Tuper Tario Tros an interesting Super Mario Bros and Tetris mashup

If you need something to keep you busy during a break or your lunch hour today, and you love classic video games with a twist, stop by Newgrounds and check out Tuper Tario Tros., a Flash game by Swing Swing that combines two NES classics, Super Mario Bros. and Tetris in a delightful manner. After all, it’s free.

Tuper Tario Tros. is basically a constantly moving, sidescrolling platformer where you occasionally have to switch modes to drop Tetris-esque blocks to proceed to the end of a level. Controls are simple enough. The left and right directional buttons move Mario when you are in the Super Mario mode, and the X key makes him jump. If there’s area he can’t jump to, a gap he can’t overcome or a massive legion of monsters ahead of him, you can press the space button to switch modes. In the Tetris mode, a block will appear overhead and you can use the directional buttons to move it anywhere on the screen. Blocks can be used to build platforms or bridges, or even be used to squash enemies. The X key can be used to rotate the blocks you drop, while C can be used to make the stage scroll by faster.

Tuper Tario Tros. requires strategy and good multitasking skills to succeed. The game is constantly moving forward, and when you switch from Super Mario mode to Tetris mode, you have to be careful where you leave Mario. He could get pushed offscreen and killed by blocks, or attacked by roaming goombas. Or, you could accidentally end up crushing Mario with a Tetris block if you misjudge his position when you drop it. Plus, the block building challenges that pop up, where you must create a specific shape with Tetris blocks in a certain amount of time while goombas are assailing poor Mario, are quite harrowing.

My favorite part is using the Tetris mode blocks to build a nice little ramp up to the top of the flagpole at the end of the level. It’s just so satisfying to effortlessly leap to the top. I also like how the came automatically pauses if you switch to another window or reduce your browser window.

Read [Joystiq] Site [Newgrounds: Tuper Tario Tros]