SUPER MARIO BROS 3 - PC PROTOTYPE
There are some of you who have heard of id Software's fabled Super Mario Bros 3 prototype for personal computers. It was rather impressive how this little experiment was able to get off the ground and roughly emulate NES technology at the time. Unfortunately due to circumstances it remained an experiment, a testing ground for greater ideas. Very few have demo discs of this anomaly, but fortunately for me, I managed to snag one at an auction a few years back. Little did I know that my luck would soon turn...
The game started out with no logo for Ideas of the Deep, id's name back then, nor did it have the huge "3" with the raccoon tail shadow behind it. It was just empty. Perhaps, I thought, this was an earlier build. I decided to press onward, noticing that I was playing as Luigi this time. The background behind the map screen was labelled "ID" instead of the typical "IFD". That was strange, as id Software didn't gain its new and current name until a few years after this product. Maybe someone with veteran coding knowledge tried to fix up the game? Perhaps an attempt to push the limits of old hardware? I know that ROM hacking is very common in the Mario community, but for an antique this rare this was unprecedented. Nevertheless, I carried on with this, stunned with intrigue.
The first level was just a straight ahead recreation of the original Super Mario Bros 3's opening level. Nothing seemed to be out of the ordinary, except for Luigi in Mario's stead. Grabbing a leaf, Luigi was able to fly upwards and find several different obstacles and pipes. I noticed that there was a red pipe instead of a green one, perhaps due to graphical limitations. I decided to go up there, as it was the one before the level exit. I've seen footage of this game from John Romero, and he never went up there. Using the Super Leaf's flight I was able to get Luigi into it. I haven't really played SMB3 in a while, but I swear this secret just had a bunch of coins in the shape of a "3". Instead I saw Mario... well, something that LOOKED like Mario. It was hunched over, eating one of the Goombas I saw earlier. Stepping forward, it turned its head to me, and slowly a mouth started to form from what would be its overalls. The creature started to walk forward, and I just dodged it and exited the pipe. Quickly heading towards the exit box, I ended the level.
This was new. Some kind of version of the game where Mario was an enemy. Perhaps this was just some sick joke done by the modder of this, perhaps something to catch buyers off guard. I pressed on to the second level. In the footage released, there was originally a smattering of blocks that spelled out "LIKE IT?", but for my copy it instead spelled out "ID". Suddenly I saw the creature slowly walk behind Luigi, then trying to pounce. Luckily I was able to run and get enough momentum to fly. As I jumped across the little platforming gauntlet, I noticed that the Koopas were... well, there was no blood but it seemed like pieces of their sprites were ripped from them, and they weren't moving. I had to hurry as the creature in the Mario disguise kept running, albeit not exactly getting a good jump across the little stretches of blocks beforehand, continuing to fall down and climb back to its previous position. This thing wasn't some kind of advanced AI, at least, not advanced in the typical sense. It behaved more like a wild animal, running and crouching against the blocks like they were cages or walls. That gave me enough time to end the level. I now hypothesized that "Id" was the name of the creature, and perhaps as a nod to the Freudian concept it was more bestial in its mannerisms.
The third level was short, a small room with the castle tileset. I just had to jump up a staircase and enter a crevice where the goal laid. However, "Id" continued to fail in its attempts to get up the stairs, eventually resorting to running into the blocks in an attempt to break them. I moved on to the fourth level, one which wasn't covered in the only footage of this game. The fourth one was simple as well, testing out falling platforms upon solid ground. I happened to get up with Id more focused on following Luigi, as I entered and found a chest. The chest contained a key of some sort, which was weird, but it must have some sort of use.
I happened to go into the Toad House to sate my curiosity, and upon pressing the button, text appeared saying "Ego used the key." I guess Luigi was now Ego in this strange reworked prototype. Whoever hacked this game was definitely a big fan of Sigmund Freud's teaching at this point. Upon entering the Toad House, I saw a poorly sprited Toad say the words "He has lost his mind. With you, he thinks he can find it." Well, at least we have a motive for this Id. Moving on to the castle, I entered a little labyrinth of tight jumps. Thankfully the janky odd movement of this game was starting to fit me like a glove, but I then saw a blocked off path and one lone Koopa shell. I decided to kick it and it cleared the path. I wondered how I would get through, when Id smashed through the remaining blocks and tried to go for another pounce, which I dodged and jumped to a platform further back. Id tried to jump but fell down. I still couldn't take any chances, so I ran to the exit behind the once blocked-off tunnel.
The fifth level looked easy, just a bunch of ? blocks with Super Leaves in them and a clear path of coins. However it wasn't as easy as I'd hoped. Once in a while, Id would leap out from the bottom of the screen and try to catch Ego. However I would always go higher and ended up at my goal. The sixth level was a platforming challenge that was a little more involved. I jumped across the bottomless pits with Id following not too far behind, but it seemed that with every jump Id took, it had to stand still to seemingly get its bearings. This gave me more than enough time to get away.
The second castle, the one that usually leads you to the airship, was instead a gauntlet of small blocks to jump across, as Id was in hot pursuit. I tried to continue jumping across, but the challenge was so demanding that I managed to fall. Instead of a cut back to the map, instead I saw Ego get torn apart by Id as its stomach mouth opened up and ripped Ego into bits. It then cut to the map screen with the text prompt "A piece of you has been fed to the Id" showing. I continued, managing to get past the challenge this time, and managed to find another key. I went to the Toad House across from the castle and met another Toad. However, as the Toad was about to give me a Warp Whistle, Id barged in from the right and started eating the Toad. Trying to exit, Id now followed in the overworld, as there were no more levels to play. I had to go around in circles, not without a few lives lost due to bumping into the creature. Upon playing the whistle, me and Id were carried away.
There was nothing. Nothing but a black void with overworld sprites for Id and Ego registering in the nothingness. Ego could not move anywhere since there was no direction, and Id just kept walking aimlessly. A few text boxes appeared. "You may feel safe, but there is no more world left at this point. You and your Id shall wander this place for eternity. This is the only way to save yourself."
The game then crashed, and trying to boot up the program again failed time and time again. Was this some sort of message? A cry for help, maybe? I don't know, and due to the game locking itself from me, I doubt I'll ever find out. Maybe it's for the best.