Super Mario's Wacky Worlds

[Editor's Note: Because of the way we have Defunct Games set up every review must have a score. Unfortunately Chad intended for this game to have no score. So ignore the number at the top, it was a number chosen based on Chad's excitement level. I repeat, for this review the number is not important, put it out of your mind and enjoy this review of an unfinished game.]

This isn't a full-fledged review. While we are creating a name for the most defunct of all systems here at Defunct Games, I thought it prudent to discuss another Nintendo franchise that almost received the Philips treatment. This is merely a mostly playable prototype of the Mario game Philips was working on before it was ultimately cancelled. When compared to the horrid interpretation given to the Zelda series by this company, Mario's Wacky Worlds looked far more promising and may have garnered enough support for Philips to actually sell a couple of systems. But all was for not, and the game never saw completion.

If you do own a CD-i, a stroll through eBay should yield a copy of this. Though, mind you, it is an unfinished game. You cannot exit the stage you are in without restarting the system and selecting another unfinished stage (at least, I cannot on my copy). That being said, the stages are interesting to say the least. Though many are a little too real-world inspired for my taste. The opening stages are Greek, Egyptian, and Aztec themed, complete with enemies clad in era-appropriate attire. We're talking togas and all! The later stages are what give the moniker its Wacky name. Stages like Neon City, Geomotropolis, and the Land O' Plaid show an interesting departure from Mario's familiar stomping ground; a departure even from the Sub-con land of Mario 2 (which all you good little Mario-philes know was actually the Japanese game Doki Doki Panic).

The music is non-existent. Instead, music is recycled from the SNES Mario World game in each level. The familiar moves featured in Mario World are also MIA in this prototype, but the character models would suggest Nova Logic was attempting to keep this in the same bane as its predecessor, so it is assumed those moves would be employed further into development.

In short, this is an interesting piece of Mario trivia, and may have been the only worthwhile game in the platform genre for this pathetic system. Maybe someone will decide to finish this by modding the engine and releasing it for another system (Dreamcast homebrew, I'm a looking at you!).