Super Mario Ball (Mario Pinball Land) (Game Boy Advance) - Review by Andrew

Introduction

Pinball games have been utilized extensively in consoles and video games through the years as their generic layout is perfect for slotting in your chosen theme or character. Over the years the format has hosted Austin Powers, The Addams Family, Garfield, The Muppets and KISS to name but a few. The list really is endless and even the humble GBA has had both Sonic and Pokémon in recent years. Whether these games actually belong on a handheld device has always been in dispute though with pinball enthusiasts claiming 'there's nothing like the real thing'. They do appear to have a point when what makes a Pinball machine so appealing is simplicity. On the other hand, what makes it work on consoles is realistic physics and herein lies the problem. Giving the ball weight, the correct speed and realistic properties is something that has challenged developers for some years now and without singling out any specific products some have fared better than others. This is Mario though and this is Nintendo but is Fuse games up to the challenge? Let's find out?

Gameplay

Before you do anything you'll need to select exactly how you wish to tackle the game: Adventure or Time Attack. We'll deal with the Adventure section first since the Time Attack is simply a cut down version of this. The gameplay is a mix of the recent Super Mario on the GameCube with a pinball backdrop and though that may sound a little confusing it will all become apparent later. You start out in one of the many 'worlds' playing as Mario (who's been shaped into a ball) with the object being to release the star. More stars mean access to more areas of the game. How you do this is a bit of a mystery initially and you will find yourself scanning the screen as you keep the ball from exiting the table. Fortunately it is never entirely hidden as each table only occupies a single, static screen but by the time you do figure out where the star is you've destroyed the majority of objects you need to rebound off, meaning the ball will now happily 'hug' the perimeter until you bring it back under control with the flippers.

Success means access to further areas although you can only go through doors when you have the allotted amount of stars. This takes you up to new challenges with some of the more advanced sections featuring multiple paths. Inside the pyramid, for example, you'll find three pressure pads with each one leading to a different boss. On the subject of bosses almost every one you encounter has appeared in a previous Mario outing but it's always nice to see them again even if you are trying to destroy them. It's not just about progressing through the various sections though and as you'd expect everything you successfully hit will leave a coin of varying value which an be traded later for items in one of the randomly placed shops. Obviously points are important too and there are a loads of ways to earn then and multiply them, including a 'red coin' challenge which appears after a boss is defeated and which makes all coins collected worth a lot more. The Time Attack mode simply takes one of the mentioned areas and challenges you to complete it in the fastest time. It's a great means of practicing for the main game too, as the final score here is not as important. Finally, there's only a single save slot which is essential as you are unlikely to complete the game in one sitting although it does mean that multiplayers can't even be considered until you're finished.

Controls

While some Pinball games feature the oddest control layout (even on the GBA) Fuse have opted for the simplest and most intuitive: the shoulder buttons. As you'd expect this works well and outside of the paddles moving when you activate them there's little more to say here. We'll move on then...

Graphics

There's no doubting the incredibly high production values on display here and Fuse Games have created a visually pleasing game for their Nintendo debut. Mixing pre-rendered backgrounds with well animated sprites they have managed to produce what could easily be a showcase for demonstrating the GBA's graphical ability. The cut-screens are not as pleasing though with some sections of the game told in a rather crude 'flip-book' fashion rather than filling in all the frames required. There's no doubt that the initial reaction from almost everyone that's seen the game is something close to amazement and it will be interesting to see if Fuse can maintain this for the next project. For now though this is just about as good as it gets rivaling even Nintendo's own DS visuals.

Sound

While the audio in Super Mario Ball is by not in the same league as the visuals there are still some gems to be had. For starters a great deal of 'Mario speak' has been ported from some of the console versions and while the Italian Plumber doesn't pipe up about absolutely everything there's still enough here to satisfy fans. The music is an entirely different affair though with nearly all the tables (or worlds) based around a kind of fairground theme. The developers do attempt to alter this so the pyramids section does have an Egyptian feel to it but it doesn't really enhance the gameplay and you get the impression that it wasn't composed especially for this title. However one of the levels did inspire a new dance craze in our office and we just know that one day everyone will be listening to 'Fairground Hillbilly'. Remember where you heard it first.

Final comments

If looks were the most important thing in a game then there's little doubt that Super Mario Ball would have its eye on the top spot. Unfortunately games need to offer more than a mere graphical demonstration of the GBA's power and this is where Fuse Games? latest starts to become unstuck. The problems aren?t with the games engine, and the developers have done a fine job of replicating the balls physics, but with the overall design. This may work for some gamers but for us pinball is all about objectives and obstacles, which are a little thin on the ground here. There's very little to rebound off and, once you've cleared the current table, even less to aim for. If you can cope with this 'reworking' of pinball then you're in for an enjoyable time. We do have to add that it was a bold move introducing Mario and the various associated characters into a pinball world and whilst on some levels the game is a great example of what GBA games should aspire to there's simply not enough variety or longevity in order to fully recommend it. A definite 'try before you buy'.

Pro: Wonderful Visuals
Con: Frustrating Gameplay
Final score: 6

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