404-in-1 #001 - Armadillo (Mario IV) NES [Aug 9, 1991]
Armadillo is an interesting one, it's not a bog standard sidescroller. Billy the Shell, an armadillo with a swanky red hat and our protagonist can stroll and jump, he's also weak as too, most foes will kill poor Billy on touch alone. This is where his defining ability to roll up into a ball comes into play.
I found this a little obtuse and odd to manage at times. Starting from a stationary position, Billy balled up is slow and awkward, however with a bit of a running start he really rolls across the terrain. Again whilst he can't jump great heights initially, you can build some height by holding down the jump button. Knowing when to pull out of a roll to reposition Billy, or shift his trajectory is necessary to beating Armadillo, the game at times slows to a janky speed which allows for these methodical maneuvering.
Levels have some theming, each world is based on a real life locales, the story is your typical damsal in distress storyline, I think his sister is kidnapped and you're following a gangster across the world. I remember American states such as sandy Texas, slots of Las Vegas and towering buildings in New York... I'm sure also Barbados or Hawaii got a shout somewhere, maybe it was only America?
These worlds are displayed as game board, similar to Super Mario Bros. 3. Positioned on the board is the world's boss, you move Billy across the board one block at a time, with levels acting as roadblocks. As you close in on the boss, they will also make movements to avoid you, make a misstep in a level and the boss will move once again. Some stages also feature an alien buddy, which will close out a level and allow you free reign of the board - memorising their positions is a must for repeated plays as there is no save system.
Armadillo also has power-ups, a tiny form who moves faster, bounces and can fit under crawl spaces. However, he is much harder to control. A bird form, who can fly across stages, often to find treasures hidden in the skies. A kangaroo who jumps, handles slopes and functionally acts as an extra hit. Fish form should make swimming easier, but is often serviceable as an extra hit when swimming. Last of which is the snail form, you can climb walls and the ceiling, this form is fairly rare.
Visually, Armadillo has a pastel look and feels at home with other 90's NES releases such as Kirby or Gimmick!
Is Armadillo a Mario?
Well no, whilst there are similarities in the overworld layout, sidescroller design and the tiny form pre-dates mini-mushrooms in New Super Mario Bros. by 15 years, it's not a Mario at all!
Continue?
There is a spiritual sequel in Ultraman Ball on the Game Boy. I actually prefer it, the controls are finetuned and the levels have a smaller play area which makes platforming tighter. Gone away is the overworld traversal too, it's a simple stage structure but it works...
I would recommend anyone try either game really, they're both respectable B-tier titles of each console's library respectively.