The Legend of Santa is a 2D Platformer heavily inspired by the Mario franchise. It takes place after Santa has finished delivering all of his presents and is shot down upon returning to the North Pole. There are six levels to get through before getting revenge on that villain, and we’re given five starting lives. Santa has his work cut out for him with all the aggressive penguins roaming these frozen landscapes. Not to mention all the death pits that spell immediate doom for anyone who tumbles down them. It will be a challenging journey, especially in the second world, which features six additional levels and a new foe to face.
This title captures that Mario look brilliantly. When I came across it, I was legitimately wondering if a ROM hack had made its way onto Steam. Nope. Everything is custom-made via the Unity engine. The developer simply has the talent to capture that aura of authenticity. Upon booting it up for the first time, the game will be shown in a pixel-perfect mode with borders surrounding it. We have two additional options: Fit (stretches the image vertically) or Fill (uses the entire screen). Both deform the pixel art to different extents. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference since the image quality looks decent regardless of your choice.
In terms of gameplay, it feels looser than its inspiration, and the swimming mechanics are entirely different. There are other subtle differences. One of these is Santa’s clothes tearing off with damage, while Mario would shrink. The point being that it’s not 1:1 and contains some unique quirks. This is for the better when it comes to multiplayer. No longer is it turn-based like in the days of old, nor does it have the modern disadvantages of players bumping into each other. Our characters phase through one another on contact, and the screen will not leave a player behind if they are too slow compared to everyone. It is an absolute blast if you have the spare controllers. One flaw is that we can’t use the keyboard for a second player. Even if you have a gamepad set up, the keyboard will always control the first player.
The coins are now cookies, 1-ups are pointy hats, and the fire flower is now coal in a sock. There is also a candy cane that Santa can throw a bit further than the coal. It was a cute addition but needed to change the gameplay or differentiate itself more. What would be lava in a Mario game is now hot cocoa, and it just features a ton of charming little changes like this. It is a perfect Christmas game for 2D Platformer fans. Yet behind that unassumingly cheery look lies an above-average challenge. In some ways, it may be more difficult than the retro Mario titles. This is mainly due to how short Legend of Santa is. It affects two things. The amount of lives we can stock up on, and the time they have for a smooth difficulty curve. What is required of the player sharply increases once you reach the first castle.
Another thing to note is that there is no save feature. When you turn off the game, it will wipe out any progress. That is less serious than it sounds. Both worlds have only six levels, with either being selectable from the main menu. If the reason for doing this was to prevent the player from bypassing the life system, I believe it was a mistake. The Legend of Santa is perfectly suited for on-the-go play. That aspect is unfortunately caught in the crossfire. Whatever the case, we do not have many lives to spare. It’s funny how intense this adorable-looking game gets due to this. Every mistake feels significant with the time commitment needed to grind for extra lives. I’d recommend simply allowing yourself to run out and restarting the entire world again. It is far quicker than gathering up lives.
Despite each world having only six levels, both offer branching paths. It was a brave decision with how short this title is, and means we can skip some content. I saw a post by the developer saying Legend of Santa can be beaten in ten minutes. It took me nearly an hour and a half. By the second world, the gloves were truly off. Conquering that final stage is a real gauntlet of skill and is where I spent at least half of my playtime. It was thrilling. Getting to the credit screen is something you should definitely feel proud of. Just note that this isn’t a chill journey to relax during the holiday season. This adventure may be a bit much for younger gamers if you want to play multiplayer coop with your family.
Visually, it looks most similar to Super Mario World and has the simplicity of the first game. Our actions are mostly limited to shooting our Coal/Fireball or jumping. There is no grabbing stunned enemies or power-ups from future entries. It is easy to pick up and play while retaining some future level design ideas. Does anyone remember the psychopathic sun from Mario 3? Well, it turns out the moon is just as bloodthirsty and has serious beef with Santa. The levels featured here aren’t on par with the Nintendo classics but are a great deal of fun. This whole ordeal reminds me of a long-gone era when we had a Mario clone for the Commodore 64 called The Great Giana Sisters. Nearly 40 years later, PC users still don’t have an official way to play as the titular mustache man, yet we once again have a smaller studio picking up the mantle.
Old man rambling aside, The Legend of Santa is an absolute steal for its low price of $4. It is an experience that should not be glossed over. This would stand as a good 2D platformer even without the Mario-isque theme. The only genuine criticism I had was the lack of saving. It could be argued that such a short title has no need for it, but on the flip side, the PC is more mobile than ever with devices like the Steam Deck. When it comes to the replay value, it mostly comes in the form of finding the secret exits or gathering some people up for coop. The latter should not be understated as a selling point. To top it off, The Legend of Santa has a great soundtrack. Although a bit lacking in overall quantity, some of the songs are absolute bangers. It is a complete package all around. If you’re willing to brave the challenge, this festive Platfomer is well worth experiencing.
- El Panadero -The Baker- Review - August 27, 2024
- Awakened Evil Review - July 10, 2024
- Let’s Look At: Anima Flux - July 3, 2024