The Ideal Man vs. The Man Every Man Fears

At first glance, Ennuigi seems like nothing more than a dark parody of Super Mario Bros. It is indeed a parody; however, at the same time, it is much more than that. Ennuigi offers one way to fill in the gaps of Super Mario Bros in terms of their narrative and their link to the real world.

One comparison between the two games could be that while Super Mario Bros lacks a narrative, focusing mainly on a desire to entertain through mechanics and design, Ennuigi on the other hand, focuses mainly on narrative rather than the game itself, with simple mechanics and level design. However, I argue that there is a juxtaposition of opposing narratives.

Mario in Super Mario Bros is dressed and displayed as your “everyday plumber” who in reality is chasing unrealistic goals and fantasies. The large range of game mechanics that Super Mario Bros allows adds to the narrative that Mario is living in an unrealistic, idealized world as he can not only run and jump, but can also stomp on enemies, gain special abilities through mushrooms, flowers, etc. He is this “everyday man” living in an ideal world in which he is given ample opportunities and abilities to reach this unrealistic goal of saving the damsel in distress from the big, bad, turtle. This ties into the gender disparity in the intended audience as this depiction of the idealized “everyday man” saving the helpless damsel in distress, may suggest that the game could appeal to a male audience.

Ennuigi, in a way, takes what Super Mario Bros provides for the possible intended (male) audience and hits them with a handful of reality. It is interesting that they used Luigi as the main character of the narrative, because it adds another juxtaposition, this time between the two brothers. While Mario is off living his idealized fantasy world, Luigi offers the opposing, more realistic perspective on the narrative. Luigi in the Super Mario Bros is often depicted as the “second brother”, almost like Mario’s shadow and some games in the Super Mario Bros franchise can actually allow players to play both brothers in which Luigi follows Mario. Ennuigi, in a way, adds to that dynamic as he acts as a sort of shadow of reality. Not only, is Luigi in Ennuigi more realistic in his struggles and narrative, but also in his game mechanics. The only game mechanics that the game allows are walking left and right, ruminating, and smoking, all things that real people can do. No special abilities, no damsel in distress, no hero, it’s just a man going through an existential crisis, which is more like the true “everyday man” than Mario in Super Mario Bros will ever be.

Ennuigi, in addition to adding a more realistic narrative, gives a voice to Luigi who, at least in the earlier Super Mario Bros games, is not given much of a story. Ennuigi does go somewhat to an extreme in terms of Luigi’s perspective on their narrative, as he is a “depressed” and “laconic” man who “chain smokes” while “ruminating on ontology, ethics, family, identity, and the mistakes he and his brother have made,” however, can get away with it since little was offered in Super Mario Bros to Luigi’s narrative and the game’s tie into the real world.

Overall, the comparison between Super Mario Bros and Ennuigi is not that one lacks a narrative while the other focuses mainly on the narrative. The comparison is between a narrative depicting a man that every man wants to be, and a man that every man fears, obviously these are not definitive statements, but theories.