Sometimes it gets boring sitting in front of your computer working on graphic art with the latest version of Adobe Photoshop, buried under tons of layers and plenty of effects with a cold, straightforward surrounding interface. Mario Paint is the antithesis of this, allowing the user to ease into the comfiest recliner situated by a glowing boob tube and an SNES waiting to get warmed up.
The novelty of Mario Pant is that, as a child, you can get lost with your imagination drawing anything you want, and as an adult or teen, you can just goof around for the hell of it and have a good laugh with your friends. Just think of it as MS Paint with a few more features and a Mario facelift.
At first, the options in Mario Pant can become overwhelming, but you easily become accustomed to the plethora of icons at your disposal, and usage of Mario Paint becomes a breeze. The best part about doing all of this is that you must make use of the SNES mouse that allows for more accurate control in drawing your masterpieces.
The options you are given for drawing are insane. Outside of your paintbrush, spray paint, eraser, and paint bucket tools, they give you a cool stamp tool that allows you to stamp some nifty shapes, and the option to make your own stamps and save them for later use.
If you want to be real hardcore and become a true master of the Paint, you can try your hand at making animations to either laugh or giggle at; it’s all in the name of fun. For those who like to color, there are a few images that you can add your finely tuned Crayola touch to.
The audio in this game is okay. It’s quirky and tends to make a person feel good about their day, or at least feel as if they are hopped up on anti-depressant meds. Mario Paint gives you the chance to be a modern day Mozart as well. There is a simple music program that gives enough room for the musical novice to dabble in making some tunes to rock out to.
If you DO get bored of being the creative type, there is a minigame that aims to please, and does a good job of it. It is called “Gnat Attack,” and the objective is to use your fly swatter to kill 100 little buggies and take out the boss of each level. Just don’t get stung or bitten; there’s no calamine lotion to save you.
Mario Paint is a nice break from the regular games out there, and it gives you some good wind down time without the boredom to follow. With graphics that are only as good as you can make them, great sound, smooth control, and a unique approach on the idea of gaming, Mario Paint is a definite SNES novelty.
