Mario Now Stars In A Very Unofficial Battle Royale Game

It sounds like the kind of pitch that's crazy enough to actually fly at Nintendo: what if we turn Super Mario Bros. into a battle royale game? Well, it's already been done.

Kotaku brought to our attention a game that will surely get a cease-and-desist from Nintendo in the near future; it's called Mario Royale, and it pits 75 Super Mario Bros. players against one another in a race to finish first. It was created by a YouTuber named InfernoPlus, and trust us when we say that playing this game is as crazy as the game itself sounds.

Several dozen Marios. All of the enemies and power-ups you remember from the levels inside Super Mario Bros. But only one Mario can nab the highly sought-after mushroom. Only one can obtain the invincibility star. And while stomping other Marios (like in the old-school Mario Bros. arcade games) isn't possible, you can use fireballs, invincibility stars, and turtle shells to knock your rivals out.

All that, and you still have to nail the platforming, too. We couldn't just cover this without actually playing it, mind you. And we have to say, it's definitely hard to concentrate on timing your jumps and landing in the right spots when a flock of other Marios are trying to do the same thing, nevermind the fact that some have the ability to send you to a "GAME OVER" screen.

It's a new spin on what battle royale looks like in games, similar to what Tetris pulled off with Tetris 99. It's also hectic. And boy, is it ripe for legal action. If we had to place bets, we'd say that this game will have a hard time making it through to the weekend without a sternly worded letter from Nintendo's lawyers demanding otherwise. 

So if playing a winner-takes-all version of Super Mario Bros. sounds like your cup of tea, you might want to check out Mario Royale now while it's still around. Because there's no telling how long that'll remain true.