This fusion of ideas is one that no one asked for, but that makes more and more sense the longer you think about it. Mari0 begs the question of what could happen if Valve and Nintendo teamed up together. Fans who have played Super Mario 3D before will hugely appreciate the new options and complexity to bolster a familiar experience. Now that Mario can zip across the screen at higher speeds, vault past obstacles, and ensnare his foes with the Portal gun, the classic temporary enhancements of Mario games hold even more possibilities. With it, Mario can reach great heights, accelerate his momentum, avoid deadly obstacles, and toss enemies around to their doom - or even out of the level completely. The idea is simple, but the implications for a Mario game are huge.

Just like in the Portal games, the Portal device fires blue and orange portals that connect to each other across any distance.

This time, however, Mario has a secret weapon: The almighty Portal gun. Luckily there’s an array of tokens, smash tiles, and special abilities to help you survive attacks from Bowser's henchmen and save Princess Peach. Similar to Super Mario Bros, it’s a mad hop, sprint, and Goomba-stomp through the colorful obstacles of Mushroom Kingdom. Combining the puzzle-solving of Portal with the traditional platforming of Mario is a match made in heaven. This game is easy to pick up, but difficult to master the exact sweet spot that many other indie games try so hard to accomplish. The concept of outfitting video gaming’s most famous plumber with his own Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is not hard to wrap your head around.

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