Bernie Sanders now stars in his own retro platformer

Super Bernie World Gameplay Trailer (official) - YouTube

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is now moonlighting as a Mario impersonator. In Super Bernie World, the senator has to travel across 11 states and liberate his country from the Republicans, all while consuming large amounts of Vermont cheddar cheese.

It's a pretty straightforward Mario homage, but with campaign messages and enemies that include ICE bullets and Republican politicians. I very much approve of tiny, bouncy version of Bernie, but I cannot support the creation of koopa troopas with Mitch McConnell's face. I wish I could purge them from my mind.

Gamedevs for Bernie created the platformer to encourage people to vote in the upcoming US election and donate to Sanders' campaign. It's not the first time the senator has had a brush with gaming, either. Last year, he started a Twitch channel and supported the efforts of game industry workers to unionise.

Super Bernie World is free on Steam and Itch, and if platforming isn't your thing, there's also a Bernie Sanders dating sim.

Fraser is the UK online editor and has actually met The Internet in person. With over a decade of experience, he's been around the block a few times, serving as a freelancer, news editor and prolific reviewer. Strategy games have been a 30-year-long obsession, from tiny RTSs to sprawling political sims, and he never turns down the chance to rave about Total War or Crusader Kings. He's also been known to set up shop in the latest MMO and likes to wind down with an endlessly deep, systemic RPG. These days, when he's not editing, he can usually be found writing features that are 1,000 words too long or talking about his dog.