Mario Bros.

Mario Bros. is an arcade and NES game that is best known for introducing Luigi and building upon the tried and true concept that was formed in the all-time classic Donkey Kong. It's debatable whether one should consider this game an actual sequel, though nevertheless it can be said that this is a part of the series just as Donkey Kong is.

Basically what you do in this title is travel through various different underground pipes as either Mario or his twin-brother Luigi. When an enemy appears, it's advised that the player go on the platform beneath the enemy and jump directly under it. This will cause the enemy to turn over, allowing you to go to its platform and kick it away, thus killing it fully.

Gameplay
This is the first game Mario had the Occupation as a Plumber. It is also the first game to include his brother, Luigi. In this game, Mario and Luigi go through the Brooklyn sewers, trying to eliminate rounds of random creatures from the Mushroom Kingdom. The creatures can be defeated by hitting them from underneath and flipping them over, but some creatures are harder to flip then others. Every now and then, there will be a Bonus level, where the brothers have a chance to collect all the coins in the level, and earn themselves an extra life.

Enemies and Obstacles
The first creature the Mario Bros. encounter is a turtle-like creature, called Shellcreepers. These creatures can easily be flipped by one jump from underneath the platform they are standing on. These creatures are the easiest to defeat in the game, however, they were replaced by Spinies in the remakes.

The second creature the brothers encounter, is a crab-like enemy, named a Sidestepper. The Sidestepper is the fastest enemy in the game, and also takes two hits from underneath to flip over. Once Mario or Luigi hit the Sidestepper a single time, it begins to move much faster than normal, but another hit will flip it over, and leave it one kick away from defeat. They start to appear around Phase 4.

The third creature the brothers see, is a firefly-like creature, that is called a Fighter Fly. The move by jumping up and down slowly, but their jumping helps them avoid being hit from beneath them. These creatures can easily be defeated with one hit from underneath the platform they are standing on, and they will be left defenseless, while one of the brothers kicks them, to defeat them. They begin to appear in Phase 6. The Fighter Fly appeared in later games as well.

The last creature the Mario Bros. encounter, is the icicle-like enemy, called a Slipice, or Freezie in later games. They can be defeated by being hit from underneath, and don't have any other defenses. If the Mario Bros. fail to be defeat the Slipice in time, the platform it is standing on will become covered in ice, and will make it harder to control the brothers while on the platform. Slipices have made the most appearances outside this game, than any other enemy included in Mario Bros.

An obstacle to appear in the sewers, are the Red and Green Fireballs. If touched by a brother, he will be defeated. Red Fireballs move in an up and down pattern, whereas the Green Fireballs move straight across the screen, not being effected by gravity (Something taken into effect in Super Smash Bros. Melee). They can be defeated by a hit from underneath, if the fireball is touching the platform. Otherwise, there is no other way to defeat them.

Ports
This game has been ported onto many differant consoles. It was ported onto the Nintendo Entertainment System, under the name of Kaettekita Mario Bros., and was also featured as an enhanced remake on the NES release of Super Mario Bros. 3. This was also put onto the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, as an enhanced remake on the game, Super Mario All-Stars. This had mass-improved grahpics, which impressed many when they played it. A similar version of the SNES version of the game was remade on all four of the Super Mario Advance games, as well as Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga. The NES version of the game has also been ported onto the Virtual Console for the Wii.

Hudson Soft made two games based on Mario Bros.. The first was Mario Bros. Special, which was a re-imagining of the original Mario Bros. with new phases, mechanics, and gameplay. The second was Punch Ball Mario Bros., which featured a new gameplay mechanic involving punching small balls to stun enemies. Both games have been described as being average, for neither have been regarded as one of the best or one of the worst games in the series.

Super Mario Advance
Every game in the Super Mario Advance series came with an enhanced version of Mario Bros. People have criticized this, claiming that other games could have been provided instead.


 * The game featured updated sprites for Mario and Luigi
 * The game featured backgrounds to each level
 * While the moths and crabs had been retained, the koopas were replaced with spinies. This was probably done because the koopas originally could not be jumped upon.
 * Mario & Luigi were given voices, much like the SMA series itself
 * Various music from other Mario games were used, such as the underworld theme while in the lava world
 * The crabs and moths were redesigned
 * More time was provided in the bonus rounds and a 1-up was provided for perfect scores. Perfect scores were no longer required for a bonus.
 * The title screen was updated
 * Mario & Luigi were given their super jump ability from Super Mario Bros. 2.

Music
The music of the game is based around the beginning of Mozart's Eine kleine Nachtmusik. The same song was also present in Super Smash Bros. Brawl on the Mario Bros. related stage.

Super Smash Bros. series
There is a stage based on this game in Super Smash Bros Brawl. It appears in its retro form. This stage has narrow KO zones, making it hard to score normal KO. However, players can stun the enemies that appear on the stage (Shellcreeper or Sidestepper) by hitting them from below through a floor, pick them up and then throw it at someone. A POW Box also appears in this stage.