Pirate Game of the Week 034: Somari (Famicom)

A very diabolical experiment to give Mario a new athletic look turned out into Somari. With the view of a less fattening Mario, pirates sure had it right! Here is a game that had so much to give but too many bugs to desipher. There is a lot of interesting things about this game but in the end we end up with a game that could have been something much cooler than just an ordinary Sonic hack of an original pirate. Yes, it's that twisted!

The music and soundtrack is the usual of a pirate original. Most of them really don't have an idea of which tones to use so they will always be out of sync on most of their intent to mimic the original game's music. Of course, don't let that throw you off as you'll hear a demonic style Sonic soundtrack. You'll be alright though, no ear bleeding potential on this one.

The graphics are your average one for a Sonic game. This one actually looks a lot like the master system release but only an approximation of it. You'll find the levels similar to the other Sonic games except you are Mario, a skinny Mario running through them. The majority of the enemies should sound and look familiar to Sonic veterans.

The gameplay is decent although unfair at times. The point of a Sonic game was to show you the speed and pace it could keep which seems to be the problem in this one. You'll have to be careful not to go too fast or you'll bump into an enemy and lose all your rings. Gameplay is painful so be sure to walk through each stage with caution.

The game can be played any time as long as you are ready for a challenge. I can see myself coming back to this game once in a while to try and beat each stage. I wonder what the ending of this game would be like, then again there is always youtube!

Finally, the game itself is quite interesting to check out but not to get into. There are factors of it that will leave you wanting to break the cartridge in half. You can't seem to catch a break during your adventure. As usual, this game will be a challenge to veterans but for those of you trying to find a fun Sonic title, you are better off going with the Genesis releases. Enjoy and play safe!