Ludic Comedy

We’ve all played Super Mario: a classic platform game where with trial & error you get to overcome the obstacles ahead of you. Now, a Japanese coder got the original level of Super Mario and gave it a very fun twist: it turned the game onto the most absurd and difficult platformer ever.

The bizarre kitty that’s replacing Mario, the silly music and the unfair rules make this ludic experiment quite fun to watch. Because you realize that it’s not about winning the game, but actually about experiencing the game as a comedy. When you discover the most stupid things happening to your character, frustration gets transformed into a laugh. What’s also nice about it, is that you can completely relate to the feelings the player is having: even though the character is a simple un-animated image, when he slowly walks towards the next trap you can realize the fear in him.

I find this hilarious and a really good way of remixing old classic games. Watch:

3 Responses

  1. Very funny indeed, but the game is probably still very frustrating. I believe you can find it funny because you are watching this video with the poor player suffering (as with a ball to another guy’s crotch), but playing it yourself must be gaming hell!

  2. ROFL!! Really funny! However, I agree that you have to be patient (almost a Zen master) to play such a game for more than 5 lives.

    The video, and the whole idea nevertheless, its very hilarious.

  3. what is the game? what? where can i find it?
    that’s frustration !!!! 🙂

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