It'sa me, Kaizo Mario!

[SilentSnake]

Congrats lincolnic! That's a huge achievement!

So I'm still blown away by how Bunbun 2 is so creative with the level concepts. Take the level I'm currently on, Under Pressure, as an example. In this level, you can only press the B button to swim up once per floor touch, so you're essentially jumping underwater, leading to ridiculous elements like underwater disco shells. Or more impressive is one of the previous levels that use overlapping layers to simulate a crystal cavern collapsing if you step on it even once. It even has a 2D interpretation of the Hazy Cave Maze from Mario 64!

Yeah, I'm loving it even just four exits in. Really creative and vibrant.

 

[MCBanjoMike]

Hyperion is down! It’s very impressive as a first hack and the overworld is particularly fun, but it could have used a bit of editing. There’s enough good stuff in here to make a really solid 12-16 exit hack, but also enough so-so levels to discourage me from replaying it. I’ll try to focus on Invictus for a few days to make some progress, but I imagine I’ll want to start another easier hack soon, too. I know Hark 2 is due shortly, but if that doesn’t come out and I’m looking for something easier, maybe I’ll fire up one of the Bun Bun games. Should I go straight to 2 or play the original first? Or play Hark 1 in anticipation of the sequel...

 

[SilentSnake]

I think if you prefer chocolate stuff, Bunbun 2 is the closest to that out of those options, though Bunbun 1 makes the most of its vanillaness imo. So either one of those I think.

 

[lincolnic]

Congrats on the clear!

 

[SilentSnake]

14 exits down in Bunbun World 2! There's a lot of creative setups in this game, though I don't know which Bunbun I like better as of yet. There's a lot of cool custom stuff in 2, but a ton of the levels in 1 are super creative in vanilla. I'm also finding 2 a touch easier than 1, so take that for what it's worth. Either way, y'all know my enthusiasm for the Bunbuns. I think I may finish tomorrow if the last levels permit.

 

[lincolnic]

Got through Kamek Woods today. I loved the theme of this level, and the soundtrack works perfectly. It really feels like you're on your way to a huge confrontation. I think I had more fun in the first half of the level, if only because the second half had some really deceptively tricky jumps that took a while to nail down. Died on the final jump at least twice before I got through.

Clear time for posterity: three hours, two of which were spent in the second half.

I've got four exits left, with the next one introducing the L button to turn blocks on/off, and the one after that is a full on motor skills level. Historically I tend to have some trouble with levels that change the basic rules of Mario, so these will probably take me a while. As long as I know that going in, I can adjust my expectations accordingly.

When I'm all done with this game, I'm gonna have to go back through this thread and add up my total playtime. I'm really curious to know what the total will be!

 

[SilentSnake]

Bunbun 2 is down! As you may be able to tell, I adored my time with this. It did get a bit harder in the last few areas, and it continued the Bunbun tradition of ending on a showstopper, which I love. Really creative and fresh, do recommend.

I've decided this is what I'm working on next:

 

[lincolnic]

Nicely done! I'm looking forward to those games whenever I get through Invictus.

I don't know too much about Chain Reaction, but I kinda remember hearing it uses motor skills? Or was that a different Sweetdude hack? I like the title screen, in any event.

 

[MCBanjoMike]

According to Shovda:

All motor skills, all the time. Please note that this hack does not save, as it's meant
to be beaten across multiple playthroughs. And the difficulty reflects this. Nothing
is super jank or unfair; it will get significantly easier on your second go.

I would love to know what your process is for choosing these hacks, Snake, you are certainly full of surprises. I can't see myself picking up a hack with no save support any time soon, but I guess you can use save states since you're playing on emulator.

I polished off the water level in Invictus surprisingly quickly yesterday, then spent 45 minutes making almost no progress in the following one. That was more because I was very unfocused and also hunting for secrets than because of the level's difficulty - guess I used up all my brain power one-shotting the last screen in Lake Bodom (thank god). Time-wise, I'm averaging almost exactly 2 hours per level, with 10 exits cleared over the course of 19-20 hours. I spent a good three hours each on Sewer Smashing (main exit), the thwomp castle and Plumber's Nightmare (again mostly due to brain problems rather than the difficulty), but there have been a handful of really quick levels that balanced things out a bit. I imagine it's going to get harder from here, so this hack may end up taking me like 50 hours to complete? I'm not feeling too burned out on it, so I'll try to keep chipping away for another few days before looking for an easier hack to play in parallel.

 

[lincolnic]

I would love to know what your process is for choosing these hacks, Snake, you are certainly full of surprises.

Seconding this!

Are you up to Cemetary Bloom now, Mike? I can't remember the exact level order.

I'm still feeling good to power through to the end of this hack, but I think not playing every day is also doing me some good. I've got four exits left, hoping to wrap it up maybe sometime next week (barring any major disasters).

 

[SilentSnake]

Well I'm gradually working my way up to Invictus currently, which shovda rates as a 5/10 difficulty. Akogare was a 3/10 for her, so the next thing I wanted to do was finish of Bunbun 2 before upping the difficulty. After that, I looked for anything that's a 3.5 on her scale. I know Chain Reaction has a reputation for being a classic just from osmosis through streamers, and I really like the concept of motor skills, so I chose that.

I'm several exits into Chain Reaction now, and I can honestly say this is the chocolatiest hack I've played, even more so than Hyperion. Just so pretty, and so many cool custom ideas implemented. I think it's worth a shot from what I've played!

And as for the no saving thing, I'm going to be true to the spirit of this game and not save state. If I don't complete the game by the end of the day, I'm going to start over tomorrow. Should be a fun exercise.

 

[lincolnic]

I watched Thabeast's Chain Reaction playthrough this afternoon and it looks pretty cool! I might give it a shot after the Bunbuns.

You might like Quest for Corgi Butts at some point, Snake. It has a couple of rough levels in the middle (like the upside-down ice level that stalled me out), but aside from those it could be around the difficulty you're looking for. Levels aren't too long, and there's still some good challenge and some fun chocolate mechanics. I'm not sure I'd replay it, but the fun parts were fun enough to do once.

 

[SilentSnake]

I might take your suggestion! Though maybe I'll do Shell's Retriever first so I can be better prepared for Shell Hell at the end.

Made it nine exits in to Chain Reaction, I think. I like how this game revisits its gimmicks in more than one level and mixes them up in the same level, though I admit the ninji chasing you in a gravity flipping stage is a bit stressful.

 

[lincolnic]

Let me know how you fare if you do! I played the first three levels in Shell's Retriever, but it kinda felt like I was just doing the same thing the entire time so I lost interest. It was fun, just not exactly a varied experience. I wonder if I'd do better at the last Corgi Butts level now. Maybe I'll come back to it sometime.

I'm one exit closer to the end of Invictus, having put Stellar to bed earlier today. That was a pretty fun level! Turning blocks on and off with the shoulder buttons wasn't actually too hard to manage, which I'll put down to good level design. Even though I died at the final jump at least three or four times before I figured out the timing, nothing was particularly stressful. Clear time: an hour and 50 minutes total, with the first half taking a relatively quick 45 minutes.

Whenever I pick up the hack next I'll be moving on to my first ever motor skills level. I already know it's going to take some time to get used to, so I just have to remember that as I go through it.

 

[SilentSnake]

The thing to remember about motor skills is the fact that it takes a little bit to get used to, but not too long because it's built on top of the fundamentals. It's just one more verb in your toolbox.

I made it 12 out of 15 exits in Chain Reaction today, got walled on a really precise motor skills regrab level. Don't know how I can get my fingers to do the things it requires, but I'm certainly going to keep trying. Still loving the hack and its inventive setups, though the cape level wasn't the best. Visually amazing throughout.

 

[MCBanjoMike]

I guess Morsel just dropped a new hack called Double Jump Man? The usual suspects are streaming it on Twitch now. You might have guessed this from the name, but it seems like double jumping is the order of the day with this one. Barb was two levels in and already completely mystified by what he was supposed to do, so I don't think I'll be putting this on my short list!

 

[SilentSnake]

It's interesting because the double jump is mapped to L and R in this hack, and the reason for that is because it keeps the A and B button free for regrabs. Once again, Morsel takes a galaxy brain approach to hack design, but that doesn't necessarily make it a hack for everyone. Once again, Morsel is a mixed bag and contains multitudes. (I won't be picking it up either honestly lol.)

 

[lincolnic]

It's interesting because the double jump is mapped to L and R in this hack, and the reason for that is because it keeps the A and B button free for regrabs.

Okay, that's actually pretty interesting -- the biggest problem I had with the double jump level in Invictus is that you can't regrab, because you just end up using your second jump instead. Having spent the last 4-5 months rewiring my brain to regrab all the time, it was really tough to get used to not doing it!

But yeah, I don't think I'll be playing this hack either. From what I've seen of Morsel's work, I...don't think I want to play any of it, honestly. He's definitely a hell of a creator, but his style just isn't my cup of tea.

 

[SilentSnake]

By the way, Chain Reaction has some killer visuals. I took some screens of some of the more memorable scenes. I think this is the prettiest hack I've played so far.

Spoiler: Chain Reaction

 

[MCBanjoMike]

You could argue that we basically have Morsel to thank for Invictus, so depending on how you feel about that game right now you can either be happy he exists or...not. He's certainly a divisive creator! I would still consider playing the first 80% of Storks some day, but Elephants looks absolutely terrifying.

 

[lincolnic]

I would still consider playing the first 80% of Storks some day, but Elephants looks absolutely terrifying.

Juz just started posting his Elephants playthrough on Youtube last week (I think?) and yeah, that's a hard no from me. I kinda feel like sometimes Morsel says "what if Mario, but not Mario", and that's just not what I'm into. I like chocolate elements in hacks where it enhances the Mario experience (e.g. Invictus, mostly) rather than trying to turn it into something else altogether. And that's purely a personal preference, but I've realized lately that I play SMW for a particular kind of platforming experience. Anything that gets too far away from that isn't what I'm looking for.

 

[SilentSnake]

Chain Reaction is completed! Aside from a rather sharp difficulty spike near the end of the game, this entire hack was simply divine. Inventive usage of custom mechanics and beautiful art direction make this one of my favorites now. Highly recommend, with the caveat that the whole "no saving" thing isn't really supported by anything in the game beyond the one exclusion and that you can and should use save states or some other method if you can. Playing this in one sitting literally adds nothing.

Next up, we head to shell city with Shell's Retriever!

 

[MCBanjoMike]

Two hours into Cemetary Bloom and I haven't seen the checkpoint yet. I've made it as far as the final fast-moving boo ring before the pipe, but I looked up the move you have to do to get through there and groaned audibly when I saw it. Nothing like a high-speed vine transfer at the end of a long section, huh? The fact that there's a fishing boo after that is just insult to injury. Anyway, I might gather up my courage and give it another shot tonight. Maybe if I get too discouraged I'll switch over to an easier hack for a while to clear my head.

 

[lincolnic]

That last jump alone is one of the biggest reasons I put Cemetary Bloom on my "hardest levels in the game" list. It's absolutely merciless. Even with the help of a practice save state, I think that jump would kill me two out of three tries. The second half of the level is easier, but getting there is a real struggle.

For your own sanity, I want to tell you something about the checkpoint room on the other side of the pipe after the fishing boo, but I'll put it in spoilers in case you really want to see it for yourself first: don't jump directly onto the platform with the checkpoint on it, you will die and have to do the entire thing over again. Use the Eerie and go under. As a non-spoilery point of data, unlike most checkpoints in the game, you actually do want to hit this one for safety. Even though you'll get another checkpoint when you leave the room, it's not hard to die when you're trying to exit, and if you didn't grab this checkpoint first it'll put you back in the beginning of the level.

 

[SilentSnake]

GET HYPE FOR HARK 2!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1352907701555245057

 

[MCBanjoMike]

That last jump alone is one of the biggest reasons I put Cemetary Bloom on my "hardest levels in the game" list. It's absolutely merciless. Even with the help of a practice save state, I think that jump would kill me two out of three tries. The second half of the level is easier, but getting there is a real struggle.

For your own sanity, I want to tell you something about the checkpoint room on the other side of the pipe after the fishing boo, but I'll put it in spoilers in case you really want to see it for yourself first: don't jump directly onto the platform with the checkpoint on it, you will die and have to do the entire thing over again. Use the Eerie and go under.

Oh man, thank you so much for the heads up. I was able to get past the fishing boo on my second attempt that cleared the vine jump and I was very happy not to get tricked at the checkpoint. Mercifully, it only took me about a half hour more to pull that off. I stopped there, so I'll work on part 2 tonight!

GET HYPE FOR HARK 2!

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1352907701555245057

I am hype for Hark 2! Question is, should I try to tackle the first game before Friday? I'm not sure I have enough time to finish it, so maybe I'll just jump straight into the sequel.

 

[lincolnic]

Oh man, thank you so much for the heads up. I was able to get past the fishing boo on my second attempt that cleared the vine jump and I was very happy not to get tricked at the checkpoint. Mercifully, it only took me about a half hour more to pull that off. I stopped there, so I'll work on part 2 tonight!

You're welcome! I figured you wouldn't be too happy about the checkpoint troll, and the level is tough enough that a little advance warning seemed like it might be welcome.

GET HYPE FOR HARK 2!

Hey, we finally get to play the cool new hack alongside everyone else!

I am hype for Hark 2! Question is, should I try to tackle the first game before Friday? I'm not sure I have enough time to finish it, so maybe I'll just jump straight into the sequel.

Depending on how much time you have, I think you could finish it before Friday. It's not super long -- 16 exits -- and the levels aren't super hard. I think I cleared it in three sittings? It's probably worth experiencing at least some of it before you play Hark 2 so you can get a sense of what Chris G's levels feel like. I've mentioned this before upthread, but I'm super curious to see how his design sensibility has evolved.

 

[MCBanjoMike]

Maybe I'll play it after I finish Cemetary Bloom. I'll probably drop it as soon as Hark 2 comes out, but if I can get halfway through this week then I'll be in a better position to appreciate the sequel.

ETA: Just spent 10 minutes on the first level and it's fucking nonsense. I know the hack gets better, but jesus christ the start is awful.

 

[SilentSnake]

Just look it up, it's not worth figuring out. It's what I did. It's unfortunate that that's how the hack starts, honestly.

 

[MCBanjoMike]

Just look it up, it's not worth figuring out. It's what I did. It's unfortunate that that's how the hack starts, honestly.

I took your advice and I’m glad I did, the answer makes even less sense than I thought it would. Shells that explode on contact with invisible blocks? Who does that?? And why put it at the start of a beginner kaizo hack???