Super Mario's Wacky Worlds

Template:Infobox Super Mario's Wacky Worlds was a planned sequel to Super Mario World, developed by NovaLogic for the Philips Media's CD-i. The game was never released.

History

Super Mario's Wacky Worlds emerged in a time in which its developing company, NovaLogic, was hoping to be hired by Nintendo. Then helping Nintendo with their "SNES-CD," a disc drive for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Philips had a right to make games with Nintendo characters for their CD-i. It was suggested to NovaLogic by a sales executive from Nintendo that they port simpler Super Nintendo games to the CD-i, sparking the idea of "putting Super Mario World onto a CD-i disk": making a quasi-sequel to the SNES launch game for the CD-i.

Developers Silas Warner and John Brooks were drafted as the game's designers, and worked twenty-four hours a day for two weeks on the game, finishing only a part of one level to present to Nintendo. Their meeting with the Nintendo developers came at eight o'clock AM on a Friday morning, and they had their short part of the game on a disc four hours before this.

Nintendo was very much impressed at the two men's job, but because of poor CD-i sales was forced to cancel the game. This ended the CD-i career of Silas Warner, who had expected Nintendo's exact reaction.

However, other developers, such as lead artist Nina Stanley, stayed with the project. Though the developers were highly enthusiastic about making a traditional Mario game (and thusly clearing their reputation of disgracing Nintendo-licensed characters), NovaLogic hoped to use as little money as possible on the project, which was mostly executed with the intentions of making a small amount of profit while games such as those of the Comanche series had focus.

In the end, version 0.11, the game's final prototype (a pre-alpha version), was finished on March 3, 1993, after the project had about a year of work. Approximately eighty percent of the game's art, ninety-five percent of its design, and around thirty percent of its code was finished. Three prototypes of the game are in circulation, one of which was sold on online auction website eBay for one thousand dollars. A certain prototype, perhaps even the same thousand-dollar one, has been leaked to the internet in ROM form and can be played on emulators, albeit unofficially and illegally. This ROM has also been ported to the CD-i itself, though once more, of course, illegally.

To fill the need of a Mario game for the CD-i, Hotel Mario was made. With this failed sequel to Super Mario World gone unreleased, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island can almost be considered its successor as the game's true sequel, not that the two games have any real relation.

Gameplay

The prototype is rather limited; Mario can only walk both ways and jump, and no powerups exist. He cannot slide or swim, but it would appear that these abilities would be programmed into the game later had development continued. Enemies are also not programmed correctly; they disappear when Mario ends up above them, suggesting incomplete stomping attempts. Enemies also cannot harm Mario in the prototype and are stopped in their tracks if touched, even if it means ending up floating in the air.

Level progression in the prototype is not explicit, but can be pieced together by the selectable stages. Most worlds have two or three levels, the first of which end with Warp Pipes (or similar things, such Greek 1's Trojan Horse), whereas the last most often has a stylized "M" object holding tape, presumably Super Mario's Wacky Worlds's answer to Super Mario World's Giant Gates, but ending worlds instead of levels. However, the mysterious "M"'s may serve another purpose, as one is found alongside a Warp Pipe in Igloo 1; perhaps they would have signified bonuses. Either way, both "M" marks and Warp Pipes are non-functional; one must restart their CD-i or emulator to escape a level.

Graphics

Accurately capturing the sprites of Super Mario World was difficult for the Super Mario's Wacky Worlds development team, for the CD-i had a different sprite-making style than that of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. To create their characters, they actually pirated their designs from Super Mario World, producing Mario, as well as several Koopa variations based on the Super Mario World Koopa sprite: Greek Koopas clad in tunics and fig leaves, knight Koopas with feathered helmets, blue Eskimo Koopas in parkas, and dark vampire Koopas with capes and fangs. The development team also sprited an enemy of their own creation, a walrus sprited true to the Super Mario World style. Aside from this, an unused Thwomp enemy graphically identical to that featured in Super Mario World exists in the prototype's programming.

The various backgrounds of the game were all hand-drawn by the development team; in fact, they were indeed based off of paper drawings. Of related note is that the game seems to take place on Earth.

Sound

All of the game's music is taken from Super Mario World. There are no sound effects.

Prototype Levels

Ancient

Greek

File:Wackyshot.jpg

Greek 1.

• Greek 1 – A very short desert level with a few brown ruins and five Greek Koopa Troopas. It ends with some stone steps up into the mouth of a model of the Trojan Horse, which cannot be entered but presumably could be had development continued.
• Greek 2 – Mostly consists of the interior of the Trojan Horse, inside of which are some knight Koopas and, oddly, a walrus. There are exits at the bottom of both of the legs, one of which leads to a small enclosed area before the other, which lets off at a small ledge before much completely blank space (which, perhaps because of unfinished programming, pulls Mario toward itself), which would have either been removed or expanded upon later.
• Greek 3 – A water stage completely without enemies. Mario must walk through it in the prototype, swimming having had not yet been programmed. The farthest Mario can go is to a large stone pillar after some volcanoes-- Although a Warp Pipe (the purpose of which is unknown) lies beyond the pillar, Mario cannot jump high enough to reach it.

Egypt

• Egypt 1 – Knight Koopas reappear in this long, ruin-filled desert, which moves from traditional designs to walking up and down sandy slopes by the middle. It ends with a Koopa sphinx, on which are three Warp Pipes.
• Egypt 2 – An underground stage that consists only of a long, enemy-less tunnel with a few holes in the ceiling and floor and a Warp Pipe at the end.
• Egypt 3 – A short level with no enemies. It consists of a large, sandy mountain and marks the debut of the "M"-shaped level ender mentioned above.

Aztec

This world is completely unfinished with no levels made in any form. (However, its two stages are named.)

• Aztec 1
• Aztec 2

Haunted

Castle

• Castle 1 – A mad scientist's castle that is mostly one room. Mario can walk across spikes at the level's surface, as well as rafters at its top and caves at the right, one of which leads to a Warp Pipe, the others being useless. Cone-shaped electronic devices, perhaps intended to emit harmful electricity in the final game, are found throughout this level, which otherwise has no enemies.
• Castle 2 – A more luxurious interpretation of the castle, with two chandeliers, curtains, and paintings of Koopa ladies and noblemen. It includes more non-functional spikes, as well as Eskimo Koopas (perhaps to-be-replaced by a more fitting design for the final game) and vampire Koopas exclusive to this level. Its bottom surface is mostly blank, but leads to a stone room with an "M" object.

Ship

• Ship 1 – A large pirate ship without enemies. Mario can climb on its masts, and can see the Moon far off in the background if he jumps high enough. It ends with two pipes.
• Ship 2 – A very short level that seems to finish the unseen rightmost part of the pirate ship, with two pipes (different from the two at Ship 1's end) and an "M" mark. A Koopa figurehead can also be seen at the ship's front.
• Ship 3 – The ship's hold, in which are several platforms and some water. Its end is unknown, for Mario cannot jump high enough to reach it. This level seems to break normal level progression, being located after a stage with an "M," meaning it may have not technically been Ship's third level or could've been unlockable.

House

Like Aztec, none of these levels have data.

• House 1
• House 2

Jungle

Cave

• Cave 1 – A cave with a waterfall, skull platforms similar to Skull Rafts, and Eskimo Koopas (once more, possibly placeholders) and walruses as enemies (oddly found only at the stage's end).
• Cave 2 – A falling, enemy-less level that starts out in a circular room and has one other compartment, an open space filled with animated, solid mask objects similar to Phantos or Hawkmouths. Then there is a small section of floor with an Easter Island moai-like statue that, like the Trojan horse, would presumably serve as a Warp Pipe substitute.
• Cave 3 – Begins with another stone statue that exits into a hilly cave with some more Eskimo Koopas and walruses, as well as a bottomless pit. The cave is exited at the end, which features an "M."

Swamp

• Swamp 1 – An underwater level (once more, Mario cannot swim) with various platforms and harmless spears. There are multiple Warp Pipes throughout this stage.
• Swamp 2 – A very small screen consisting mostly of a Warp Pipe and "M."
• Swamp 3 – This stage, as well as the rest of Swamp, is another small level with Warp Pipes, two in Swamp 3's case. From this, one can infer that Swamp may have been a maze of pipes ultimately leading to Swamp 2, presumably its exit.
• Swamp 4 – There are four Warp Pipes in this room.
• Swamp 5 – A two-pipe screen similar to Swamp 3. It may be worthy of note that what appears to be a blue, reptilian skull is found in the upper-right-hand corner of this stage; although skulls were common in Swamp's backgrounds and foregrounds, this one appears to be an object and may be a non-functional enemy.
• Swamp 6 – Another empty stage.

Village

Another world without level data. Its high stage amount might suggest final layout similar to Swamps 2-5.

• Village 1
• Village 2
• Village 3
• Village 4
• Village 5
• Village 6

Arctic

Iceberg

• Iceberg 1 – An fairly long iceberg stage whose elements, among which are slopes, capture the feel of Super Mario World well; Greek Koopas are found here for reasons unknown. A closed-off door is at its middle, and a Warp Pipe at the end. Also of note is that an aurora can be seen in the background.
• Iceberg 2 – Another iceberg stage (mostly consisting of ice chunks floating in the water) in which more Greek, as well as Eskimo Koopa Troopas can be found. Its end (a plain after a slope) is completely blank.

Igloo

• Igloo 1 – A large ice maze inside of an igloo in which many walruses live. It ends with not only an "M," but also a Warp Pipe.

Ice Mountain

• Ice Mountain 1 – A climb across a mountain that deviates from a simple slope up and slope down very little (only with holes does it change). After this, Mario must traverse down clumps of snow to reach an "M."

Wacky

Neon City

• Neon City 1 – Though some of its data is finished, this level's graphics are not and it thusly appears as only a blue-and-green void. Presumably, it would have been a colorfully lit metropolis.

Geometropolis

• Geometropolis 1 – A buggy, incomplete stage with many Pipes (some of which are small and may be oriented diagonally) and water elements such as water-shooting pipes, showers, and metal Koopa heads. Greek and Eskimo Koopas are found here.

Land o' Plaid

• Land o' Plaid 1 – Like Neon City 1, this level has some solid layouts but no graphics. It would presumably end up having some relation to the plaid color or pattern in the final game.

Tubular

Pipeworks

• Pipeworks 1 – Identical to Geometropolis 1. This would've presumably been changed later on; whether Geometropolis or Pipeworks would keep their design is unknown, but the design seems more fitting for Pipeworks.

Sewer

This world's one level lacks data, like many above.

• Sewer 1

Chemistry Lab

This world and its one level are also without data. It is interesting to note, however, that the theme of chemistry labs is already explored in the prototype with Castle 1.

• Chemistry Lab 1