Upcoming Android game lets you kill Super Mario once and for all

A quick look at Google Play will turn up a number of games that at least somewhat resemble the mechanics, features, and graphical style of classic titles like Super Mario Brothers, with one example being the once-big-hit Flappy Bird. Most of these games have had enough differences in their design as to allow them to pass through both Google Play and the App Store unnoticed and unchallenged, but a new reverse platformer called Kill the Plumber ran into a bit of trouble.

While the game is still set to arrive on Android July 23rd, Apple turned down the game for being too obvious of a Mario parody. The story here is pretty simple. You play a character that basically looks like a goomba. A ‘plumber’ is then jumping around you, trying to squish you, and your goal is to take him out before he accomplishes this. As the game progresses, you’ll play a variety of other types of baddies that all somewhat resemble Mario’s ghosts, thwomps, and more.

Honestly, the game isn’t meant to be taken seriously and it seems fitting that after 30 years of Mario, there are some folks that would like to finally take out that pesky plumber once and for all — Bowser sure would. This isn’t the first time a Nintendo franchise has been parodied in this manner, web games allowing you to kill the Duck Hunt dog come to mind. That said, with Nintendo planning taking mobile gaming a bit more seriously in the near future, we’re curious if they’ll let this one stand, or if Kill the Plumber will eventually be pulled from Android as well.

Based on the video footage, what do you think, was Apple right to pull the game? Do you think Google will eventually respond similarly? On the other hand, like the idea and find it a worthwhile parody?