Super Mario In: The Coming Of Shadows (C3 Exclusive Teaser Trailer+ Story/ Prototype Stages List)) - Winter 2014

Super Mario in: The Coming of Shadows C3 Preview Thread

Planned Length: Standard full hack level count
Style: (mostly) NeoNilla hack
Graphics Credits: Alternate Mario World GFX Hack Base+ Custom Neonilla Designs

C3 Exclusive Teaser Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPZugTARqQE

Super Mario in: The Coming of Shadows

Planned Length: Standard full hack level count
Style: (mostly) NeoNilla hack
Graphics Credits: ?Alternate Mario World? GFX Hack Base+ Custom Neonilla Designs

As it stands, demo is unavailable for now mainly for AddmusicK's failure to work in the already hacked ROM (whereas it would work in my previous project and find no explanation therefore) and it is quite lame without the custom acoustic atmospheres.

Intro plot (final version): Mario was fixing a pipeline on MK borderlands when he heard a mysterious and harrowing call for help, a voice he could not identify but the tone he deemed to be honestly desperate and in trouble (a crackling, laggy moan!) from beyond the wilderness, brought by the wind. Due to his hero complex, he mindlessly followed his instinct of course. He made the hasty decision to investigate it and paced through the known, relatively safe lands, across the Kingdom into the uncharted territory. He should not have... As what he found he could not fathom to imagine... A force sucked him in, warped him into an alternate dimension or reality. It was a wicked trick, a trap by forces unimaginably insidious, then he knew suddenly... He was lulled by demonic ghastly alien invaders... Now he had to escape from this nocturnal, alien nocturnal badland, into the Core Realm of Shadows, and end their reign once and for all. What tribulations await him yet as he struggles his way through heights and depths, hot and cold, terrific and wonderful, dreams and nightmares, in limbo... and life and death.

Intro Poem:

Code

Checkmate
Endgame
End-Times
Bent space

Lose height
Gain weight
Find no
Escape

Don't hide
Your face
This is
Your game

Don't love
Don't hate
This is
Your fate

For those who have not heard/ tried the full version of the SM vs The Dark Warlord yet submitted on previous C3, something concrete: here is a reminder link DEBUG enabled so that you can skip potential faulty parts anytime:
(I began with another project and lost the inspiration to fix this one)
http://media.smwcentral.net/Counterfeit/GriefSeeds/NewModeration/SM%20&%20The%20Dark%20Warlord.zip

Alpha Snapshots from the hack (prone to change):

https://dl-web.dropbox.com/get/Shadows%20%2838%29.bmp?_subject_uid=298847477&w=AADKsDQY5WO6TsdiSPSRyIfNa5hBmyLBmBGn8hsFI_cTQw

Stages List (preview)

Chapter 1: Umbra Ostium (Screenshots Available)

Stage 0: Intro: Onset of the End
Stage 1: The Twilight Skirmish
Stage 2: The Hidden Lake
Stage 3: Heights of Tranquility
Stage A: Switch Palace (Gate Unlocker)

Chapter 2: Enter the Nightmare (Screenshots Available)

Stage 4: Dark Eternal Night
Stage 5: Ohnochrome
Stage 6: Neon Nightmare
Stage 7: Defunct Stronghold
Stage 8: Chase on Cloud Nine/Seize the Grey

Chapter 3: Incursio of Shadows (Screenshots Available)

Stage 9: The Advent of Shadows
Stage 10: Infested Lands (2 Phases)
Stage 11: Beneath the Surface
Stage 12: Crimson Catacombs

Chapter 4: Aquilonem Procursatio-Northwards Raid (Screenshots Available)

Stage 13: The Darkest of All Seas
Stage 14: Unknown Island
Stage 15: Island Chaos Core
Stage 16: Shadow Syndicate

Chapter 5: DarkStar Imperium (Screenshots Available)

Stage 17: Starlit Terror
Stage 18: Beyond the Waves
Stage 19: An Ambient Flicker
Stage 20: Eclipse Canyon
Stage 21: The StarShrine

Chapter 6: Ascend into Darkness (Screenshots Available)

Stage 22:Towering Inferno
Stage 23:Crash Site Ruins
Stage 24: Mountains of Madness
Stage 25:Shadow Sector

Chapter 7: Nebulous Peaks/Hazy Summit (Initial Screenshots Available)

Stage 26: Blinding Ray of Light
Stage 27:The Rupture Returns
Stage 28: Bridge the Chasm
Stage 29: Across the Haze
Stage 30: Shadow WatchTower

Chapter 8: Descent into Underworld ( Initial Screenshots Available)

Stage 31: Uncharted Territory
Stage 32: The Forgotten Passage
Stage 32: Freefall into Hell/Descent Down the Sinkhole
Stage 33: Ocean of Sorrow

Episode 9: Subterranean Terror (Screenshots Available)

Stage 34: Empire of Fungi
Stage 35: Subterranean Swamp
Stage 36: Blazing Woods
Stage 37: Dark Jungle Temple

Episode X: Six Degrees of Aerial Turbulence (Screenshots Unavailable)

Stage 38: Turbulent Skies
Stage 39: Portal to the Stars
Stage 40: Across the Malstrom
Stage 41: Fleet of Shadows
Stage 42: The Last Defense
Stage 43: Chaos Vortex

Realm of Shadows, Unknown Sectors: Final World (Screenshots Unavailable)

Stage 1: Shadow Dance
Stage 2: Apotheosis Aporia
Stage 3: Paradox Plains
Stage 4: Main Base Infiltration
Stage 5: Palace of Illusions
Stage 6: Veil of Oblivion
Stage 7: Nox Epicus: The Endgame
Stage X: All that Remains

Well...

The good:
-Cool story concept.
-A lot of interesting palette work.

The bad:
-Lazy level design. At least half of the levels in the trailer have leftover sections from the original SMW.
-Glitched graphics. Even if they tie into the story, you should never rely on glitched graphics, especially this much. The level at 1:19 is especially bad.
-Rest of the level design doesn't look too good either. I see overuse of auto-scroll (also you should never use fast auto-scroll), overuse of Lakitu's cloud (redundant level design), overuse of hurt blocks (fake/unfair difficulty), and overuse of tight spaces (fake/unfair difficulty).
-Pretty sure you're using cheats in the trailer; that doesn't look good either.

I say rework any levels with parts of the original SMW levels left in them, improve your actual level design, and, most importantly, replace your glitched graphics with more proper graphics. We have plenty of resources on the site at your disposal, and if all else fails you can always resort to drawing your own.

Layout by Mirann <3

I'm probably retired tbh