The Misunderstood Mischief of Mario Troll Levels 

Do you want to know more about a particular troll clip, or are just hungry for more troll level content? Be sure to note the annotation that appears in the bottom-right corner, which you can use to find the VOD the clip came from with this spreadsheet: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kYZIenMU7xKybwMyYuoRzbYLyVztHBDmgP97i49jyko/edit#gid=0 You can also explore more in the compiled playlist of all the playthroughs I referenced: ru-vid.com/group/PLa30Jo-ni7KPflkcgY3QBxxv0f-o-7mbK

My favorite way of describing a troll level is an interactive Looney Tunes cartoon that puts you in the place of Wile E. Coyote or Elmer Fudd

I think it's worth mentioning that the term "Twice Twice" comes from a level Carl played called "Larl Does Everything Twice Twice". It's based on a running joke that Carl often dies to the exact same troll in the exact same place twice on troll levels due to either forgetting or focusing on talking to chat instead of the game. So when the level forced Carl to play the level again with different trolls, he would die to the new troll twice as he did with the first one. So Carl would die to the troll twice, then twice again on the repeated section, hence he would die to the troll twice, twice.

Great video! Can’t believe you wrote a 3 hour video essay about Mario and FAILED to use the word “perchance” once. For shame. Perchance.

The clip of Carl at 2:04:31 is fantastic!

So cool. I'm glad I got to be a part of this.

"they are good design pretending to be bad design" I have never heard such a perfect sentence describing troll levels. Bravo, what a line

Can't believe you talked about defender's level instead of my obviously better levels : ) seriously tho, awesome video

My favorite troll ive ever seen is coming out of a ceiling pipe and landing on a platform that looks like its moving really fast becuse there are enemies below you're passing by. Then it's revealed you're not moving at all, and the enemies are on a conveyor belt moving from right to left super fast. Its so simple and dumb, but also hilarious and brilliant.

Such a great video!!

Thanks so much once again for both making and including me in this video, Infernal. I'm so happy to see this taking off and all the comments from people learning more about how much design actually goes into troll levels.

thank you for making manual subtitles for this whole almost 3 hour video, very much appreciated

Some of the shared "in on the joke"-ness between the creators and players/showcasers of troll levels reminds me of something that someone once said about none pizza with left beef: the joke is that you've made a computer system someone clearly designed for a purpose do something else entirely, and now both the pizza orderer and whoever's working at dominos that night can laugh together imagining the people on the other side of such an absurd situation. It's such a specific kind of humor that I love so much.

I'm so happy someone has made such a well-crafted video about a sub-genre of game dev I hold very dear. This was an absolute joy to watch and you hit the mark perfectly on what exactly a troll is. Hope to be seeing more from you in the future!

one of my favourite trolls was the level where you stand on a skull platform that seems to be moving right, but it's just really a set of conveyors that are looping the same launchers around underneath you, creating the illusion that the platform is moving.

The main takeaway from this video: I love that "twice twice" has become proper nomenclature in troll level design, to the point where it was just used to describe a dungeon in Elden Ring 🤣

Beautiful video. Thanks for taking the time to make it!

I knew this project was going to be a big one from you but nearly 3 hours? I had no idea the Mario Maker troll community had so much to it. It's one of those things that you don't expect much from, but there's a ton of love put into their work and it 100% shows. Always great to see such niche communities covered in essays like this. Excellent topic choice and wonderful video my friend

i think the ambush has always been particularly effective in further making a troll level seem dumber than it really is. it grounds a troll level in the hot garbo foundations that made trolls big in the first place. in a hot garbo level, you're literally never safe, you can do nothing and still die. and the ambush maintains that feeling even in levels where you're given time to deliberate on what's next or desperate to escape a room.

I love how these trolls levels interact exactly like a looney tunes bit. It's outsmarting back and forth until the level runs out of ammo.

I don't make or play troll levels, but I have watched people like Carl and Geek play them for a decent while. I think you've done a great job putting into words what makes troll levels so clever, and why they're so fun to watch.

The Ambush as Spicy Seasoning is such a good metaphor because you can, in fact, pass a threshold where, because it is the focus of the event like the one level you featured where ONE ROOM has SO MANY ambushes in a row it becomes the Ghost Pepper of a dare.

2:12:07 I think the dungeon you are thinking about is the Giants' Mountaintop Catacombs in Elden Ring Spoiler ahead : From my experience it was massive twice twice, at the end of the first section, there is only one way to go, it's a hole and you fall into the roof a room that look like the first one. Except there was an object that was visible from the first time/room, and the object isn't there. Then you do the section again, but the same enemy are alive (because it is a different location), and a giant weird poisonous spiting egg enemy is also present in one of the room, where it was only a small group previously. When you finished the second section, there is only one way to go, and you fall into the roof the first section. This time the object is there, you can collect it. But then you are confuse about where you need to go, in order to trigger the lever to the boss room, because you are running in a circle. I only realize later when leaving, that the elevator that took you down to the first section have actually 3 levels, and there is a hidden underground level that is hard to see. And it is on this last/first level that you can trigger the lever to the boss room. I can't believe I got trolled outside SMM, I didn't expected this, it's pretty cool

Former troll maker here (5thKnight). This video does a fantastic job of explaining these types of levels, and, in my opinion, very accurately describes the process of making them. For me, making one level would be a project spanning multiple months, but a few very talented people I knew in the community (you know who you are 😂) could pump out fantastic troll levels in a matter of a few days. Also, what Jneen said about how thoroughly testing a semisolid to be the perfect height could be a lengthy process really rings true to me and probably many other troll level creators 😂.

First and foremost, thank-you for making such an awesome documentary. This community and the game it congregates around has been a true passion, and it all stems from the wonderful community members within it. Some of the best friends I have in recent memory are because of it. With regards to what you said in the video about play testing (and that self-promotion bit at the end lol,) I actually got started in this community because of playtesting these types of levels. Not long after that, I became a maker of them as well. If you ever need a troll playtested, please feel free to reach out and ask. I'm in defenders discord and have a community of mine as well. Thank-you again for making this video. It's nice to know that people actually care about the work that we put into these creations and it really does help reignite the fire with regards to making more. Most of us make these levels for the people who enjoy playing and watching them. Without you, there are no levels. ❤

I always figured there was SOME merit to troll levels, they just weren't for me. And I'd say they still aren't, but it's so fascinating to see the concepts and principles that goes into the creation of a great level.

Wowow thank you so much for this amazing video, what a gift to the community. I finally have something I can link people when they ask what I (used to) do with all my time lol.

1:01:00 the fake left screen might be my favorite troll of all time

I am still slightly upset that Nintendo began deleting levels. I was never around or in the community for coordinated uploads and have missed out on the last year of troll levels. Troll levels helped me get through the pandemic.

Amazing! Thanks for shining a light on our community :)

This video taught me that twice-twiceing someone is basically like gaslighting them. That's nice :)

Oh man I remember that "holy shit it's a twice twice!" moment in Elden Ring. I really do feel like there is more room for troll level design philosophy to make its way into other games. It must be implemented carefully though, as to not be too frustrating. Great video!

Very great Video! I just want to add, that Cat Mario wasn't the first trollgame but "The Big Adventure of Owata's Life" was. It is actually the inspiration for Cat Mario. I am halfway through your video, but it is such a great video! Happy it popped up by chance in my feed

I love this video. Something about the combination of all the individual parts like your sense of humor, your great script writing, the really subtly good editing, your commentary on game design and also art as a whole, and of course, all the hilarious clips of some of the best troll levels there are, combine to create a masterpiece.

Wow, is this a 3 hr documentary on Mario troll levels? I've just started and production quality is so high. Feel like I'm in for a treat.

Back on Mario Maker on 3DS, I created a level based on 7 trolly pieces, and gave it to a friend to play. This was on the school bus. When he finally got to the end with the key and touched the flagpole, he just removed the cartridge, and got off the bus. Such a funny moment. Amazing video!

aw man this makes me want to watch playthroughs of all these levels again. thank you for shining some light on our wonderful community ♥

It's unfortunate that I caught no mentions of Tonkachi Mario or Kamikaze Mario. It's unarguable that those games planted the seeds of what would become today's SMM troll levels, refined through the era of SMW romhacks. A brief exploration the genesis often helps one appreciate the peak of the art form, after all. Just like without the urinal depicted in the video, it's harder to appreciate Andy Warhol painting cans of soup.

4:28 That level concept actually dates all the way back to the original Super Mario Bros, which has two castles that have loop areas that only allow you to proceed if you select the right path.

I never quite grasped how central and influential carlsagan42 was in and to the troll community

Here because geek linked it in her youtube feed. I love seeing this as someone who sits back and watches many of these trolls. Great work!

41:03 I’d argue an ambush can both set up the expectations and break them, by keeping the player unnerved, and on their toes. If they expect something to jump right out at them they’ll approach the situation differently, and that behavior can lead to the player running into something else. Best example is the guy getting fished

How is a

Never really paid attention to Mario Maker troll levels until I started watching SimpleFlips, they are great and I'm very glad to find a long video essay about them!

Great vid! You know, I'm building a full troll game as we speak, though it's not the big budget game you've predicted. :D I'm sure that's eventually coming too.

Thank you so much for this high-quality documentary video. This type of stuff is the best of RU-vid in my opinion.

I’m going to watch all of this. Troll design is an art form that requires a crazy amount of talent but it’s so niche and meta it’s sad that it’s a talent that goes unrecognized.

So, I checked the troll guide mentioned in the video, and while checking the table of contents, there was a subsection in what is basically a "dos and do-nots" section simply titled "Never...." It was a fucking rickroll goddamnit

This came up in my recommended, and I was NOT prepared to watch what I thought I would be watching. I'm glad I stuck around to see this. It has given me so much creative insight, remind me the things I love about videogames and art, and has made me see the light to this other side of creating levels that I had no idea existed.

Basically what makes good troll levels good is that when you play them even while getting trolled you can appreciate them being funny and creative. Surprise and exaggeration are core elements of comedy so a good troll is slapstick comedy, making you laugh even while you get trolled.

after finishing it, i really love this video. you pretty much touched on everything i was hoping you would, carl, 7 trolly pieces, different types of trolls, nintendo, wagon world, defender, and even a 1-1 analogy the one piece of useless info i would like to add is that the term 'twice twice' comes from a mario maker level called 'larl does everything twice twice' (directed at carl sagan) the reason that level was called 'larl does everything twice twice' is because after playing through the level, you have to play through the level again with everything being slightly different. this type of trolling, of course, was covered in the vidoe. after that, theres an ending troll that sends you back to CP0, forcing you to play the whole level again. this meant that carl had to play the whole level twice, and had to play each section of that level twice. in other words, larl did everything twice, twice. mind the comma however, during the first play through of the level, at the second section, carl misunderstood the title, and started calling the trolls in the second section 'twice twice' 's. the incorrect name eventually caught on with other creators and players as creators started copying the concept on a much smaller scale, used for only single trolls, before they slowly scaled back up to entire sections or levels. none of them are technically true twice twices, as they dont force the player to go back and play through both sections again (a total of 4 times), so theyre really more twice once's. however, the slang has become catchy enough to persist to even today

As someone who's been watching Mario Maker Troll content for a while, it's kinda surreal seeing clips with numbered citations. Like, yeah, if you're doing an essay, of _course_ you'd cite things. But that's Larl my funny streamer Larl falling for a gag.

Honestly, just seeing the massive grins and raucous laughter from the people playing the levels, shows more than anything the essence of the art form. These levels are frustrating and belittling and absolutely infuriating, but they're also clearly beloved by those who play them. ❤

Wow. I’ve been watching Carl play Mario maker troll levels for 5 years. This video was awesome and I recognized almost every level in this video lol. Go trolls!

as soon as he brought up deceit, I KNEW the dry bones swap would show up. Honestly probably my favorite troll of all time.

I used to playtest levels like 4 years ago and completely forgot how much I loved everything about troll levels. Thank you so much for making this and bringing me back, and thank you for making legitimately the most engaging video I've watched in recent memory :)

One of my favorite games as a kid was "This is the Only Level": It featured a simple one-screen platforming section with a central button, spikes, a gate, and an exit pipe. The player controls an elephant with slightly bouncy physics, which immediately is re-dispensed from the entrance if it dies. When you reach the exit pipe, the color palette swaps and the game mechanics change... but it's all still on the same map, with the same elephant. Something I've loved in games is playing with the rules given. Baba is You is a much more in-depth game which does so and while not a "troll" game exactly, I find it captures much of the appeal in a different way. You know how the game works, but your preconceived notions get in the way. The game also often encourages "easy" solutions that don't actually work and often lead to trolly results, such as disabling the win condition. I've also found that the rise of MM Troll Levels has coincided with the rise of a different trend in gaming: Challenge runs. Especially challenge runs that test both game knowledge and encourage sequence-breaking and other glitches. It definitely feels like an era of punk Renaissance in gaming. When you look back on it, it actually seems like a natural progression after the success of the roguelike genre. It makes the games eternal, repeatable, and stretchable by creating new experiences by changing the rules and breaking the game. By taking what you know and turning it into something new so you can enjoy it again and in a new way. Troll levels are art, yet like with all art, it exists within its era. This isn't a downside, obviously. All of the art in an era influences others, and I think there's a lot to say about the era troll levels are in. Would love to see a follow-up or addendum talking about this, if you're up for it!

glad you included STEEEEVOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO's work

Ok, I cant believe i just watched a nearly 3 hour video essay on a sub sub genre of game I'd never heard of before. This was fascinating and kudos to the creator. Might have to go check some of these videos now.

I've been following the troll community for a long time, specifically Carl. I don't even play Mario Maker or super Mario world rom hacks and yet I really enjoy watching this type of content. I remember when Carl first encountered the first official twice twice in the form of simplectic's level, "Carl does everything twice twice". One of my favorite trolls of all time is the one where you end up on this conveyor belt and it looks to be moving to the left indefinitely but after waiting for a while you realize that it's not moving at all and it's just that there are some launchers on a conveyor belt below you. This is a great video man It really does highlight how you can break the rules of game design in a way that does not make the game itself frustrating for the player. There's a meta conversation happening between the player and the level maker in the case of troll levels and it's compelling to watch and play these types of levels because of that. Rather than attempting to check the player on their mechanical or knowledge-based skills, you invert that concept and end up torturing them psychologically. I do remember running into the twice twice in elden ring and laughing my head off. Also, it's interesting that some indie developers are also involved in the creation of troll rom hacks. It just goes to show you that eventually this will become a mainstream way of designing video games.

as someone who made troll levels a long time ago, i very much appreciate this video for teaching the art of troll levels, might help me get back into the groove of doing it :)

28:55 - 35:40 I love this section a lot as I enjoy learning about game design, and seeing someone analyze the different parts of a small section of a game and the decisions and reasoning behind each part really helps me see what I should think about when designing a game. For a bit I even completely forgot I was watching a documentary about troll levels, and was just watching a video about game design.

As a long-time watcher of all the streamers featured here, thank you for such a detailed analysis of troll levels. The comparison to Duchamp’s urinal, or maybe John Cage’s 4’33”, is very apt. Not that I’d want the video to be even longer, but I think the only major aspect that was lacking was a bit more detail on the actual origin of troll levels. The link to hot garbo is absolutely true, but they also share a lot of DNA with early kaizo levels. In fact, some of the first proto-troll levels were made by Carl and GrandPooBear for each other and involved sections with serious platforming mixed with horrible garbage. Still, I commend you for all the research you did, including talking to key people in front of the camera and behind the scenes. And for digging up such classic clips from SMM 1 and 2 to articulate your points.

I really appreciate you at the very end, shouting the playtesters and VoD editors. The unsung heroes!

It's so cool someone made a video essay about troll levels, and this looks like some really high-quality content too. Can't wait to watch!

I cannot explain how happy I am that this video exists. Trolling is Art!!!

The fanfare at 27:59 was the last nail in the coffin. Subbed, this has been a fantastic watch so far, looking forward to the rest of the video!

About "inverting the goal", this concept was recognized as worthwhile much earlier than Mario Maker. Karoshi is a series of Flash games about a worker whose only goal is to kill himself, resulting in a neat series of platforming puzzles. SMW hacking actually pulled that trick with Mario physics a few times itself. Sometimes this was straight Karoshi style, in other cases it was the death animation being cancelled (and thus reviving Mario) if it hit a certain block type.

Amazing video! As an avid troll viewer for many years, it is great to see such an in depth look at them from such an analytical view! There’s so much nuance here that was so enjoyable to listen to!

I made a troll level by accident once. The idea was that you’d see a poison mushroom map out your course between scrolling halls, one of which leads to the exit. I made the map mislead the player and lead them to death by mistake. I wanted to fix it at first, but it’s actually pretty funny looking back

Dude this is exactly the kind of documentary i wanted to make if i didn't have enough to deal with already. you're a brilliant star for making this documentary and the level of depth you went into explaining things was beautiful. thank you so much, the troll community thanks you

From this one video alone, combined with just the titles/thumbnails of your other content, I already know I’m in for a genuine treat here and will totally be binging the rest as soon as I next have the time. Instant sub.

wow what a trip, I didnt know anything about troll levels before. in fact I thought they were simply stupid "haha gotcha" levels, that you'll hate to find yourself in sometimes. great video

This video is a masterclass is storytelling. Reminds me of an old man I used to listen to telling me fairytales, even as I got older and know every single story he would tell, the way he told the story itself was more than enthralling enough. Unless I suddenly get rich some day, this might be the only "Super Thanks" I ever give on RU-vid directly. I really hope you continue these Infernal Ramblings about things you enjoy, I will continue to watch them even if I might not comment on each one.

Similarities between troll levels and onions: --Layers --Potential to make someone cry

Troll levels are some of the most intricately designed levels in Mario Maker and I'm both impressed and terrified that all that effort went into something that is designed to torture the person playing it.

I have loved watching troll levels, especially Carl, for a long while. This video is fantastic, I'm early in it, but I love seeing the actual game design break down.

This video is a masterpiece. It's so well put together and thought out. I've been watching troll levels since 2017 or so and this covered almost everything beautifully.

I clicked on this without realizing it's 3 hours long. I am absolutely captivated.

This is the kind of video that makes me go "darn, I wish I made this first." (This means it's extremely good)

I originally clicked on this video to see funny mario troll levels, but you used that pretense as a chance to talk about genuine game design concepts. Incredible video, thank you for the 3 hours of amazing game design video

Never in my life would I think that a 3 hour video about troll levels in mario maker can be so fascinating. Amazing content and quality!

Outstanding examination, IR. I'm studying game design and there is a lot of gold in here above and beyond trolling oriented design. Your powers of elucidation are remarkable. Thank you for creating this wonderfully helpful film.

I did not expect me to have the attention span to watch through the whole video, but here I am at the end of it not having skipped once. What an amazing video!!

What a brilliantly written video essay. I've been a fan of troll levels since very early on, and I've been wondering how long it would take before I stumbled onto a video essay like this. I think you've done a truly incredible job of both breaking down what makes a good troll level, as well as explaining what it is about troll levels that we all love so much. I really hope that your channel grows from this. You've put so much effort into this, and it really shows. I don't think anyone could have asked for a better video essay about troll levels. I have often struggled to explain why I think troll levels are both absolutely hilarious, and some of the most innovative level design I've seen in any game ever, but you've absolutely nailed everything I've struggled to put into words. While you may be an outsider to the community, your love and enthusiasm for troll levels, and game design in general, clearly shines through in the amount of care and attention you've put into this essay.

The discussion of the nature of art and video games as art reminds me of one of my favorite gags I've seen in a game. It's a small detail, but in Super Lesbian Animal RPG, there is a setting in the options menu that's just called "art" with the description "Toggles whether or not the game is considered art." It also features a "ludonarrative dissonance" slider. Neither actually affects the game, but I find them both clever and amusing.

Fantastic video! Prior to watching, I was only vaguely aware of what troll levels are, but this video has helped me understand them much better and has given me a whole new appreciation for what goes into making them and playing them.

My favorite joke here is probably when you said “please just do better Nintendo” which is such a great reference Carl’s infamous level and the whole Carl vs Juz saga in general. Such a fun time. I love how Getting Over It was also mentioned, since Please Just Do Better lies at the intersection of purposefully frustrating games and troll levels.

Troll levels were what got me into SMM2 originally.

As both an enjoyer of mario maker troll content and someone interested in game design, I must say, I think this video is a masterpiece! A great way to spend 3 hours!

I gotta say, I really appreciate the numbered clips that coincide with a spreadsheet. Far too often when watching videos like these I see a clip I want to check out, check the description to find nothing, and then spend way too long trying to find it myself. As an editor myself I know that must have been a royal pain to set up, but it improves the viewing experience a lot!

This video is written so well, I can't even begin to describe my fascination with your elegant plays on words. Really enjoyable

vid kept popping into my recommended, finally clicked and glad i did! Great quality video, very obviously high effort! thanks to all involved, and thank you for describing everything so well!

this video needs so much more attention, troll levels have a bad rep and arent as well known as they ought to be

I liked the discussion of the definition of art towards the end. My personal definition is "Something created in an effort to make one think or feel". Sometimes this is simple: a still life of a bowl of fruit is trying to make you think of a bowl of fruit. Punk bands want you to feel free from the rules of society. Sometimes it's more complex. The man with the urinal wants you to think about how we define art. Not all art is designed to create positive emotions. A tragedy that makes you feel sad is no less art than a comedy that makes you feel happy. In this sense, trolling is quite the amazing art with how it sets up chains of what it wants you to think

This is so well made, you should be so proud with how it turned out

i love the troll community so much, i watched carl like 5 years ago til now, through highschool. its a uniquely self contained yet accepting community, with timeless humour as long as you can understand the core gameplay concepts

If you want a different perspective and an even more in-depth history of troll levels, I highly recommend folks check out Rye Royal's video: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-nX8pZfY4j3c.htmlsi=JICKe7DcyYUsN-y2

That was incredible! Troll levels are not something for everyone taste, but if you give it a chance you would be amazed by troll magic, it's really art. Thank you so much for this.

I absolutely love the self awareness of your videos! I love mario troll levels even though I don't play this game, but I watch this stuff on the regular as I'm looking to get into map design for Doom II, Quake and Quake II. I'm taking mad notes because I'd love to see how well I can adapt the methdology of mario maker troll levels into these kinds of levels.