Super Mario Bros.

"Classic, addictive game with few flaws"

''Super Mario Bros.'' is probably the NES's most well-known game. It was the first game released for the system, it's readily available, it spawned a venerable gaming series, and my cousin only has this game for his NES. It's pretty much the NES essential. Although I can't state this with absolute certainty, being unborn at this game's release, ''Super Mario'' supposedly reawakened falling interest in video games. Actually, it's a sequel to the 1983 arcade game ''Mario Bros.'' I always thought it was odd how the game's predecessor was always ignored in favour of the ''Super'' version, until I bought both games. ''Super Mario Bros.'' really set off the modern (2-D) platformer genre, while ''Mario Bros.'' didn't.
That said, how does the game stack up today? It was re-released several times, once for the SNES (in ''Super Mario All-Stars'') and once for the Game Boy, and the SNES (and most likely Game Boy too) version is superior. What's more, subsequent games improved upon the mold. But at the time, ''Super Mario'' was astounding for its unique hidden secrets, its side-scrolling style, and its variety. Let's take a look at it and see what it has for the modern gamer:

STORY: Non-existent, unless you read the manual, which helps explains a lot of in-game oddities. Mario Mario, a blue-collar New York Italian, gets a distress message from a princess in a far-away land. Toadstool (that's her last name) and her kingdom (the Mushroom Kingdom -- the ''Super Mario'' series is full of mushrooms) have been seized by the merciless Koopa army and their commander, King Koopa (usually now known as ''Bowser''). All the Mushrooms have been turned into blocks, and everywhere you go, you see bad guys. It's up to Mario to save her -- by progressing level by level, through a bunch of castles where the reward is merely a Toad (one of the princess's retainers - a mushroom, not even a toad). A lot of things about this game make no sense at all, and if you step back and think about it, the storyline is truly bizarre. But that's what you get from a Japanese game. ''Super Mario Bros.'''s story is awfully lame and unoriginal, but it doesn't really matter -- again, in the 1980's, story was mostly ignored.

GRAPHICS: Pretty shabby. Mario's overalls are brown, not blue, enemies look drab and fuzzy (one of the NES's main problems is not having lines surrounding the sprites, in my opinion), and the animations could use some work (one enemy, the Lakitu, hurls eggs at you -- but in this game, it looks like they materialize next to him and fall down). Still, for 1985 when the NES was first launched, this was probably standard fare. Besides, the game was much more complex than other games around at the time period, and I'd much rather trade graphics for entertainment.

SOUND: One of the most recognizable aspects of the game. Mario's annoying ''boing'' sound (when he jumps) and the equally annoying ring when a coin is received both immediately identify what game is being played, even if nothing else is discernable. These sound effects are annoying and were much improved upon in later offerings -- except the satisfying sound effect accompanying breaking bricks. The SNES version is so lame!
MUSIC: Probably the most recognizable aspect of the game. Overall, the ''Super Mario Bros.'' theme (it plays non-stop throughout the overworld -- above-ground -- areas) is the most famous of video game tunes. It's really interesting how playing the first few notes of the song can instantly conjure images of Mario jumping around on rows of bricks. It's often considered to perfectly complement the action at hand, and I can't argue with that. This theme is easily the most enduring aspect of the game as well -- even in ''Super Mario Sunshine'', a version of this tune plays. Gotta love it!
But the other themes are great too. The underground theme -- moody, repetitive -- also endures into the modern age. (The SNES version wisely adds a drumbeat.) The underwater theme is perhaps the best maritime tune programmable on the NES. The invincible theme is repetitive but captures the frenzied action that follows it (you remain invincible for only a short time), and the castle theme is very, very annoying, adding to the frustration often felt in these levels. Arrggh! One must also note the less-known but still good 'end of level'/'end of world' theme -- the catchy 'end of level' fanfare was used in ''Super Smash Bros.'' -- and the death/Game Over themes, which use part of the main theme to great effect (the musical version of, ''Aw, too bad! Maybe next time!''). All in all, the musical variety and quality overrides the console's sound limitations, even if the main theme is a tad overused.

CONTROLS: Very tight, very good. Also very simple: A lets you jump (Mario's primary action), the control cross, of course, lets you walk (when pressed down, Super/Fire Mario can crouch), and B, if Fire Mario, lets you shoot fireballs. That's pretty much it: Mario does like 85% of his heroic actions merely by hopping, at least in this game. One of the great hurrahs in this game are the jumping controls, finally perfected after the so-so ones in ''Mario Bros.'' and other arcade titles. One of the great boos in this game are the swimming controls, which I will explain below.

GAMEPLAY: All right, here we go. ''Mario'' certainly is addictive, but not quite so as later games. The premise of the game is essentially to progress right through a level to the exit, and then proceed to the next level. Of course, King Koopa isn't going to make it easy. Many brick formations clutter up the stages, mysteriously floating in midair. Also, the levels are packed with enemies, also instantly recognizable. The most common are the Little Goomba, the Koopa Troopa, and the Piranha Plant. The Little Goomba (later shortened to ''Goomba'') is a brown mushroom that walks toward you, glaring menacingly -- the epitome of the generic, easy enemy. Koopa Troopas are turtles that also walk toward you. Both of these villains can be subdued by just jumping on them, but while Goombas are killed, Koopas merely hide in their shells. These shells can be kicked, killing anything in their path, including you if you're not careful. Piranha Plants are greenish carnivorous plants (along the lines of Venus fly-traps) that hide out in pipes that clutter up levels and snap at you when they come by. But there are others. Buzzy Beetles are black beetles with thick shells, essentially identical to Koopas except for their invulnerability to fire. Lakitu is that egg-hurler, a turtle sitting in a cloud (more evidence of this game's origin) that hurls Spinies (critters with spiny shells) in your general direction. Koopa Paratroopas are flying versions of regular Koopas. Hammer Bros. are obnoxious biped turtles that attack in a most unusual manner -- flinging hammers. It is effective, however, and they are formidable without having fireballs. Bullet Bills are flying bullets that shoot out of cannons sprinkled liberally around higher levels. Add to this the ever-present pits that lead you to instant doom, and you have enough things aboveground to hold your attention.
Underground, we mostly get more of the same -- except now there are bricks everywhere, which can be broken to access items and secrets. Underwater levels are populated by Bloobers, pink squid with erratic movements, and Cheep-Cheeps, fish that swim slowly to the left side of the screen with horribly dumb expressions. There are a few (I think two) levels where Cheep-Cheeps spring out from the bottom of the screen while you navigate bridges and (at the end of every four levels) castle stages, which are filled with fire, whether rotating around a block in a bar shape or leaping up from pits. These levels are the game's low points -- swimming controls are terrible in almost every ''Mario'' game, but here they're particularly bad. With the slow-moving Cheep-Cheeps it's not too bad, but against Bloobers, which move in erratic zig-zag fashion through the water, it's frustrating. Conquering the bridge levels relies on luck, primarily (who knows when a Cheep-Cheep will spring out from underneath you?), and the castle levels can be headache-inducing and lives-draining. A high point in the game, however, are the mushroom levels, where the player is forced to navigate through tall mushroom platforms and jumping skills are paramount.
Each level ends with a block barrier of some sort (usually a staircase of blocks early on) from which you must jump to a flagpole and get extra points. (This odd element was not used in most later ''Mario'' games.) Each world (4 levels) ends in a castle level, which in turn ends with a boss battle. The identity of the boss is either King Koopa, over and over again, or one of his kids. Anyway, the boss (hairless in this game, and also making a dumb expression) breathes fire, jumps, and chucks hammers in later castles. Your only hope is to get on his other side and jump on an axe, which is featured in every castle in the game for some reason, since the axe corrodes the floor the boss is standing on, making him fall into the lava below. Sounds easy, but jumping over the boss to the axe is a perilous affair, since the boss can jump at the same time you do, which makes having an upgraded form almost essential.
The game is actually harder than it sounds. When you combine Bullet Bills, jumping Koopa Paratroopas, Hammer Bros., and lots of pits, for instance, you have to time your jumps VERY CAREFULLY. Fortunately, the game helps you out with a number of secrets, one of its most important contributions to the video game world. The citizens-turned-into-blocks flash and have question marks on them. Hit these blocks with your head, and something pops out of them (the idea here is the citizen is rewarding you, although you don't change him or her back). Usually it's a coin, but sometimes you get items like the Super Mushroom, the Fire Flower, or the Starman. 100 Coins give you an extra life (you start off with 3), Super Mushrooms increase your size, Fire Flowers let you shoot fireballs, and Starmen make you temporarily invincible. Bricks can also yield surprises, notably nine coins in one brick! Occasionally, 1-Up Mushrooms can be unearthed, but this only happens when you hit an invisible block. There are also warp zones in underground areas (pipes that lead to later worlds -- what I usually use to get to later worlds) and the occasional vine that leads to a coin haven in the sky or pipe that leads to an underground treasure trove. These secrets are what made ''Super Mario Bros.'' stand out -- the idea that secret areas lie hidden (usually under your very nose) in stages was unprecedented and rekindled interest in the video game industry.
Overall, the game is a fun play, but there are several problems, primarily the lack of a save, the inability to head left once the screen scrolls past, and the fact that other ''Mario'' games have so much more to offer. At its time, however, ''Super Mario Bros.'' was excellent.

EVALUATION: ''Super Mario Bros.'' more represents a touch-off base for bigger and better things to come than a solid title on its own. While more entertaining than ''Zelda,'' your time is better spent playing more complex, involving games. Still, simple pleasure is what the NES is all about, and on that front, ''Super Mario Bros.'' excels. Besides, the game is readily available (multiple copies of the game I've usually seen at video game stores) and sort of like the NES essential -- you get the NES, you get this too. Buy it? Yes -- just don't expect it to take over your life like other games sometimes do.

MISCELLANEOUS: One of the things I like best about the game is how the Koopas are colour-coded. Green K.T.s are stupid enough to fall off ledges; red ones aren't. Green Paratroopas bounce around; Red ones hover above pits, flying up and down. In both cases the green ones are more dangerous.
Finally, does anyone realize how WEIRD THIS GAME IS? Let's go over it a bit. The kingdom is peopled by mushrooms. Bosses install axes behind them even if it means a lava dunk. You can't move side to side, only forward, backward, up and down. You can break bricks with your head. Turtles are bad guys. Making contact with enemies the wrong way (i.e., not by jumping directly on top of them) will kill you. Bricks have coins in them. Pipes are everywhere and transport you. Platforms float in midair. Blocks appear by bopping your head on them from underneath, and lo and behold, they have mushrooms in them. Mario can breathe underwater. It doesn't make a lick of sense, but that's hard to realize while you're playing!

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 10/27/03