The game that started it all is back, with as much style and charm as ever!
User Rating: 9.5 | Super Mario Bros. Deluxe GBC
Super Mario Brothers for the Nintendo Entertainment System is the game that kick-started the video game industry after a market crash, and spawned one of the longest running, most successful video game franchises to date. Thanks to one little plumber, hundreds of millions of people are gaming away on different consoles right now. With simplistic, entertaining levels and flat-out fun, there was no reason not to love Super Mario Brothers. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is a re-vamped version of one of the greatest games ever made -- but with more charm, value, and entertainment than ever before. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is a basic 2D platformer featuring all the same actions from the original. No fancy new moves from Super Mario World were added in, like the frog suit or the ability to pick up koopa shells. Instead, here we have simple jump-on-goomba, side-scrolling action. Yet, even though it's been surpassed in the past by its own namesake, the basic gameplay and controls of the original Super Mario Bros. still work splendidly on a handheld, and prove that this game has some fantastic lasting value. Everything is still there, alongside a slew of new possibilities that will be a pleasant surprise. Though not quite this vague, the purpose of this game is to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser's clutches, and you have to travel through many levels and castles to get that far. In typical 2D, side-scrolling platformer style, Mario hops along, avoiding a series of obstacles ranging from flying fish, to massive bullets to brown-ish blobs with eyes and a mouth. What may now sound out-dated is actually magnificently executed. All of the levels look great, and are even touched up with a nice pallet of colour. The well-designed backgrounds portray the simple themes of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe nicely, and the pixel-y little Mario still slides along with ease. All of the enemies look pretty great, and the animations, though still simple, do their job. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe undoubtedly outdoes the original in presentation, and how everything is shoved onto such a small screen and still looks crisp is amazing! For those not familiar with the series, there are a series of enemies in a series of levels, all of which react in different ways. To help Mario defeat these enemies, he can also get powerups. For starters, in each "world" (out of eight in total) there are four levels, the final one being a castle which potentially holds your damsel in distress. These other three levels are either simple landscapes with trees and grass, or perhaps an underwater reef. There are also some valleys and hills, which loop up and down, and even some underground tunnels. Not only is this so, but each sports their own bad guys. You'll find menacing squids underwater, and a variety of weird monsters, turtles and blobs in the other locales. If Mario touches one of these enemies on the side (if he jumps on their head he kills them, or at least deals damage) he instantly dies. Thank goodness for the mushroom! Whenever Mario encounters a Mushroom he will double in size. This means that he can break more things when he hops around, but if he unfortunately comes into contact with an enemy he'll shrink back down to size, saving himself from losing a life. Once you're in this pumped-up state you can then find fire flowers. These allow Mario to fire small fireballs at enemies, which is something that becomes incredibly handy, especially when underwater. To complete each level, you simple have to finish it in the alloted time, and jump into a flag (depending on how high you jump, you'll get a different score bonus). Playing this way is simple, as you can just avoid all enemies and make your way to the finish line in a rush. The true challenge, and ultimately the essence of the Super Mario gameplay, comes from the ability to go back to each of these levels and complete a series of tasks. In each and every level you have to get a certain score, find the missing Yoshi egg, and collect all five red coins. This proves quite a challenge, especially in the score mode, as you'll have to balance killing the right amount of enemies, collecting the right amount of coins, and having enough time left over. Only when you've done this have you truly beaten a level in Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Even if you're not familiar with Mario, it's likely that you'll recognize many of Mario's famous tunes. Even Sir Paul McCartney has been seen humming away at the catchy Mario rhythm, with its excellent melody and ideal speed. The tunes vary depending on the level, and each of them with their little beeps and boops sets a nice tone for this simple game. No, Mario's title theme isn't exactly a song that should have appeared on a Beatle's album, they're still perfectly entertaining. The real thing that should make this game a worthwhile purchase, even for those that still own the original, is the addition of many new surprises. First off, there is a brand new multiplayer mode, using the Link Cable. The two opponents will race against each other, and using a series of blocks you can make it difficult for them to get by, and you can create a series of obstacles to slow their progress. It's actually surprisingly involving, and makes for a pretty insane match of Mario skills. The Lost Levels also make an appearance. The Lost Levels are a series of levels that never made their way onto the final game. They're very difficult, and should scare away any novice. There are quite a few levels too, and they include a whole whack of areas completely unavailable in the original. There are a few other nice unlockables too, that make this game one huge, great experience. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe does honour to the original, and even with slightly aged mechanics it still shines as one of the best examples of platforming, and is easily the best platformer on a handheld. With improved graphics, added options and even polished off sound, this game is undeniably the killer app for the GameBoy Colour. If you've played the original there's still every reason to go out and buy this deluxe version, as it delivers more than anybody could have hoped for. When playing through this, you start to remember why Mario sparked such a revolution.
