Everybody loves Super Mario Bros. and everybody loves Portal. If you claim otherwise, you should keep the verdict out until you play the new mash-up of the two.
Stabyourself.net has finally released the appropriately titled Mari0. What’s the point of this new game? It recreates the original Super Mario Bros. on the NES, but Mario has a new trick up his sleeve – a portal gun. This takes the platforming action of the original Super Mario Bros. and turns it into a puzzle platformer that Portal popularized.
Mari0 goes beyond the usual fan project by remaking the entirety of the original Super Mario Bros. with the aforementioned portal gun. There are some changes of course with the most obvious being puzzles focused around portal creation. The game also features four-player co-op which is kind of impressive as Portal 2 only featured two-player co-op.
The game also features a level editor so players can create their own puzzles and levels. The creators of the game will also be releasing downloadable map packs to extend the life of the game.
For fans of Team Fortress 2, there are 33 hats available for Mari0. There will probably be more hats as the game grows, because Team Fortress 2 has made the hat the most popular in-game accessory.
There are also the usual supply of game modifiers that can add extra fun and zany experiences to the core game.
The best part is that the game is absolutely free with no strings attached. You can grab it at the developer’s Web site for Windows, Mac and Linux. You can also download the source code and do what you want with it.
Here’s a trailer to entice you into downloading some sweet Mario on Portal action:
