The 'Shroom:Issue 100/Castle Toad's Chatty Throwback

Castle Toad's Chatty Throwback by

Have you learned something from a videogame? Have you ever got emotional because of a sweet or sad moment in a game? Have you ever been P2? Do you happen to feel identified with a character because of their backstory, personality or even because of the physical appearance? Are you still friends with those that laughed at you that one time you fell off a racetrack right in the final lap, or with those that lost against you in what they'd call a not-so-fair board game?

Try suddenly asking random people their thoughts about videogames... You'll most likely get one out of a thousand different opinions of every kind, either the simple, yet positive "They are fun, I play some." or even a negative and kinda aggressive "Videogames are unhealthy and a problem for society, they make people become violent.". But no matter what they can say about games, because no one can take away all the fun that we have been given through the games we've played, the races we've won, the princesses that have been rescued, the coins that have been collected, the power ups that have been used, etc...

Personally, even with just the Mario games, I've been able to have many good times with my friends, family or even by myself, because no matter how hard or challenging a game might be, or if it feels too easy, or plain, they usually have something that makes them likeable! And yeah, I'm guessing some of you are thinking of Paper Mario: Sticker Star as I'm saying all this now, but come on, who can not like Mariachi Guys, or those stacked Boos that appear to the rhythm of disco music, or that "Snifit or Whifit" show?

From traveling a whole kingdom alone, or even recruiting some characters to become your partners, to just teaming up with the younger brother to go along the way. How about trying to clean your name and (literally cleaning) a whole vacation island, to even have the need to ask the evil Koopa King to join your team to save the world... or even letting the princess become the hero for once, using her emotions to travel all over an isle to save her plumber in shining overalls...

Meeting always so many different characters, all kinds of them actually, and of course traveling everywhere as well! From a city to an active volcano, or even traveling to the deepest place of a faraway galaxy, the important thing to notice here is that you can always go to all those places just to do the right thing, always being nice, kind and helpful to those in need, like helping Madam Flurrie, the retired actress, find her missing favorite necklace, or carrying a baby penguin to take him safely to where his worried mother awaits, as well as helping Fracktail, a robotic dragon guardian, to come back to its senses, or even carrying babies all the way to Prince Bowser's Castle to help them save the little brother and the stork that should deliver the babies to their respective parents.

Going from Toad Town to Peach's Castle, or traveling to faraway places like Koopa Village, Dry Dry Desert or even Starborn Valley, and if you prefer going to more distant places like the Beanbean Kingdom, going on a vacation to Delfino Island, or even being forced to get in a different dimension. And if you really love faraway trips it's just matter of paying a visit to the Comet Observatory to be able to go to the Center of the Universe! Seriously, you can go anywhere...

More than just one Princess have been kidnapped throughout the years too... Daisy, Princess of Sarasaland, several Toads, the Sprixie princesses, Baby Luigi and the stork, the Subcon folk, and even our heroic pair of plumbers, and while everybody was rescued sooner than later with success, it does seem like the only one to have already got used to being kidnapped is Princess Peach.

All of those takeovers and kidnappings have had a mastermind behind the plans. Several baddies, usually being a large group with a leader, like Wart and his troop the "8 bits", Smithy and his gang, Sir Grodus and the Secret Society of X-nauts, the Shroob Princesses and the rest of the Shroob race, Cackletta and Fawful, Count Bleck with his underlings and the traitor Dimentio, and last but not least, Bowser and the Koopa Troops, either accompanied by Kamek, Kammy Koopa, the 7 Koopalings or Bowser Jr., no matter how many times he gets his plans foiled by the Mario bros., he always keeps trying.

So many memories of such emotional moments, jut like when Mallow learns he's not a tadpole after all, and when Bowser finally got a whole cake for himself from Peach... or Bowser Jr. telling his dad that he already knew he had been lied to about who his mother was, or maybe that part of a tale about a girl who misses her home and family, and her mother who had already passed away...

But not everything is just sadness and tears, of course not! Who would forget about certain mustachoied man disguised as Princess Peach? Or that clumsy Goomba in blue pajamas accidentally revealing the only method for defeating him and his partners, a pig owning a hot dogs stand, Booster and Bowser accidentally kissing Mario's cheeks, or Birdo singing while going back and forth on a giant swing only to finish her show by dropping a goat for you to use in your favor! Being able to see an angry Kersti calling Kamek a "thick-ugly-glasses-wearer hipster", or the little Jr. Troopa beating the Koopa Bros. up just to be able to try for a last time to get his revenge on Mario.

So in the end, these games are so filled with different characters, many emotions, laughs and can even make you feel like you are really being part of them somehow, you can suddenly even feel identified with someone during your adventures, or you might fall in love with one of those magical places you travel to. These games, all of them are not just "games", because they are actually pretty full of life and it's not just because of the way we get to experience them, but because there is a lot of time, efforts and thoughts that many people, a big team, use to create these stories that we get to enjoy and love so much. Those people that depending on each of us, we might get to like maybe a certain voice actor or actress, or a programmer, a developer, a whole company...

Or how about a certain loved, dedicate and passionate creative mind, executive producer of more than 100 games, CEO of the NOA branch of our beloved Nintendo, and actually the Global president as well... Yeah, I'm talking about the man that for a long time brought us joy in his own unique way, giving us the company and games news in his original way, Directly to us. Satoru Iwata, who was such an optimistic, yet a really professional person, who most of us shall remember for the fun and smiles he had for himself and the rest of us gamers. He shall be deeply missed and always remembered. Great man, big loss, but most important is what he left for all of us, an enormous legacy of joy, so please understand.


 * "Videogames are meant to be just one thing. Fun. Fun for everyone."

Which is a line I completely agree with, so I really wish for all of you to always be able to find games that make you have lots and lots of good times!

So to wrap all this up, I'll just share a recommendation with you, just always keep in mind that you can either call your friends over and play a friendly party with them, or forget you're all friends and work hard to show them who's the best... or just forget about your friends if you feel like adventuring solo, just select the kind of adventure that matches your style the most and give it a go!

Always enjoy, play around, and most importantly, have fun! When you're enjoying and having a good time, it's a sign that you are going the right way.