Explore the 'Super Mario' world of 'Minecraft: Wii U Edition'
Nintendo's imminent "Mario Mash-Up Pack" for Minecraft: Wii U Edition adds a whole mess of nods to the worlds, characters and stories of the Super Mario series. There's even a custom-made map where fans can explore and uncover secrets.
The free add-on comes to the Wii U version of Minecraft on May 17, but we've got an early look for you, along with some details straight from Nintendo.
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The first thing to know: As much as everything looks like a total re-tooling of Minecraft with Mario gameplay, the update doesn't quite go that far. You'll see Fire Flowers scattered around, for example, but you can't actually use them as a fireball-flinging power-up.
The 40 character skins included in the pack covers the full gamut of fan-favorite characters, plus an assortment of Mario "suits." It's all cosmetic, of course. Tanooki Mario won't fly unless you've got Creative Mode active. But having all of those characters around breathes additional life into the world.
Minecraft enemies transform as well. Dreaded Creepers turn into the decidedly more friendly-looking Pokey, though they still hiss and explode when you get too close. Skeletons turn into Dry Bones (though they don't regenerate). Silverfish turn into mini Wigglers. You get the idea.
Chickens get the best transformation of all, however. Every chicken in Minecraft becomes a Goomba with the Mario Mash-Up Pack.
The custom-made world includes tons of nods to memorable games and levels from the series. You can even visit the Nether to explore Bowser's Castle, or head to The End, where an as-yet-unrevealed easter egg awaits.
Take a look at some of these locations...
There are plenty of easter eggs tucked away, as well. Head underground to find a network of minecart rails, some of which connect to powered musical blocks.
We can't wait to find this one:
The Nintendo-themed Minecraft world doesn't quite go on forever, but there's more to explore than you can probably imagine. Just check out this extended flyover, which captures just a small portion of the custom-designed locations.
How many nods to familiar levels, maps and worlds can you spot?
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Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
