From Nitrome, creator of Final Ninja, Test Subject Arena, and a few dozen other grand browser games, comes Mega Mash, a game that is sort of seven games but is really just one game (does that make it eight games?). The gist of it is all of these games are interwoven due to the buggy nature of the cartridge they're on. Instead of playing one or the other, you hop between them, using abilities from one to clear a path to progress in the other. Unusual? Yeah. But it works better than you might think!
Mega Mash starts off simply enough with Carrot Story, a very Mario-esque platform game where you hop around, eat carrots, and stomp enemies. When you reach the end, you cross a fuzzy barrier and glitch into Xolstar 3, a space shmup. Shoot some asteroids for a bit and you're back to Carrot Story. Then, you could end up in the Bomberman clone Blast-man Joe, grapple around some buildings in Ninja, or get thrown into a game of Nitrometris. It's usually fairly obvious which genre you'll play when you see the foamy barrier, and you can hop in or out as easily as you can press a button on the keyboard.
Mixing so many different genres into one game is dangerous, but Nitrome did a good job integrating puzzles from one into another. Push buttons with the ninja's grappling hook so you can switch to Joe and open a passageway, for example. You're always working towards a single goal, no matter the control scheme or visual differences, so the transition is never jarring. And if you're not particularly skilled at one of the game types, you can usually fudge your way through without much of a hassle.
Creative, good-looking, and retro enough to make even the most nostalgic of gamers shed a tear. Mega Mash is one glitchy game cartridge you won't mind firing up.
This is brilliant. A lot of effort went into designing levels that require you to use the different characters to influence other games. Once you begin to understand how the different effects impact different games (eg, how lasers turn into fireballs or which enemies turn into which enemies as they cross games) you can do some cool stuff.
The downside is the game has a lot of real glitches. In one level you pick up a powerup that gives you lasers, but if you die late in the level you lose the lasers. A checkpoint at the end prevents you from going back to get them again, and you cannot complete the level without them. You will have to manually exit to menu and restart from the beginning of the level.
Level 18 appears impossible. The end-level flag is over an empty tile and cannot be triggered. Falling through the empty tiles puts you in the black 'no game' space around the level which traps you, but does not end the game. You must manually restart.
If the bugs were fixed, this would be a masterpiece.
Really innovative game. The level design is great and it's just great fun to play, which is always most important for me, no matter the visuals or whatsoever.
@SirNiko Nitrome is aware of the level 18 bug and busy fixing it... not sure about the other bugs, but I guess they'll be sorted out eventually :)
It feels good to see Nitrome innovate again.
level 11 help, please?
What part of Level 11 are you stuck on, JIGuest?
I love the design. Aside from the problems pointed out by SirNiko, I think Nitrome made a really brilliant game.
Oh goodness, I came here to ask how to get through the beginning of Level 18, but solved it by myself once I got here. If any of you are stuck:
Once you push the box all way to the right and turn it into Ninja, go back into Xolstar and spam lasers at the wall. These will bounce as Ninja projectiles and come back leftwards to destroy the blocks.
@SirNiko:
I guess that just means we beat the game ;)
Masterpiece. Nitrome bringing the good stuff again.
Why do I get the feeling the Nitrome crew recently found a copy of Action 52?
Highly remniscent of ROM CHECK FAIL, but with actual level structures instead of a chaotic grab-bag. I'm looking forward to the level 18 bug fix.
ROM CHECK FAIL, anyone?
https://jayisgames.com/archives/2008/03/weekend_download_32.php
This is one of the better games I've played in quite some time. And as a person who usually is unimpressed with Nitrome, I think many of their games are more focused on their graphics which are admittedly awesome, I am very, very happy with this game. The levels are extremely creative, though often devlishly hard. I really can't wait till the lvl 18 bug is fixed. And hopefully the powerup issue as well
Excellent, excellent game. It really outshines a lot of other games in its class: There's more creativity here in one package than a half dozen other games combined.
See what I did there?
help on the very end of level 9 pleeeeeeeze
How do I get past the beginning of level 6? The bunny doesn't seem to be able to jump high enough. Thanks
Aww man, I just got the level 18 bug too, but this time there is a block there.
OK, level 6 wasn't bad when I thought about it. Really struggling on level 11 though. I can't seem to find a block to hold down the 3rd switch and can't get past that point. Someone please help!
Yay!
great game even though i have not played it yet.I always enjoy nitrome games!
so glad i found it here, i missed the blog post
In the levels you need to use a mashed up world to complete the level.Then how do you complete the game without the level/world being mashed up?
think about it
can some one help with level six the part where you have spikes and springing platforms?
Little help on the beginning of level 7 pleaasssee :D
Ticktik -
There are two crates before the bomber joe zone. Use one to bounce up and push the second one so it is grabbed by bomber joe's antigravity. You will need to bounce under it to push it up. If you succeed, you should be able to push a crate through to the area with the spikes and springs.
To pass, just grab the crate and go forward while holding it. The crate is precisely the width of the spikes, so you'll hit the crate on the ceiling before you touch the spikes and drop back down unharmed.
At the end of the passage drop the crate and use it to jump up to the end of the level.
When they fix the 18 stage missing block I hope I dont have to start over because I got my flash cookie saved
If I have to start over ??
Good luck with that..
Great game...
Nitrome never fails as do JIG
Can anyone help with level 11? I can't seem to find a block for the 3rd button. Thanks
TickTickTik said:
In the levels you need to use a mashed up world to complete the level.Then how do you complete the game without the level/world being mashed up?
think about it
My best guess is that whatever cluster@&#$% of glitchiness caused the games to be merged with one another also scrambled the level layouts.
i need help with level 7... it makes no sense to me. please help. xD
I'm not sure if this is a glitch but at the end of level 13 with the "Pong"-like game, if you die you get reset without the gun on the ball paddle (since you lose the powerup and can't go back for it). This makes it almost impossible to finish the last part with the bomb bricks and spiky enemies : / I had to do the entire level over until I didn't die at the end in this matter.
I need help with level 10; I get through space and the giant worm, I get through as blast man joe but when I become the bunny I die. Any tips? Thanks!
...Great little game here. It's great how the different game worlds interact-fairly creative take on the idea of a hybrid game world.
HELP! I'm stuck on level 7! In the very beginning.
Though i'm still waiting for dirk valentine 2, this game is very fun and challenging. the only problem i have found (except for the glitches), is that this game turns to be very slow in the xolstar 3, blastman joe and smash parts. The intro is very long, too. I would like a skip button for it.
I, too was having trouble with level 11 until I realized something.
You find a box in the beginning of the level. You must take that box with you. It is easy enough to get across the TETRIS sections, but you must make some form of bridge for you to carry Boxy over. After the third gap, you will need to use TETRIS skills to poke a hole in the bottom of that crater.
But I keep accidentally hitting "Menu" or "Reset level" which PISSES ME OFF!
Okay, I found the *glitch* on 18. But there's two more levels...
Awesome game, and a great way to mash it up. Other mash-ups are either buggy or just switching games randomly.
Also want a Dirk Valentine 2. =)
Thanks sirniko
Jenn, re:level 7, if I remember correctly you have to blast the blocks in the lower area so that the large block outside on the left can move through and provide you with a way to get to the next area.
HELP! I'm stuck on level 4! In the very beginning. I know so stupid :P
I'm wondering if, when they fix the Level 18 glitch, one of the Nitrome programming staff will say this:
"All right, so I think my glitchy programming of the glitchy programming is no longer glitchy, so that it's correctly glitchy."
(That's a mutation of a MythBusters quote. The original was about faulty wiring.)
So, they fixed the level eighteen glitch.
However, there is still the glitch that smash doesn't show up on the menu if you click the left arrow. It's nothing major, but it goes from carrot story to balloon, completely skipping smash.
Great game until the level 18 bug. I'm looking forward to playing the rest once that's taken care of.
In the meantime, I can't help wondering if maybe level 18 is possible. There's a box at the very beginning of the level - is there any way to get it all the way to the end? Perhaps by putting it into the glitchy spot, we can make a platform to stand on? I haven't been able to make it to the end yet, but if anyone can, I'd be interested to see what happens.
Hrmm, it seems there is still the two empty tiles in one of the last checkpoints in level 18, it is possible to fall through one of them and then be forced to restart the level. It's a minor annoyance though, it's at the same place as a checkpoint.
We have updated our game Megamash.
Bug fixes include:
Level 18 End flag glitch.
Level 18/13 Powerup and restart point mishaps.
Stacking two boxes on springs no longer causes an annoying SFX repeat.
Thanks for your patience whilst we ironed these game breaking bugs out.
Happy gaming =0)
Am I the only one who saw Carrot Story as heavily referencing Cave Story?
I'm loving this game!
Alright, I've beaten the game in full.
The first part of the final boss was really fun. The second part was annoying. The final part was somewhere in between.
The ending was okay, and included a few clever references to Nitrome's other work, but to be perfectly honest it was a bit too... normal, given the rest of the game. I was expecting some goofy crossover nonsense like Fluffykins taking the Ascii tribe's treasure from the Space Dragon of Insectica Prime and giving it to the people of the Faceball World or something like that.
Also, I noticed a goof.
The ending claims the protagonist of Ninja is a nameless ninja that turns out to be Takeshi's father, but the help screen claims the protagonist is Takeshi himself. Unless by some kind of temporal ninja wackiness Takeshi is his own father, I don't think this is true.
Great game overall, though. It's a pity I'll probably never play another quite like it.
Yay! The "Stacking two boxes on springs no longer causes an annoying SFX repeat." got fixed!
Any help with the final form of the final boss?
ganondorfchampion:
You have to have on the switches on the left and right on at the same time to drop the boss into the lava. I recommend staying high up using the ninja rope. Inch your way from side to side.
"Level 18/13 Powerup and restart point mishaps."
Failing any part of level 20 makes you restart from the beginning.
The endgame was worth the wait. Level 20 having no checkpoints is a bit cruel, but I think it makes sense as the climax of the game the way it is. The first two sections are almost impossible to die in once you figure out how they work, and having to redo them adds tension to the final one.
For the end of Level 9:
as the ninja, shoot the button from the ground and then immediately jump off the right wall up to the top section. If timed correctly, you can get up to the top as the ninja. As far as I can tell, the boxes are a red herring
This was pretty good all in all. I thought there was an over-reliance on the ninja mechanics, although maybe this was just my perspective because I found this part the hardest.
how can I kill the ninja monster on level 20? I've managed to make it fall on the other two but I got stuck with the third!
To be honest, the game was OKAY. Nothing too special, but definitely better than the disaster that is Canopy. While I have seen a few people call this a masterpiece, I have to disagree. In my opinion, Nitrome's age of being able to produce masterpieces, like the Final Ninja series, is just about coming to an end. That age ended at the end of 2010. Steamlands and Canary were exceptions. Games these days seem to be influenced by the demands of Nitrome's fans on Facebook. However, I'm open to believing that Nitrome can rebound, especially with the upcoming release of Super Feed Me.
@JIGuest
For the third part of the final boss, you have to activate two switches at the same time and lure the boss in the created gap. These are switches which activate upon being hit by a ninja star, and will deactive when the ninja star disappears. Both switches open up a gap in the bottom center and together the gaps are big enough for the boss to fall in. Hope that helps! :-)
That was a freaking amazing final boss.
It was nice to see just the wide variety of ways Nitrome took the concepts of the individual genres(/their own game ideas...see Ninja/Balloon, and for the "midboss," Xolstar 3 relative to a certain other game) and fused them.
Also loved the endings...
Balloon: His journey inspired other people to go in the air too.
Smash: Faceballs enjoy their newfound freedom.
Carrot Story: The bunny is a tyrant. He is defeated some day by a tracksuited hero. ...Kind of the worst ending IMO.
Nitrometris: The Nitrometris blocks continue being Nitrometris blocks. (The game then mocks you for wanting an ending to a blatant Tetris clone.)
Ninja: ...The son of the Ninja you play as is named Takeshi. Play Final Ninja and do the math.
Xolstar 3: You've beaten the dragon of Insectica Prime and restored peace to the galaxy.
Blastman Joe: He finds the lost treasure of the Ascii (lol) tribe.
Overall an epic game. Definitely Nitrome's best offering in a while.
I'm on Level 19 now, but I'm stuck at the bomberman section; I'm guessing it has something to do with the 'bullseye' blocks, but I can't work out what they do?
Stuck on level 4 how do you get out of the second tetris part?
I played all yesterday, and when I went to play again today after turning off my computer, it won't let me select a level. They all say "1" and then when I mouse over they turn into "?" Is this happening for other people? and how do I keep playing? Thanks :)
Can anybody help me please with level 10? I have no idea what to do at the end(?) when the Big Boss ist flying in circles (or in squares :-) Thanks in advance
ARG! How do you get past the middle of level 6, with the 4 spikes in a small square?
PLEASE HELP with end on 7 !!!!
I can't get past level 20's first boss
To pass level 20:
The Moo King is standing atop of a row of tetris blocks. Your job, as the tetris blocks, is to make a row of tetris blocks that aligns with that line so that they may disappear and the Moo King will fall into the next part below.
I recently completed the game last week. I really found it enjoyable. Can't wait for Nitrome's 100th!
Any help on level 15? I can't get up the three blocks section.
Please someone help me with the beginning of level 7!
If you make it past level 7, please post how to do it. Thank you!
I really need help with Level 11. I can get past the first two tetris parts, but there is no block at the end of the third rabbit part to initiate the tetris. Someone else said to bring a block all the way through the level, but i found that to be impossible. Please Help!
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