The folks over at Stabyourself.net have been slaving away over the past few months readying a clever mashup. Combining the classic Super Mario Brothers with the extremely modern game, Portal, they've added a new element to the seminal platformer in the form of an Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Yes. Mario can spawn portals.
Built from the ground up and released for Windows, OS X and Linux, Mari0 borrows the graphics and level design of the Super Mario Bros. we all know and love from our button mashing days of yore. But now, instead of running, dodging and throwing fireballs at enemies, Mario can take a more puzzle-like nuanced approach. Equipped with a portal gun, players can now deftly move enemies out of the way or hurl Mario over large distances with an exquisitely aimed jump.
But that's not all this free download offers. You'll find co-op multiplayer, a level editor and a Portal-themed map pack built by the creators of the game which definitely brings out the puzzle aspect that makes Portal such a great game. Rendered here in its 8-bit glory, this map pack is a real treat.
And while the game is currently at a 1.2 release version, there are still some bugs to be worked out, including a glitch I experienced that causes the game to stutter under OS X. Also, I found the controls to take a bit getting used to; moving and jumping using the keyboard on my left hand while targeting the portal gun with the mouse on my right hand didn't quite feel at home on a 2D platformer.
Regardless, the game is free with donations appreciated. It's a pretty innovative mashup standing on the shoulders of some pretty great games. Head over to stabyourself.net to give Mari0 a spin on your own system.
