Super Mario Bros. was developed and published by Nintendo and was released in Japan and North America in 1985, and in Europe in 1987 for the NES. While Mario appeared in games before this, such as the Mario Bros. arcade game, as well as the Donkey Kong games, this could be said to be the first in the main Super Mario series of platform games.
Super Mario Bros. is one of my earliest gaming memories. I remember playing it at my uncle’s house on the NES he had and naturally it was one of my favourite games. I don’t think I ever got too far, at least not without using the warp zones, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
In the game, you take control of Mario, and Luigi if you are playing multiplayer, in a quest to rescue Princess Toadstool who has been kidnapped by Bowser.
I will admit, that reviewing this game is really difficult. What hasn’t been said about Super Mario Bros already?
So, Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling platform game, in fact it is one of the earliest examples of this type of game. Once the screen has moved, you can’t go back however, it only scrolls in one direction and that is forward. At the end of each level is a flagpole. Through the level you will come across coins, and collecting 100 of them will earn you an extra life. Lose all lives and you get a Game Over. You can continue from the start of the world you were in by holding A once you press start at the title screen, however.
You can come across mushrooms. Pick it up and you will grow in size, making Mario able to break blocks and allows him to take an extra hit before dying. If you take a hit when big you will shrink down in size. You can also find Fire Flowers, which gives you the ability to shoot fireballs which can kill most enemies. Apart from that you can also find a starman which gives you temporary invincibility.
There are 32 levels in total, divided into 8 worlds. You will come across many familiar enemies who would return in later Super Mario games, such as Goombas, Koopa Troppas, Bullet Bills, Lakitu, Spiny, Hammer Bros. and Buzzy Beetle. Levels take place in the overworld, in the underground, as well as water levels. Every fourth level is a castle where you end up fighting Bowser at the end. He can either be defeated by fireballs or by jumping over him and grabbing the axe.
There is a multiplayer mode, but in it you take turns playing. To see who can beat the game first.
The controls might be the worst part of this game. They are not bad, but if you are used to later Mario games, the momentum feels a bit strange in this. You need to build momentum to jump further, and I often misjudges the jump because of this, since later Mario games function differently. It isn’t a huge problem though and is easy enough to get used to.
In terms of difficulty, this is harder than your average Mario game. Some of the levels in World 8 can feel brutal at times, and extra lives are much harder to come by here compared to later games in the series. However, it doesn’t feel as unfair as certain other NES games and it is balanced. Just remember, that if you want to continue you must hold the A button before pushing start when you are taken back to the title screen.
Graphically, it might not look that good compared to later NES games, but considering the type of games that had been released on the Famicom before it, it certainly is a step up from those. There is also some variation in the level designs, such as some levels taking place at night.
The music is simply iconic, and is probably one of the most recognizable videogame soundtracks of all time. Koji Kondo really managed to create a memorable soundtrack for this game.
Overall, Super Mario Bros is surely one of the most influential games of all time. There’s only really a few games that can be said to have been as influential, perhaps Pong, Pac-Man, Doom, Super Mario 64, Grand Theft Auto III and a few others. It is certainly up there in the hall of fame. But trying to ignore that, this is still a solid game. It might look a bit dated, the controls might taking some time getting used to, but it is still a fun game that has aged better than most. It is a classic, and this for a good reason. It is also a quite big difference from other early NES games, which were mainly basic arcade titles, not much different from Atari games with better graphics. Super Mario Bros was something different. The colourful backgrounds is quite unique compared to the other early NES titles mostly featuring black backgrounds.
Is it worth Playing?
Super Mario Bros is really one of those games every gamer should play. I shouldn’t even have to explain why. It is a great game in every way.
Final score: 9/10
Screenshots via MobyGames: http://www.mobygames.com
Retro Viking Reviews 