HBO’s hit series The Last of Us has taken the world by storm, providing solid proof that video game adaptations can be loved by the masses. Pedro Pascal is riding high on his next big media success, appearing this weekend as host of Saturday Night Live. The long-running sketch comedy show isn’t letting The Last of Us hype go unaddressed either, as they have put together a hilarious trailer for a post-apocalyptic Mario Kart HBO series to poke fun at the other game’s success in television.
The trailer merges the two games into one narrative, and it works surprisingly well. The Mushroom Kingdom has no shortage of fungus, and creating a bleak dystopian world similar to The Last of Us but with the Mario world’s iconic mushrooms as their version of cordyceps is just genius satire.
In this skit, Pedro Pascal plays a jaded Mario forced to kart Princess Peach across a destroyed Mushroom Kingdom. Along the way, the two come across many iconic Mario franchise characters, including Luigi, Yoshi, and Toad. All of them are hilariously given the HBO television dramatization and depth that the channel is known for, and it brings the laughs.
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Goombas fill in for the unnerving Clickers, red turtle shells act as shotgun shells, and Bowser still looms as a major baddy. The clever set design also throws a bunch of Easter eggs for Nintendo fans to crack up over. Surprisingly, we do get to see a good amount of Mario Kart racing action with dramatic twists and fun.
SNL is at its best when it can just let loose with innocent satire, and this is one of the most entertaining sketches that they have had involving video games. It’s a breath of fresh air after the ridiculously unneeded controversy caused by episode three of The Last of Us show.
