Anyone who frequented Newgrounds between 2006 and 2009 likely remember a fan-animation called Super Mario Bros. Z. The series lasted 8 episodes before it was put on hiatus, and then ended due to the artist losing interest in the series. However, after a successful Patreon campaign, the series has now returned to YouTube and Newgrounds as a revival project by none other than the original artist.
The original Super Mario Bros. Z took sprites from the Mario & Luigi series, Paper Mario, and the Sonic Advance series
Developed by Newgrounds artist Mark Haynes – who went by the alias Alvin Earthworm on Newgrounds – the series quickly developed a cult following for its over-the-top Dragon Ball Z style fights, and sense of humor that was akin to the Mario & Luigi series.
Each video has amassed over 2,000,000 views, which left fans of the series more than a bit disappointed when it was canceled after a cliffhanger episode.
The revival aims to revamp all battle and narrative scenes with better sprite animations, as well as hand-done drawings for close-up scenes
The latest video won’t satisfy fans insofar as continuing the original storyline since it starts once again from the beginning. However, Mark Haynes has decided to set out to remake all of the original videos with better quality animation and direction. All of the original cast members are present, and from the looks of it the creator intends to preserve a story similar to that of the original – albeit modified to be slightly less campy (which isn’t saying much).
If you would like to watch the first episode of the Super Mario Bros. Z revival, you can find it on YouTube or at the bottom of this article. You can also find out more about the series on the creator’s Patreon site.
