Super Mario Finale | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Super Mario Finale is a 2D Platforming Adventure video game in the Super Mario series developed by Studio Lillie (t∣b∣c) and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It released on July 28th in all territories on the Nintendo Switch in North America and Japan.
Finale is a unique take on the Super Mario franchise, combining elements from games like Metroid Fusion and Kirby and the Amazing Mirror to create a unique 2D Adventure experience. Mario is able to freely explore the world in a non-linear fashion, a first for a 2D Mario game. The game also introduces many new features, such as Ledge Grabbing, Climb Leaping, and teleporting, which make the movement in the game fresh compared to previous entries. It also features a fully original story unlike any seen before in a Mario game.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Super Mario Finale is similar to that of past 2D Super Mario titles. The player plays as Mario and can run, jump, and do other tricks as the screen scrolls and transitions in a 2D plane.
Unlike any Mario game before it, Super Mario Finale features a full open-world in 2D, allowing players to head off in any direction. That being said, not all directions lead to somewhere useful; in many situations, players will have to visit specific places first in order to progress before they can head elsewhere and continue. This quality means that players must explore the world to find helpful items and tips, rather than simply going from point A to point B like in previous titles.
The main mechanic facilitating this style is that of the Power-Ups. Rather than the standard 2D system of health, Finale returns to that of the 3D games, where Mario has a health bar that decreases whenever he is hit by an enemy. Power-Ups are still in play, however: there are specific blocks throughout the world that give Power-Ups, and that will give that same Power-Up forever even if Mario has already hit the block. Then, once Mario gets the Power-Up, he will keep it until he dies and respawns at his last checkpoint. This allows Power-Ups to be used for puzzle solving, since it can be guaranteed that the player is still able to use their Power-Up.
Finale is also the first game in which players can unlock Power-Ups. At the beginning of the same, players do not have any Power-Ups available, and must continue as standard Mario. After going through the Pipemaze for the first time, however, they unlock Fire Flowers, and can begin to use Fire Flower Blocks to become Fire Mario and progress through other areas. This creates a structured sense of progression, similar to unlocking items in the Metroid series, and also means that players become more powerful as they go forward and unlock more Power-Ups.
The other way of progression is through collecting Star Pendants, which are used during Silver Star transformations. Whenever a player touches a Silver Star, which usually respawns immediately after being used, it puts Mario in Silver Mode, allowing him to use more of his Power-Ups abilities. If he has the Fire Flower, for example, it allows him to throw bigger fireballs and swim through lava. This Silver Mode is required to progress in some areas, meaning that the player must be quick to use the Silver Star before it runs out and they must start over. The Star Pendants, after they are collected, make the Silver Star transformations even more powerful; this unlocks more abilities, giving greater freedom in puzzle solving.
Movement
Mario retains many of his past abilities, including his wall jump, which lets him jump off of walls for extra height, his ground pound, that lets him hit the ground by pressing Down in the air, and spin jump, which gives him more movements in the air and gives him the chance to bounce off of spiked enemies. He can also double and triple jump by jumping multiple times in a row without losing any momentum.
Mario also gains new movements options in addition to his old moves. Just like in the the 3D titles, he can now punch and kick while in air or on the ground when the player presses Y without a Power-Up. This can hurt enemies, but won't break Brick Blocks or do anything else besides deal damage. Mario can also Back Jump like in the 3D titles by holding down the Down button and then pressing A. This gives Mario more height than a double jump but less than a triple jump. Another 3D move returning is the ability to grab ledges, as well as the ability for Mario to pull himself up once he grabs onto a ledge, which he now does automatically.
The only new move introduced fully in the game is called Climb Leaping. Whenever Mario is climbing up a vine or a ladder or other object, he now has the ability to leap a good distance by pressing Y while tilting in the desired direction. This gives Mario a lot of distance, allowing him to clear greater gaps than before. It also allows him to climb up things a lot quicker than previously possible. The addition of Climb Leaping comes with the new ability to climb walls from the side, as opposed to the other type of climbing in which Mario's back is to the camera. This allows for more fluid level design and for clever puzzles that require the player to Climb Leap in strategic spots.
Controls
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Story
Mario and Princess Peach are having tea in the castle one day when a Podule appears from the sky and uses its tractor beam to capture Peach before flying away. Mario tries to chase it, going through the grasslands near outside Castle Town, but eventually they find a sheer cliff and the Podule flies straight upwards, out of Mario's grasp. Suddenly it fires a beam at Mario which hits the ground at his feet and causes it to fall apart, revealing a large chasm that Mario promptly falls down into. He impacts the ground a fair way down and seems to pass out.
When he wakes up again, he is in a temple-like room with glowing green lines running along the floors and walls. He approaches the podium in the middle in the room housing an hourglass like item. When he grabs it, he sees a quick vision of an alternate green world, before he snaps back into consciousness and removes the hourglass. The green lights disappear and a door opens, allowing Mario to climb up out of the ruins and back into the surface again.
When Mario returns to the surface, he sees a horrible and destroyed world with a dark red sky and huge towers rising out of the ground in every direction. A red Podule appears and begins to fire at Mario again, and one of its shots almost hits Mario before time appears to stop. A green glow appears from the hourglass and Mario picks it up, which causes the rest of the world to fade away before his eyes, leaving him in a green, foggy world.
An Aethian appears out of the hourglass, and explains that Mario has used the hourglass to control time. The hourglass was an ancient artifact crafted in order to connect with the Time Realm that exists parallel to the Mushroom Kingdom. While connected, the user can stop and reserve time at will, with some physical strain. This power has been sought after for centuries, especially by the evil alien Tatanga.
The Aethian then reveals that when Mario became unconscious, the Mushroom Kingdom was left defenseless, allowing Tatanga to invade. By using the hourglass, Mario can return to the time before Tatanga came. In order to stop him, Mario must then activate each of the Sentinel Orbs, which the ancient civilization created in anticipation of Tatanga. When they are all activated, a dome will appear around the planet, stopping any invasions.
With this newfound knowledge, Mario sets out to activate the Orbs, while using the power of the hourglass to escape perils.
Power-Ups
indicates that the ability requires both a Star Pendant and a Silver Star
Fireballs: Super Fireballs: Lava Immunity: Super Lava Immunity: | |
Wall Climbing: Cat Swipe: Super Scamper: Ultra Scamper: | |
Light: Bouncy: Super Sense: Ultra Sense: | |
Sliding: Iceballs: Super Swimming: Cold Immunity: Water Walking: | |
Boomerang Throw: Duck: Metal Boots: Metal Boomerang: | |
Others
Only found in Toadbert's Treasure Quest Gold Fireballs: | |
Only found by using the Power Moon amiibo Radar: Glow: Super Radar: | |
Enemies
As always, Goombas simply walk forwards at a steady pace, waiting to be stomped on.
Goomba Medals: Awarded for stomping on 10, 50, and 250 Goombas, respectively Goomba Stomp Medals: Awarded for jumping on 5, 10, 25 Goombas without landing at once | ||
Medals
Medals are new collectibles introduced in Super Mario Finale that cannot be collected by platforming. Instead, they are collected by completing certain challenge objectives, like stomping on 10 Goombas in a row without landing. In the Pharo version they are used to unlock Achievements, but in the Nintendo Switch version they are mostly useless, due to the Nintendo Switch lacking system achievements. In both versions, however, the player must collect 20 Medals in order to unlock New Game +.
Goomba Medals
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Stomp on 10 / 50 / 250 Goombas |
Stomp on 5 / 10 / 25 Goombas without landing |
Gallery
Trivia
- The game was originally in production as the 3D Platforming game Super Mario Atmosphere. After Super Mario Odyssey started development, however, Studio Lillie decided to shift focus and create a 2D game instead.
Super Mario Finale | |
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Characters | |
Playable | Mario ★ Luigi ★ Princess Peach ★ Bowser Jr. |
Other | Bowser ★ Tatanga ★ Piantimo III ★ Toadsworth ★ Chronum |
Items | |
Power-Ups | Fire Flower ★ Carrot ★ Penguin Suit ★ Super Bell ★ Boomerang Flower ★ Gold Flower ★ Power Moon Radar ★ Silver Star |
Other | Super Mushroom ★ Moon Coins ★ Power Moon ★ 1-Up Mushroom ★ 3-Up Moon ★ Coins ★ amiibo Charge ★ Shine Sprite |
amiibo | |
Items | Fire Flower ★ Carrot ★ Penguin Suit ★ Super Bell ★ Boomerang Flower ★ Gold Flower ★ Power Moon ★ Silver Star ★ Super Mushroom ★ 1-Up Mushroom |
Bosses | Blue Bowser |