Mario vs. Bowser — Impossible Battle

This project began as a Thanksgiving experiment — a one-on-one Mario vs. Bowser battle written entirely in JavaScript. Inspired by Cat Mario and other “rage platformers,” the idea was simple: build a short game that’s technically polished, visually nostalgic, and utterly impossible to beat.

It worked. My nephews spent a full week trying to win, falling into every trap I planted. Over. And over. Again.

Technical Highlights

• - Pure JavaScript Engine – No frameworks or libraries; all logic, rendering, and physics coded from scratch
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• - Canvas Rendering – Smooth sprite animation and collisions with retro pixel precision.
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• - Custom Physics Loop – Gravity, momentum, and collision detection for platform accuracy.
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• - Boss Battle Logic – Bowser AI triggers attacks and unpredictable movement patterns.
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• - Dynamic Difficulty – Each attempt subtly changes enemy behavior and obstacles, keeping the challenge alive.
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• - Configurable Difficulty – You can adjust the difficulty level to suit your preferences.
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Use Case

While built as a personal side project (and a holiday experiment in frustration), Mario vs. Bowser showcases game-loop optimization, animation timing, and interaction design in native JavaScript. It’s a compact demonstration of how browser technologies can recreate the feel of a console game — with just enough chaos to keep players coming back for “one more try.”

It’s fast, funny, and completely unfair — which was exactly the point.