There is the storyline that you will unravel as you beat each boss at the end of the levels you are presented with. This seemed mediocre at best, and does not even make you feel like you should care about it. It does tell you why it turned up with Peach, and what is his mission, other than to keep the rain from falling on his owner. The other storyline is that Mario, Luigi, and gang have all been captured, and it is up to Peach to rescue them. If this was the storyline, I do not even see why the even included one. It lacks the depth and really has no major purpose. What they could have done is just have it like the old Mario style, but when she beats a boss, a toad says that, “Mario is in another castle”.

Along the way you will acquire coins. These can be used in the shop to purchase additional unlockables or other abilities for the umbrella. Some of the attacks, like a charge up one, are not implemented well due to the button lay out that makes it difficult to use it when you are jumping. Here you can cycle through and unlock puzzle pieces, which is another game later on, or even pay to purchase more levels for other games. You can go through three major mini-games like “Toad Jump”. Mainly Toad runs on a set path, and if you want him to jump over enemies you blow into the microphone port. Continue breathing if you want him to flutter down slowly. The second game is “Toad Tote” and you use the stylus to carry Toad around the map of fire, trying to make sure he does not get burned. Lastly there is “Toad Shot” where you use your stylus to pop enemy balloons to gather points, trying to meet a goal at the end. Each of these has ten levels, and if you complete a level, you get ten times that amount in coins.

You can also check out the glossary section, which keeps a guide of all the enemies you have encountered. There is the puzzle room, where if you have gathered all the pieces to a puzzle, put them together. It is timed, and you get to see how fast you can do it. Then there is the music room, where if you collect different sounds or music through the game, you can review them there. Finally there is the bonus room, where you get to review all of the little pieces of the umbrella stories.

In the end the game has some content, but it is too easy. If they were trying to re-revolutionize this type of game, they fell dramatically short of that goal. It seems it was designed more so for young children, rather than E for everyone. It is pretty fun in the beginning, but becomes monotonous as you continue through the game. It was pretty short as well, which is perhaps why when you think you are done the game, they unlock a few more levels and a new move. The main problem with the game though is that it is not difficult enough to be enjoyable. There is no real threat of feeling like you have something to lose by dying, which is a staple of the older Mario platforming games. This one may tide you over till the new Mario game comes out, but it is not a replacement… Only a supplement. All and all Captain Gordon gives this game... a B.

Questions? Comments? Contact the author at CaptainGordonEdward@gmail.com .