what if mario had a gun?

a day ago

The author expresses love for Mario games, particularly for their movement mechanics and the badass feeling they provide, while also noting a past enjoyment of Modern Warfare 2 and its shooter elements.
The concept of 'Mario with a gun' is explored, referencing Shotgun Mario 64 as a parody and highlighting the author's desire for a game combining Mario-like movement with shooting, leading to their own implementation.
Key consequences of giving a Mario-like character a gun include easy enemy kills, a split focus between platforming and shooting, reduced importance of jumping, potential movement impairment from aiming, and changes to camera design and enemy roles.
Three design pillars for the game are established: Fast Expressive Movement, Overpowered Gun Combat that goes both ways, and Combat Oriented platforming to guide development decisions.
Several Game Design Decision Records (GDDRs) are listed, focusing on protecting normal enemies, adopting a roguelike gameplay loop, using portals instead of ladders, implementing lethal combat, incorporating loot and unlockable abilities, designing gimmick-based boss fights, spawning enemies upon entering structures, and adding a score system to reward expressive movement and kills.
The author concludes that the game is fun based on playtests, where movement becomes a frenzied combination of shooting, jumping, and aiming, though development is slowed by the enjoyment of tweaking these mechanics.

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