Piranha Sewer
Piranha Sewer is a fully playable custom level on New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
Reggie!
2D platformer
Personal Project
Gameplay Footage
About New Super Mario Bros Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a 2D multiplayer platformer released on the Wii. Up to four players can play simultaneously on the same screen for the first time. This installment adds three unique power-ups: the Penguin, Propeller Mushroom, and Ice Flower.
Important detail
The level was created, tested, and finalized on an emulator. The project does not promote game piracy but is a level design exercise based on one of the most classic series of its kind.
About Piranha Sewer
Piranha Sewer is a fully playable custom level for New Super Mario Bros. Wii.
I created this level using the Reggie! Level Editor, which makes it easy to create Mario Bros. levels on the Wii.
Personal Study
I created this level to better understand the 2D platformer genre, which is one I enjoy playing.
The goal of the level is to provide an original twist compared to the levels already present in the game and to highlight a mechanic that is underutilized: the ice flower.
Level overview
Level Description
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Time : 7 minutes
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Difficulty : medium (world 4 or 5)
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Prerequisites : knowing how to jump, run, use the ice flower, swim
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Description : The player finds themselves trapped in a partially flooded sewer and infested with piranha plants .
To overcome these obstacles, he will need to use the Ice Flower to turn the situation to its advantage and manage the water level in the different areas.
Workflow
Metrics
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Measurement of the different vertical and horizontal distances covered between the types of jumps
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The levels have plenty of open spaces for freedom of movement.
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The ice flower does not change these metrics
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The player measures 2 blocks high by 1 block wide
Study on the ice flower
What's fun about this power-up:
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Temporarily transforms enemies into blocks of ice (except underwater, where it's infinite)
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Use the ice blocks as makeshift platforms
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Destroy the blocks
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The blocks float on water
Ennemies
The enemy selection was based on several criteria:
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Each level in the game features 4 to 5 different enemy types.
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Enemies that are easy to target, offering multiple opportunities for the player to be hit.
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Enemies that allow players to reach otherwise inaccessible platforms with precise timing.
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Aquatic enemies that create floating blocks.
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Ground enemies that can be destroyed.
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An enemy with an interesting silhouette when frozen.
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Based on these criteria, I chose the Piranha Plant, Piranha Stalker, Piranha Lily, Cheep Cheep, and Bramball.
Theme
Given the various gameplay situations I want to highlight, an underwater level would be ideal.
To avoid creating a run-of-the-mill underwater level, I decided to add a touch of originality to make it more memorable.
The water level rises or falls depending on the player's precise position or if they activate a switch. The player interacts with the level and directly influences its movement.
The idea of the sewers was perfect, plus it had a tileset used for only one level in the base game.
Content
The level will contain the same rewards and bonuses as a regular level :
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Normal and hidden coins
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Hidden blocks
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3 star coins
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1 red ring
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1 secret exit (have fun hiding another level exit)
Level Editor & Tileset
To create this level, I used the REGGIE! level editor, specifically designed for this game.
The software allows you to modify the game's level data to create your own.
REGGIE! has a very comprehensive wiki.
Using a tileset from the official game and placing all types of entities as sprites.
Many data elements can be customized, but I chose to keep the game's default values to create a level consistent with the game's Flow model.
Playtesting the level on the DOLPHIN Emulator.
Ideas for layout and pacing of levels
Level layout diagrams
Example of patterns with its difficulty variations
Building & iterating
Ongoing preview
Final preview
In order to get a better idea of the pace of the level as well as its components, I created diagrams and different gameplay patterns with variations in difficulty to better gauge the increasing difficulty.
I first lay the main blocks, then I decorate the whole thing once I'm satisfied with the result.
Project organization
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GitHub Desktop was used throughout the project to manage backups and key project milestones.
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It helps prevent file corruption or irreversible actions.
