Mario - The Last Castle Review
Overview
Mario - The Last Castle presents a curious twist on the classic platforming formula by arming everyone's favorite plumber with firearm capabilities while retaining the nostalgic Super Mario World aesthetic. Early feedback reveals a divisive experience - while some appreciate the novelty of Mario's new combat options and faithful physics, others find the execution lacking in originality and polish. This castle-themed adventure delivers competent platforming fundamentals but struggles to justify its core gimmick beyond surface-level novelty.
The gun given to Mario adds an extra fun element to the game and I was in no way angry with JS Lemming's own enemy killing system, in fact I prefer the blood and guts to simply squashing the enemy.
C.C.
Armed and Questionable
The defining feature separating this entry from other Mario clones is the permanent firearm addition. Mario now dispatches turtles and other enemies with unlimited bullets rather than traditional jumps, resulting in more violent enemy deaths featuring blood and gore effects. While this provides momentary novelty, the mechanic ultimately feels underdeveloped - enemies don't exhibit new behaviors to counter ranged attacks, and the unlimited ammo removes any strategic consideration. The gun functions more as a visual reskin of fire flower mechanics than a meaningful gameplay evolution.
Mario's newfound voice proves equally puzzling. His sole vocalization manifests as a Homer Simpson-esque "D'oh!" when injured, a bizarre choice that clashes tonally with the otherwise traditional presentation. This single repeated soundbite quickly becomes grating rather than charming, highlighting how minimal effort was invested in expanding Mario's character beyond this jarring impersonation.
Nostalgic Foundations
Where the game finds stronger footing is in its faithful recreation of classic Mario physics and environments. The jumping mechanics receive particular praise for perfectly capturing Super Mario World's weight and momentum, allowing precise platforming that feels immediately familiar to series veterans. Visuals maintain the expected 16-bit sprite aesthetic with no significant upgrades or stylistic deviations, effectively evoking nostalgia though lacking any modern enhancements.
Level design follows traditional castle themes with appropriate lighting and environmental details, though the adventure suffers from noticeable brevity. New enemy behaviors like following Goombas provide welcome variety, suggesting potential that isn't fully explored across the compact campaign. While the core platforming delivers competent execution, it never surpasses or meaningfully iterates on its obvious inspirations.
Verdict
Gimmicky gunplay overshadows solid Mario fundamentals