Experiences with Super Mario Maker seem to fall into one of two categories—the whimsical and the sadistic. Both require a fair amount of creative ability; it’s just a question of intent: Do players want to create something sweet and fun or are they more interested in devising impossible-to-finish levels? That same duality is on display in this fake trailer for a movie based on Super Mario Maker, as created by YouTube user Banks. Taking two and a half months to make it, including rendering all the 3-D models, Banks has transformed the creative game into a harrowing psychological test that must be traversed by everyone’s favorite adventuresome plumber.
Using a remixed version of the game’s theme as the soundtrack, Banks (who also plays Mario in the video) does an outstanding job of making it look like Mario really inhabits this world of spikes, Goombas, and fireballs. Others have recreated Mario games in real life before, but this video perfectly captures both the precision and creativity needed to get the most out of Super Mario Maker. What’s more, these are all playable levels that viewers/gamers can enjoy and try to beat themselves. After hours of practice and an almost never-ending tide of death, surely someone will be able to master these courses as well.
True, as a film trailer, it doesn’t really make any sense, as there’s no indication of overarching plot or characterization. But then, when has that ever stopped a Super Mario Bros. film from being made?