Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. is a platforming video game within the Mario franchise and the first installment of the Super Mario series. The game was originally released in 1985 for the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System, for which it was both developed and published by Nintendo. Super Mario Bros. is a launch title for the Nintendo Entertainment System, and some bundles included it as a pack-in title. Since its release, Super Mario Bros. went on to become one of the most famous video games, and is credited as being a key game that helped the North American game industry recover from the video game crash of 1983.

Following its release, Super Mario Bros. received a few sequels. In 1986, a sequel of the game was released for the Family Computer Disk System, Super Mario Bros. 2, exclusive to Japan but later named Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in the west. The same year, Hudson Soft released a different sequel for the PC-8801 and Sharp X1, Super Mario Bros. Special, also exclusive to Japan. Both games have very similar graphics to the original Super Mario Bros.. In 1988, a different Super Mario Bros. 2, which is a conversion of Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, was released as a sequel to Super Mario Bros. outside of Japan, and is also for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Story
The game's story is detailed in the instruction booklet. The Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by the Koopas, a tribe of turtles led by King Koopa. Using black magic, the Koopas transformed the mushroom people into various objects such as rocks, bricks, and horsetails. Princess Toadstool is the only person who can undo the spell and return the mushroom people back to normal, but she has been kidnapped by King Koopa, the leader of the Koopas. The protagonist, Mario, hears of this and begins a quest to defeat King Koopa and save the kingdom.

Gameplay
Super Mario Bros. is a side-scrolling platform game in which the player controls Mario, whose goal is to make his way through a level while avoiding various enemies and obstacles, especially pitfalls, along the way. Running and jumping are the two main actions that Mario can perform. Mario has to reach the end of a level within the time limit, and in doing so he transitions directly to the next one.

Mario starts off with three lives. If Mario falls into a pit, touches lava, or takes damage from an enemy, he loses a life, and has to restart the level. Some levels have unseen checkpoints, so if Mario loses a life after passing it, he instead restarts from the checkpoint. Mario starts out in his Small form, but if he touches the Magic Mushroom power-up, he becomes Super Mario, who can withstand another hit, instead turning him back into Small Mario. When this occurs, Mario briefly flickers onscreen for a few seconds, during which he is temporarily invulnerable to taking damage from enemies. If Mario runs out of lives, it is a Game Over, after which the game returns to the title screen. From here, re-entering the game forces the player to restart from the first level, World 1-1, unless they hold while pressing, which instead resets Mario into the first level of the world where he last got a Game Over.

A level consists of coins for Mario to collect and ? Blocks that, when hit from below, reveals either more coins or a power-up. Some other bricks are invisible, and are only revealed if Mario jumps at them from underneath. Many levels also have bricks, a lot of which are joined together as floating platforms. If Mario collects 100 coins, he earns an extra life, represented as a "1UP" briefly appearing onscreen.

Mario's primary attack is jumping onto an enemy, though many enemies have differing responses to this. For example, Goombas, being the weakest enemy, are merely flattened, causing it to be defeated, but stomping a Koopa Troopa only causes it to temporarily retract into its shell, which Mario can then kick to use it as a projectile. A Koopa Shell can be deflected off a wall to destroy other enemies, but can also bounce back against Mario, damaging him. Certain other enemies, such as underwater foes and spiked enemies like Spinys, cannot be jumped on, and if Mario attempts to do this, he takes damage. Mario can also defeat an enemy by jumping under the brick it is on.

Aside from levels, there are bonus areas with additional coins to collect; they are typically underground areas entered from a Warp Pipe, although some are accessed via a beanstalk making its way up into the clouds. Some secret areas allow Mario to skip a portion of the main level. The first three levels of a world feature a flagpole at the end, and touching it ends the level, followed by Mario walking into a castle. Mario is given points depending on high he touched the flagpole. The final level of each world takes place in a castle where Bowser is fought above a suspension bridge; the first seven of these Bowsers are false Bowsers, who are actually minions disguised as him, whilst the real Bowser appears at the end of World 8. Every Bowser is fought on a bridge, and instead of a flagpole, an axe must be touched to end the level, as it causes Bowser to fall into the lava below. In the first seven worlds, after Mario defeats a false Bowser, he is greeted by a Mushroom Retainer who tells him, "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!". Certain levels have a Warp Zone, which consist of either one or three Warp Pipes that Mario can use to skip to a later world. The first Warp Zone is in World 1-2, and is reached by walking on the blocks at the top of the level passing the exit Warp Pipe. From here, Mario can skip straight over to either World 2, World 3, or World 4. The other two Warp Zones are in World 4-2; one is reached in a similar manner as in World 1-2, although it only has a single Warp Pipe allowing Mario to skip to World 5, and the other Warp Zone is reached by climbing a beanstalk that grows from a hidden ? block and takes the player up to an area with Warp Pipes leading to World 6, World 7, and World 8 respectively.

The game features a score, which is contributed to by earning points from performing various actions, such as collecting a coin or defeating an enemy. This does not directly affect the gameplay, although the top score is displayed on the title screen, under the 1 Player Game and 2 Player Game menu options. A top score is the highest score earned upon either clearing the game or earning a Game Over, as the score is reset in either instance. Super Mario Bros. does not have a save battery, so turning off the game erases the top score. In the sequence of defeating several enemies in a row, either from jumping on them without touching the ground or using a Koopa Shell, a succession of points are earned for each enemy hit, then 1-ups once enough have been hit. The sequence of points earned differs when jumping from enemies or hitting them with a Koopa Shell.

After completing the game once, the player unlocks the Hard Mode which, as the name suggests, has changes that increase the difficulty, such as all Little Goombas being replaced with Buzzy Beetles.

A second player can join in, in which case their playable character is Luigi, like in the Mario Bros. arcade game, while the first player retains Mario as their character. A difference from Mario Bros. is that the two-player mode is turn-based, so if either character loses a life or completes a level, the other player has their turn. Luigi is no different than Mario in terms of gameplay.

NES Controller
The same controls also apply to the NES Classic Controller and Nintendo Switch Online NES Controller.


 * (left and right): Move; change position on a beanstalk
 * (down): Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * (up and down): Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Dash; throw fireball; restart the game at the end; select a world
 * Pause; confirm selected option on title screen
 * Select number of players on title screen
 * Press while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Wii Remote

 * Move; change position on beanstalk
 * Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Dash; throw fireball
 * Pause
 * Press while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Wii Classic Controller

 * (left and right) or : Move; change position on beanstalk
 * (down) or : Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * (up and down) or : Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Run; throw fireball
 * Pause
 * Press while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Nintendo GameCube Controller

 * (left and right) or (left and right): Move; change position on beanstalk
 * (down) or (down): Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * (up and down) or (up and down): Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Run; throw fireball
 * Pause
 * Press while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Game Boy Advance

 * (left and right): Move; change position on beanstalk
 * (down): Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * (up and down): Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Run; throw fireball
 * Pause
 * Press while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Nintendo 3DS

 * (left and right) or and : Move; change position on beanstalk
 * (down) or : Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * (up and down) or and : Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Run; throw fireball
 * Pause
 * Press while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Wii U GamePad / Wii U Pro Controller

 * (left and right) or and : Move; change position on beanstalk
 * (down) or : Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * (up and down) or and : Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Run; throw fireball
 * Pause
 * Press while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Joy-Con (pair) / Nintendo Switch Pro Controller

 * (left and right) or and : Move; change position on beanstalk
 * (down) or : Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * (up and down) or and : Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Run; throw fireball
 * Pause
 * Press while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Joy-Con (sideways)

 * (left and right): Move; change position on beanstalk
 * (down): Duck; enter Warp Pipe
 * (up and down): Climb beanstalk
 * Jump; swim upwards
 * Run; throw fireball
 * /: Pause
 * Press / while holding down : Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen

Obstacles
There are a few obstacles that, like enemies, are hazardous. If Mario touches an obstacle, he takes damage.

Worlds and levels
There are eight worlds, each consisting of four levels, making for a total of 32 levels.

Release
Super Mario Bros. was first released in Japan for the Family Computer on September 13, 1985, and was also a launch title in other regions for the system's overseas counterpart, the Nintendo Entertainment System, having first been released in North America on October 18, 1985, then in Europe on May 15, 1987, and in Australia some time that same year.

The original North American release date for Super Mario Bros., while consistently acknowledged as October 18, 1985 by Nintendo, has been a subject of debate, including whether it was a launch title. Two publications, specifically  and Power-Up: How Japanese Video Games Gave the World an Extra Life, state that Super Mario Bros. was instead released in 1986, with the latter even stating that it was not a part of the New York City launch in 1985. The lists Super Mario Bros.'s instruction booklet as having a publication date of October 31, 1985. An article from Ed Semrad in the October 5, 1985 issue of  as well as a advertisement from November 1985 both list Super Mario Bros. as being a launch title for the Nintendo Entertainment System.

Super Mario Bros. was released as one of the games on the Nintendo PlayChoice-10 in 1986.

In North America, Super Mario Bros. was re-released for two compilations on the Nintendo Entertainment System. The first one, released in 1988, was included with Duck Hunt on the compilation cartridge 2-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt, packaged with the NES Action Set. The second compilation, 3-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet, was packaged with the NES Power Set and released in 1990. It retains both Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt from the first compilation, and has also added World Class Track Meet.

In 1992, a different compilation was released in Europe, Super Mario Bros./Tetris/Nintendo World Cup, which instead includes Super Mario Bros. on the same cartridge as Tetris and Nintendo World Cup. It was sold either by itself or with the NES-101.

Alternate versions
The first alternate version of Super Mario Bros. is VS. Super Mario Bros., which released for the VS. System in early 1986. It was first unveiled at the Amusement Trades Exhibition International (ATEI) 1986 show in London, which took place in January, and was released overseas in February. As such, Europe received VS. Super Mario Bros. a year before the original Nintendo Entertainment System version, as the console would not launch there until 1987. VS. Super Mario Bros. consists mostly of levels featured in Super Mario Bros., having only small differences such as the removal of 1 up Mushrooms. A few of the levels not present in VS. Super Mario Bros. would later be added in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (titled Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan).

There is a Game & Watch game titled Super Mario Bros., originally released in America on June 25, 1986. The gameplay is entirely different, but it is intended to be a counterpart to Super Mario Bros..

All Night Nippon Super Mario Bros. is a graphically modified version of Super Mario Bros. for the Famicom Disk System released on December 10, 1986 as a promotional item given away by . The graphics are based on the show, with sprites of the enemies, mushroom retainers, and other characters being changed to look like famous Japanese music idols, recording artists, DJs, and other people related to All-Night Nippon. Like VS. Super Mario Bros., many of the levels are from Super Mario Bros. while some are from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. The game features slightly upgraded graphics and the physics from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.

Super Mario Bros. 35 was a 35-player battle royale version of Super Mario Bros. released in 2020, exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers for a limited time.

Ports and remakes
As one of Nintendo's most popular games, Super Mario Bros. has been ported to several Nintendo platforms over the years. There are also a few remakes of Super Mario Bros..

Super Mario Bros. was first ported to the Family Computer Disk System peripheral, exclusively in Japan, on February 21, 1986.

In 1993, Super Mario All-Stars, a compilation for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, was released, and it consists of a 16-bit remake of Super Mario Bros. and three other games: Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels (previously unreleased outside of Japan), Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3. In 1999, Super Mario Bros. was released for the Game Boy Color, titled Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. It has various additional modes, images printable from a Game Boy Printer, and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, an unlockable extra game. Aside from using a different palette, the sprites are the same as in the original Super Mario Bros.. There is now a world map, from which the player can select between playing as Mario or Luigi by pressing.

In 2004, the original Super Mario Bros. was one of the Nintendo Entertainment System games ported to the Game Boy Advance, being a part of the Classic NES Series (titled Famicom Mini in Japan and NES Classics in Europe).

Super Mario Bros. is one of the earlier games ported to the Wii's Virtual Console, for which it was released on December 25, 2006 in Japan and North America and on January 5, 2007 in Europe and Australia. The game was released at a price of 500 Wii Points.

On November 11, 2010, a special red variant of the Wii with a pre-downloaded variation of Super Mario Bros. was released in Japan for the Super Mario Bros. 25th Anniversary. A difference is that all of the ? Blocks instead depict a "25," noting the game's anniversary.

On the Nintendo 3DS, Super Mario Bros. was initially distributed exclusively to members of the Nintendo 3DS Ambassador Program in September 2011. Shortly afterward, the game was made a purchasable Virtual Console title for other Nintendo 3DS owners, first being released in Japan on January 5, 2012, then in North America on February 16, 2012, and in both Europe and Australia on March 1, 2012.

For the Wii U's Virtual Console, Super Mario Bros. was released in Japan on June 5, 2013, then in Europe and Australia on September 12, 2013, and in North America on September 19, 2013.

Super Mario Bros. is one of the 30 games included on the NES Classic Edition, first released on November 10, 2016.

In September 2018, Super Mario Bros. was ported to the Nintendo Switch as one of the games part of the Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online application.

Super Mario Bros. is also included in Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros., released on November 13, 2020. Because the system lacks a button, the player instead has to press  to begin the game. The in-game pause functionality is replaced with a unique pause menu from the system itself, accessed by pressing the PAUSE button. Completing the game once permanently unlocks Hard Mode, which can then be accessed by pressing left and right on the title screen. If the player holds down from the title screen, Mario starts with infinite lives.

Doubutsu no Mori+ / Animal Crossing
Super Mario Bros. is one of the playable Nintendo Entertainment System games included in the Nintendo GameCube game Doubutsu no Mori+, in the form of a furniture item. Super Mario Bros. had a very limited availability in which a Nintendo GameCube Memory Card with the item data on it was sent to 30 winners of a sweepstakes in Weekly Famitsu Vol. 678 in December 2001. The game still exists in the files of its overseas counterpart, Animal Crossing, in which it is not accessible through any official means, and the main method of obtaining it is from using a cheating device, like with Doubutsu no Mori+ outside the sweepstakes.

Wii Shop Channel description
"One day, the Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by the Koopas, a tribe of turtles famous for their black magic. The quiet, peace-loving Mushroom People were turned into stones, bricks, and even plants, and the kingdom fell into ruin. The only one who can undo the magic spell on the Mushroom People and return them to their normal selves is Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the Mushroom King. Unfortunately, she is in the hands of evil King Bowser. Mario, the famous plumber, learns of the Mushroom People's plight and sets out to free the Mushroom Princess from the Koopas and restore the fallen kingdom of the Mushroom People. Jump, kick shells, and throw fireballs through eight action-packed worlds in this iconic NES classic!"

Nintendo eShop description
"Rediscover Mario & Luigi's first great adventure! One day, the Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by the Koopas, a tribe of turtles famous for their black magic. The quiet, peace-loving Mushroom People were turned into stones, bricks, and even plants, and the kingdom fell into ruin. The only one who can undo the magic spell is Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the Mushroom King. Unfortunately, she is in the hands of evil king Bowser™. Mario™ learns of the Mushroom People's plight and sets out to free the Mushroom Princess from the Koopas and restore the fallen kingdom. Jump, kick shells, and throw fireballs through eight action-packed worlds in this iconic NES classic!"