Game Review: Super Mario Bros.
 | Super Mario Bros. |  |
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo
Released: October 1985
Game Type: Action
Players: 2 Alternating
Product Number: NES-??-USA
Rarity: F (Ultra Common)
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This is a NES cart that certainly needs no introduction, as every NES gamer has played Super Mario Bros., which was the first Nintendo Entertainment System game at the system's launch in 1985. SMB became the game that lead the Nintendo revolution, revived the videogame industry, made Mario an icon, and set the pace for nearly all platformers to come. Even though Super Mario Bros has been around for over two decades, it still holds a special place in the hearts of NES gamers, and it's still a fun platform title to play through even in today's age.
This game takes place in the magical Mushroom Kingdom, where all is not well. The evil Koopa tribe, led by King Bowser Koopa, has taken over the kingdom, turning the people into stone. The one person that can undo the spell is Princess Toadstool, but she's been captured and imprisoned by Bowser himself. It's up to two heroic plumbers from Brooklyn, Mario and Luigi, to save Princess Toadstool and defeat the evil Koopa King.
The Bros' quest consists of eight worlds, each with four areas set either above ground, underground, or underwater. In most of the areas Mario has to reach the flagpole at the end before time runs out. Each stage is popluated by famous faces such as Goombas, Koopa Troopas, and others. Luckily Mario is not totally defensless. You can kill most enemies by stomping on them, but but not all of them. Koopas retreat into their shells, which you can kick away, while Spinys and Pirahna Plants will hurt you. Mario can also power up with some special items which are found in ? blocks or regular blocks. Magic Mushrooms make him big and give him the ability to break blocks and take one hit before dying, Fire Flowers give him fireballs to zap most foes, and Starmen make him invincible for several seconds. Also hidden in most stages are 1-up mushrooms which will give Mario an extra life, as well collecting 100 coins. Mario will also come across pipes. Most contain Pirahna plants, but some may lead to bonus areas. Every fourth area takes place in a fortress, which is filled with dangerous traps and mazes, and King Bowser blocks your way at the end. You need to get past Bowser by either killing him with fireballs or grabbing the axe and breaking the bridge. If you succed you'll rescue the Mushroom Retainers, and at the end of World 8-4 you'll find the Princess.
The graphics are good with some decent backgrounds and nice details, but they certainly look dated. Most of the characters still look pretty good. The music consists of the infamous Super Mario theme and a few background tunes which fits the stage its in and are fun to listen to as well. The sound effects are also decent and never get annoying.
The controls work like a charm. Even though Mario has realtively few moves, you shouldn't have any problems. You can also control how high Mario jumps by how hard you press the A button and change direction in mid-air, which comes in handy in certain situations. However the B Button is used for both running and shooting fireballs, so when you try to kick that Koopa shell and chase after it as Fiery Mario you may end up shooting it instead, ruining any chances for a 1-up. But it's only a minor annoyance.
This game has a good challenge level with a decent learning curve. The first few worlds are easy, but the game gets harder and harder as you progress. Worlds 6 and 7 are especially tough and will take a few tries to get through. A nice feature is if you die near the end of the stage you start from the midpoint instead of the beginning. If you lose all your lives you have to start all the way over from World 1-1 unless you use the secret continue feature. But what made the game so fun to play all those years ago still holds true here. Super Mario Bros. is simple to play yet still has that addictive charm that keeps you playing long after you finished the game. Even though it won't take too long to reach then end, it's still an enjoyable experience just the same. When you do reach the end, you can start a new harder quest, this time with Buzzy Beatles replacing the Goombas. The only real annoying factor is that you can only scroll the screen to the right, meaning you can't backtrack and get any items you passed by.
What can be said about the game that launched a thousand titles, especially for Mario? Even though the later sequels added more moves and features, Super Mario Bros. still manages to be a fun platformer 20 years after its release and definately earns the title of True Classic. Play this game to relive memories from long ago or just for the sense of reliving history; you'll still get a lot of enjoyment out of it regardless. It's games like this that are the reason the NES was so successful it its day.
