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Mario Gets a Holiday Makeover in 'Santastic Santa'

by Ben Deitz on December 20, 2010 at 06:00 PM

Santastic Santa
Ah, Christmas. A time of year to come together, rejoice, and slink away from the family to drown yourself in gaming mania. Why should the holidays put a damper on our playing? If anything, this is the perfect time of year to hunker down with a mug of cocoa, a festive sweater, and our picks of great yuletide-themed games.

'Santastic Santa' takes 'Super Mario Bros.,' and adds a healthy dose of holiday cheer. Santa stands in for the classic platformer's plumber protagonist, presents take the place of blocks, and Goombas are swapped for penguins. You use the directional keys to move St. Nick, and 'A' and 'S' for dashing and jumping, respectively. Tricks and twists include bouncing off of enemies in order to traverse spiked pits, clambering over blocks of ice before they collapse under Santa's (uncharacteristically slight) weight, and competing with each level's tight time limit. You'll also collect coins and power-ups, which grant Santa the ability to throw snowballs, as well as extra chances in case he gets hit by a baddie. While all this adds up to an experience highly reminiscent of 'Mario,' the game throws one big curveball at players; falling down pits does not kill Santa, but instead causes him to reappear and continue to fall from the top of the screen. It's an essential tool for getting to hard-to-reach spots, all while listening to unrecognizable, but clearly festive, holiday gaming music.

Santastic Santa


Tags: christmas, FlashGames, gamesonthego, mario, santa, SantaClaus, SantasticSanta, SuperMario, SuperMarioBros, timewasters, top, videogames

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