Here We Go Again.... (or The LP crew futilely tries to cooperate on The Essence Star)*

[Raype]

It's that time again. When our insanity overpowers our natural distrust and the EPLP group throws in together in an attempt to tackle a random game none of us would be willing to deal with alone.

This time, the target is Super Mario World 2+3: The Essence Star, by GoldenYoshi. A man who has also produced two full hacks of Yoshi's Island (hence the idiosyncratic naming of this title - it was released after Super Mario World 2+ and 2+2, despite being the only one of the three made with Super Mario World 1). It follows yet another adventure of Mario, as he journeys across the sea to save Euphoria Island, a tropical british colony, and foil the return of an old enemy.

Almost like Sunshine, if it was made by a demented retro fanatic and included something less drug addled than a talking super-soaker.

The real difference between TES and most other hacks out there is the introduction of a pseudo-RPG element to the game. The time limit has been removed, certain stages have quest-giving NPCs and coins carry over between levels so you can buy familiar pickups for later use as well as wholly new permanent items. It has also introduced another level of gathering fanaticism by introducing Character Cards that are hidden in levels and sometimes as the reward for an in-stage quest. The cards don't do anything gameplay wise, but it's another set of items to collect for 100% completion. Which our rampant egomania will drive us to attempt.

Other than that, it's 42 stages of running jumping, questing and commiting countless acts of grievous bodily harm to the local wildlife. Will we beat the game into submission, to return victorious but decimated as we were last time? Or will this hack prove too much for our collective willpower?

Only time (and chemically induced visions) will tell.

A prepatched copy of The Essence Star can be found at
Links Hidden from guests!
Please register to view these download links.
for anyone who wishes to play along.

Intro Level with Hypnos
Water World Part 1 with Ray
Desert World Part 1 with Corey
Desert World Part 2 with Corey
Desert World Part 3 with Corey
Desert World Part 4 with Corey
Ice World Part 1 with Hypnos
Ice World Part 2 with Hypnos
Water World Part 2 with Ray

[Raype]

The inevitable story/intro level video first (wait, story in a Mario game? Yes, there's actually a running plotline between all 3 SMW2+ games).



Future uploads will come once we've puzzled out who is up next, which (if any) people can do a guest stage and how we're divvying up the levels. This may take a while. Or it may take no time at all.

[Raype]

This is unusually pleasant. Should I be worried?

In any case, whoever's next in the rotation is up next.

[Raype]

Part one.

[Raype]

*various comments about it not taking 11 minutes to do a world, also corey getting lost*

You say that like it took a long time.

Oh and Part two is up. Almost done.

[Raype]

[Raype]

Last video is finally up. Only took me like 6 tries.

[Raype]

After some delay, long lost footage from the distant land of Terra Australis.

[Raype]

Arise from your grave, thread of old.

Two more videos today. Ignore what I said about being the end of this world - I not only have the secret exit of Slipper Fitness to do, but the level down at the base of the map that I completely forgot about.





With any luck, there shall be a flurry of activity in the near future, with Ivolt and Cola now available to do their videos plus Ray and I having far too much time (and other unsavoury things) on our hands.

[Raype]

I knocked off another chunk of levels:











No sign of the shop, so I may have to do more. No idea where it is though.

Its found from the alternate exit to Mario Becomes Lunch, if my memory serves.

Also, it uses the SMW colour-coding for extra exits. Red means two exits, yellow means one. At least as far as I've found.

[Dr Mario]

The gods demand more updates.





One, possibly two, more videos to come sometime in the next day or so.

[Prude]

OuO

[Dr Mario]

Now, over to Cola.

[Raype]

A really quick way to get coins would be the mini games at the fair.

You can wager like 100 coins or something on the boo race.

If you win, you double your wager.

100 coins for a fairly easy 60 second race?

Yes please!

[Dr Mario]

It Returns.

This is now a solo project that I will be seeing through to completion. It must be karma for my disappearance during the ending stages of Rise To The Challenge, because I can nae think of anything else I did in this life to deserve such a thing.





Hopefully more to come, in which I clear out some of the bonus levels before gearing myself up to rush the bosses.