Simple to pick up. Very hard to put down. I’m probably the only freak on the planet who prefers Mario Bros to Donkey Kong.
What struck me about this game is how the gimmicks are introduced with the same process that future Mario games would use. The game slowly drip feeds you more obstacles and enemies but teaches you how they work without telling you straight up (at least in the NES version, on arcade cabinets the game has little movies introducing the enemies).
I wish the game had a tad bit more in the way of variety, at least in Donkey Kong there are three different levels. Even then, this game is loads of fun and really embodies the arcade spirit of getting better through trial and error.
What struck me about this game is how the gimmicks are introduced with the same process that future Mario games would use. The game slowly drip feeds you more obstacles and enemies but teaches you how they work without telling you straight up (at least in the NES version, on arcade cabinets the game has little movies introducing the enemies).
I wish the game had a tad bit more in the way of variety, at least in Donkey Kong there are three different levels. Even then, this game is loads of fun and really embodies the arcade spirit of getting better through trial and error.
Just a very slightly worse version of the arcade release, but still perfectly acceptable as a port, especially compared to something like the NES DK. It's kind of interesting to note a lot of the more iconic sound effects came from this version rather than the original arcade release.
See arcade review for additional thoughts.
See arcade review for additional thoughts.
My favorite bit of trivia about Mario Brothers is that apparently Mario surviving from falling from the platforms was considered a “super power.” I don’t know, I think it’s just charming that their line of logic in that period of time and development followed that dying from missing a jump was the assumption. Miyamoto thought the game would be too easy and had to be convinced otherwise.
Thank god he was, because fall damage on top of the awkward controls and slippery momentum would have made this already very frustrating game unplayable.
Thank god he was, because fall damage on top of the awkward controls and slippery momentum would have made this already very frustrating game unplayable.
mario is a plumber, and in this game you can surely tell that fact, since the heroic mario must rid the sewers of the cute shellcreepers, sidesteppers, and fighter flies. despite their cuteness, they are quite deadly, yet still no match for one or two jumps from below and a swift kick. collecting the coins that slide along the ground at times is fun, and so is creating piles of stunned enemies to hit them in a row for lots of points. the bonus stages are a nice reprieve from the dangers as well. i can only imagine this game would be even better with a luigi by my side, but alas! anyway, controls are great, visuals are nice, sound effects are pleasant, including the little jingles and such, and when things get hard, its exhilarating! would recommend 100%
I like this game, just not this port of Mario Bros. The reason why I dislike this version of Mario Bros is because of how clunky the movement feels. The movement is extremely slippery which makes it feel terrible. The movement even hinders you when you want to attack an enemy or collecting coins in the bonus levels.
The port on Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga is wayyy better imo.
The port on Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga is wayyy better imo.
NES port it's alright, but inferior to Arcade's. Graphics are worse, there are no cutscenes explaining enemies' patterns, and they added another possible jump trajectory if you press it in a specific time during Mario physics, so if you are used to Arcade version, you will have some trouble with this.