Let it be known that I actually went ahead and downloaded RetroArch just so I could play this hack with Run Ahead enabled (it seems like the hack is unplayable in BSNES for me - it barely ran at 50 FPS even on my monster machine with Run Ahead disabled, a problem I've never had with any hacks so far. Wonder what makes BSNES struggle so much with it). Here are my impressions completing the demo.
I went into the game expecting an okay hack with some really nice music, and overall, I'd say that's what I got. The music was definitely the highlight for me. All of the music turned out nicely and was very pleasent to listen to, while also suiting the mood quite well. The gameplay and level design, for the most part, were okay. Not bad in any way, just nothing special. Pretty much just very average Mario levels. Also a bit rough around the edges here and there, I feel like. For example, the upside-down Buzzy Bettles felt like you had to get way too close to them before the fell. I don't remember it being like that in SMB3. It also seems like you couldn't kill the sun with a Koopa shell, which is something you could do in SMB3.
The demo's final boss in particular felt kinda unfinished. The movement of the projectiles felt a bit too instantaneous, making it difficult to predict their movement and dodge them. I think they would benefit greatly from using a little bit of momentum and not moving into the player's direction immediately. I also feel like the hack's overall difficulty got quite intense for a game that doesn't feature saving. It never got me quite into danger (at least after I successfully configured the Run Ahead and was able to decently play the hack), but I would have felt a lot more comfortable having save points every couple of levels, even though I understand it would clash with the hack's main gimmick.
One thing in the hack I didn't like at all was the hammer suit. The hammer suit in SMB3 felt great because it had a cool costume and because it could kill pretty much everything. Even enemies that were otherwise unkillable, like Boos or Thwomps. The hammer suit in this hack only gets a palette swap, and on top of that, it seems like it can't kill anything the fire flower can't kill. Since it's much, much easier to aim with the fire flower, this effectively makes the hammer suit a useless power-up, as it's just a worse version of the fire flower.
If there's one thing this hack got quite right, it's the authenticity. While the hack wasn't outstanding in the gameplay department, it absolutely did feel like playing a Satellaview game from an alternate universe. The music in particular captured that feeling very well. I feel like even the instrumentation was specifically chosen to resemble the music of that era.
Overally, I'd say very worth a play, and I'm looking forward to future releases and improvements.
Feel free to visit my website/blog - it's updated rarely, but it looks pretty cool!