Syobon Action

This game also features various references to 2channel Shift_JIS art, with the main character and enemies literally being from it.

• Title — Syobon Action • Developer — Chiku • Series — Mario (unofficial) • Platforms — Microsoft Windows, Android, iOS • Released — February 2007 • Genre — Platform • Modes — Single-player

The player controls a white anthropomorphic cat-like character called Shobon who must venture through side-scrolling platform levels similar to the game Super Mario Bros. The game consists of four levels riddled with traps designed to trick the player, and abuse their previous knowledge of Super Mario Bros. gameplay, including normal-looking ground tiles that fall away into pits, blocks that sprout spikes when touched, a coin block at the start of a level that rises up and out of reach of the player when they try to hit it, enemies that spawn almost on top of the character or dangerously close to them, deadly background scenery, coin blocks rigged at the edge of a pit to cause the character to fall, warp pipes flying, and a Mario-style flagpole that kills the character in two different ways, either by falling over or shooting a laser beam at the player. Despite the surprise factor of these traps, the levels do not change between plays, allowing the player to memorize their locations and patterns and eventually make progress. Some designers have commented on how the game requires the player to think logically through trial and error in order to complete the game by defeating the main antagonist called Molalla, who is otherwise also called Onion King. The player has infinite lives; instead of failing the player for reaching zero, the number becomes negative and continues to decrease.

Syobon Action was released as freeware for Windows in February 2007. The game was designed by independent Japanese game developer "Chiku", and was inspired by The Big Adventure of Owata's Life, a similar game released through the Japanese 2channel message board a year prior. Chiku chose to make his game a spoof of Super Mario Bros. due to its massive recognition and popularity. The first stage was completed in three days and presented at a cultural festival hosted at his college campus, becoming the most popular work presented. A video showcasing the demo was uploaded to his Niconico account a few days later and garnered over 1000 views shortly after, which prompted Chiku to make the demo a full game. Three new stages were produced within the span of two weeks.[2]