As I already hinted to with Crossoverworld’s very existence, I’m a big fan of crossovers. I swear that, even as a child, I always had some odd crossover going on in my head. It was usually one set of unrelated characters helping solve their current dilemma, regardless if they were from different movies, cartoons, or even video games. So when I stumbled across Super Mario Bros. Crossover, it was like a childhood dream come true.
Super Mario Bros. Crossover is a Flash game that replicates the original Super Mario Bros. with characters from a number of NES-era games in addition to the titular brothers. These “new” characters behave a little like a Mario character, requiring a Super Mushroom to get a free hit before dying (unless you’re playing as Contra’s Bill Rizer, who’s a one hit-point wonder.) Stomping on enemies is however limited to the Mario Bros., so the rest of the cast has to use weapons and abilities from their home games, most that can be found in “?” blocks.
The earliest versions of the Mario Crossover seemed pretty bare bones compared to later updates. The roster was smaller, notably lacking the Mario’s second fiddle Luigi. Power-up items were limited to the one’s normally found in Super Mario Bros., meaning every character had limited options on what kind of special weapons/abilities they could get. There wasn’t a working cheat system until a later version, meaning that, without the Unlimited Time cheat that’s unlocked after beating the first level, most characters could potentially be clearing stages by the skin of their teeth.
Later versions added a lot of variety to Mario Crossover. A number of new level and character skins were added, each with their own custom soundtrack. Characters who aren’t the Mario Bros. were given a larger selection of collectable items, though the classic Power-Up system was still available. The final versions added new difficulty modes and even adapted two games based off of theSuper Mario Bros. engine: the obscure Super Mario Bros. Special and the infamous Lost Levels. The version 3 updates are perhaps the last major updates as the game’s creator, Jay Pavlina, has moved on to other projects.
Super Mario Bros. Crossover is a fun little time waster for those who grew up with the NES or even the SNES. The additional characters allow players to see how characters from other games might have handled the Mushroom Kingdom. Its a blast to play whether you’re destroying walls of bricks with Mega Man’s Charged Shot, sniping that pesky Lakitu with Samus’ Wave Beam, or just killing everything in sight with Bill’s Spread Shot.
Play it here!
