User:Cukie Gherkin/Super Mario Advance

Super Mario Advance is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance handheld game console.

Gameplay
Super Mario Advance is a remake of the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 2, featuring mostly the same gameplay. Players can choose between playing as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, or Toad. Each character has their own play style, with Mario being well-rounded, Luigi having a higher jump, Peach having the ability to float, and Toad being faster and stronger. During play, players can jump on top of certain enemies and objects and pick them up to use as a projectile. They can also pluck plants out of the ground, typically giving turnips or other vegetables to use as projectiles. Some enemies and vegetables are larger than normal, which takes more time to pick up. Each character has different strength, which determines how long it takes to grab an enemy, object, or vegetable. Multiple changes have been made to the gameplay, graphics, and more, including changing one instance of the character Birdo into a new character, Robirdo. Five red coins are also added to each level. Additionally, when the game is beaten for the first time, a "Yoshi Challenge" mode is unlocked that adds collectible Yoshi Eggs to the levels.

In addition to a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2, the game also features a remake of Mario Bros. The game allows for 1-4 players to play simultaneously.

Development
Following the development and release of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color - a remake of Super Mario Bros. - Nintendo eventually began work on Super Mario Advance on the Game Boy Advance, a remake of Super Mario Bros. 2. Graphics from the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 2 were reused for this version, but the programming of this version was created from scratch. New graphics were made on top of the reused graphics. Because the Game Boy Advance has a smaller screen size and different screen ratio, the terrain and production of the game had to be reworked. The team took advantage of the Game Boy Advance's technology to make big enemies and objects that players could throw. The Game Boy Advance was also able to display more objects on screen at once, which the team was conscious of. The game also had to be designed to account for the lack of a backlight in the Game Boy Advance, the designers wanting to avoid the game looking too dark.

Mario Bros. was originally being developed as its own project, but it was eventually included as part of Super Mario Advance instead. The team opted to add four-player multiplayer. At first, designer Takashi Tezuka wanted to add new, more complicated elements, but was mindful that some things may be too complicated to work properly in a four-player environment.

Release
Super Mario Advance was first revealed in the February 2001 issue of Coro Coro Comics. At this point it was known as Mario Advance, though the name was listed as being temporary. Super Mario Advance was added to Nintendo's Player's Choice line in 2006.

Reception
Super Mario Advance received generally positive reception, holding an 84 on Metacritic, indicating generally favorable reviews. GameSpot writer Shahed Ahmed praised the game for its visuals, particularly the improvement to the character sprites and a lot of fun factor, especially for those who had not yet played Super Mario Bros. 2. AllGame writer T.J. Deci felt that Super Mario Advance was Nintendo putting their best foot forward with the Game Boy Advance, stating that the game makes good use of the Game Boy Advance's tech. GameSpy writer Craig Wessel praised it for being faithful to the original Super Mario Bros. while adding new graphics and level enhancements, as well as praising the multiplayer mode for being fun to play. Unlike Deci, however, Wessel felt that the game didn't take as much advantage of the Game Boy Advance's tech as it could have. GamePro writer Star Dingo praised the technical improvements over the original game, stating the it feels the same gameplay-wise, for better or for worse.

In Nintendo Power's 2001 awards, Super Mario Advance was nominated for best Game Boy Advance game and won best revival game.

Despite positive reception, the fact that the Game Boy Advance launched without a new Mario game was met with criticism, including by IGN writer Lucas M. Thomas, who noted that the Game Boy Advance had an issue with putting out too many ports.

Sales
Super Mario Advance, in its debut week in Japan, sold approximately 159,000 units, ultimately selling 811,000 units Super Mario Advance sold approximately 5.5 million copies worldwide. Of these figures, approximately 2.85 million came from the United States.