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#this is where luigi is during super mario odyssey
elitadream · 11 months
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I swear you pull off Mario and Luigi's bond perfectly in this AU! (And not just in this AU but in your other art as well!)
I can imagine the adventures your versions of Mario and Luigi go on!
For some reason, Super Mario Odyssey is coming to mind. I wonder how this version of Bowser and Peach would go in that, since Bowser is much more cruel in your verse. I also remember Luigi's Balloon World, where Luigi's so supportive to Mario. I can imagine your version of Mario being so happy to chat with his brother, venting his fears and pains as well as receiving love and comfort and telling happy memories to Luigi too. All while Luigi comforts Mario and laughs with Mario during happy times.
Also, poor Luigi in the Snow Kingdom forgetting his coat, he looked so cold in his overalls. I can imagine Mario instantly dragging his shivering brother to the Odyssey for soup and blankets.
Sorry for the rambling. My point is, your version of Mario and Luigi and Peach and Bowser is soo cool and I love them and it makes me think of what the games would be like in your verse (we need more vulnerable Mario). I just needed to let it all out. Keep up the good work and thank you!
Thank you! 🥹 I'm sure glad you like my portrayal of the bros! I just love them so much. 💞
Also these are all wonderful examples!! While I haven't thought of full adventures for them yet per say, I've often pictured them in a wide variety of very specific scenarios; picturing how each would react to this or that situation, how their interactions would go, what the primary mood would be, etc. 😊 Be it in a context where they're younger, where one of them is feeling down, where there are romantic shenanigans involved or where the setting is cozy and domestic, I find their relationship simply delightful to explore!
And omg YES, more vulnerable Mario ftw!! 😩💯 Some could say that mine is arguably perhaps even a bit too vulnerable, but that's just how I like to present him. 🥺💖 Emotional depth and openness is one of my absolute favorite traits to illustrate, and in my personal opinion, it's one that suits Mario quite well. ☺️
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teegeewrites · 25 days
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Positive Validation
Positive Validation
Synopsis: It's been a week since Mario and Luigi rescued Princess Peach from Bowser's latest kidnapping, and Mario hasn't seen or heard from Peach much during that time. However, Mario receives an invitation from Peach to visit her at the castle to speak with him alone. Curious yet eager, Mario accepts the invitation and finds himself in a position where he not only has to be honest with Peach, but also himself.
I've rewritten the summaries of my previous stories but kept this one mostly the same since it's fine the way it is.
I've been bottling this up for quite some time, but I’m finally ready to say it out loud: Princess Peach is my favorite character in the Mario franchise and one of my all-time favorite fictional personas, period. I’ve mentioned before that she’s my comfort character, but she embodies so much more. I adore her beauty, her gentle spirit, and her unwavering optimism. I admire her readiness to fight when the situation demands it and her fondness for the color pink. Above all, however, I truly value her unapologetic embrace of femininity. She distinguishes herself in a time when characters like her are often scorned in favor of those who display more masculine traits or a less feminine approach. This isn’t to say that there’s anything wrong with those other characters; I actually admire several of those archetypes. Nevertheless, I hope for a future where the more traditionally feminine characters are celebrated just as much, like Marle from Chrono Trigger, who remains less popular than Lucca and Ayla.
Admittedly, I’m quite sensitive when it comes to criticism of my favorite characters. I make a conscious effort to steer clear of negativity surrounding them. For instance, if I’m diving into a fanfiction and see my favorite characters being mocked, belittled, or if it’s obvious that the author has a disdain for them, I’ll promptly stop reading, no matter how well-crafted the story is or how invested I’ve become. Peach is the main character I’m particularly protective of. One of my top pet peeves is when a character receives accolades while Peach gets torn apart. I’m of the belief that can be admired without having to belittle another. A moment that seemed to really stoke the fire of disdain towards Peach was the controversial Super Mario Odyssey ending. It seemed like the criticism towards her increased exponentially after that. I often hold back from reacting or defending my cherished characters, knowing it can exacerbate the situation. However, even with my usual patience and understanding, there’s a breaking point to how much negativity I can tolerate directed at them.
This is where Positive Validation comes in. My inspiration for this narrative struck me when I noticed a relentless wave of criticism directed at Peach. I wanted to incorporate these genuine criticisms into the story, illustrating how Peach learns of them and their influence on her psyche. While she tried to maintain her composure, the words clearly weighed heavily on her heart, leading her to seek out Mario—the one who consistently puts himself in harm's way to rescue her—and understand his perspective on the matter.
In the tale, Peach openly articulates her feelings regarding the comments made about her, admitting that some of them hold a grain of truth. To reinforce this theme, I made a passing comment about Mario and Luigi heroically rescuing Peach from Bowser once more before her travels. Mario comforts her by pointing out that much of the criticism is baseless, as the critics don’t truly know her. This dialogue also allows Mario to share his own vulnerabilities, with Peach offering him the same encouragement. Ultimately, both characters finish the story feeling uplifted and their bond strengthened. To lighten the mood after such a serious discussion, I sprinkled in some lighthearted humor at the end.
Although I chose to narrate the story from Mario’s standpoint, it certainly could have been told through Peach’s eyes. In truth, I feel the story might have been more compelling if it had been written in the latter, as she was the central figure. One day, I might just rewrite this tale from her perspective, but don’t hold me to that!
Overall, Positive Validation was admittedly a self-indulgent story, and that’s what makes it one of my personal favorites. It seemed to resonate with some readers and commenters who are just as enthusiastic about Peach as I am. Witnessing my work evoke such feelings in others is truly rewarding, enhancing the entire experience. 😊
As a bonus, I recommend this post by @willowisapillow for any Princess Peach fans. It does a great job defending her character and highlighting what makes her great.
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wfagamerants · 11 months
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I’ve made a whole post about why I don’t think Mario has any true canon months ago, yet at the same time also pointed out some things where Mario can be surprisingly consistent.
Truth to be told, while I do point to inconsistencies in the games, which are plentiful, the main culprit are Nintendo themselves.
I tend to look at what they say and how they operate to, as best as possible, gauge their intentions with a lot of stuff and a good example of their willingness to play fast and loose and actively alter information is with the Koopalings:
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Contrary to what is often quoted, Miyamoto never said they never were Bowser’s kids, but rather that in ‘’their current story’’ Jr is his only child.
Another example of them changing their stance as they see fit to me is how they treated the subject of Mario and Luigi being plumbers.
We have very direct statements of how during the 2010s, people were not allowed to bring up that subject matter in videos:
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And even a documented instance of a Japanese bio referring to Mario as having been a plumber a long time ago.
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Which, as seen on the screenshot, has obviously been changed since and we got even more recent examples of the movie and one of Wonder’s loading screen trivia bits presenting his occupation proudly. Even at the time 3D World wasn’t shy about it:
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Which is one of several times where official statements and in-game content don’t exactly align, heck, it’s weird on a general level given pipes are such a crucial bit of iconography for the franchise, derived by the fact that Mario and Luigi are indeed plumbers.
Stuff like that is why the Toad and Captain Toad thing is a sore spot for me. I never actually denied official sources claiming they are different character, but even despite that kind of explicit statement:
They chose to okay Galaxy supplementary materials that call Toad the Toad Brigade Captain and put him on the cover of Galaxy 2, in the same spot Captain is at in the Starship Mario art no less.
They chose to not have red spots, blue vest Toad in 3D World besides a pre-release Captain Toad life icon, instead having a Blue Toad be playable, which is not how the Toad character is ever represented, to the point where when 3D World art and renders are used to represent him, they are ALWAYS edited to give him the red spots. It’s hard to call it a SMB2 callback, because unlike say, Luigi’s Mansion King Boo or Biker Wario, it’s never even acknowledged or brought back like other game specific designs.
They chose to have a pre-release bonus for Treasure Tracker, an amiibo bundle for it and the function for said amiibo, to be all based around Toad and one of the mission descriptions even just calls him Toad, despite Captain Toad supposedly being a name.
They chose to give Captain in TT Toadette as a partner and include SMB2 elements like turnips and Shy Guys (only red and blue ones like in that game no less) which have no relevance to this supposed separate character, yet are highly tied to Toad.
They chose to have Mario in the Toad costume be called Captain in special Mario Challenge dialogue, in the first Mario Maker.
They chose to show Captain when talking about Toad in an Odyssey developer’s Q&A video.
They chose to have the Toad spirit become Captain Toad in Smash Ultimate, lining up with stuff like Shadow becoming Super Shadow or Alm, Celica and Isaac becoming their adult selves.
They chose to give Captain in Mario Kart Tour most of Toad’s animations, a trait *only* seen with variants and even classify him as a variant internally. Party Time Toad, who is definitively him, has more distinct animations than Captain does.
They chose to give Toad a treasure hunting themed expansion set and even call him a treasure hunter in LEGO Mario, an ongoing merch-line with an extremely big name.
They chose to continue the 3D World thing with Wonder, keeping Toad off the roster when Captain is around, while Mario vs DK has him playable no problem.
They chose to let the movie, Mario’s biggest non-gaming outing to date, very explicitly treat Toad and Captain as the same character and even give out pamphlets explaining references in the movie in Japan. Said pamphlet calls Treasure Tracker Toad’s game, making no mention of Captain as a separate character.
They chose to make a big promo video promoting Mario games tied to certain characters and have Toad tied to Treasure Tracker. This video was also put on the Nintendo Switch news tab, mentioning Captain by name in the description, yet showing Toad and it has its own spot on the Nintendo website too. Additionally they list Treasure Tracker in Toad’s list of appearances on Play Nintendo.
In isolation I wouldn’t think much of any of these, but when it happens so often I do start to wonder what the idea is. They are shooting every opportunity to establish Captain as his own character, especially for normies who likely just saw him and assumed he was Toad anyways, in the foot. 
I tend to refer to the movie a lot when trying to cite Nintendo’s seeming attitude towards some things too and yeah, I do still think it’s a big deal the New York backstory is back. It clashes with the Yoshi’s Island backstory, which is also supported by Mario & Luigi Partners in Time, but THAT backstory in turn clashes with the pre-SMB games and bios as late as 1994, that referred to Mario as italian, Foreman Spike as american and Pauline as being from New York, still establishing the old backstory as relevant enough to be brought up in character guides.
They are questionably compatible, but that’s because they are from very different eras of Mario. The Yoshi’s Island one will likely persist as the more commonly referred to one, because it mixes better with Mario’s SMB onwards world, but the old backstory is still accepted enough by Nintendo to allow it in a monster hit movie.
And that’s the thing, the movie takes liberties, but still holds true to a vision Nintendo themselves want to have out there, for Mario and his world. They know many people will be exposed to Mario for the first time in a while or possibly ever, through the movie and okayed for it as a way to interpret the franchise, that is a big deal.
Is the movie ‘’canon’’ to the games? We don’t know, Mario doesn’t have an officially recognized canon ala’ Hyrule Hystoria. It may not be canon in the sense of having happened in the game universe 1:1, but it is canon as a Nintendo approved, modern, big interpretation of Mario.
And the thing is, regardless if it’s canon or not, it’s influence can already be felt.
The Peach Showtime cover art has been updated in a way that makes Peach resemble her movie design a bit more, Wonder’s animation upgrade was directly motivated by living up to the movie’s standards of how people expect the characters to move and animate and then you got this:
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A video on Nintendo’s official Youtube accounts, a Switch news tab article and even it’s own page on their website. A remarkably pushed marketing pull for games conveniently only highlighting characters in the movie and the game selection is clearly inspired by that too. Smash for DK to replicate his fight with Mario, Toad explicitly being called Captain, Mario Kart for Peach because that section was a prominent marketing scene for her, etc.
Nintendo’s biggest concern is how they want the brand to be presented, more than any canon. I’ll call out inconsistencies when I see them, but in general, this is what I pay attention to the most and why I am very accepting of the fact Mario is always bound to face changes, bigger and smaller, that may at times even be departures from what came before.
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theonceoverthinker · 1 year
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Summary: When Luigi and Bowser find themselves stranded together in the Lost Kingdom after a turbulent windstorm sends them flying off Bowser’s airship, a busted up Odyssey becomes their unlikeliest of saviors. Now reluctant traveling companions, doomed to remain marooned without the other’s help, the two gather power moons and embark on a globe-trotting adventure home. However, as they fly and hunt for moons together, encountering and overcoming any and all conflicts in their way, their reservations about each other wither away while a fondness forged through their travels grows into something neither of them ever thought was possible. 
1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 1-4, 1-5, 1-6, 1-7, 1-8, 1-9, WZ 1-1, 1-10, BS1-1, WZ 1-2, 1-11, 1-12, 2-1, 2-2, 2-3, 2-4, 2-5, WZ 2-1, 2-6, BS 2-1, 2-7, 2-8, 2-9, 2-10, 2-11, BS 2-2, 2-12, 2-13, 2-14, 2-15, 2-16, 2-17, 2-18, 2-19, BS 2-3, 2-20, 2-21, WZ 2-2, BS 2-4, WZ 2-3, 2-22, 2-23, BS 2-5, 2-24, 2.5-1, 2.5-2, 2.5-3, 
()()()()()
BOWSER SPACE 2.5-1
What’s Luigi’s deal?
It’s a question Bowser has been posing to himself a lot over the past few days, and though it’s not like he hasn’t gotten any answers during that time, he has only received ones that satisfied him about half the time; Luigi’s an odd guy like that, but there are worse qualities that someone could have.
However, as he finds himself glaring at the Odyssey’s door, the very door which stands right next to where Luigi stood only a moment ago and now cloaks him on its other side, Bowser notices that the question has changed.
Now, it asks something close to it, but different, with a more focused, negatively-charged energy.
What’s Luigi’s problem?!
Just a few minutes ago, they were having a good time together! They played poker, he gave Luigi a compliment – sort of, as he personally insists – on his outfit, they were laughing over his comments and impressions at the Odyssey’s terrible hat collection.
And then, out of nowhere, Luigi started yelling at him, then attacked him, then bolted from him, and now he’s gone.
…Well, he’s as gone as one can get while suspended who-knows-how high in the sky, bound to the same ship.
Despite Luigi not being visible, Bowser feels his presence just as strongly as he would if Luigi was right beside him…maybe even more so.
What’s up with that?!
Bowser’s been in enough arguments to know that that’s how someone can feel in its aftermath, but that’s not only just the case for someone he cares about, but it once again begs an answer to the question of what started that argument in the first place!
Rrrrnghhh.
It’s not like he’s completely clueless.
Mario.
Mario!
Why does it seem like Mario is always causing him trouble, even when he’s not here?!
He and Luigi are finally at the point where they’re more than just tolerating each other, and now Mario’s not even present nose is getting into where it doesn’t belong!
Bowser hopes his minions have caught Mario already, that they’ve stuck him in some dinky dungeon with nothing to do until he returns and they can go back to brawling. It’s what he deserves for making him mad and Luigi mad at him!
…Then again, Bowser also knows full well that he’s the one who brought Mario up to Luigi in the first place.
…He also knows full well that even when Luigi told him to stop, he kept bringing Mario up, with new insults each time, to boot.
But what’s wrong with that?! He makes fun of Mario all the time, and Luigi knows it! 
Why is ragging on Mario bothering him now, let alone bothering him enough to throw a punch – a…weak, lame punch that he only roared at to make Luigi feel better…not because he was in pain or anything, of course – at his stomach?
Bowser has no idea, both of the answer to that question or its successor, why he cares so much about making things right between himself and Luigi.
They don’t need to make up. Even if it was torture, they were able to get through the Lost Kingdom and some of the Metro Kingdom together, regardless of how much they argued and how much they hated each othe-.
Aw, crud.
Bowser realizes through his brief mental recap that when it comes to Luigi, his thoughts on their hatred have become exclusively hosted by the past tense.
When did that happen?
Was it before or after Luigi showed him pizza? Or did it not happen until the concert? Maybe the change took place in the hotel?
Pinpointing an exact moment feels impossibly, agonizingly so!
He wants to go back to hating Luigi, to get rid of this dragging sentimentality developing between them and rag on him and his brother with no threat of guilty feelings again already!
…No.
No, he doesn’t.
It’s unsettling, unnerving, even.
It’s also unvarnished in its truthfulness.
He doesn’t want to hate Luigi…and he doesn’t want Luigi to hate him, either.
But that’s the problem! Why does Luigi hate him right now?!
It’s absolutely about him insulting Mario, but what about it specifically?
He just wants to know!
Then again, does he have to know?
What is he going to do if Luigi doesn’t let him know?
The prospect is one that Bowser doesn’t want to entertain; he likes knowing things. Part of being a king is knowing things!
However, part of being a king is figuring out how to proceed when things are ambiguous, unknown.
When he has to make those decisions, he, Kamek, and whatever expert he consults, first go over everything they do know and then decide what to do from there.
So…what does he know about their argument, and what does he know about Luigi?
He knows their argument started because he made fun of Mario – he made fun of his accent, mannerisms, and intelligence, and then defended himself by saying that this is what he always does and Mario’s not even around to see that.
Nothing about that stands out as something that would upset Luigi on its own.
So, what does he know about Luigi?
Luigi is sensitive and caring – annoyingly so. The guy gets startled at the drop of a hat and, at the same time, will go ludicrously out of his way to do something nice for someone else. He even befriends guys who just sit on benches all day! Who befriends guys who sit on benches all day?!
What else is there?
Luigi doesn’t take lightly to being taken advantage of – or at least excessively so, since Bowser’s aware that he’ll deal with an admittedly fair amount of things just fine – and he really doesn’t take lightly towards slights aimed at his friends.
That said, outside of this fight, Luigi’s not a jerk, not even to his enemies. He’s like Peach in that way – diplomatic and forgiving. They’ve been able to get along and actually share a few not-terrible moments. Luigi has even given him some incredibly well-deserved praise!
The most important thing to know about Luigi in Bowser’s mind though is that he’s sincere. It’s not that he’s never unsure about doing something, but when he believes in it, he believes with all of his heart. 
Okay, so, where does that leave him?
Where does that leave them?
Well, maybe what he knows is enough to go off of.
It’s not nothing – not even close!
In fact, for all of his traveling companion’s eccentricities, Bowser would even go so far as to say that he’s got a pretty good hold on Luigi’s…Luigi-ness.
Unghhh.
He’s had it with this mushiness.
Still though, he’s gotta make things right with Luigi, doesn’t he?
Bowser notices that he isn’t glaring at the Odyssey’s door anymore; he’s just staring at it.
It occurs to Bowser that he likely stopped glaring some time ago.
Behind the Odyssey’s door is Luigi, the very cause and solution to his present problems. The thought of going to him, of addressing what happened, makes Bowser uncomfortable. 
Why does he want to do this again?
Out of the corner of his right eye, Bowser sees the abandoned remnants of the last poker game he and Luigi played. To his left, a bag of toiletries they picked up at 7-81 presses up against his ankle. In his paw, he feels the fabric of Luigi’s beanie.
Bowser has his answer.
He’s never been great at apologies. He can do them, but it takes time for him to get it right and a lot of the forgiveness he gets is dependent on how those who know him understand how he works.
Luigi understands him…Bowser thinks he might, at least.
He wonders if it will be enough to restore that weirdest peace of all time that exists between them.
Well, there’s only one way to find out.
Bowser goes towards the Odyssey’s door, and with one fluid motion, opens it.
Here goes nothing.
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formalmess · 8 years
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i mentioned this on an earlier post and it literally took all the courage in the world to post this here because its rly self-indulgent but the pxl content here is lacking so im here to fix that
summary: luigi and peasley go to disneyworld, shenanigans ensue (ft. peas getting confused by modern technology, luigi in cute dresses, mario characters in orlando, and disney references)
The unusual pair, hands entwined, were waiting.
One was a young man with a boyish face and facial hair that was always maintained. He currently wore a red and white summer dress to imitate a certain cartoon mouse’s girlfriend, ears to match atop his brunette head, a large red bow making his presence not mesh so naturally among the rest.
However, the man he was with had an appearance much more startling than his own. Granted, green skin certainly doesn’t make it easy to blend in well with civilians.
Peasley, a prince from a faraway land full of citizens of beanish descent, was currently wearing a shirt much too small for him. Now complaining noisily, he dramatically threw his weight on top of the bars set in front of him for safety purposes.
“Darliiiiing…” His voice rang out in a whine as his body slumped over. Luigi pulled his companion back frantically before Peasley got seriously hurt or was scolded by one of the wandering cast members.
The two were currently waiting for the monorail to take them to the theme park, which Luigi assumed would be arriving soon, judging by the lights overhead blinking in syncopation. Said vehicle caught Luigi’s eye as it neared their station, Luigi excitedly gripping Peasley’s arm. Other guests were beginning to emerge from the doors behind them. This was most likely one of the first monorail trips of the day, considering the time. Luigi examined Peasley lazily rubbing at his dark eyes.
Luigi would have been happy to settle for any other less expensive hotel to stay at for their trip, but Peasley wouldn’t have it any other way after Luigi described the regal and lush interior of the grand resort.
After an embarrassing first encounter at check-in (that involved a lot of ‘Do you know who I am?’s), the pair went shopping until the stores located within the hotel closed.
Peasley had originally been much too tired to examine everything within the quaint establishments, but seeing Luigi so engrossed with exploring and purchasing various things perked the sleepy prince up right away. As soon as Luigi was done, arms full of plushies and charming clothes, Peasley requested that they head to their room to retire for rest.
Peasley had been less than willing to leave his lavish bedding when morning pricked at his eyes so early in the morning. He peeled off his sleeping mask groggily, waking to see his companion throwing open the curtains and already dressed. It was certainly a sight that confused the prince completely.
All this for some children’s amusement park, he thought as Luigi threw an outfit he had picked out for him the prince’s way. After dressing, Luigi assisted him in putting on something with three circles all adjoined together on his wrist. It was a vibrant yellow color that pleased Peasley’s eyes as he yawned and stretched tiredly, following Luigi out of their hotel room.
---
"Oh darling, do I really have to wear this?" The beanish man tugged at the shirt that was picked out for him. The garish vibrant colors were certainly a far cry from his usual prim and proper ensemble.
"Yes!" The brunette spoke in a whisper. "I know what you wanted to wear, but I am simply not going to let you wear your tunic and cape in this weather! You'll melt!"
"Oh, but sweetheart...!" The prince whimpered out obnoxiously. "It's so unsightly! And tight." He grimaced at the white shorts around his emerald legs.
Luigi offered half a smirk, taking Peasley’s dainty fingers in his as the cast members opened the gate in front of them to allow them on the monorail.
They made their way onboard, Luigi leading Peasley over to a window seat so he could see what the twinkling waters in the middle of the monorail tracks outside looked like at this bright hour.
"You'll be fine, I promise. You'd stand out anyway." Luigi allowed himself to lean on Peasley’s shoulder as more people stepped onto the monorail.
"What if I want to stand out?" Pealsey pouted in return.
Luigi looked up softly, examining a young girl pointing at them both and saying something to her mother.
“Well,” he lightly delivered a kiss to Peasley’s forehead. “Looks like you already do.”
---
“Magic… Band?”
“Yep, just tap it right here!”
And so Peasley tried.
And he continued trying.
It seemed he didn’t quite grasp the concept. Luigi now realized entering the park before Peasley was probably a mistake. While Peasley was intelligent, he wasn’t always the brightest when interacting with humans and other species.
How in the world did he expect him to know how to operate technology?
The cast member was patient though, thank Grambi, carefully trying to explain the phenomenon to Peasley. Luigi watched from within the park, several other families and people passing him as he listened to the exchange of instructions and response from the prince.
“Just tap the Mickey right here.”
“Ah yes, the Mickey.” Peasley stated simply, not wanting to admit he had no idea what that was.
Peasley turned to Luigi for help in desperation, Luigi pointing at the adjoined circles feverishly.
Peasley made an audible sound of recognition, putting the band up to the post in front of him.
It finally reacted, Peasley physically jumping back at the sound and lights produced by the so-called magical bracelet around his wrist. He looked at it in awe as the cast member motioned for him to walk inside. Luigi laughed slightly behind his hand, Peasley rolling his eyes in response.
“You should have told me what to do! I made an absolute fool of myself!” He wailed as Luigi pulled him along. “I was about to-”
Suddenly, no more words emerged from the prince’s small, pristine lips.
Only silent wonder remained as the two made their way through a small tunnel and emerged into an entirely new world, Peasley assumed. They walked silently, Luigi having to pull his awe-struck boyfriend down Main Street as the prince spun around, trying to take in all the sights around him.
The smell of freshly baked pastries lingered everywhere as their light footfalls made their way across the crowded pathway. It was like nothing the prince had ever witnessed before.
It felt like something out of a story read to him by his mother when he was only a child, the same warm feeling from that time returning.
It was no wonder Luigi enjoyed it so much.
His eyes were soon captivated by a glittering castle standing high before him, his eyes twinkling as he tugged on Luigi’s arm.
“Sweetheart… Whose castle is that?”
“Hm? Oh, that’s Cinderella’s castle. I thought I told you-”
“Cinderella? What an absolutely curious name. She’s the Queen here? I had no idea amusements parks could have monarchies.”
Luigi would have laughed at the remark before realizing that this was entirely new to Peasley.
“No, she’s only a character from a fairytale. But, we can go visit her, if you’d like.”
“Visit her?” Peasley’s eyes narrowed. “I thought you just previously stated she is purely fictional.”
“She is, but…” Luigi chose his words carefully. “It’s hard to explain. It’s kind of like acting.”
“Acting? So, it’s much like the theater? Are there shows here we can attend?”
Luigi thought for a moment. “Yes, actually. There are plenty of shows to see. We can go to any of them.”
“Splendid! That sounds divine, thank you!” He pulled Luigi into an embrace. “Oh, I’m so excited. I’ve always been skeptical about magic, you know that.” Thinking back to the Cackletta incident years ago, the prince shuddered slightly. “However, I am utterly entranced by this kind! It is so very fascinating.” He grabbed Luigi by the wrist. “Come now, you simply must show me everything!”
---
The day went by much too quickly.
The pair spent the majority of their morning attending shows and performances, all of which Peasley adored completely.
As the two made their way through Fantasyland as noon swiftly rolled around, Peasley felt Luigi stop next to him. The sounds of young children singing in high pitched tones together reached Peasley’s ears. The combined sounds made a surprisingly lovely choir of voices.
He looked up, puzzled at their sudden stop when Luigi spoke.
“I know you probably want to do other things first, but...” the man gestured to the building in front of them. Peasley read the sign atop the golden arches outside the alcove that had the words ‘it’s a small world’ printed neatly with several smiling children’s faces accompanying it. “The wait time is so short here.”
Peasley’s puzzled features only grew.
“It’s a ride. You know what a ride is, right?”
“A ride from an amusement park? I researched it, yes. Don’t they make you sickly though?” Peasley’s face paled. “I’d prefer to not feel ill at this time of day.”
“Only some do. This one’s slow.”
There was no room for debate.
Luigi ran ahead, Peasley scrambling to follow.
The waiting was certainly tedious, Luigi soon realizing Peasley isn’t the most patient of fellows. After almost five minutes of standing in a gradually moving line, he started to nag Luigi again. He tugged on his dress and gossiped a little too loudly as people in line sent subtle looks their way.
He then looked up from Luigi’s shoulder, taking in the setting around him.
It was gorgeous.
Though he assumed it wasn’t made from real materials like gold and silver, the atmosphere was still stunning to examine. The small fixtures adorning the area around him seemed to pop out and leave him in wonderment. He barely registered they were seating themselves onto a boat placed in the middle of a small stream of water until he heard a voice instruct him to remain seated.
“A boat within water inside a building? How very peculiar.” He said aloud to no one in particular. Luigi nodded absently as the boat began moving, the beanish man leaning against his boyfriend.
Peasley didn’t know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this.
The same tune he had heard earlier returned, now joined with not simply children’s smiling faces, but tens of children all facing him.
They each had beady eyes and petite bodies made of wood and plastic, so he assumed, and were all staring into his own shaking eyes. He sank into Luigi’s side, feeling Luigi bobbing along gently to the music that continued repeating.
And repeating.
And repeating.
The ride continued in absolute silence.
---
“Such a good ride!” Luigi gave his verdict as he exited, twirling slightly still to that dreaded everlasting song. Peasley only nodded slightly, his body still tense. He did not enjoy that.
“Are there any… Less frightening?”
Luigi’s smile faded slightly.
“Frightening?” He went to confirm, turning to Peasley.
“Absolutely dreadful. It was shiny and lovely at first, but I just… Didn’t like the way those,” he paused, looking around as though to make sure no one else was listening. “Things… Moved and looked and…” He surpassed a shiver.
Luigi thought, then smiled mischievously.
“Here, one of my favorite rides is just around the corner. I’m sure you’ll love it!” He stepped away, Peasley hesitantly following.
He didn’t like the glint he saw in Luigi’s eyes.
Sure enough, as they rounded the corner and passed more stores and a restroom, a dark shadow and ominous music set the mood already for what was about to come.
A mansion loomed above them, almost obscured by overgrown shrubbery, vines, and trees. He was taking in the architecture when Luigi dragged him along underneath an awning into yet another line. This one was significantly larger than the last.
They eventually came to an area that Luigi immediately rushed ahead toward. Passing menacing looking statues, Peasley found Luigi in front of what appeared to be a wall decorated with carvings of various instruments. He had seen minstrels back at the castle using them for Peasley’s entertainment, so he immediately recognized most of them.
Luigi playfully pointed to the wall, smiling as Peasley lifted his petite hand up to it.
As soon as it made contact, the crashing sound of cymbals rang in his ears. He was startled for a moment, pulling his hand away as though he had burned it.
The hesitation only lasted for a moment. He lifted his hand to the wall once more, trying again. The same familiar sound was heard.
A goofy, unregal grin spread across his face.
His hand made it’s way across the wall, a plethora of instruments playing in return. He then noticed the other walls about him, all moving and making sounds of their own. He wanted to do everything. It was all so new and fascinating. Ah, how he wanted to remain here all day.
Sadly, his silent plea was unheard.
Luigi had to pull him away as children behind them tried to reach past Peasley. The pair moved along, Peasley sheepishly following as his face darkened.
“That was very unlike me, I apologize immensely.” He whispered softly to Luigi as they were ushered into another room, now inside.
“It’s alright, sweetheart.” Luigi assured as a voice erupted in their ears.
The air was chilled and still.
“Welcome, foolish mortals, to the haunted mansion…”
Peasley immediately clung to Luigi, Luigi doing the same to him.
As many times as the brunette had been through this same speech, it still frightened him to this day. He was glad to have a companion who was just as uneasy as he was. When he had visited with Mario, he was constantly teased about being a scaredy cat while his brother braved through all the scariest parts of rides.
Mario was never scared of anything.
The short opening monologue led to another room with stretching walls and jarring sounds and imagery that made Peasley whimper behind Luigi.
When they finally made it to the actual ride, Peasley clutched Luigi’s hand as tightly as possible as the same menacing voice spoke in his ears.
Eventually, Peasley’s grip loosened as he gradually became charmed with the mansion. The details were impeccable and so well placed that he spent more time looking at all the decorations than being frightened. As soon as they stepped off, Peasley didn't waste a moment to tell Luigi that he wanted to go on again soon.
---
“My my, I suppose you were right, love.” Peasley had removed a hair tie from his pocket, pulling his shimmery locks into a bun. “How do you put up with this heat?” He fanned himself with a map given to him by one of the wandering cast members.
Luigi, however, was more focused on the thing around his wrist than anything else.
“Y’know… We haven’t even taken advantage of the fastpasses yet.”
“The what?”
Luigi pointed.
Up ahead, with a squint of his eyes, Peasley saw a small area under an awning with several rectangular machines all lined up symmetrically.
“They’re boxes?” Peasley put a skeptical hand to his chin. “Those are the passes that are fast?” He was well acquainted with passes in order to permit people access into certain areas, but those were usually small items and were usually never preceded with an adjective.
Luigi chuckled. “No, they aren’t just boxes. They’ll help us get on rides faster.”
Peasley was confused again.
“Like, some rides are really popular. We need a fastpass if we want to get it on it faster, hence the name. And we get them,” he pointed again to the boxes that Peasley now saw completely as they approached. “Right here.”
Peasley mentally went through all the rides they had gone on today as Luigi asked which ones he’d be willing to go on again.
There was the one with the freaky dolls, the detailed mansion, the mermaid one, the bumpy one that made his stomach knot, the carousel, and they had just gotten off of a ride that was suspended in the air with scenes playing out below them.
“Anything you want, darling.” He finally spoke out. He knew what he did and didn’t want to ride, but Luigi had planned this trip anyway. Perhaps he should let his companion do whatever he desired.
Luigi fiddled with the box, using something Peasley could only assume was magic, until he announced he was done.
“Done?” Peasley was dumbfounded. “But, where is-”
Luigi pointed to the implement around his wrist. “It’s in this.”
Peasley looked at his own wrist, once again in awe at what was dubbed the magical band.
“Absolutely amazing…”
He was jolted from his thoughts by Luigi grabbing hold of his arm and pulling him along.
“Come on, we have so much to do before it gets dark! And then there’s fireworks, you won’t want to miss that, and there’s the parades also, and-”
Luigi continued rambling as the two ran across the park, smiling and laughing all the while.
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ranmagender · 2 years
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(click here for a full sized view of the chart)
Alright so I made my Mario Timeline chart and boy is it interesting.
let’s start at the beginning. Yoshi’s Island is the start of the timeline, that’s when Mario is a baby. Then we go into the Mario Bros arcade game and Super Mario Bros, simple enough. Then there’s a split because the american Super Mario Bros 2 is a dream taking place in the realm of Subcon which through various cross-references includes, super mario land series, wario land, the frog for whom the bell tolls, link's awakening, some dr.mario games, captain rainbow and the dragon quest/mario crossover game more on that here
The main timeline goes on to Super Mario Bros 3 and then Super Mario World. In the manuals of 3 the Koopa kids say its their first time meeting Mario and Mario World manual says its a direct sequel to Mario Bros 3.
After that is Super Mario 64, the order of Super Mario Bros then Super Mario Bros 3 and then Super Mario 64 is shown in Super Mario Sunshine. Luigi’s Mansion comes after 64 and then the aforementioned Super Mario Sunshine. Then Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga as E.Gadd is a character and Luigi already has the poltergust.
After that is M&L: Partners In Time where they travel back to the baby era. This creates a split because obviously in one timeline they didnt meet their future selves as babies and battle bowser.
Yoshi’s Island DS references this timeline shenanigans and Yoshi’s New Island takes place before that so I’d argue this is the beginning of a new timeline. This is the New Baby Timeline.
The other timeline is the other Mario & Luigi games in order as they tend to reference the previous entry as if it has just happened.
In Paper Jam it’s revealed that the Paper Mario series takes place within a magic book in the main universe.
After that comes Luigi’s Mansion 2 where things are split again. Per the info on Gooigi, during the events of Luigi’s Mansion 2 E.Gadd sent Gooigi back in time to the first Luigi’s Mansion, this means the Luigi’s Mansion 3DS remake is canonically in an alternate timeline due to Gooigi’s inclusion. Luigi’s Mansion 3 is the second game in the Gooigi Timeline.
The other timeline after Luigi’s Mansion 2 is Super Mario Galaxy but this one stops short due to the events of that game, basically erasing that timeline and causing a new timeline to be born i.e Super Mario Galaxy 2, from there we go down the releases with Super Mario 3D Land, Super Mario 3D World, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker and finally Super Mario Odyssey. I call this Rosalina's World.
An offshoot of Rosalina's World is the Mario+Rabbids timeline where the Rabbids shoot into Mario's world. It's part of Rosalina's World because of Rabbid Rosalina in Sparks of Hope.
I had fun making this. Obviously the Zelda timeline connects to the Mario timeline via the subcon realm and link's awakening but that's a can of worm for another day.
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antarestyl · 3 years
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Got not tagged but saw this meme and wanted to do it :D
I tag @namekian-maoh and whoever else wanna try!
How many works do you have on AO3?
56 so far.
What’s your total AO3 word count?
600021 at this moment... damnit, I like nice and round numbers more XD
How many fandoms have you written for and what are they?
29 XD well, some are crossover and some are almost-the-same (especially with Video games where I often take multiple entires in a series into account and tag them accordingly)
As for my fandoms:
Video games: Amnesia: The Dark Descent, Among Us, Bowser's Fury, Deltarune, Don't Starve, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Final Fantasy XV, Luigi's Mansion, Mario & Luigi RPG, Monkey Island, Pikmin, Pocket Monsters | Pokemon, Super Mario & Related Fandoms, Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Paper Mario, Undertale, (+ AU of Undertale)
Comic/Cartoon/Manga/Anime: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, Yu-Gi-Oh! (All Media Types), Homestuck, Gravity Falls, DCU (Comics), Booster Gold (Comics),  Blue Beetle (Comics)
Books/Movies/Divers: Harry Potter, Mystery Skulls Animated, Olsen-banden | The Olsen Gang (Movies), Ties of Lapis (Skyrim-AU),
What are your top 5 fics by kudos?
1. PTA Sans and other glorious things       
73016 words, 3192 Kudos, so far my most successful work XD It’s still ongoing. Undertale Fanfic, Monster-on-the-Surface, True Pacifist Ending, PTA AU, SansxToriel in the Background, everybody is here, mostly happy, silly and only a small dose of angst from time to time. Later chapters with more story.
2. TrioBlasterSets AU - Six puppys and 3 flames                 
270813 word, 758 Kudos. I write this AU together with @namekian-maoh . Still ongoing. Undertale Baby-Blaster AU with some Underfell and Underswap thrown into it. Dadby, Badster, mostly family fluff and dealing with the experiment!gaster-blaster Background of 3 skeleton children. Also 3 flames who take care of them that have way more drama going on themselves than nessessary. Chapters are not in chronological order. Has a few Spin-offs too (including some NSFW oneshorts about the flames and their relationship ;) )
3. So I won't regret another day 
19214 words, 320 Kudos. Undertale Underfell AU, Underfell Sansby with some healthy relationships, the planning of a revolt against an insane king, monster still being monster and not really made for violence in an violent setting. If officially finished but I write new chapters when the fancy strikes me.
4. Grillby's                 
9894 words, 265 Kudos. Deltarune/Undertale fanfic with a Spin, named Plushyrune (aka Deltarune where eveything is the same, just with Sansby and Sans makes plushies). Started as just pure silly fluff, kinda got a plot now about the kids of Deltarune. Still ongoing, new chapter is 80% done ;)
5. Something old, something new... 
6579 words, 208 Kudos. Pure Post-Pacifist Surface Sansby fluff. Mostly from Grillby’s POV how they fall in love and be silly and in love. Still ongoing, haven’t really had to mojo to write more for it lately, but I WILL return at some point.
Do you respond to comments, why or why not?
I try to! I used to not comment on comments because I had this irrational feeling of “cheating the numbers” if I reply to comments but... screw that, I want to interact with people! So I try to answer any and all comments now :)
What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?
Ufff, for me it’s a tie between The last chip  and Laughter in the Darkness. The Last Chip is a Yu-gi-Oh! Fanfic in a series of Kaiba spiraling downwards after the Manga/Anime ended and sets up the events of Dark Site of Dimensions. It ends pretty much with Kaiba ending up getting borderline suicidal in his Obsession with the Pharaoh.
Laughter in the Darkness is the Epilog I wrote for my Gravity Falls x Amnesia Crossover where Ford is pretty much an Amnesia-Protagonist and archives the very worst ending for himself. Mind the tags if you read this. It ends with Ford at the lowest possible point for himself and its open ended if he is going fully insane or if Bill Chiper really is still around. (and it’s not clear what outcome is the better one)
Have you ever received hate on a fic?
Nah, not really. I am a chill writer in my own little corners of the fandom and most people leave me alone. I did get one “But Queer is a SLUR” comment way back in the day where it was still all “????” to say that out loud. But otherwise? Nah. I am not important enough for hate, lol.
Do you write smut? If so what kind?
I have XD Not much thou. I wrote so far an mastubation scene with the one going down on himself heavily NOT BEING ALRIGHT while doing so XD Other than that I have 2 NSFW Undertale fics with some hot flame-on-flame action. I do like writing not-standard-sex (as in Sex that doesn’t requite human genitila) Otherwise I like to hint or describe feelings more than the act itself. More lime than lemon ;)
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
Not that I know of. As I said, I am not important enough for that.
Have you ever had a fic translated?
I had some ppl asking for permission to translate (which of course) but as far as I know there are no translations out there as of yet.
Have you ever co-written a fic before?
Yeah, I am writing the TrioBlasterSet AU with @namekian-maoh I did Co-write some fics way back during my fanfiction.de time too but that’s a long time ago.
What’s your all time favorite ship?
I ship a lot and am a dirty multishipper XD I have to many ships to really call one out as my favorite.
What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?
TrioBlasterSets AU because there is always MORE to tell with this AU XD
What are your writing strengths?
I am the Queen of Worldbuilding and Crossovers baby!
What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?
Only do it if you have a REALLY good reason for it AND if you have a good gasp on the language. Like, nothing takes me out of a fic faster than reading stuff in horrible German written by people who were to lazy to just copy/paste the word from google translate (my time in the Apollo Justice fandom has seriously scared me. It’s Fräulein, not Fraulein or Fraülein! Also you can’t just swap ei and ie around THOSE ARE DIFFERENT SOUNDS! als we have the letter ß it’s a shap s sound you can’t just use/not use it as you please!)
Also in 90% of all cases it’s just not nessessary. Write what you wanna write, TELL us it was said in a different language OR let the POV character just tell us their hear something said in an other language they couldn’t understand.
What I want to say is: Have some respect of the language you want to use!
-
What was the first fandom you ever wrote for?
I THINK it was Harry Potter? IDK I wrote a cringy Star Trek Parodie when I was like 14 or so and those OCs went through a lot from that time on forward but Idk if that even counts XD
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What’s your favorite fic you’ve ever written?
The Game of Our Life It’s a series of Mario x Homestuck Fics I wrote before Undertale came along and swept me away XD I love all my fics of course but this one was the first really big one I finished on english and it was the one I am most proud of of the world-building. It has angst, it has lore, my writing style was just really developing there and I am just proud of it. (Also it’s very self-indulging so yeah XD love it a LOT)
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bryan360 · 3 years
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My YCCTEAM's Wireless Switch Switch Pro Controller - Part 9.5 (Gyro and Motion Controls) (w/ Luigi's Mansion 3)
What's up, followers, friends, and Nintendo fans? It's been last month of March 2021 where I bring my past topic part for my YCCTEAM Controller back in the 30th day; just to trying out testing the gyro and motion control setting through Super Mario Odyssey. However, I promised that I'll be bringing the second half of testing the gyro and motion control setting again and here it is for using through my 👻Luigi's Mansion 3 game. (Although mostly with gyro control cause I've checked the game's details) I'm gladly saving this recorded video since March 26th like the same day after finished up my first test.
Much like from the first one though, I did the same thing trying to upload this video by dowsize its file smaller; of what the original iPad recorded video's file size was "100 MB" or more. Anyways, time to bring you my second half test of the YCCTEAM Controller's gyro and motion control setting. (Again mostly the gyro control part, sorry....)
By the way, I'm also like to announce that I've recorded other videos of using my YCCTEAM Controller during playtime for one of my games. Hoping I can save them as my conclusion to finished this topic soon, but just taking time. Sorry if I've said to confused I'm bringing my next YCCTEAM topic of me doing Super Mario 3D All-Stars today, though. ^^*
So for the next video of testing my YCCTEAM Controller again, I boosted up Luigi's Mansion 3 as you can see I'm at the elevator part. I haven't been talk about my progress since I got this game from last year, even I would like to do so more often or not. Nevertheless, my gaming progress through Luigi's Manison 3 was alright. I've been collecting ghosts, rescuing some Toads, encounter bosses, and gotten 11 elevator knobs so far. In fact back in March 14th, 2021 where I save my game file after I went to the Unnatural History Museum to battle out the caveman ghost. So why not taking a break by showing my second half testing with Luigi's Poltergust G-00 in action?
I happened to using it way back when, although mostly with analog sticks on left and right while controlling Luigi. It's a better option when trying to capture ghosts or solve puzzle when you need the right analog to turn directions. That being said, let's see if I using my controller to move around Luigi while he's "vacuuming."
At 0:05 to 0:13, I begin with using Luigi's Poltergust G-00 to suck things by pressing the ZR Button. While doing so, I'm using my controller's gyro setting to aim up and down to move. It funtion alright as I expected and even also work for blowing when pressing the ZL Button. Although you didn't seen it for this video cause I forget to add it in. Sorry. ^^*
At 0:14 to 0:26, I'm on the second part by switching Luigi's Poltergust G-00 with a Strobulb to be using to stun ghostly enemies. I simple go for pressing the A or R Button, but while doing so using my controller's gyro setting a second time. It still funtion just right when I'm trying to aim it up and down to move. *Thumbs up*
At 0:27 to 0:36, I'm now at switching to dark light aiming that it usually do helping to find hidden coins through paintings and rescue Toads being trapped there. I pressing the X Button to activate it while using my controller's gyro setting to aim just as fine.
At 0:38 to 0:51, Finally that I'm almost finished this second half test by doing one more switching into its Suction Shot; where it helpful to aim on flat surfaces then grab it by sucking to open up objects or break them. I usually hold the Y Button first before using my controller's gyro setting to aim down and up carefully; then releasing the Y Button to take a suction shot.
After using my controller's gyro setting through Luigi's Mansion 3, it was not bad how it funtions of trying to get aiming things; if I would use that during my continue gaming progress. Same goes for Super Mario Odyssey as I already tested its Gyro and Motion Control of tossing Cappy at enemies.
My Thoughts:
It was a👍🏼thumbs up results when using my controller's gyro setting through Luigi's Mansion 3, though not as much of what I did was aiming direction with Luigi's Poltergust G-00. At least knowing it can be useful of aiming things such as ghosts to capture them, but again still that the analog sticks are the better option.
I think that's all of trying to test the gyro and motion control for my YCCTEAM Controller I have. Besides, I have two games does support it; expect if checking to make sure my Super Mario 3D All-Stars game does have support of gyro and motion controls and then I'll have another recording next time. At least knowing I'll be bringing some Super Mario 3D All-Stars game during playtime with my controller; as my next part topic soon. Hoping my main rabbit OC 🐰🖌Maxwell can wait a little bit longer to look forward of what I'll showing. ☺👍🏼 Now if you excuse me, I'm still be doing some drafting art to be done such as Sam's new bio for example.
Pervious Posts for my YCCTEAM’s Pro Controller Topic:
Wireless Switch Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite (Part 1) - Link Here #1
My YCCTEAM’s Wireless Switch Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite Unboxing (Part 2) - Link Here #2
My YCCTEAM’s Wireless Switch Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite Comparison with my Xbox One (Part 3) - Link Here #3
My YCCTEAM’s Wireless Switch Pro Controller for Nintendo Switch/Switch Lite Comparison with my Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Cons (Part 4) - Link Here #4
Testing Buttons (Part 5) - Link Here #5
Rumble Feature Testing (Part 6) - Link Here #6
Battery Charging Test (Part 7) - Link Here #7
Playtime Battery Life Results (Part 8) - Link Here #8
Gyro and Motion Controls 1st Half (Part 9) - Link Here #9
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echoeternally · 4 years
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How Do I Ship Bowser & Mario?
Part 2: Finding Common Ground Between Enemies
{Previously, we built up Mario’s character, which can be found in Part 1. The next entry continues based on that.}
And, above all else, realize that Mario is just as multi-faceted as his co-stars: he has his own set of quirks, but also his flaws.
How this relates to Bowser and sets them up as a potential couple, that’s for the next post. That will also dive further into Mario’s personality traits, and therefore help flesh out his character.
Be warned, however, as this will contain spoilers to endings of select Super Mario games, and includes spoilers to the recent title, Luigi’s Mansion 3. 
Obviously, Bowser and Mario hold opposite traits, because Bowser is meant to be Mario’s designated enemy.
Where Mario is joyful, but somewhat reserved, Bowser is grouchy, yet very loud and outspoken. Mario likes to help others and is strongest in quieter moments, showing his compassion. Bowser, on the other hand, has funnier moments when he belittles his underlings, is fierce and dominant with his imposing final boss moments, and is overall one of the more abrasive characters in the series.
As much as they are opposites, however, they do share a number of qualities.
Both Mario and Bowser are leaders: Bowser leads his own kingdom, while Mario tends to be the head of his friends, either leading them on adventures, or having everyone join in on a party or with sports. Both characters tend to be stubborn: Bowser constantly wants his way in all aspects of life, and has a fierce determination to see it through, while Mario does all he can to help others and wants to find peace, even if it must be fought for.
An important quality both share, which is one that people may find surprising at first glance: their compassion.
Mario loves others. His brother is normally someone who gets priority in his depictions, and this is best exemplified through the Mario & Luigi series. It shows up in select cutscenes in other games, and through Luigi’s dialogue from time to time; I think the latest example comes from Luigi’s Mansion 3, where Luigi goes to all ends to save Mario, who very excitedly runs and gives his brother a big hug upon his rescue.
As well, Mario is distraught over Peach’s kidnapping and weeps upon finding her locked away. Obviously, given that Peach is traditionally depicted as Mario’s love interest, his love for her is typically demonstrated multiple times in many games, perhaps most famously during Super Mario Odyssey, but consistently hinted at by numerous characters such as Rosalina during Super Mario Galaxy, or the Toads during...most games.
I could list everyone else that Mario shows love and compassion to, such as being brave and protecting Toads, rescuing, befriending, and bonding with Yoshi, and pretty much go across every one-off character that he’s ever come into contact with. But, I think you get the picture based on that.
Now, with Bowser? He’s usually a jerk. His biggest, showy moments, most especially in RPGs, involve him either belittling or bullying his troops. This is, however, because he’s traditionally set in the role of the lead bad guy: the player is meant to identify that he’s evil, and needs to see this full force. If someone treats others as beneath them, they’re obviously not good.
Of course, the quickest character one can point to being an exception is Bowser Junior, who Bowser showers with love and adoration. He spoils his son constantly, but also takes him under his wing, teaching him how to fight Mario and kidnap Peach. And there’s the key point to Bowser: he loves. It’s not like with Peach, where he essentially lusts for her and wants her both for her beauty and to take control of her kingdom; with Junior, this is Bowser actually being a father, and wanting to give his son the world as best he can.
Though this doesn’t always get a front-and-center view in the video games, it does come up, either in passing dialogue from main entries starting with Super Mario Sunshine, or else shows up frequently in spin-off games, especially in sports games where Bowser is playable, and thus is allowed to be demonstrated as a good character because he’ll be under the player’s control, and therefore will be able to showcase his redeemable qualities. More recently, Bowser has been included in video game trailers and animations to help advertise Mario and Nintendo games as a whole, and typically, he shares the screen with Bowser Junior, to continue showing his fatherly side.
Because of how they were depicted in prior games and related media, the Koopalings have also been given an affectionate side from Bowser. He’s spoiled them before, and tends to value them higher than other soldiers in his army. In more recent titles, this is most prevalent not necessarily in on-screen depictions, but rather, implied by circumstance. Sure, one could label the Koopalings as extremely powerful and therefore given more to work with than mere grunts.
However, they’re given very, very powerful tools, most especially in their magic wands; the fact that Bowser trusts them shows a deep respect for them. I think, however, that they’re best shown as being very important to him when the game is over, and it’s the Koopalings (and usually Bowser Junior) who are fishing Bowser out of whatever hole he’s fallen into, and dragging him off to recover and prepare for the next one. Sure, they could be super loyal, but I think that, when the dust settles, the Koopalings are supportive of Bowser in a type of surrogate situation: he fulfills the need of a father to them, and they fill in additional roles as children to him. So, no, they may not be his kids, but he certainly has a soft spot for them.
If we go down the line, we can go back and forth with how Bowser is seen as a father to his men kind of role, given the extreme bouts of loyalty some of his soldiers have in various games. The thing is that, depending upon the game, Bowser is also depicted in various ways, and therefore, his compassion is varied based on title.
So, we’ve got that Mario can be a normally all-around nice guy, and Bowser’s not always a sweetheart. However, Mario can be a bit rough when he chooses, and Bowser can open up with exposed layers to those closest to him.
How the heck can that possibly help them relate to one another, and furthermore, view one another as a romantic interest?
Easily, my dear Anon!
[That answer will begin with the next portion in Part 3! Here’s where to follow.]
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mysmashplaythroughs · 4 years
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New Super Luigi U Playthrough
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Fighter: Luigi
Game: New Super Luigi U, Wii U. First Released on June 19th 2013.
Fighter Bio.
Luigi is the younger brother of the famous Mushroom Kingdom hero Mario. Together the two are referred to as the Mario Bros or Super Mario Bros. Luigi has often followed his brother in various adventures, taking on Bowser and other threats, although Luigi sometimes takes a smaller role holding down the fort at home or is off on his own journey. There are also a few cases where Luigi has been the star over Mario, most notably his ghost hunting escapades. Similarly, to how iconic Mario is as a gaming icon, Luigi is probably the most iconic Player 2 character in gaming. Luigi started off being essentially a palette swap of Mario, meaning he looked identical to Mario just with different coloured clothes, that being his association with green rather than Mario’s red. It would only be in Super Mario Bros 2 USA that he first started having a different look to Mario, being taller and leaner. Whilst official art would start depicting him differently from Mario after this point, his sprites in Super Mario Bros 3 and Super Mario World would still be recolours of Mario, although he would get more distinct sprites in later re-releases of these games.
It is possible that the idea of Luigi being Mario’s younger brother, which is only referenced occasionally may come from his first appearance being after Mario’s, with him first appearing in the game Mario Bros, which was the first game to use Mario’s name, with him being referred to as Jumpman before that. Luigi would often be in other games following this along with Mario, such as Wrecking Crew, always filling the second player option. Luigi did notably follow Mario when the Mushroom Kingdom first appeared in his game series, with the game Super Mario Bros. Whilst Luigi is in this game, he was only playable in two player, where he would be the character the second player controlled, and players would take turns playing through stages. With Mario Odyssey implying Donkey Kong the arcade game took place in New Donk City, it’s plausible other early games such as Wrecking Crew may also have taken place there, however as with most of the Mario series, nothing is really confirmed or denied. Luigi similarly to Mario is known as a protector of the Mushroom Kingdom, and he is just as capable as Mario of fighting Bowser, with the two of them together often being a force to be reckoned with. Luigi similarly to Mario is often not the strongest or fastest, but not lacking in any particular skill either. However, sometimes Luigi is somewhat distinguished from Mario, in some cases being slightly weaker but faster, and sometimes being able to jump higher but slip a bit more than Mario. This tends to be the case more in games where there aren’t many playable characters however, and often in games with larger casts such as the Mario sports games, Luigi will be the same as Mario in abilities.
Luigi unlike his brother, has often been given more of a personality, although it has varied from game to game. As there are a fair few games where Mario is the playable character but Luigi still appears, he often has dialogue when Mario speaks to him. He’s been shown over the years to be more cowardly than Mario, and sometimes a bit of a braggart on some occasions, possibly to try and impress Mario who he looks up to. He is also loyal to his brother and his friends, and still willing to fight even if he’s afraid of what he’s up against. Luigi tends to be clumsier than Mario, and approaches situations more cautiously than his Brother, preferring to slowly approach situations rather than jump right in in most cases. He has a fear of ghosts, but despite this has taken them on many times even whilst being terrified as he does so. Finally, Luigi is often noted to be in Mario’s shadow somewhat, with a lot of characters often recognising Mario but not him, or even if they do recognise him, not being able to remember his name and just referring to him with names such as “Green guy”. There are occasionally hints that this has caused Luigi to develop a slight dark side deep down, but he very rarely acts on it unless forced to by other influences. Finally, Luigi can be a fair bit more emotional than Mario, crying a few times when Mario won’t.
Friends: Luigi has had a fair few friends throughout the years, however he’s notably not as popular as Mario. Mario is his best friend as well as brother, with the two often working together to take on threats, and being a strong force when doing so. Luigi has a lot of respect for Mario, although he can get jealous and competitive with him from time to time. Luigi is also good friends with Princess Peach, although she tends to be closer with Mario, however as he is playable in many of the Super Mario Bros games, he often has the same endings with Peach such as receiving a kiss from her. With that said, Luigi seems to be closer to Princess Daisy, who he only interacts with in spin-off media, but is often shown paired together with, including a statue of the two dancing in one of Daisy’s race courses in Mario Kart Wii. Yoshi gets along well with Luigi just as he does with his brother, however they specifically are sometimes associated with each other such as being called Green Team in certain games. Toad is another of Luigi’s friends, but perhaps less so than Mario. Whilst the main Toad seems to get along with Luigi as well as Mario, other Toads throughout the series vary, with some being dismissive of Luigi and others being big fans of him, as opposed to them all seeming to praise Mario. Most of Luigi’s other friendships are similar to his brother in various spinoffs, with characters such as Diddy Kong and Rosalina.
Whilst Luigi has met less characters than Mario over his history, there are a few he has made friends with that Mario doesn’t seem to know as well. A notable example of this is Professor E Gadd, who has met Mario a few times, but knows Luigi much better. The two can have a slightly antagonistic relationship, but still seem to trust each other despite E Gadd’s occasional barbs he makes at Luigi. One final note on Luigi’s friendships, is that unlike Mario who has had many adventures where he’s met and befriended various characters such as in the Paper Mario series, Luigi hasn’t really done so. There was one case where he had an adventure in the Waffle Kingdom, which was only told to Mario when they’d occasionally meet up during Paper Mario and the Thousand Year Door. The majority of the partners Luigi teamed up with on his adventure did not seem to be very fond of him however, with them often telling Mario that Luigi was exaggerating his tales and in some cases had made major mistakes and they were only travelling with him to get him to pay them back or to make sure he doesn’t cause more problems elsewhere.
Enemies/Rivals: Luigi has not amassed as many enemies as Mario, but he has shared a fair few with him. Similarly to Mario, Luigi’s most major and recurring enemy is Bowser and his forces. Bowser often forgets who Luigi is, but he has been reminded from time to time when Luigi causes him just as many problems as Mario does. Bowser Jr and the Koopalings have fought Luigi a fair few times, although not as often as they’ve fought Mario. Unlike Mario who is feared by a lot of Bowser’s troops, they often fail to recognise Luigi, although those who do either tend to underestimate him, or in some cases realise he’s just as much of a threat as Mario. Finally, Luigi has an arch enemy who uniquely he has fought more than Mario, that being King Boo, leader of the Boos. King Boo has captured Mario numerous times, but often ends up defeated by Luigi, which has gradually led him to despise the younger brother. It’s debatable if King Boo is always the same one throughout the series, but if so, in Super Mario 64 DS he was the one who captured Luigi hiding him in a painting in Big Boo’s Haunt, alluding to their antagonistic relationship.
Luigi has one rival really which is Waluigi. Waluigi has an intense hatred of Luigi for unknown reasons, and Luigi actually seems to be more confident when going up against him rather than his tendency to be somewhat afraid of other antagonists such as Bowser. At worst Waluigi has cheated to try and win in various competitions which is why he’s more of a rival than a full-on enemy, and may be part of why Luigi doesn’t seem to be afraid of him. When it comes to Wario, the two don’t seem to really have much of a rivalry, as Wario is more of a rival to Mario, however the Mario Bros often compete against Wario and Waluigi. Interestingly, in Super Mario 64 DS, it is Luigi who saves Wario from the painting he’s trapped in.
Crossovers with other Smash characters: Luigi is not as prolific as Mario when it comes to crossovers, but he has had a fair few over the years, and more than a lot of other characters. Luigi was with Mario and others in the crowd during certain parts of Kirby Super Star, watching Kirby fight King Dedede in the boxing arena and the Megaton Punch minigame. Luigi was in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe where other racers include Link (Skyward Sword and Breath of the Wild’s incarnations) the default Inklings, two Animal Crossing Villagers and Isabelle. Luigi similarly to Mario has been in some Game & Watch games and was in the Game & Watch Gallery games which included the original and Mario versions of various Game & Watch games, therefore featuring Mr Game & Watch. Luigi appears with Mario in Tetris on the NES in a small cameo alongside Pit, Samus, Link and Donkey Kong. Luigi was also in all of the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, crossing over with the Sonic series. What’s interesting is despite Tails being arguably the next most famous Player 2 and sidekick character in gaming, Luigi’s rival seems to be Shadow in that series with the two appearing a few times alongside each other. Luigi co-starred in Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga, which had originally planned cameos of Olimar, Toon Link, Wario, Fox McCloud, Samus Aran and and Excitebiker which were cut from the final game. Luigi appeared in the audience of the arcade Punch-out games along with Mario, Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr which was his first ever cameo. Luigi was also playable in the Mario Kart GP series, which had Pac-Man a playable racer also. The Fortune Street games have had Luigi cross over with the Dragon Quest franchise, however, the Heroes from Dragon Quest do not appear themselves in these games. Overall, Luigi has made quite a few cameos over the years, just not independently of Mario.
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Why this game?
So, the obvious choice people always go with when it comes to Luigi is the Luigi’s Mansion games. Whilst they are definitely on my list and I will get to them down the line, the reason I went for New Super Luigi U in the end, was because Luigi’s overall movements in Smash Bros are closer to his portrayals in the platforming games than the Luigi’s Mansion games. Whilst Luigi in Super Smash Bros Ultimate uses the Poltergust, he has not always had it as part of his moveset, and it still only makes up his Final Smash and grab (which is only one move more than Mario’s F.L.U.D.D. and I doubt most people would say that is the best game to represent Mario overall, even if they love it) I therefore went for this game as it’s one of Luigi’s only starring roles besides the Luigi’s Mansion series and features specific movements which are associated with Luigi such as him being more slippery and jumping higher as well as doing the Scuttle jump. The game also has Luigi taking on Bowser and his army which represents the Super Mario Bros series overall better than the ghosts of Luigi’s Mansion.
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My past with this game.
When it comes to this game it can’t really be separated from New Super Mario Bros U. New Super Mario Bros U was a launch title for the Wii U and the fourth in the New Super Mario Bros series. The series overall has had a mixed reception, with not many thinking the games are bad but most of the complaints feeling they’re somewhat generic. Personally, I understand the complaints, but I still enjoy the games and think they’re good games overall. One key element that sadly I’m lacking is that these games can be played in multiplayer, which I’ve only been able to play a few times, so the majority of my experience with the series is single player. Personally, my favourite aspect of the series was seeing them bring back old enemies and redesign them into 3D, which has somewhat solidified how they appear now with enemies such as Buzzy Beetles and Hammer Bros and bosses such as the Koopalings reappearing after a long absence.
When it comes to New Super Mario Bros U specifically, there’s two aspects that probably stand out most in my mind. The first of these are the locations, with them making more of an effort in this game to not have the Mushroom Kingdom look the same as it did in New Super Mario Bros and New Super Mario Bros Wii. The locations in this game such as Acorn Plains are somewhat recognisable, although they’re not the most exciting locations to have appeared in the Mario series. The World Map was the second aspect I always remember, with it working more like the World Map in Super Mario World being one large map you can walk across from world 1 to the final castle. One key aspect to this game which was showing off a new feature of the Wii U was Miiverse, which personally I found a really fun addition, where you could see many different posts by other players for each level. I always liked this feature as it made it feel like you were going on a journey with lots of other people seeing what their experiences are like as you go. With Miiverse shut down now this is no longer possible and as such it was a unique feature to the Wii U game.
New Super Luigi U was what could be called an expansion to the game. It featured the same world map, but every level was replaced with a brand-new level which was meant to be more challenging. Along with this, every level now has a time limit of 100 seconds, meaning they were shorter than those in the original game and you have to focus on getting through them more quickly. There is only one ‘new’ enemy in the game which is a bigger version of a yellow Cheep Cheep, a fish enemy. The rest of the game doesn’t really use new assets so much as using different more challenging setups with those which were in the original game. Overall I’d say this game is similar to the original Super Mario Bros 2 in Japan, which was a more challenging version of the original Super Mario Bros, although with a couple of new features in that case. I played through the original and New Super Luigi U I believe fully getting all three star coins hidden in each stage and beating every level in both, however this was some time ago so I’m not one hundred percent certain if I did or not. I have also gotten New Super Mario Bros Deluxe on Switch, however I have not played through New Super Luigi U on it yet, so my playthrough for this post was on the Wii U version.
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My Smash Playthrough.
So, when it comes to my playthrough of this game, it’s very tough to actually go over it. Similarly to other games I’ve covered so far, it was some time ago I did this playthrough, however, one aspect of the New Super Mario Bros series which is often criticised and really doesn’t help me remember, is the game doesn’t really have many memorable moments. There’s the occasional stage which I’d have to retry a few times, but most often it’d be due to me messing up rather than it being particularly hard. The game is definitely tougher than New Super Mario Bros U, but also because of every stage having a time limit of 100 seconds, it means a lot of them are over quick when you do get through them. I think the main memorable aspect of the game is the overall worlds rather than specific stages, with them all being a mixture of foods and standard terrains you’d see in most games. The game starts off at Peach’s Castle, with Luigi, Blue Toad, Yellow Toad and Princess Peach sitting at the table, with oddly Mario’s cap also there, being the only sign of him in this game. Bowser’s Airship along with a squadron of Koopaling Airships arrive and Bowser’s Airship deploys a giant mechanical hand. The hand then moves Peach aside and smashes the other three, scooping them up and throwing them out of the castle, with them landing in a giant Super Acorn Tree, in the first world of the game, Acorn Plains. The three get up and start running back to the castle as Bower’s forces gradually start transforming it. Not exactly a deep story but it’s very rare for Mario games to have that interesting of a plot. The first world is fairly standard, although it introduces the main powerup in this game, the Super Acorn. I quite like the Flying Squirrel form and feel it works well in the game, being unique to previous forms with flight such as the Raccoon Suit and Cape as its movement is linked to the spin mechanic in the New Super Mario Bros series. Beyond the Squirrel form, there’s not a lot of unique features to Acorn Plains beyond the scenery. The aesthetics and theming of the worlds in this game is most likely influenced by Super Mario World in this game, with the food themed locations and the various strange shapes making up the backgrounds throughout the game. Acorn Plains does have one other new feature in this game, Baby Yoshis. Unlike Yoshi, who sadly only appears in specific stages and won’t go with you to other ones, the Baby Yoshi you find on the world map will follow you for as long as you can keep ahold of it, which is somewhat difficult. Baby Yoshi comes in three colours, Pink which when you’re holding it and shake the controller (or press the button in other playstyles) will inflate and allow you to float up a little way, being able to do so a limited number of times before you slowly fall, Blue which shoots bubbles out of it’s mouth which can defeat a lot of enemies, and finally the Yellow shining Baby Yoshi. The Shining Baby Yoshi is only available in specific stages as it’s main job is allowing you to light up dark stages by spinning. All three Baby Yoshis eat most enemies that adult Yoshi can eat. Whilst Baby Yoshis have appeared in a few games, this game was the first time they’d reused the design from Super Mario World in a long time, and the first time this form had appeared in 3D.
Layer-Cake Desert is the next world, which is made up of surprisingly mostly sand themed stages, as well as a fair few underground ones. Some notable features of this world are the first case of a dark underground stage where light is only provided by certain objects such as fireballs from enemies and the fire flowers, as well as glowing Baby Yoshis. Also, of note in this world are the first appearance of Spikes, who can be irritating but aren’t too difficult to defeat as long as you watch out for the iron balls they roll. Next up is a branch, where you can choose which world to take on next. Despite me not going for 100% in this playthrough I believe, I beat both worlds, and I have every time, so I’m not entirely certain if you can carry on without doing the other world or have to beat both options before being able to go on to world 5. I’m fairly sure I have always gone for the same world first each time, being Frosted Glacier, so I most likely did again in this playthrough. Frosted Glacier has some really nice looking stages, with a lot of starry skies, and a nice atmosphere. The only problem of course, is in a game with Luigi slipping more than usual, you now have ice physics to deal with. I believe I didn’t have an awful amount of trouble with this however, as often there’s plenty of room so it’s rare to slip and fall into pits in my experience as long as you’re careful. The first ghost house also appears in this world, I don’t tend to remember specific ghost houses in most games until I get to them, so I can’t say which ghost house is from which world, but with the strict time limit, having to solve puzzles I think could take me a couple of tries, however it was nothing I remember being irritatingly tough. Sparkling Waters is the other option and the one I usually go with second. As you can likely guess from the name, it’s a water based world, however what’s interesting is there’s only two underwater stages in it, with the rest being more beach themed stages with a small amount of water at the bottom. Probably the first stage that I noticed being somewhat unique in this game compared to New Super Mario Bros U is in this world, with a beach stage featuring various beach huts and Huckit Crabs, which throw rocks. The other stage of note in this world is the ghost ship, which is a mix of a ghost house and a beach stage with water running along the bottom and Boo enemies.
Following these worlds is the first encounter with Bowser’s main airship which involves a battle with Bowser Jr. I’ll cover the boss battles later, but this is probably the only standard airship level in the game as the other one differs somewhat. I’ve always been a fan of the airships in Mario and so despite it being an auto-scrolling level I quite like this one. Past this is Soda Jungle, which has a few unique features. This world starts off with jungle themed stages with poisonous water that kills you if you fall in, and can be quite irritating. It also features Giant enemies for the first time. The Haunted Forest section of the world has one of the most interesting looking stages in the game, which is a stage where all the backgrounds look like painted artwork along with painted pipes that move a lot. I do remember having to play this level a few times, so I was glad it had an interesting look to it rather than just being another jungle stage. Finally, after leaving the Haunted section comes a couple more jungle stages, with them both featuring some unique mechanics, one of the stages requiring you to bounce off of giant Wiggler enemies (caterpillars that are an enemy that first appears in this world) and not touch the poison water. The second is a stage which features enemies that only appeared in one stage in New Super Mario Bros U, being Sumo Bros. What I found cool was that these enemies hadn’t appeared in a game in years so I was glad to see them in 3D for the first time. They can be very tricky though, stomping on platforms above to make lighting drop down. Rock Candy Mines is the next world, which features many mountain and underground themed stages which are fairly challenging. I can’t really pick out stages that stood out particularly in this world however. Next up, and the final of the standard worlds in the game is Meringue Clouds. I’d like to note that I have always been a big fan of sky-based locations, with cities in the clouds being some of my favourite settings, so I enjoyed this world. Probably one of the more notable stages on it is the Rainbow Skywalk, which features you travelling through various rainbow corridors with Bullet Bills firing and Waddlewings flying at you.
Before tackling the final world, I’d like to make a mention of the boss battles. They’re often seen as the weakest aspect of the game I believe, and I can understand why, however personally I quite enjoy them. Boom Boom is the miniboss of most worlds, with him receiving various changes each time from Kamek, including forms such as being able to spin jump, growing giant and gaining wings amongst other abilities. The Koopalings are fairly different in this game to their last appearance in New Super Mario Bros Wii, being only fought once in each world and having different features to their fights. They’re still beaten the same way mostly however being jumped on three times when not hidden in their shells. These battles I believe are no different in New Super Luigi U to the base game, with the main difference being Luigi’s different movement in this game and the shorter time limit. The bosses are fairly simple with only a couple making me have to try more than once against them. The final Airship stage follows Meringue Clouds and features the giant hand seen on the airship in the introduction. It causes crushing damage so can kill you instantly even if you’ve got a full powerup, so it’s important to always find somewhere to hide from it. The auto-scroll nature of the stage can make this somewhat irritating but it’s not too difficult and is followed up by a Bowser Jr boss fight. The first Bowser Jr fight earlier in the game had you swimming and trying to get his homing Torpedo Teds he’d fire to instead hit him, which wasn’t tough but could take a bit of time and I believe I had to try more than once. This second boss battle can be fairly irritating, with it requiring you to jump on his head when he’s low enough. However, what’s dangerous in this battle is Bowser Jr can break the floor you’re standing on, meaning a mistake can cause you to fall fairly easily. Following this battle, the Airship is taken down and its on to the final world, Peach’s Castle which has been transformed by Kamek.
Peach’s Castle features all lava stages, with many features seen in the castles you’ve been through such as Podoboos and Magmaws coming out of the lava to cause you trouble. Somewhat more unique to these stages are the poisonous gas cloud that follows in some stages, although due to the time limit you’re unlikely to wait long enough for it to catch up to you anyway, and meteors which fall from the sky and often destroy platforms they land on (as well as you if you’re not careful). Probably the my biggest complaint for this world in both NSBMU and NSLU is that, beyond Peach’s Castle being viewable in the background in some of the stages, none of the stages really look that different to typical Bowser’s Castle stages, and given the history of Peach’s Castle with Super Mario 64 having the whole game take place in it as a hub world, it would have been cool to see more of the concept of that location transformed into a lava filled fortress. The final stage isn’t that different from the one in New Super Mario Bros U, with Bowser Jr in his Clown Car flying above you and ground pounding on you every so often. It’s a somewhat irritating stage due to this, with him often throwing you off or knocking you stunned into the lava. At the end of the stage comes the final battle with Bowser… which is once again a recreation of his battle in the original Super Mario Bros. Run under him when he jumps and hit the switch to collapse the bridge under him. There is more to this, but given the last three NSMB games did this setup before the real final boss, I really wish they could have done something else here. Super Mario Bros 3 had a fun Bowser fight, they could have easily done a recreation of that if they wanted. It’s funny because due to this same boss fight being in the NSMB series multiple times, it makes Bowser in his ‘base form’ so to speak seem like a complete joke which Mario and Luigi can take down with ease at this point.
So, as you can imagine, Bowser falls, and Kamek appears to once again use his magic on him, just like in previous NSMB games. This time, instead of running from a giant Bowser like in New Super Mario Bros Wii, the giant Bowser confronts you on the roof, with Bowser Jr in his clown car helping him. This is a somewhat cool battle, as you must dodge Bowser Jr’s ground pounds, jump on him to knock him out of the Clown Car and pilot it above the giant Bowser, before ground pounding with it down onto his head. It’s a fairly fun battle although not particularly hard, you will probably have to try it once or twice though but for how many lives you have at this point it won’t matter much. Following his defeat Bowser falls with Jr jumping after him (I’d imagine landing on top of Bowser rather than to his doom but I’ll let you be the judge of that) and Luigi goes to see Peach, gets a kiss and the same ending as New Super Mario Bros U plays out. Usually I go over my feelings on the ending, with the credits music and other things, but there’s not really much to say for this one, it’s another playable ending screen which is nice but it’s nothing really special. The music’s nice enough for it but New Super Mario Bros as a series has not had a lot of music that really sticks out to me. I don’t find it bad music, it does its purpose, but it’s not something I’ll really think of outside of the game usually, with only the occasional track that I’ll listen to. So for the game overall, I think it benefits from it’s focus on being a challenge for those who played the first game rather than a sequel, and for Luigi’s first non-Mansion or Educational starring role it’s not a bad one.
Specific aspects about the game relating to Luigi in Smash.
So, when it comes to Luigi’s moves in this game, there isn’t a lot to go over. Luigi can use fireballs when he’s in his Fire Luigi form similarly to his Neutral B in Smash Bros, he can also do spins in this game, similar to his Down B. Apart from that however, most of the similarities come down to movement, with Luigi’s physics in comparison to Mario’s being similar to the differences between them in Smash, and Luigi having his Scuttle Jump. Other than that, most of Luigi’s moves in Smash have a somewhat interesting origin, with a lot of his attacks being based on Mario’s which came from Super Mario 64, a game Luigi famously wasn’t in. What’s interesting is years later Super Mario 64 DS would release with Luigi playable, being able to do the same attacks as Mario, so in a sense it could be said to be based on his Smash moves rather than the other way around in this case. (Although, in reality it’s simply because all characters besides Yoshi have the same punching and kicking moves). Overall, despite this being the game I chose for Luigi, the closest playable appearance for him to his Smash Bros appearance is in Super Mario 64 DS. Finally, as it is an important aspect of him, I will cover Luigi’s Poltergust down the line as an alternate costume in a sense with a play through of Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon, and then Luigi’s Mansion 3.
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Credits.
For information on this game including dates of releases I must give credit to Mario Wiki.
The screenshots in this post are taken by me using Miiverse before it shut down.
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AC: Ragnarok--no, that’s a Thor movie--Valhalla!
Okay! So. I was in a teleconference today (because the one thing that hasn’t shut down during this pandemic is Construction, Especially of Hospitals) when Ubisoft did their Thing. So I missed it. But now: time to watch the trailer.
(I did get to passively, distractedly watch the art thing yesterday they did on twitter, but all I got from it was pretty landscapes and silhouette of a Big Guy, so aside from the Ubisoft AC Special (TM), and VIKINGS, I don’t know what I’m about to see. Huzzah!)
Disclaimer: I tried to keep my language clean, but that failed at some point
Bullet points, go!
1. So.... that’s looking to be a fairly burly guy. Or at least very well armoured.
2. If there is no option to play as a lady this time I will S C R E A M and then promptly wage internet war (no I won’t). Kass spoiled me, you can’t take that away from me, Ubisoft!
3. A priestess woman... is she our female playable character?
4. It’s taken me until now to figure out that the voice over narration is an actual character speaking and not just... a random voice over narrator.
5. LOL the narration is all about how they kill indiscriminately and of course Ubisoft pairs that with a “oh look at this woman and her child(ren?), let’s allow them to run away from the fighting and violence and not kill them” and I mean. This is AC of course they’re going to make their protag / protag’s people look good, so I’m not surprised, and knowing that this is a character narration means it’s propaganda to some degree (Templaaaaars!). I’m just. You’re really going out of your way to show where the lines are drawn, but in the most subtle manner you can manage, eh?
6. I gotta say: that switch from actual battle to play fighting and training with the fam? That’s a nice transition. Almost as good as the ones for the Origins Theatrical Trailer (all caps, because that? Is the shit. Still my favourite. Leonard Cohen! Bayek! Aya/Amunet! Egypt! Cleo and Caesar and did I say Bayek! And SENU, MY LOVE <3 <3 <3 <3 <3).
7. I didn’t bother to look up what year (decade) this is set in exactly, but I’m going to assume it’s pre-Christianization of the Scandiwegian countries/lands, so that means A) this is probably not going to have a happy ending, and B) my immediate reaction of KING JOHN! WHERE IS ROBIN HOOD? Is way off base
8. Guy in the background is reminding me of what’s his face from ACII. Damn it. I remember Savonarola, but not him. The Gonfallioniere (sp?). I’m recording all of my thoughts trying to remember this fool’s name because it’s bugging me so much I SHOULD KNOW IT. Um. What’s his face. The Betrayer. That guy. Getting those same vibes from Mister Background For The King. (An eminence grise?)
9. AAAAAAND... BATTLE! This is feeling like that one mission in AC3, where they tricked us into thinking we could do the same thing in actual play as Connor did in the trailer. THAT’S WHAT I’M FEELING, I am Worried. Not super stealthy to be front and centre in a giant free for all!
10. (I say like the entire premise of this game isn’t VIKINGS. What do I know)
11. WHAT IS THAT FLORENTINE LAWYER GUY’S NAME?????
12. So the... leader? Chief? Head honcho? The dude gets taken out and the guy-who-is-I-guess-our-boy just lobs that... axe? Very nice.
13. A hooded person! So maybe we actually ARE being stealthy? Is that our boy/girl?
14. No, my bad, that was just fucking god. (KASS? IS THAT YOU?)
15. “Odin is with us!” Well, that was definitely our standard bird of prey that just took off (I’m including Corvids in this--I just 100% typo’ed that as “Covid”, I’ve Pavlov’d my fingers apparently). So random hooded person who is Not Odin what is wrong with you is... maybe probably our boy/girl? Nice. And dude who is speaking is not?
(15.2. I have to admit, I’m on my second watch, and I’m still having trouble keeping track of who is who between each scene. Is the guy who meets the priestess and gets blood markings the same one we see talking? Is it the leader who gets shanked in the battle? Is it someone else entirely? I don’t know! I’m just going to assume that we’re focusing on the guy who speaks during the battle because of Reasons From Further Points.)
16. No, seriously, what is that fool’s name from Florence? Damnit.
17. Dude-on-a-horse! ...I’m assuming you’re the guy from the scene with the King. And now you’re on a horse! With a... giant of a man beside you. (Ser Gregor Clegane, is that you?)
18. Holy shit it might be, I want a normal person to stand beside both Mister Mountain and our boy, how big are you guys????? Height, muscle, mass, weight, armour, all of the above? The scales for these people look. So weird.
19. Mario Kart 64 had the battle rounds for two or more players? And when you selected it there was that (Luigi?) voice clip that said, “Battol!” Yeah, I definitely heard that when our boy faced off with Mister Mountain.
20. NOT LOOKING TOO HOT THERE, P.O.V. CHARACTER, MAYBE YOU NEED A LITTLE HELP FROM YOUR HOODED FRIEND?
21. HA! HELP GRANTED AND--
22. YOU ARE FUCKING KIDDING ME. Now I need to go back and rewatch and see if I can pick up on that bracer from earlier scenes. (And over the back of the hand? Definitely a follow through Origins then.)
23. THE SHIT. IS THIS.
24. !!!!!!!! ALBERTO UMBERTI! YOU FUCKER I FORGOT YOUR NAME!!!! Anyway.
25. But yeah, I was really hoping for some kind of surprise stealth kill like the arrow storms from Brotherhood, but... this works? I guess? I DON’T KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT THIS.
26. I lied--I know exactly how I feel about this. Very... RPG-ish, more God of War than AC. I’m probably going to enjoy it anyway because I do enjoy God of War, but since this is supposed to fit in the timeline between Origins and ACI (Altair! It’s been too long, I’ve missed you, your arrogant prick), I was kind of hoping for something that leaned more towards the stealth of Altair (except for when I’m playing the game) and less the knock-em-down, drag-em-out brawling of Odyssey.
On the other hand, our boy (and hopefully lady!) goes a-viking, so. I don’t know why I thought it might be anything different?
27. I didn’t comment on the music but! This sounds familiar! It has a very Woodkid-vibe to it, but without being Woodkid (I think?????). And lots of sound effects, of course, so I’m going to have to look this up to get a proper feel for it. It just sort of... faded into the background except in one or two spots, and I know that’s what you want for good sound mixing, but this is a trailer, not a feature length film, I want to hear the song. I’m assuming it was chosen for a reason, I’d like to be able to tell what that reason is.
(27.2 They actually used a song from Jonsi for the Black Flag trailer, and since Sigur Ros is from Iceland this might have been the better time to use it... oh! Wait I can just go look up if they have a track similar to this. Exciting!) (I apologize for the lack of proper spelling there, I’m fighting with my keyboard to make it type English characters properly, let alone ones that my computer considers “special” characters :\ )
Thoughts: Okay, well, one trailer and me otherwise ignoring all the rumours for AC means I have nothing solid to really form an opinion about. Aside from A+++++ animation quality, Ubisoft, you never fail in that department. (Game quality and glitches, on the other hand... I still remember Arno’s L’Oreal commercial, Ubisoft,)
I’m excited to see northern Europe and the British Isles in game form! It might be the only form of travelling I get to do in the next few months. ...even though this is supposed to be out just before New Years?
I said just above that I had Thoughts on how the story would be bridged between Origins and ACI, and I still do, but I’m intrigued to see where and how Ubisoft is going to take this and play with it. I also need to check and see if they’ve confirmed a timeline/decade/year that this takes place in, so I can go pour over all the history from that time period. ...and maaaaaaybe we’ll get to go see Constantinople when it was Constantinople and before it became Istanbul during Ezio’s lifetime (ish)?
AC: Revelations: fighting with Jannisaries. AC: Valhalla (DLC?): fighting as a Varangian Guard (the sort-of precursor to the Jannisaries)
A girl can dream, right?
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tokiro07 · 5 years
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Okay...
So the theory goes that Jumpman, the Mario from Donkey Kong, is actually the father of Mario and Luigi (based on the fact that the original DK is supposedly now Cranky Kong and the current DK, who has faced off against the current Mario, is the son of DK Jr.)
If that is true, then Jumpman is likely the same Mario that worked as a demolition man in Wrecking Crew, given both the era of the game and the fact that Jumpman could easily have been a generalized construction worker (as he was stated to be a carpenter in DK). There is a Luigi in Wrecking Crew, though, so maybe not, but who knows, twins could easily run in the family and maybe Jumpman named one of his sons after his brother 
Either way, that would mean that Jumpman, the father of the Mario brothers, worked with Foreman Spike, who for some reason hated Jumpman and his brother. Depending on the game, Foreman Spike bears a striking resemblance to either Wario or Waluigi. Now, we already know that Wario and Waluigi are canonically not brothers, so I’m not saying that Spike is both of their dads.
Just one of them. 
(Long post under the cut. This whole thing really got away from me, but I think it ended pretty nicely, so I hope y’all enjoy it)
Probably Wario’s, if I had to bet, given that we know Mario and Wario have known each other since childhood (stated explicitly in the instruction manual for Six Golden Coins), so it would make sense for them to know each other if their parents were work “friends,” and it would especially make sense for Wario to be as hateful of Mario if his dad, Spike, were hateful of Jumpman. Hell, it would even explain his name. Jumpman has a kid and names him after himself, and then Spike has a kid around the same time and decides to invoke some nominative determinism and labels his kid “bad Mario.”
How Waluigi fits into the picture is ambiguous, but with a number of simple solutions. While some early sources indicate that they are brothers (strategy guides, official websites, etc.), while later sources refer to them as either cousins (Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games) or as friends (Mario Sluggers, voice actor Charles Martinet). They could be adoptive brothers, but this wouldn’t really explain the visual similarities, unless Waluigi explicitly modeled his appearance after Wario or Foreman Spike. This wouldn’t require that they be brothers at all, though, as Waluigi could have done that even if he was just a friend. The cousin aspect works best at explaining the visual similarity and even the name, as that would mean that his name was chosen to spite Luigi just the same way that Wario’s was chosen to spite Mario. The only issue there is that we’ve never heard of Spike having any siblings. He’s had multiple conflicting designs, so MAYBE there’s multiple Spikes and Spike is a family name, but I doubt it.
Personally, while the cousin angle wraps everything up the most neatly, I’m still a fan of the idea that Waluigi is some kind of shapeshifted disguise for Tatanga, since the two are both purple misanthropes with an unhealthy obsession with Princess Daisy, a hatred for the Mario brothers and an odd friendship with Wario. This would also of course explain why the exact nature of their relationship is so unclear, since it would imply that they’re outright lying but can’t keep the story straight. I would rather the cousin thing, though, since I would like Tatanga to be able to make a comeback, but that would still be a really fun twist.
The one major hole in all of this, though, is that Pauline appears in Mario Odyssey and gives no indication that she’s not the same Pauline from Donkey Kong, implying that Mario and Jumpman are, as they’ve always been presented, the same person. However, there is surprisingly an explanation for this. You see, in the original Donkey Kong, the damsel in distress was a blonde woman referred to as Lady. It wasn’t until the remake for the GameBoy that she was redesigned to be the brunette Pauline that we know today. While particularly damning sources (Shigeru Miyamoto, Smash 4) have claimed that Pauline and Lady are the same person, various extended Mario media present them separately (The Cat Mario Show, a 1994 encyclopedia, various Mario manga), and even present them as having opposing personality types. Naturally, Shigeru Miyamoto should be considered the most credible source here, but that’s no fun, and he also said he was Bowser Jr’s mom, so I’m going to ignore him. 
So.
Jumpman’s pet Cranky Kong kidnaps his girlfriend, Lady, and he has to save her. Sometime later, Jumpman orders two children from the stork with Lady, whom he names after himself and his twin brother, Luigi, after a somewhat delayed delivery. His work rival, Spike, and Spike’s brother...Stanley the Bugman, why not, maybe he blames Mario for DK getting into his green house, both have children delivered around the same time, and name them Wario and Waluigi to spite Jumpman’s children. The Mario brothers and Spike children grow up to hate each other, and DK Jr. has also grown up and decides to kidnap Mario’s girlfriend, Pauline, just as his father did to Lady all those years ago. Mario saves Pauline, but unlike Jumpman and Lady who were brought closer together by their trauma, they break up, although they remain friends. Some years later, after Mario has established himself as a recurring hero to the Mushroom Kingdom, gets a toy line which DK III becomes weirdly infatuated with, leading to Pauline’s second kidnapping by a DK (or this is the first time, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 was just a remake of DK on the GameBoy to give more context, the specifics aren’t too important here). Sometime after this, Pauline becomes mayor of New Donk City, which is adorned with references to Donkey Kong and his family’s crimes as if it’s all one big joke to these people. But I digress.
Somewhere in all that, Mario is given a castle for some reason, which is the last straw for Wario, who I imagine is working on a farm at the time, given that his best friend is a hen named Hen. Deciding that back breaking labor doesn’t satisfy his ambitions while his rival lives it up as a hero, Wario enlists the help of the alien Tatanga (who now that I think of it, he may well have met on his farm during an attempt to abduct a cow or something) to trick Mario to leave his castle so that Wario may steal it.
After Mario foils Wario’s plot and reclaims his castle, Mario extends an olive branch and invites Wario to play tennis with everyone, as that’s just the kind of guy he is. Wario, realizing he doesn’t have a partner, either a) invites his cousin Waluigi, who has gone into construction like uncle Spike (evidenced by his excavator in Mario Kart), since he loves sports and hates the Mario brothers as much as Wario does, or b) recruits Tatanga and has him disguise himself as someone who could ostensibly pass as a family member to lay low in case anyone tries to hold him responsible for his crimes (which they wouldn’t since they never try to arrest Bowser or Wario, but apparently he doesn’t know that)
As far as I can tell, the only thing we’re missing is where Waluigi was when Wario and the other Star Children were being delivered by the Stork and intercepted by Kamek. Perhaps he got passed over since he didn’t have a star? Maybe Bowser captured him and found he didn’t have a star, then discarded him. 
Actually, what if...
Waluigi was SUPPOSED to be delivered to Spike.
Waluigi was SUPPOSED to be Wario’s brother.
But when Bowser went back in time to find the seven Star Children, he messed up the route that Waluigi was supposed to be on. When the Stork got Waluigi back, he accidentally delivered Waluigi to the wrong house, the way he did to Mario and Luigi at the end of Yoshi’s Island (as shown in Yoshi’s New Island). Unlike with the Mario brothers, though, the Stork didn’t catch this mistake, and Waluigi grew up in the wrong household. Maybe it was even Stanley’s, and Waluigi’s inherently nasty personality clashed with Stanley’s kindly personality, but he still inherited his adoptive father’s love of plants! Can’t believe I was able to work that back in.
That’s why no one knows if they’re brothers, cousins or strangers! Because they don’t know who he was supposed to be delivered to, but they can’t deny the visual similarity! That’s why Waluigi’s so misanthropic, because he wasn’t delivered to the right house and he felt out of place! 
That last bit could easily be explained by being raised under Spike’s influence, though, since Spike is apparently the kind of jerk who would sabotage his own employees to get a bigger paycheck for himself. 
Either way, I think that lends to a really solid idea for the story of a Waluigi game.
A long time ago, I suggested a game where Waluigi somehow travels through time and goes through  levels themed around various Mario franchise titles (Waluigi’s Time to Shine), but now I know how to frame it! Waluigi, feeling odd about his family situation, asks Bowser how he travels through time so he can see where he comes from. Bowser throws him through a wormhole and Waluigi witnesses the events that lead to the Stork delivering him to the wrong house. He decides this is either Bowser or the Stork’s fault (Bowser makes more sense, but it would be super funny if the Stork ends up being the final boss) and journeys to exact revenge. The spell or technology tethering him to the past messes up, however, resulting in Waluigi being in flux and going through all of the Mario franchise.
It’d be really funny if when playing through the Yoshi’s Island section he becomes his baby self and knocks Mario off of Yoshi (resulting in Mario’s capture by the Toadies), giving Yoshi some weird new ability the way the Star Children did in Yoshi’s Island DS, but I’m not sure that having one level have a completely different control scheme would be the best idea.
It could also be that Waluigi rides Yoshi as a full grown adult, which would also be pretty silly given his lanky proportions. 
A Wrecking Crew level near the end would also be a fun way to bring the story full circle, revealing Waluigi’s relation to Spike and Wario, and establishing that Mario and Luigi are the children of Jumpman and Lady. 
Waluigi, Nintendo’s ultimate loose end, would be the catalyst through which all of the loose ends of the Mario franchise are tied.
Get on that, @nintendo 
Edit: This ended up having a couple of revisions, but rather then amend this post, I just ended up making two others. You can check those here and here
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teegeewrites · 18 days
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The Mayor and the Princess
The Mayor and the Princess
Synopsis: As Pauline is on the verge of starting her day, she is unexpectedly visited by Mario and Princess Peach. Shortly after their arrival, Peach expresses a desire to speak with Pauline privately. Intrigued, Pauline agrees and ponders the possible reasons for such a request, only to find herself taken aback by the surprising explanation that Peach provides.
I can only speak for myself, but I find that writing about a subject or person you know well is generally not too difficult, especially when those subjects ignite such positive or passionate feelings. However, exploring something or someone less familiar can be a bit tricky, yet it can also be incredibly fulfilling. Having been a part of the Mario fandom for many years, my stories have primarily focused on Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, or a blend of these characters. Still, I wanted to stretch my creative muscles and write about a character who I haven’t focused on much and seems to have a minimal following. As I considered my options, the perfect character came to mind. Who could be more intriguing to write about than someone who has been around since the very beginning?
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Without a doubt, I’m referring to the original damsel in distress: the incredibly gorgeous Pauline! 🥰 While she has been featured in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, that series doesn’t seem to garner the same popularity as the core Mario games and their various spinoffs. However, Pauline enjoyed a wonderful resurgence in Super Mario Odyssey, where she serves as the mayor of the bustling New Donk City. Speaking of spinoffs, she has appeared in several of them since her SMO appearance, including Mario Kart and the Mario sports games. Excitingly, she will also be a playable character in the upcoming Super Mario Party Jamboree, marking her first appearance in the Mario Party series.
In light of everything discussed, she seems to have a minimal following, with even fewer fan works dedicated to her. With this in mind, I chose to create a series that focuses on Pauline as she becomes more integrated with the main Mario characters following the events of Super Mario Odyssey. The first story in this series is already summarized, so I won’t reiterate it here.
A bit of a spoiler here: Peach wished to have a private conversation with Pauline about Mario. I wanted to explore how Peach grappled with her feelings for Mario after she had turned him and Bowser down on the moon. The situation became even more complex when she discovered that Pauline was celebrating Mario and had even penned a song for him during the New Donk City festival. Knowing that Mario and Pauline had a past, Peach felt the need to ask if Pauline still had any romantic feelings for him. To her relief, Pauline confirmed that she and Mario were just friends and had no interest in rekindling their romance. Furthermore, Pauline affirmed Peach's decision to reject Mario on the moon, expressing her belief that Mario still thinks highly of Peach in spite of it. In the end, Peach recognized that Pauline appeared to be a good person and chose to befriend her, even inviting her to join for a round of golf the following weekend.
I’m really happy with how this story has turned out; I think it serves as a wonderful kickoff for the series. As of now, I’ve finished two stories (I’ll be discussing the second one next) and am in the process of writing the third. As it stands, I have three well-defined stories, but a few ideas for future tales are also on my mind. I’ll just have to wait and see how everything shapes up from here.
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elegiacmarquise · 5 years
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More love for the pink damsel
This is a rant, the first and the only, that I wrote a while ago and which I posted previously on DeviantArt and reposted on the Mario Amino, few days after the release of Super Mario Odyssey, after a new wave of hatred towards Princess Peach...
Considering that, nevertheless, the princess' relationship with most fans has always been ambiguous, what may have seemed to be tolerable, now is no longer acceptable speaking from the prospective of Peach's admirer, and hoping to be a spokesman for who, like me, genuinely appreciates her.
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But before starting with the proper rant, why do I post this writing, even if they passed almost two years when I did write it? A YouTube video made by the quite famous personality of RelaxAlax which I Iink below.
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Quite shallow, huh?
But this will NOT be an hate speech towards Alax, the rest of his videos are actually enjoyable and sometimes funny, but despite what he says in the video is nothing more and nothing less than what most Peach's haters actually say, I'm fearing that even due to this video, people are convinced to hate the pink princess without even knowing the truth behind her character.
But I must've taken you a lot of time, let's begin this speech, which was inspired by an older one (now deleted) posted by a friend of mine on Deviantart.
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Let’s get started from the most recurring insults about the personality
"Peach is weak!!!"
While it’s true that for most of the games the Princess is kidnapped by Bowser or any enemy, it’s also the case that several times she has proved to be not so helpless, and even trying to escape to her kidnapper more than once indicates that Peach is not just staying there to patiently wait her hero; indeed, she was the only one along with Rosalina and Toadette who was been able to defend herself.
Some proofs? Super Princess Peach, Super Paper Mario, Super Mario 3D Land/ World, Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, Super Smash Bros series...
"So why is she always kidnapped?!"
Nintendo logic. Just joking, I think that the reason is due to the fact that Peach, like anyone else, is an human being, with her fears and anxieties, and so what can she do if suddenly there is a monster bigger at least the triple of her accompanied by an huge army? Not everyone is badass, and she obviously is not always, but is it a good reason to hate her? I don’t think so.
Also remember that even two stronger characters like Mario and Luigi often struggle during the battles with Bowser, how could a delicate princess?
So, in a more general view, how much it’s wrong to blame the victims and not the kidnappers? Why does everyone hate Peach for this and not BOWSER?
And there are Daisy, Pauline and Zelda, who were kidnapped as well, but still worshipped as goddesses...
"Peach is stupid!!1!"
If the Princess was actually that stupid,she wouldn't be on a throne ruling a whole kingdom peacefully nor even to try a time machine or even called to try to find a cure to a plague that affected the Mushroom Kingdom. She may not have an IQ of 300 like Dr Eggman,but that doesn't mean she's stupid.
Characters who are REALLY "stupid" on purpose, like Wario and Waluigi, loved because they are. Now, people, don't tell me you aren't uncoherent.
"Peach has no personality!1!"
So, a sweet and kind personality shouldn’t be a good character trait? Great, so we wasted years and years of characterization in a video game character.
Even a little development is always putted in while creating a characte and, as we are seeing, Miyamoto and Nintendo are generally developing the character of the princess, in the best, demonstrating that even the princess is not a fossilized archetype in Mario's existence for thirty years. She’s so sweet and kind, but also has values, friends and a dignity that defends strenuously.
Guys, Peach is human, so she has flaws, and that's right, but saying that she doesn’t have personality is an insult to both her and Nintendo in general.
Let's compare for a moment Peach and Rei Ayanami from Evangelion, and see who is not supposed to have personality. (although Rei also has a very strong, still not obvious, characterization that develops in the course of the series)
"Peach is a Mary Sue!!!1!"
A Mary Sue would theoretically is a character with too unnatural characteristics for their universe or species, overly powerful and often accompanied by a tragic backstory; in short, it's misleading in their context. By applying this description to Peach, how should she be a Mary Sue?
As explained in the previous paragraphs, the Princess, still mostly human, has a magical power that is always inferior to those of other characters, such as Rosalina; and comparing it with the Star Guardian, shouldn’t be her chararcter be more similar in the description of a Sue? Consistency, this unknown concept...
I see you already with the forks in your hands, but let me clarify one thing, even a character like Rosalina is not a Mary Sue, she still has her flaws, and we love her as she is, but if Peach is one, Rosalina fits the definition WAY more.
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Let’s talk about the character design
"Peach always wears pink!!1!"
Come on, guys, hating a character for a color is a such superficial thing that, would do kindergarten children the most.
Pink is a color like all the others, in the spectrum of colors, so anyone can wear it, even males.
(Trivia: up to a few decades ago, pink was more of a masculine color, given to boys since it’s a lighter version of red, a color considered manly)
Peach is looking good with pink and no one in Mario games seems to complain too much about that, and so, so why do we fans do?
"Peach is girly!!!!1!”
And so? A female character to be worthy of this name must be a tomboy or a badass with a gun on her hands? You have great prospects in mind, my dear ones, just like that.
Seriously, why does a character who likes to cure herself, should be banned from today's media?
However, almost all the girls in the Mario games are femminine, even Daisy, despite being described as a tomboy, so it doesn’t seem a good excuse for hating a character.
"Peach is blonde!!!1!"
Guys that stereotype that everyone who is blonde must be stupid it's not only extremely outdated, but there are a lot of people who consider it quite offensive. Open your minds! Go, go! The isn't any relations about the quantity of melaninine on the hair and the actual intelligence.
Even Rosalina and most of the Zeldas encountered in the games are blondes, but nobody seems to care.
"Peach has an annoying voice!!1!"
All the characters in the Mario games have their voices emphasized, guys, and Peach isn’t an exception.
There are characters with even more exaggerated voices, trust me, like Daisy, Toad or Rosalina's new dubbing, but for certain reasons, only Peach should be demonized for that by fans.
"Peach is a prostitute!!1!"
This is one of the most recurring insults that are ever placed against our hated Princess, and that's what I'm wondering where most haters have been losing their credibility.
Did Peach ever wear provocative clothes? NO. (unless you have a fetishism towards biker suits and similar outfits)
Has she ever tried to seduce anyone she saw? NEVER (what you see on Rule34 and other lewd sites is not canon, I'm sorry)
Let's be clear: Peach is just the opposite of the stereotype of the prostitute, as being a sweet, gentle, and that kind of girl who rarely makes sloppy thoughts; And yet Mario is not the kind of game that is suitable to show sensual girls often.
Another point: how do people define as that Peach and not Pauline or Valentina from Super Mario RPG, who are wearing much revealing clothes (and not even worthy to be called with those sick names)? Mystery of the Faith.
PS. Giving a prostitute to someone is not fashionable anymore :3
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Now, let’s analyse that kind of insults that relate with Peach’s relationships with other characters
"Peach isn’t grateful to Mario!!!!1!"
Ever since Peach has never been grateful to Mario? WHEN? She kisses him, and fills him with cakes. What should the Princess do more with him? having sex is not a good answer, and it doesn't even marrying him.
Mario is still a sweet and family friendly series, if you want NSFW art, go to rule34 or look good at deviantart, but don’t expect explicit scenes in similar games.
"Peach is a tyrant who abuses Toads!!!1!"
But since that is so, seriously, did I miss some details? And no, The Game Theorists, aren’t worth as a source of inspiration since theirs is only a mere SPECULATION (also badly made imho).
To me Peach has always seemed like the OPPOSITE of a tyrant! She’s a good sovereign who’s caring for her subjects, and most of the Toads are happy with her guide and willing whenever she needs help.
I guess you are thinking of the Toad used from the princess during Super Smash Bros: If we analyse well what our beloved mushroom does during the frames in which we can see him, we can notice that doesn’t acts as a shield for the princess, but is determined more than ever to attack with his spores, so for me this isn’t a point to demonise Peach at all.
Then do you think that in Smash bros Rosalina does something way more serious?! She fights with a Luma, one of her CHILDREN all the time. But since she is our beloved star waifu, Peach is not worth to be compared lmao.
Again this time implore the sacred goddess of the consistency for forgiving their vain words...
"Peach betrays Daisy!!!1!"
Peach and Daisy have proven themselves to be best friends since the first time they appeared together, and even now their idyllic relationship hasn’t stopped being shown in the games and even in that LINE stickers that came out a while ago!
How Peach Should betray Daisy? For Rosalina, for Pauline? I think all the girls in the world of Mario are friendly to each other, so I don’t see any reasons in a betray, since at worst they are in a friendly rivalry.
"Peach is much less sexy than Rosalina / Pauline!!!1!"
If I can understand why Pauline can be considered sensual, how should Rosalina be? She’s wearing just a turquoise dress, which does not reveals much, and which can only be sexualized in the most indecent fanarts drawn by FANS indeed, but we all know the new religion that places the guardian of the Lumas to a brand new god.
However, all of Mario girls have been designed to be beautiful, not sex objects, not even Pauline, and none of them will agree to be your beautiful waifus condescending to all your fantasies, deal with it!
"Peach is not tomboy like Daisy is!!!1!"
And this is what connects to the previous point where the Princess was insulted to be girly. Assuming that even Daisy, in her own way, is girly (if she was totally a tomboy, she wouldn’t certainly wear those long dresses with ease, nor she would have her notorious passion for flowers), it’s not nice to have a bit of variety in the characters personalities? Go on, Peach is a gentle and sweet girl, Daisy is exuberant and sporty, Rosalina, calm and majestic, Wendy spoiled yet powerful, Toadette cheerful and curious, and finally Pauline concrete and passionate. Everyone compensates their gaps with the others, and this balance between the girls is fine, so please do not compare all the girls, Peach first, to Daisy.
"Peach appears too much in the games, so she's overrated!!!1!"
Guys, our princess is one of the protagonists of Mario's videogames, along with the plumber, his brother, Bowser and Toad, so it's natural that she often appears in the games. After all, Peach (after Pauline, who belonged for long time to another series) is the first of the princesses to appear, so it's logical that Nintendo would value that in this way.
And another little thing: the word overrated does NOT mean popular in its own universe, it means overly popular among its FANS.
And Peach has relatively few fans compared to the other main characters.
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And, as the final cherry on the cake, let’s talk about Odyssey, who can have reassume prevous points, but what is equally needed, because of the following reasons
"PEACH IS A BITCH WHO HASN’T ACCEPTED MARIO'S PROPOSAL, STUPID AND UNGRATEFUL!!!1! THAT’S OBVIOUS THAT MARIO CHOOSES PAULINE!!!1!"
And here we come to the juice of the speech, and at this point I would like to ask: but have you seen the final cutscene of the game, or are you just knocking on your keyboards to don’t make feel the keys alone and misunderstood?
Let’s assume that after a long, tiring journey along the WHOLE world, with a monster bigger at least the triple of you who is doing everything to organize a NOT-wanted marriage with you; and  immediately soon after being rescued, at the end of an extravagant battle, you have not one, but TWO contenders for your hand, what are you doing? The doll who gives all of herself to her hero just because she saved you? But in which period are we, in the nineteenth century?
Guys, let's talk seriously, would you immediately answer to a such serious question, which can change the rest of your life, on the moon under such conditions? I really don’t think so.
So Peach did, showing her intelligence, and why not, joking over it. It wasn’t the place nor the time for Mario and Bowser to move such proposals, and I honestly think that Peach done right to refuse both of them, I believe, momentarily.
And so centuries of feminist struggles went cancelled because of a video game character...
"PEACH HAS LEFT MARIO AND BOWSER ON THE MOON!!1!"
Yeah, okay, Odyssey's final was what it was, but you can’t hate a character because she's not a puppet in Mario or Bowser's hand. Tell me, you first complained that Peach had no character and now that she has explicated it, in good, you hate her the same? Consistency, this unknown concept...
However, for this detail, have you noticed that Peach eventually called Mario on the Odyssey, even though it had already started to fly? Mario had all the time he needed to get on board with the Princess and her friends. Even if Mario couldn't make it to the Odyssey (which is also unlikely under a cautious analysis of the cutscene), I even highly doubt that not only Bowser but all the other wedding's guests (including PAULINE) were diying there, surely there was at least ONE other vehicle which could bring back them home.
Also think about Peach's dialogues in the post-game: she completely forgave Mario's misbehaving and she's still happy to see him to the point to give him all the moons she gets! So she’s not that ungrateful...
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And that's what I needed to say. Guys, please stop hating Peach, she didn’t do anything, and certainly she doesn’t deserve your insults.
In these times, the princess is among the main characters the most hated, even much more than Daisy or Zelda, who have their great slice of fans, who would do anything for them and even considering them "better" in Smash Bros.
I'm sorry to have written this rant but I'm sure this time is really needed...
Fandoms, Mario included, can be beautiful places where you can meet fantastic people but at the same time you can witness this free hate episodes even from famous personalities...
Thank you for reading, and see you soon.
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P.S. Below I show you the main places where the princess is hated for the above reasons.
Gamefaqs, TheTopTens.com, Marioboards, DeviantArt and Youtube
P.P.S. Please, do not go to the video I've mentioned only to insult the youtuber: despite that entry is far from being well-crafted, he made enjoyable content as well. He deserves respect as well and if you really want to discuss in the comment section about the subject, please be polite
P.P.P.S. If you hate Peach and you feel to comment here, please write maturely, well-structured comments. If we can have a mature dialogue, it's best for both of us.
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nova-network · 5 years
Text
hello I just beat Luigi’s Mansion 3 and I have headcanons for all of the new boss ghosts
Steward:
He’s originally from New Donk City.
He used to be a taxi cab driver, and he died when he was driving home one night by himself and his headlights failed and he crashed into a tree.
He was one of Hellen Gravely’s very first employees, along with Chambrea!
He’s really nervous and kind of awkward when not on the job, but he works very hard.
He and Chambrea are really good friends and get coffee together after work.
Chambrea:
She’s a New Donker too, and used to work as a maid in a fancy hotel prior to, well, getting a job as a maid at a different fancy hotel after dying.
She died by slipping and falling down the stairs.
She is a really sweet and enthusiastic person when not under King Boo’s control, and really loves her job!
She’s a HUGE gossip, and loves to hear and tell everyone about the drama going on with employees and guests.
She and Steward knew each other back when they were alive.
Kruller:
He used to work in the Coconut Mall. Yes, that one, from Mario Kart. He was a mall cop.
He died during a robbery. He wasn’t attacked by the robber, he was chasing after the robber and knocked over a shelf and it fell on him.
He’s a HUGE fan of Morty’s movies. He can quote everything.
He likes to hang out in the cafe area at the shops with his Goob buddies.
Death hasn’t really changed him -- he was a cowardly goofball back when he was alive, too.
Chef Soulffle:
He was actually a TERRIBLE chef back when he was alive. He only learned how to cook after he became a ghost.
He died because he accidentally burned down his kitchen at home.
He used to be called Chef Souffle, but started calling himself Chef Soulffle after his death to be more “ghosty”.
He HATES mushrooms.
He doesn’t have a lot of friends, but he has a weird friendship with Clem, because he thinks Clem is the only other employee who truly appreciates his cooking.
Amadeus Wolfgeist:
He speaks with an exaggerated German accent.
He died of a heart attack.
Outside of King Boo’s influence, he’s actually rather pleasant to be around! But he’s also very intense and takes everything super seriously.
He’s not a full-time employee of the Last Resort, he’s just a famous ghost musician and composer who gets hired to perform there a lot.
He loves the artwork of Vincent Van Gore from the first Luigi’s Mansion game, and in turn, Vincent Van Gore is a big fan of his music! But they’ve never actually met in person.
King MacFrights:
He is not and was never a king. He’s just an old ghost warrior who got a job as a hotel mascot.
But he doesn’t really understand modern life, so he thinks he’s a king now.
He died in battle. Probably in a battle fought over something really stupid.
He sounds very, very Scottish, and when he’s angry, nobody else at the Last Resort can understand what in the world he’s saying.
The castle movie in Paranormal Productions is based on the battle where he died! But it’s extremely historically inaccurate, because the only source Morty has is King MacFrights himself, and MacFrights loves to make stuff up.
Dr. Potter:
He names all of his plants. Most of them have very silly names, like “Chompy” or “Pokey Pete”. Some of them have names that reference other Mario characters instead, like “Vivian”.
He died of old age.
He loves to play board games.
Even outside of King Boo’s influence, he’s kind of a jerk, and likes to mess with people and make fun of them.
He gets along really well with little kids, though.
Morty:
He’s from Diamond City, home of Wario!
He died when he was filming a movie on a skyscraper in the rain and he fell off the roof.
He’s just so wrapped up in his own little world of film direction that he has absolutely no idea what’s going on in the rest of the hotel and is totally immune to King Boo’s influence over ghosts.
He and Amadeus Wolfgeist are really good friends.
He makes all the commercials for the Last Resort.
Ug:
He’s not an employee. He’s not even a paying guest. He’s just here because Hellen Gravely bought the dinosaur skeleton he was haunting.
He is really, really dumb. Not in a “cavemen are stereotypically dumb” way, just that Ug, specifically, is a really dumb caveman.
He died because he tried to fight a T. Rex by himself and it ate him. That’s the one whose skeleton he’s haunting.
He’s originally from the Cascade Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey.
He literally cannot tell the difference between Luigi and Gooigi. That’s why he keeps trying to eat Gooigi with the T. Rex skeleton in his boss battle.
Clem:
Even outside of King Boo’s Influence, Clem is really obnoxious and kind of mean. He’s just a total hick and doesn’t really know how to act in a place like the Last Resort.
The reason he’s such an asshole (normally) is because he’s really insecure about his intelligence. Clem is very smart, but he knows people probably think he’s stupid because he’s such a lazy hillbilly.
He died in a work accident, where he was electrocuted.
He loves to eat fancy food like what Chef Soulffle cooks, but he’s too lazy to go up and get some most of the time, so he mostly just eats junk food.
ALL of the rubber ducks in the hotel are his. He thinks it’s funny to leave them in weird places.
Serpci:
She’s not an employee, she’s a VIP guest!
She was a princess in the ancient Birabuto/Pyrapt Kingdom of what is now Sarasaland.
She died from being bitten by a venomous snake.
She likes to occasionally check up on modern Sarasaland, so she knows about Princess Daisy! But they’ve never met, and she has no idea about Daisy’s involvement with Luigi.
She actually has a rather silly personality. She loves practical jokes, weird puzzles, and trolling people in general. Her hotel room is right on top of what is almost certainly an escape room for ghosts, after all.
Nikki, Lindsey and Ginny:
Nikki is the ponytail one, Lindsey is the short pigtails one, and Ginny is the long pigtails one.
They died during a magic show, when they set up some special effects wrong and accidentally set off an explosion. They still finished the show -- as ghosts.
They love to play video games!
Like Amadeus Wolfgeist, they’re not full-time employees. Rather, they’re celebrity magicians, and the Last Resort hires them for magic show gigs.
They think Serpci is just THE COOLEST, and in turn, Serpci loves their magic shows and trickster style!
Captain Fishook:
He’s a VIP guest too, like Serpci.
That’s not, specifically, his pirate ship that he possesses during his boss battle -- it’s a pirate ship, but it’s technically just a special VIP seating area for the Spectral Catch seafood restaurant that has been styled as a pirate ship.
He died while fighting a rival pirate crew over some treasure, and one of them fired a harpoon into his eye.
He thinks King MacFrights is absolutely hilarious.
The Oozers from his boss battle are actually from his old pirate crew!
Johnny Deepend:
He’s not an employee, he’s a guest. But he’s not a special VIP guest. He’s just a normal guest who happens to be a really strong ghost.
His death was really stupid. He didn’t even drown. He wanted to swim some laps for his fitness routine, but the indoor pool near his house was closed for repairs. So he broke into the indoor pool in the middle of the night, but all the lights were off, and he accidentally did a big dive into the shallow end and hit his head and died.
He likes to go to the Museum of Unnatural History, because he thinks dinosaurs are WAY COOL.
Because of this, he’s friends with Ug. Neither one has any idea what the other is actually saying, though.
He didn’t actually figure out that Gooigi is weak to water until he squirted him. He just does that at everyone.
DJ Phantasmagloria:
She died during a wild outdoor concert. She set her speakers so loud that it caused the roof over the stage to collapse on her when she turned them up to full blast.
Her real name is just Gloria, Phantasmagloria is her stage name.
She likes Amadeus Wolfgeist’s music, but he doesn’t like her music.
In addition to being a mega-popular DJ, she’s also known among ghosts for being a really talented freestyle rapper!
She’s from Diamond City, like Morty, but she didn’t meet Morty until after they both became ghosts and got jobs at the Last Resort.
Hellen Gravely:
She’s also a New Donker! But she (and her original employees, Steward and Chambrea) never met Mario or Luigi while she was alive, because she died before they were even born.
She died of illness when she was old, which is why her true appearance looks the way it does.
Polterkitty is actually way older than she is, though.
She’s not exactly in love with King Boo. It’s more like that Hark! A Vagrant comic with Jules Verne and Edgar Allan Poe, with Hellen just being an obsessive loony fangirl.
She built the Last Resort on the site of an old mansion. It’s a Luigi’s Mansion game, after all, the mansion just isn’t actually there anymore.
BONUS!
Hammers are the ghosts of Thwomps.
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wolfgabe · 5 years
Text
Luigis Mansion 3 review
Now I will make one thing clear right now. I did not grow up with the original Luigis Mansion on Nintendo Gamecube, My introduction to the series came in the form of Dark Moon which then led me to the original LM remake on 3DS. And now I have just finished Luigis Mansion 3 the latest in the trilogy as well as the series return to a full fledged home console. How does it hold up  against its predecessors and is this a Hotel worth checking out? Well let’s find out shall we
NOTE This review will primarily be focusing on the main campaign of the game. I won’t be discussing any of the multiplayer modes since I have yet to get into those.
The story begins with Luigi and the rest of the Mario Gang having received an invitation to a 5 star luxury hotel known as the Last Resort and at first everything seems all fine and peaches but in no time at all in a somewhat sickening sense of Deja Vu it turns out the entire thing unsurprisingly was all a ruse perpetrated by Hotel Owner Hellen Gravely as part of a plot by King Boo to capture Luigi and friends. What I can’t help but enjoy in the games opening moments that classic sense of how its plainly obvious to the player something isn’t quite right. Yeah nothing suspicious about the hotel staff wearing creepy masks no sir. Fortunately Luigi manages to escape and inevitably ends up running into Professor E Gadd who ended up meeting a similar fate. From there it becomes a trek upward through the Last Resort to find your missing companions and stop whatever King Boo has planned. Fairly standard stuff for a Mario Story but its serviceable and gets the narrative out nice and clear.
Now onto the gameplay. If you are familiar with Dark Moon much of the combat will be highly familiar to you. You use your strobulb to flash ghosts which stuns them allowing you to vacuum them up. The Dark Light returns as well which pretty much serves the same functions as before One difference to the combat though comes in the form of the slam attack which more or less replaces the Power Surge from Dark Moon. In some ways I actually like this new change as it has applications both as a form of crowd control as well as a puzzle solving tool to an extent more on that in a bit. Another new ability is the burst which is triggered by pressing both shoulder buttons. This is primarily used as another form of crowd management during fights as well as a means to activate certain mechanisms as well as being used in some boss battles to either to dodge attacks or to help expose a bosses weak point. The third new ability is the suction shot which allows you to attach a plunger with a rope to an object which can then be pulled on. Next to the Dark Light the suction shot is probably your biggest puzzle solving tool period. Not only can it be used to destroy objects and furniture when combined with the slam but many of the games bosses practically require it. Don’t be surprised either if you find yourself compulsively firing plungers everywhere just to see what you can grab onto which is often rewarded with you finding more gold or collectibles. The final new skill and probably the most important one at that comes in the form of Gooigi a flubber esque doppleganger of Luigi that can be summoned at any time by pressing in on the right stick. You unlock him not far into the story but once you do this is where the game really starts to open up puzzle wise. Gooigi has a few distinct advantages over Luigi mainly being not effected by spikes and other hazards as well as being able to slip through pipes and metal grates to access new areas. But don’t think you can just use Gooigi all the time as his advantages are offset by a number of key weaknesses chief of which being he doesn’t handle water very well and he has less overall health than Luigi. These are pretty much all the skills you will be using through the whole game although there is one other ability you unlock relatively late in the game but its incredibly situational being only required once with other cases just being to retrieve a few optional collectibles.
Now how bout that Last Resort. The hotel itself is divided up between 17 floors total consisting of 15 main floors and two basement levels Unlike Dark Moon, Luigis Mansion 3 goes back to the single building setup of the first game but its amazing really how Next Level has managed to pack so much variety into a hotel. Initially you will be exploring typical hotel trappings such as state rooms, gift shops, and a dining area. However its not long before the floors start becoming more increasingly outlandish. One floor might have you exploring a medieval castle while in another floor you will be exploring a full fledged film studio to help a ghost director find his prized megaphone before ending up being cast in his own monster movie. Then you have a floor that somehow contains an entire Egyptian Pyramid riddled with booby traps. I could go on and on but I will keep the rest of the floors a secret so I don’t give everything away. Progression itself is relatively straight forward basically involving you traveling to a new floor solving some puzzles and fighting some ghosts before taking down the boss ghost of the area which generally rewards you with the elevator button to the next floor. If there is one niggle I have its that some floors seem somewhat more underutilized than others. Generally floors tend to alternate between being miniature dungeons and dedicated boss arenas. But I will say the more expansive floors really is where the level design really shines in the puzzle department The film studio floor being a major highlight with how you need to figure out the connections and interplay between various film sets. There were quite a few puzzles that actually did end up stumping me for a bit. Luigi’s focus on greater thinking and using your head is a perfect contrast to Mario’s general focus on platforming and action. The amount of interactivity packed into every area is impressive itself with each floor almost feeling like a miniature physics sandbox begging you to suck and smash everything. And your curiosity and rampant destruction is often rewarded with with piles of treasure or one of the floors 6 gems. The physics model is impressive in itself as smaller objects are easily brushed aside while larger items require your Poltergust to budge. It’s quite a treat especially during heated fight scenes with ghosts as you are slamming an enemy around and inadvertently smashing apart the room even more.
And I can’t help but discuss Luigi’s Mansion 3 without talking about the bosses. These are basically the successors to the portrait ghosts from the first Luigi’s Mansion and I will say without a doubt they are probably Luigi’s Mansion 3′s biggest highlight. These aren’t just glorified mini bosses that you have to take down for a key to another room, no these are full fledged bosses with their own fleshed out personalities and strategies. Each one serves as a perfect bookend to cap off their respective floor. A bumbling security guard with a squirt gun, a concert pianist with serious anger issues, a prehistoric caveman. an Egyptian ghost queen, and a trio of magician sisters are just a handful of the spooks you will encounter during your stay. I must admit I was surprised myself how many of the bosses can pose a decent challenge especially if you don’t know what your doing. These aren’t the typical Mario fare of 3 bops on the head and you’re done. Many of the later bosses especially will really test your knowledge and understanding of all your abilities in many cases forcing you to get creative with the tools you have. With one or two exceptions including a somewhat underwhelming final boss, these are probably some of the most memorable bosses I have seen in a Mario series game to date.
And the graphics, hot damn the graphics. The advancements made in graphics technology over the past 20 years has done wonders for video games in terms of presentation and Luigi’s Mansion 3 is a clear testament to that fact. In an age where developers seem to be trying to push more and more for the most realistic graphics possible, here you have companies like Nintendo to remind people that show that cartoon artstyles can really shine on modern hardware. Dark Moon was a wonderful showcase piece for the 3DS both graphically and technically although at times it felt like the game was a bit too much for the system it was made for. Now being free from the shackles of the weaker 3DS hardware has really allowed Next Level Games to go all out on the presentation and it definitely shows. The amount of care and detail packed into every corner of The Last Resort is second to none helping give every floor its own distinct identity. The games opening moments are a real treat with some pretty gorgeous lighting serving to highlight the initial grand opulence of the The Last Resort before the darkness takes over and the hotel reveals its true form. Its at this time the lighting really starts to shine with plenty of instances of dynamic lighting, shadows and reflections. Luigi’s Mansion 3 may lack the buttery smooth framerate of Super Mario Odyssey but I feel the sacrifice in performance has been justified and balanced out perfectly. Some of the performance warts from Dark Moon have also been lanced with the game maintaining a rock solid 30 frames per second throughout. And I can’t talk about graphics without discussing the animation quality. With Dark Moon Next Level was able to demonstrate how one can really highlight Luigi’s bumbling and cowardly personality and here that expressiveness has been cranked up to 11. I cant help but crack a smile  seeing Luigi shaking in terror at the presence of ghosts or reacting with surprise every time an elevator button magically flies out of his hand and screws itself into place . The bosses themselves are also a highlight with each one being wonderfully animated which helps highlight their personalities and quirks especially in the numerous cut scenes showing their interactions with Luigi which there are plenty of. I admit at times I couldn’t help but feel it was almost like I was looking at a borderline interactive Pixar movie. Each floor also has a ton of its own exclusive items and assets further cementing each floors sense of depth and identity.
There are also plenty of other little details and easter eggs to enjoy as well such as how you communicate with E Gadd using a modified Virtual Boy complete with a joke about the system’s absolute failure or the amount of pizza boxes that litter Mario’s hotel room. Or how about the fact that the boo and gem locator items you can purchase from E Gadd resemble actual Virtual Boy cartridges. And yes, you can in fact pet Polterpup in this game.
In terms of additional content each floor has 6 gems for you to find plus a Boo that appears once the floor has been cleared. The gems themselves  are the source of some of the games strongest puzzles often testing your abilities as well as your awareness of your surroundings. Hunting Boos is relatively similar to how it was in Dark Moon in that you examine the correct object based on the intensity of your controllers vibration then stun the Boo with your Dark Light before slamming it into submission. Both Gems and Boos provide a good incentive to revisit previous floors although the rewards you get for finding them all are relatively underwhelming mainly just being some minor cosmetic items.
To wrap things up there are a few minor gripes I have with the game. For one thing you are unable to remap controller bindings. Now this isn’t a major dealbreaker at all and the controls work fine for the most part but it can make certain actions such as using the dark light awkward since the dark light is mapped to the X button which makes it pretty much impossible to use the light and aim with the right analog stick at the same time. You do have the ability to aim via gyro controls but its mainly limited to just up and down. You can however make things a bit more comfortable by enabling move while poltergusting in the options menu. Some people may also be disappointed by the lack of interconnectedness between floors. Each floor is more or less its own self contained level which means you won’t be encountering any puzzles on one floor that effect the other. There are a few instances during the story when you will be required to revisit a previous floor but they are relatively far and few between. While there are the aforementioned items to purchase from E Gadd they basically amount to gold bones which act as extra lives and Boo and Gem locators which are somewhat pointless since no doubt many people will likely just resort to a guide to find the more obscure Boos and Gems. You will likely feel inclined to avoid spending as much as possible especially since like the first Luigi’s Mansion you are ranked at the end based on how much treasure you found.
On an additional note, I didn’t encounter any major glitches during the game except for a minor bug I ran into where the music suddenly cut out during a boss battle but that was pretty much it.
Ultimately, I find I highly enjoyed my stay in Luigi’s Mansion 3. This is no doubt one of my top picks for Nintendo Game of the Year. It may have taken over a decade but I think Luigi has finally cemented himself firmly and proven he can indeed stand  apart from his brother on his own two feet. If you decide to book a stay at The Last Resort you won’t be disappointed. I think its safe to say Next Level Games has cemented itself firmly as one of Nintendo’s top partner studios and I can only imagine what the future holds next for our favorite green underdog.
In the end I would rate Luigis Mansion 3 an 8/9 out of 10
EDIT Just a quick correction but I found the aiming issue can be in fact easily mitigated as the suction shot, strobulb, and dark light can all be activated with the L and R buttons.
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