This hack and its article contain references to the following sensitive content:
► Injury detail and/or gore
► Death and/or dying
One Up is an atmospheric story-driven hack made by furyiousfight for the Mario Jams One Competition, in which it placed 9th. There are no Stars to collect.
Mario finds himself on a strange mountain with only one way out, up.
Overview[]
This hack takes place on a single large, very snowy mountain. According to the Toad Mario can speak to at the base of the mountain, it is a place where "those of us without the power of the Stars end up". The Toad also goes on to inform Mario that there is supposedly a path at the top of the mountain, but they had all given up on reaching it. Another Toad at the base camp warns Mario that the climb up the mountain is very dangerous, and that many have tried but none of them have ever returned.
True to what the second Toad said, a little exploration on the way up the mountain may lead to Mario finding some very deceased individuals, many of which may seem familiar to him. He may also meet fellow climbers attempting to reach the top. None of them show any indication of making it to the top; they are either expressing serious doubts about whether of not they can go on, or have found something that has captured their attention. One example of this is a Toad early on in the climb, who has set up his tent next to a ring-shaped iced-over pond, claiming that the pond is making them feel introspective.
Theories[]
The end screen for this hack shows an image of Mario laying in a pool of blood, seemingly struggling to rise to his feet. This could imply that the mountain journey was a hallucination induced by blood loss, and that reaching the peak of the mountain was symbolic of Mario managing to regain consciousness. This could be further supported by the cold atmosphere of this hack, as losing a lot of blood would supposedly make the afflicted feel cold. Alternatively, the mountain journey could've been a play on the phenomenon of deathbed hallucinations, and that Mario was either dying or having a near-death experience.
Gallery[]
