Mario's Face

About

Mario's Face is a quirky tech demo built for the Nintendo DS that lets you poke and squeeze Mario's head until it bulges or flattens. You use the touch screen to grab his cheeks, eyes, and nose, moving them around with your stylus. The top display shows static graphics reminiscent of the classic Super Mario Bros. style while you play. Wario was included as an unlockable face for those who wanted to try a different character. This project started as a playground for Nintendo EAD to test the DS hardware capabilities before being reworked into the title screen for Super Mario 64 DS. While many of the original ideas for moving the face got cut during development, the final version still feels like a fun toy rather than a full game. Players can spend time just mashing buttons to see how far they can stretch the characters without any goals or scores attached to the experience.