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Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story premieres March 1st on Crackle.

Ready to level up in your knowledge of all things Nintendo? The five-part docu-series Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story is here to unlock over 130 years of behind-the-scenes secrets to reveal how a humble family business became the defining voice of the video game industry. But, hey, listen: it's not all fun and games.

Written and directed by Jeremy Snead, Playing With Power: The Nintendo Story ushers audiences back to 1890 Japan, where an innovative playing card company would lay the groundwork for the Nintendo dynasty. Beloved for Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, and Goonies, Sean Astin narrates, his friendly and familiar voice guiding audiences through the century of Nintendo history ahead of the Console Wars of the 1990s, and beyond. Interviews with an array of experts are presented. Historians recount Nintendo's earliest days and latest innovations. Big wigs in gaming--like Atari Co-founder Nolan Bushnell, co-founder of Nintendo of America Ron Judy, and former CEO Sega Of America Tom Kalinske recount the heady days when gaming moved from the arcade to living rooms. Famous gamers like Wil Wheaton, Alison Haislip, and Nati "Zombi Unicorn" Casanova provide personal anecdotes and color commentary. Each of these interviewees exhibits a clear passion for Nintendo or gaming. Sadly, this excitement isn't catching because Snead's approach refuses to probe.

As was the case with the documentary feature Console Wars, the voices favored in Nintendo's story all come from the American branch. The founders who paved the way for Mario Bros. to dominate American gaming are paid respect in lip service from historians and colleagues. Yet these Japanese innovators aren't interviewed. Instead, their personal and professional lives are presented as bland dioramas with plastic figures standing in for actual people. Sure, some of these Nintendo titans aren't around to be interviewed. Still, for all the praise Super Mario/ The Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto is offered in this series, you'd think they'd talk to the 68-year-old living legend himself. Without such interviews, a jarring distance develops in the first episode that persists throughout the series, keeping some of Nintendo's key players shunted to the sidelines of its narrative.

The Verdict

Donkey Kong has kidnapped Mario's girlfriend Pauline. Now, Mario must climb a series of platforms and ladders to rescue her in Donkey Kong, the legendary platforming action game that introduced Nintendo's iconic hero. However, this is not an easy task; the giant ape keeps throwing barrels at the mustached plumber. Luckily, Mario can jump over the barrels or smash them with a hammer. When the time comes, he will have to collect a series of rivets to get the ape to fall and finally rescue Pauline!