exactly Brutal Mario final boss, you know this (The hack was originally called Not So Brutal Mario) I found that the Bonus levels had the ASM that impressed me the most. Overall, the ASM were not poorly slapped on. Which, to be honest, some levels of Brutal Mario were poorly slapped on ASM. 10/10
Level Design: I didn't bother to read the message at the beggining of the Bomb level, and died, but that's not exactly your fault, more or less me being a idiot. This hack was really fun.
Graphics Vanilla.
Overall: 9/10 If your wondering why I gave it a 9, no hacks perfect, but I will say one thing. This came close.
NEAR PERFECT? What was I thinking...
| | Posted by: Error 52 - 2009-12-24 03:32:00 AM |
|
| Review by boredman | WYE, this was a really fun hack!
ASM: Loads! I could not get past level 2 due to the jumping challenges. 10/10
Music: SMW Music N/A
Difficulty: Just about normal, some levels are quite hard but it's fine. 9/10
Overworld: Lovely! I liked the different colours! 10/10
Originally posted by DragonIce6780Graphics: 7/10
I wasn't very fond of the original graphics, but the HDMA and other stuff made it stand out alot more.
Level Design:
I really liked the levels! All the diffrent platforms, pallets made me really want to play this hack.
Overall: 10/10
This was a really fun hack up to level 2, even one level can impress me! Keep it up WYE, your being to get very good.
| | Posted by: boredman - 2009-12-24 02:29:26 AM |
|
| Review by Sapphire | O_O Wow, I played through this entire hack in the hour it was released. How's that for a power play? To the review:
Gameplay: I'm just now realizing how cool ASM can be used in Hacks. My favorites were playing as Yoshi, the colorful coins, and (even though they were annoying) the exploding bombs. A perfect 10/10 from me.
Graphics: Any hack with those "tinted" colors always looks really cool because of its vintage look. This is especially true on the Overworld. It's a 9/10 in my book.
Overworld: Though it consists of only three screens, their palettes are once again really vibrant and seemed to blend all aspects (level-wise) of a usual Mario World Hack. Perfect 10/10.
Difficulty: I'll admit, while the jumping challenges and the exploding bombs made for some rather crazy trials, you didn't hit the Kaizo end of challenge. Nice and easy to adjust to, I give it a 9/10.
Overall:
38/40
White Yoshi Egg, this hack is a triumph! I really hope to see more of your work, especially with ASM. I might just give Pokey's Adventure a try after seeing the magic of this. ;) | | Posted by: Sapphire - 2009-12-23 09:11:45 PM |
|
| Review by DragonFire6780 | Alright let's review this thing.
This hack was very fun for just eight levels. I also like the feature in the playground where you can deelete and create objects.
Overworld: 9.9/10
The overworld was fantastic. It wasn't square-ish at all.
Level Design: 10/10
Everything was completely new, and every level had it's on ASM feature.
Graphics: 7/10
I wasn't very fond of the original graphics, but the HDMA and other stuff made it stand out alot more.
Overall: 10/10
This hack was very fun WYE. I hope to see more fun hacks from you. | | Posted by: DragonFire6780 - 2009-12-23 08:57:46 PM |
|
| Please log in to review this hack. |
|
|
 |
|
 |
The purpose of this site is not to distribute copyrighted material, but to honor one of our favourite games.
Copyright © 2005 - 2010 - SMW Central
Legal Information - Link To UsTotal queries: 52
|
|
|
|
