Originally posted by RNAright, enough idle effusing on my end--I was, after all, asked how the proposed experimental might work in gameplay terms. While I'm still hoping some technically creatve types might weigh in an give us an idea of what sort of crazy things might be possible in this respect, here's something of a basic framework concept we can build upon:
Firstly, it should be noted that this level will not, for the most part, feature floors. It will instead consist of large, open spaces, which Mario traverses by flying--not cape flying, nor the sort of free X and Y movement offered by the sky pop, but rather by falling, minus the pesky landing bit or the necessity of being compelled to travel in a predominantly downward-inclined direction.
The level, as imagined here, will consist of three parts:
Part 1: Here, Mario falls normally, albeit with a screen wrap effect when he reaches the bottom, teleporting him back to the top of the screen again. The Eternal Diagonal would thus be Mario's primary method for propelling himself through space, in a manner akin to that seen, for example, in some of the more waggish Knytt Stories levels, and similar to these, with a few objects scattered about to occasionally throw an unexpected kink into Mario's path, such as water, quicksand, spikes, bouncer or conveyer blocks, etc. Likewise, the area would be traversed by assorted abstract shape people, racing to and fro in a state of reckless ecstasy, adding another danger to Mario's journey. The area may or may not also have a slow autoscroll, so as to strengthen the impression of a constant, irresistible forward motion.
Our background here would be a sort of abstract pattern which gives the impression of movement and flow via palette animation, similar to that seen in Tatanga's level, if perhaps a touch more complex. Our shape people would likewise be ever changing in their color but not (or at least only slightly) in their form.
Part 2: In this area, Mario is hurled forward at high speeds, and cannot, of his own power, slow down. What he can do, however, is move into the gravitational pull of small, shimmering planetoids, which he will then proceed to orbit around until the player pushes a button to release him, hurling him forward again (should the orbiting effect be too difficult to pull off, he could instead simply cling to the planetoid via force of gravity until released), whereupon he will again rocket forward until he reaches another planetoid's gravitational field. It should be noted that this effect will not be like the barrel cannons in the DKC series; Mario will always be launched in the same direction regardless one when the release button is pressed and will be able to control his Y motion during the flight, and thus the challenge will consist of avoiding obstacles and shape people during these spurts, and in reaching or avoiding certain planetoids so as to adopt a more optimal path. Again, various blocks could be thrown in from time to time to liven things up, especially things like pinball-esque bouncers, or even spirals made from things like the super-fast current blocks seen in Shénmì Frica-Sea.
Our background here would be more complex than in the previous section, scrolling faster and incorporating frame animations in addition to palette animations. The shape people, similarly, would change in both form and color here (and still more drastically so in the next section).
Part 3: One planetoid would launch Mario upwards, depositing him in the iridescent shaft mentioned in my previous post. A message would then appear reading "Hey there, Friend! Come join the celebration!" whereupon the lights dim, and the aforementioned conga line of doom boss sequence begins.
Once Mario properly peregrinates this fearsome fiesta, he will emerge against a starry sky as the mass of colors and shape people continue rushing by above him and pass on into the distance. Mario himself, however, returning to a universe where our familiar physical laws apply, instead moves in a decidedly more down-to-earth direction, finally splashing into a nocturnal sea, providing an analogue to the traditional "waking with a start" from his dreamy revery. This is followed by a cutscene wherein our hero, somewhat disoriented, drags himself over to a crocky outcropping, climbs up, and sits there for a bit, admiring the reflection of the moon on the waves, accompanied by words "Keep on dreaming". Happy End.
As for the stage title, having twisted the alliterative/rhyming theme to its greatest possible extreme in the final normal level, it would make sense to follow the popular suggestion of breaking it entirely here, e.g. "Life is but a..."
Anyway, how does that strike you folks? As I said, being not exactly the most knowledgeable chappy on the ASM front, my understanding of what exactly is and is not possible here is a bit vague, but if any clever coders can think of any sort of additional crazy gimmicks which could be successfully used in addition to (or in place of) one of those described here, feel free to share it with our esteemed public.