is a video game produced by Nintendo in 1995 for the Virtual Boy. It is the first stereoscopic 3D Mario game, and a 3D reimagining of Mario Bros. Reception for the game was mixed.
Gameplay
Mario Clash is a 3D reimagining of the original Mario Bros. arcade game. The objective is to knock all the enemies off ledges. Players control Mario to complete this objective, who can travel in and out of the background by jumping forward or backward. Meanwhile, these enemies can travel between these two planes through different pipes. Each level has a different arrangement of pipes, platforms, and enemies. It has 99 levels, although the player can only choose to begin from one of the first forty of them. However, the game does not allow for the saving of progress through the games, or high scores, once the game is turned off.
Certain enemies, such as the Koopa Troopas, can be jumped on, causing them to withdraw into their shell. At this point, Mario has to grab this shell in order to defeat enemies that cannot be jumped on safely by throwing it at them, either to his right or left or into the background or foreground. Certain enemies can only be defeated if Mario throws a shell from one plane into another, and certain other enemies may have defenses up that prevent them from being damaged. If an enemy walks into Mario, or Mario jumps on an enemy he cannot jump on, he will lose a life. The game is over if Mario runs out of lives. The game utilizes a scoring system, and a level has to be completed in a certain length of time. Defeating more enemies with a Koopa Troopa shell in a row results in more points earned. Players can utilize a mushroom item which, when touched, initiates Fever Time. This allows Mario to defeat enemies regardless of their defenses.
Development
Mario Clash was developed by Nintendo R&D1, with director Gunpei Yokoi, the same team that was responsible for the development of the Virtual Boy itself. Shigeru Miyamoto, one of the Mario series' creators, contributed to the game's design. Like all other Virtual Boy games, Mario Clash uses a red-and-black color scheme and uses parallax, an optical trick that is used to simulate a 3D effect.The game was originally developed as a straight remake of the original Mario Bros., and was titled Mario Bros. VB.
Reception
Despite being labeled by Next Generation as "perhaps the most promising title" for the Virtual Boy before its release, it received mixed reception upon launch. Almost all of GameFan Magazines staff chose Mario Clash as their favourite Virtual Boy game during their test of the console pre-release due to its combination of platform gameplay with 3D effects. One reviewer praised the game's 3D effects, while both felt it became tedious over time. GamePros brief review praised the excellent use of the Virtual Boy's 3D feature but hinted that the Virtual Boy hardware did not do the game justice, expressing hope that the game would be released for the Super NES. Electronic Gaming Monthlys four reviewers were divided: Andrew Baran and Mike Desmond complained of loose control which makes it difficult to jump on a target, and felt the game is "okay" but becomes dull after a short while, whereas Mark Lefebvre and Sushi-X argued that the simple gameplay is addictive and that the game makes perfect use of the Virtual Boy hardware. Next Generation commented, "In the end, Mario Smash doesn't deliver the next generation of gaming, it's not addictive, exciting, or even nice looking, but it's a darn good distraction in an interesting new format."