Deceptively simple games. We all know them. Whether it’s Flappy Bird or The World’s Hardest Game, you know how many hours can be spent getting nowhere.

You know what you should do; You should exit. You should close out of the browser and never think about it again.

Thing is, you can’t.

You’re addicted.

Super Mario - The Last GBA Quest is that same type of game. Released in 2008, this short Mario Homebrew comprises eight tediously difficult levels, each with their own world-like theme. While you will die time and time again, you just won’t be able to stop playing.

Enough of the dawdling; Let’s dive in!

Decent Graphics that Keep you Engaged - 8 / 10

Had it not been for the graphics, I would have stopped playing this game very soon after starting. A striking combination of good graphics and bad glitches makes this homebrew not only playable, but addicting. On the other hand, poor graphics and bad glitches would have made it better suited for the recycle bin. Surprising, isn’t it, how much the graphics can make up for blatant problems?

Specifically, it’s the clear level backgrounds and nice sprites that make the graphics shine. Not only do they look nice, but they’re unique. I had not seen the same specific sprites, nor floor backgrounds in other Mario games, so they provided a fresh look that I enjoyed.

In essence, graphics are a true strength of this game; they help you overlook the glitches.

8 / 10

Unique Music that Works - 7 / 10

Just like most retro-gamers, I play GBA Mario games for their familiarity. I like to remember those days when I spent hours playing Mario on my GBC and I embrace the nostalgia I feel whenever I play.

That said, it will come as no surprise for you to learn that I was shocked when I first started playing; How dare they change the music so drastically? As I kept playing, I realized that the tracks, in fact, do fit the levels. Without any annoying repetition, they work really well and sound nice, too. If you research the game, you’ll see heaps of negative criticism about the music; don’t succumb to it. Listen with an open mind and don’t fixate on your initial reaction; who knows? Perhaps you’ll end up enjoying it.

But it was not all without fault. Just like hobos at a business meeting, two particular tracks do not fit with the rest. The title track, arguably the most important song, isn’t energetic, adventurous, or light-hearted. Instead, it’s a sad, slow piece that I might listen to when trying to fall asleep.

At least it might have sounded nice in the right context; the rainbow track wouldn’t work no matter where you put it. It’s an annoying electronic rhythm that raises in pitch as drums get louder. The piece only lasts a few seconds and repeats multiple times before the power-up ends. Its horrible quality starkly contrasts with the other tracks leaving only one question unanswered; why would they include it?

The unoriginal sound effects deserve little mention. It’s simple. If you’re annoyed with the frequent, repetitive sound effects of other Mario games, you’ll be annoyed here.

In summary, the unique music tracks improve gameplay.

7 / 10.

Very Addictive - 8 / 10

Either you’ll hit a goomba, fall off the edge, or time out. Not once, but dozens of times from start to finish. Tedious, isn’t it?

But that’s precisely why the game’s so addictive.

Without the rampant glitches and poor collision programming, you’d finish the game within half an hour. It would not be a tiresome struggle and there’d be no sense of accomplishment upon finishing. So, in a surprising way, the ineptitude of the designers helps this short game remain addictive for weeks.

It’s also human nature. The more time we invest into an activity, the more we want to see it through. We don’t realize that it’s time to cut our losses and move on until it’s already too late.

It’s exactly this same phenomenon.

Every futile minute spent becomes one more reason to keep playing; you don’t want to see that work wasted. In this respect, the shortness of the game severely deceives. By the time you reach level 7, you know that you’ve nearly completed all levels, so you don’t want to give up. What you don’t know is how much time the last two take; During my playthrough, it took an hour to finish the first six levels and almost three hours to unlock and finish the last two.

But I was addicted every second of it. In a way, I still am. I do want to attempt a deathless playthrough or a speedrun in the future.

8 / 10.

You Save Peach* - 2 / 10

Had the Homebrew not emulated this particular franchise, you would’ve thought that there’s no overall objective. In fact, you don’t see Peach until the credits, where you’re told in broken English that you’ve saved her.

2 / 10.

*Of course, this category doesn’t mean much; Mario isn’t played for the story.

Essentially no Depth - 2 / 10

In first seven levels, there are only two things you need to do: Find the red PA coin and enter the red warp pipe. In the last level, you need to reach the boss, a giant Santa goomba, and defeat it. Simple, right?

It’s all about surviving long enough to finish. If you try to collect everything, you’ll die. It won’t only be your mistakes; there’s a cohort of glitches waiting to happen. Of course, scouring each level is meaningless; there’s virtually nothing to find.

Thus, on any future playthrough, exploring will never be my priority.

2 / 10.

It’s Difficult - 9 / 10

Yes, it’s difficult. You already know. I don’t need to take a paragraph to restate that.

Instead, I decided to break the difficulty down. I’ve attributed it to four separate causes: in-game physics, glitches, collisions, and intentional difficulty.

Note: This is slightly information-intensive for the casual player, but I think you’ll like it.

Physics
According to hearsay, the physics came from Super Mario Land for GB. I decided to check it out for myself; they were correct. The jumps, in-air movement--all of it--comes from SML. It makes controlling your jumps difficult, but, overall, in-game physics contribute the least to the difficulty.

Glitches
Glitches surface on every level: Enemies periodically spawn directly in front of you, causing an unfair death. On other occasions, several Goombas overlap each other; You usually die as soon as you try jumping on one. Unfortunate, isn’t it?

However as annoying you may find the glitches, they don’t compare to the atrocious collision programming.

Collision Programming
At least ninety percent of my deaths came from poor collision programming. During the few minutes I spent on SML, I had several close calls, but I never died. In this homebrew, there aren’t any close calls; you always die. Unless you land directly on top of an enemy, you die.

Imagine the frustration you’d feel after you beat a particularly hard section and lose it all without even touching the enemy; it happens often.

In-game Difficulty
The in-game difficulty isn’t too bad. Look out for two things: Only one hit will return you to small Mario, no matter the upgrade. Granted, there are only two types, but that includes the fire flower. Also, no matter the Mario upgrade, spikes are a one-hit kill. There’s one particular part where that becomes a real nuisance.

Otherwise, you should be fine.

Try it out, You’ll be Hooked - Overall: 7.4 / 10

In conclusion, this is a highly addictive Homebrew that, despite its difficulty, will keep you playing for much longer than you would have thought.

If you enjoy playing short but difficult games, you might want to try this one out. Or if you're a yoga master trying to teach your disciples patience.

But just remember one thing before you get started:

I warned you.

Ok, I'll admit. I guess you did a good job with this review.
You talked about everything in the game and of which you like.

You make it sound addicting and fun enough to try.
But i still remember your chat quote.... You "just finished an annoying mario hack"

Well, Kind-Of-Good game, good review. That's all I have to say.

Incredible work again, man. In fact, this may be your best review yet. It flowed perfectly, and despite being as long as it was, it seemed like a brief read, which is great to see in a review. Keep up the excellent work.

EideticMemory : Very good review again Eidetic, sorry if I'm a little bit late compared to the rest of the party but I must say I'm glad to see the work in the end anyway. One thing I like most about this review is that in some sections it had a sort of interrogative/presenting tone as you explained certain sections, which is quite a nice style if I may say so myself . I also agree with Eirinn v below me that even though it was wrong it had a good purpous and reason to be long with included details to the review. Great job once again and don't ever look down on your great potential as a reviewer .

EideticMemory : Awesome review man! I already played a bit of this game but then the plugin stopped working for me. But now the Rgr plugin works again and i will play it. I love how unique you're review was. Especially the Difficulty section. I also like how you use both numbers and words to tell the score.