Was the Super Mario Bros Powerup Card Game a Crossover Success?

It was a big surprise to see Super Mario Bros release its own Powerup Card Game. With no need for a video game console or handheld device to get your Super Mario fix, this card game requires fans to use their wits and powers of deduction to prevail in the Mushroom Kingdom and safely negotiate their way to the castle. All of the cards within the game feature visuals and assets from the legendary Super Mario Bros, both in the form of Level Cards and Question Mark Box Cards.

Aside from the artwork of the cards – and the visuals used on the game box – there is little comparison between the vintage video game and this crossover card game – and we like it that way. The aim of the game is to trade your cards dealt randomly at the start of the game based on the level indicator – or the number of coins displayed on a card – and battling to hang on to your Super Mario ‘Life Tokens’. Super Mario Bros is by no means the first or the last conventional video game to transition from console gaming to other forms of gaming – both online and offline. 1990s blockbuster movie, Jurassic Park first became an epic crossover video game after its success on the big screen, before being adopted as a video slot for the iGaming industry. Spin Casino online is one of the platforms where you can sample the Jurassic Park iGaming crossover – but you’ll also need to make sure your device is Flash-enabled.

Mario was also involved in another great crossover around the time of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. Nintendo and SEGA came together on this rare occasion to develop Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. With mini-games featuring characters hand-picked from both the Mario and Sonic series, it retained its old-school charm despite its sporty theme. Two of the very best fighting video games of all time came together on the Sony PlayStation 3 when Mortal Kombat and DC Universe came together, providing a game with the best characters from each franchise and an epic storyline that allowed you to play the game from both a Mortal Kombat and DC perspective.

Few video gaming franchises have felt the need to diverge from the computer gaming scene altogether to create an offline card game like Super Mario Bros Powerup. It’s difficult to criticise anything remotely linked to Super Mario, but you are certainly left feeling a little short-changed and a tad underwhelmed by this card game. Once you play through a few rounds of Powerup, you’re already well-acquainted but too often the game lacked direction and rules – particularly when you ran out of Mystery Box Cards.

It could yet be a Christmas hit among those that are hooked on the Super Mario franchise, but we can’t help feeling a sense of what might have been in terms of the game’s design. Cull some of the number cards and hand each player a Mystery Box Card with each round to keep things more interesting instead. Stick to doing what you do best on our computer screens, Mario!