Project Virtual Mario Land – Wario Cruise
Is a prequel to Super Mario Land 2 – Six Golden Coins (GB)
Is a sequel to each Mario Game where Bowser got his ass kicked!
Since there was never a proper Mario Adventure on the VB, we should take action. There was a promissing Demo called Mario Land VB. Unfortunately this Demo is not available. Also only a couple of screenshoots and one video is available. Both is in less quality because of the time.
With the available material I was able to analyze and then recreate the GFX of the Overworld Level we know from the demo.
The most influential picture was this:
The other material was just to blurry.
Unfortunately the “good” picture was cropped and stretched. The bottom is missing. This was replaced by me after looking at the video.
All is in a working tile set, ready to be used.
One user here recreated the Virtual Mario Demo in code. The new GFX could complete this project on the GFX side.
This is a fictional Mario Game. The “Virtual” in the title therefore fits quite well, because it is just virtual and not real. 😉
General Idea
The idea for this game is that it is explained from where Wario comes from. He appears the first time in SML2 on GB. He takes Marios Castle but there is no explaination from where he comes from. I created a small story to compensate for this. 😀
The game should be seen more like a short movie.
Since there is not so much time creating a game like this,
I would limit the game to 10 Level.
1-8 like in Super Mario Bros and 2 secret level.
The 8 level will all feature a known level from a mario game, at least a part of it.
The level will have two play areas like in the Mario VB Demo.
The first level is also the first level of SMB (NES) just with Wario stuff. This will be the GFX material I did here.
If Mario enters a pipe the game shows what we have in Mario Clash. Just that this is a part of the level and not a mini game.
Game Story
After Bowser was defeated again by Mario and beaten to the worst, he stays now in a private hospital on Isle Delfino (SMSunshine) to recover.
Since he did not want to be alone in this hard times, he took his Bowser kids with him on the Isle.
While they are on they are gone, nobody is in charge back in the Bowser Fortress. Just Bowsers troops are there, but without leadership it is a chaos.
Bowser’s best Magikoopa, the one who is with bowser since SMW2: Yoshis Island, does not like the situation and decides to do something on his own.
In an old library, he looks for a old spell, that allows him to create the “perfect” opponent for Mario
in order to finally defeat him. This would finaly bring back honor to the Koopa Empire.
This this honor got a big scratch when Bowser got defeated by Mario for the first time (SMB1).
The only Item Magikoopa needs for his spell is an object of the person who should get his “perfect” opponent. And guess what, Magikoopa already owns this Item.
In the many encounters between Bowser and Mario, Mario has lost one of his caps. Magikoopa noticed this and took the cap and saved it for later. (By the way, he also has one from Luigi, Big fan you know 😀 )
Magikoopa starts the spell, hoping that the new “perfect” opponent for Mario is of course, also a great friend and ally with the the Koopa Empire. The magic starts to work. Pixel by pixel new a character is appearing. It’s Wario.
After a short conversation between Magikoopa and Wario,
Magikoopa quickly realizes that he made a huge mistake.He is in big trouble.
Wario hates the Koopa Empire. He will claim it for him directly and then transform it to his likings.
Bowser is not there anyway and is “just simulating being sick” in bed. “Let him should show up!”
Before Magikoopa knows what is happening, Wario has already put him in chains and put him away in a save place for “later use”. After snatching the Koopa Empire, he continues his “Work” in the Mushroom Kingdom and shapes the land shape in his liking. (Screenshot Wario Faced stone for example)
At one point he comes across Marios House.
It is night, Mario sleeps. The house shakes, Mario falls out of his bed. Mario runs in front of the house to see whats up.
(“What is it this time!?)
Wario made Mario’s House “nicer” along with the whole area.
This smells like a lot of trouble, so Mario has to get back in action. Unfortunately it is not quite like with Bowser, even if Wario uses Bowser’s forces.
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Well that’s the general idea.
What do you think?
Well to clarify, I am not a coder. I tried to code something once and failed. It is not my thing. I like to be more creative.
So I hope to get some help from this awesome community.
Because I know that eveybody has only limited time, the game would be a real adventure but short. Just so that Mario and Wario can meet and… well greet 😀
Also I tried to make the story so that it fits. First Wario takes the Koopa stuff and goes from there but get stopped and in SML2 he takes directly from Mario but get stopped. Then he becomes the Anti Hero.
Normaly I dont like the “Fan” game approach. It is alwas better to create something new. But the Virtual Boy is different. I would like to make an exception here. The material for a proper Mario game is there. The puzzle just needs to be completed.
Here’s another attempt at recreating that particular Mario Demo screenshot, based on a slightly better scan of it. I think it’s pretty much pixel perfect – the dithered areas were a pretty good reference for counting pixels. 🙂
I am not sure about the background mountains, though. The outlines seem lighter, but still very much the same color as their dither pattern as well as the mounds in front of them.
