Nintendo
Super Mario All Stars

LA RECENSIONE

I know that searching for a Super Nintendo and this cartridge might seem like a thing for the obsessed. However, I did it, and I was more than rewarded: it’s not just about nostalgia; pressing the round buttons of the joypad, blowing into the cartridge, finding the right channel on the TV – for me, these are integral parts of the gaming experience that, if artificially recreated (emulators), are nothing more than a bland and anachronistic imitation.

This collection in question is simply the best: I won't say anything about the first Super Mario Bros because there's nothing to say, but the third episode, the masterpiece of the series for me, the one I most wanted to replay until the console was worn out, stands the test of time just as easily and deserves more recognition.

Everything is just as I left it: jumping on a Koopa and throwing it at an enemy is a timeless thrill, but also the hidden whistle in the fortress of the first world (a trick discovered thanks to the Wizard of Videogames), the anxiety brought on by the levels where the screen "chases" you with that sped-up music that only makes everything worse, flying with raccoon-Mario thanks to the leaf and discovering secret areas, invisible blocks, those that transform coins into bricks, swimming with frog-Mario, and I could go on for hours...

If you get tired (but how is it possible?), there's also the opportunity to play a game of Super Mario Bros. 2 (which only bears Mario’s name and characters, but borrows the gameplay from another game, Doki Doki Panic) or Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels (the true sequel to the first Super Mario Bros, never released in the West).

Think about it...