Super Mario XP is not a traditional Mario clone. This game takes the best out of Castlevania and adds it to Mario. True, traditionalist Mario players can still destroy enemies using the old techniques like hitting turtleshells, jumping on enemies, and jumping under stuff that holds enemies.

However, Mario's arsenal is no longer limited to fireballs. The hammer from Mario 3 is back, as is a cross boomerang. Of course, weapons do require heart ammunition, similar to the system in Castlevania.