Watching this video, I can't help but teeter back and forth between desperately wanting to play it and desperately wanting to shun it.
On the one hand, the concept is ridiculously cool. The eerie lack of music lets you hone in on the ultra-realistic sound effects. Gone are the cute and familiar Mario jump sounds, replacing them for echoing footsteps and soundless leaps into the air. Mario clunks on top of pipes.
The violence is toned up, too. Goombas splatter into shards of bone and a splatter of blood. It's like the YouTube creator took a cue from Mortal Kombat.
But on the other hand, mothers and fathers everywhere would have been more hesitant to let their kids be raised on the plumber's adventures had it been stripped of its innocent appeal like it has in this video.
Still pretty cool though.