Super Mario Bros. gets Nolan-ized in ‘The Four Players’ short film series

By Adam Rosenberg November 14, 2013

super mario bros gets nolan ized four players short film series — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Do video game-to-movie adaptations really need a gritty, Christopher Nolan-like take on their subject matter? Decide for yourself with The Four Players, a four-part short film series inspired by Super Mario Bros. The shorts are all the product of Maker Studios, working in collaboration with Divergent author Evan Daugherty (via The Hollywood Reporter).

Only two of the four shorts – the Mario-focused The Fixer and Luigi-focused The Addict – are posted, with the other two, The Star (about Princess Peach) and The Soldier (about Toad) set to debut on Friday, November 15. All four of the shorts are hosted by Polaris, Maker’s geek-focused YouTube channel. As you can see in these first two, Daugherty takes Shigeru Miyamoto’s trippy Mushroom Kingdom and grounds it (somewhat) in reality. We’ve seen fan films of this sort before, but the execution here makes these two worth a look.

Daugherty is no stranger to grim and gritty; Divergent scored points with a young adult reading audience that leans toward fiction like The Hunger Games. “Making these short films gave me a chance to really ‘do my own thing,’ while having a little fun treating one of my favorite video-game properties with a darker vibe,” the author said in a statement. “I had been kicking around the idea for years before I was even working in the industry, so to finally be able to share these films with fans on Polaris is a very exciting thing.”

Editors' Recommendations

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Previously, Adam worked in the games press as a freelance writer and critic for a range of outlets, including Digital Trends…

Gaming

All Captain Toad locations in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Toadette talking to captain toad.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is taking the series back to its 2D roots with a new and exciting art style and a ton of new mechanics. Alongside new power-ups and badges, this title has perhaps the largest amount of collectibles and hidden secrets of any game in the series. Between all the Wonder Seeds, Wonder Flowers, Flower Coins, and more, there's no shortage of things to do as you run, jump, and flip your way through all the various worlds. Among all the playable characters to choose from, one non-playable character makes his triumphant return. Captain Toad has managed to make his way to the Flower Kingdom, but this intrepid explorer is not so easy to find. Each time you interact with him, he will reward you with some Flower Coins and a hint at an upcoming world, so let's hunt down all his locations in Super Mario Wonder.
All Captain Toad locations

Captain Toad appears in five unique spots on the Super Mario Bros. Wonder world map. Talking to him at each spot will give you a little bit more of his story, plus the aforementioned rewards.
First Captain Toad location

Gaming

How to play Super Mario Bros. Wonder online with friends

Jumping to the flag in Super Mario Bros Wonder

If you've got a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, Super Mario Bros. Wonder features a wide variety of online multiplayer functionalities, including the ability to see other players around the world playing alongside you and to lay down standees for them to use for revival in their own games. But more importantly, the game offers full-fledged online multiplayer with friends, allowing you to connect and explore the overworld and individual stages together as if you were seated on the same couch! You can even engage in races against your pals by hitting the Race Block at the beginning of many stages. Here's how to get started playing Super Mario Bros. Wonder online with friends.

Gaming

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Search Party: Pipe Park walkthrough

Pipe Park in Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is home to so many creative levels teeming with unique gameplay mechanics that we've never seen in the Mario franchise, but it also features some of the most challenging head-scratchers in the series' history. As you make your way through the game's various worlds, you'll come across Search Party stages, which task you with finding extraordinarily well-hidden Wonder Tokens within a small, but densely packed area. One of the toughest of these trials is the Pipe Park level in Sunbaked Desert. If you're struggling to round up all of the hidden Wonder Tokens in this stage, we'll give you the details below so you can add another Wonder Seed to your collection.
Wonder Token No. 1
Head to the very top left of the level. There is a pipe here that you can push to grant you enough height to jump over the partially off-screen pipe on the left. You'll find the first Wonder Token on the other side.

Wonder Token No. 2
Return to the beginning of the level and go down the sixth pipe from the left. This pipe leads you to a new room. There is a hidden pipe located on the left on the bottom floor here, which will take you to the forefront of the room and allow you to pick up the second Wonder Token.