Dr. Mario

"Good NES port that almost even rivals Tetris"

Back then when the original Game Boy has been released near the end of the 80s, "Tetris" was most definitely the most important launch title by far, having rocked the game world with its addictive puzzle gaming and the fact that it was portable and also offered a great multiplayer mode, and quite a lot of gamers still consider "Tetris" to be the best Game Boy game ever. Seeing the immense success, enthusiastic reviews and of course its huge popularity, it was crystal clear that there would be dozens of games copying its formula (sometimes even shamelessly) in order to milk the puzzle game cash cow, and surprisingly, such a "Tetris" clone comes from none other than Nintendo itself in the form of "Dr. Mario" - a puzzle game that still stands on its own with some refreshing new ideas.

Basically, the gameplay in "Dr. Mario" is quite similar to "Tetris" and other puzzle games: once again you have blocks coming from the top of the screen, this time in form of pills (in order to fit the "Dr." in the game´s title, of course). However, this is where Nintendo brings in its own new idea: instead of simply placing several pills of the same color (blue, black and white, which is quite tough to see on the Game Boy screen) next to each other or above each other until they vanish, you have to place these pills on viruses that are floating around in the field. The pills always appear in blocks of two, with each half having another color, and you have to place 4 block-halves of the same color in a row on, beneath or next to a floating virus of the like-colored virus, which causes it to disappear. Each stage ends once you have gotten rid of each virus floating in the field, and of course, the game becomes more difficult with each stage by having more viruses in each field and the speed of the falling pills becoming faster and faster. The gameplay concept seems like an interesting evolution of the one found in "Tetris", adding the viruses as a new, interesting element and making this game almost as addictive as "Tetris" itself. Best of all, the game is a good pick-up for both beginners and experts alike.

Alright, we´re having an OLD Game Boy game here, a puzzle game to be precise, so I think you can imagine that the visuals are far less than stellar due to the simplicity of the gameplay itself. All you have here is the field we´re you´re placing the falling pills, but at least there are some rather pleasing details to be found there in order to spice up the otherwise dull visual experience. For example, the viruses you are supposed to dispose of have some rather cute and funny facial expressions, especially at the moment they´re being destroyed. On the right side of the screen, you can also see Dr. Mario himself, and his character model is rather nicely done and detailed, even having some minor animations. "Dr. Mario" is not about the graphics, though, but what the game delivers here is okay considering its age and the platform it has been released on.

Surprisingly, though, the music in this game is quite pleasant to listen to. There are two basic musical themes you can choose from, and both of them are really catchy and underline the gameplay experience - and fortunately, they somehow do not seem to get annoying, on the contrary, they even fit the current difficulty level of the stage you´re playing in. The sound effects are minimal, though, and while they´re not worth mentioning at all, they at least won´t get on your nerves.

While "Dr. Mario" might seem like a shameless "Tetris" copy at first sight, one will quickly realize that it is much more; a puzzle game that lives on its own and has some new ideas that work excellently. Of course it lacks any technical brilliance whatsoever, but with the Game Boy being its platform and considering its age, it´s more than understandable and forgivable, and the gameplay itself is enough to make "Dr. Mario" a worthwhile puzzle game.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/06