Dr. Mario (game)
- This article is about the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy games. For the Nintendo 64 game known as simply "Dr. Mario" in Nintendo Puzzle Collection, see Dr. Mario 64.
- "Dr. Mario (NES)" and "Dr. Mario (Game Boy)" redirect here. For the digital soundtrack albums on the Nintendo Music app, see Dr. Mario (NES) (Nintendo Music) and Dr. Mario (Game Boy) (Nintendo Music).
| Dr. Mario | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 NES box art  Game Boy box art For alternate box art, see the related gallery. | |||||||||||||||
| Developer | Nintendo R&D1 | ||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||||||||
| Platforms | Family Computer, Nintendo Entertainment System, Game Boy | ||||||||||||||
| Release dates | Family Computer: July 27, 1990[1]Nintendo Entertainment System:  October 14, 1990[2] June 27, 1991[?] June 27, 1991[?]Game Boy: July 27, 1990[3] December 1, 1990[4] April 30, 1991[?]
Nintendo PlayChoice-10:
August 1990[5] 1990[?] 1990[?]LodgeNet: Between 1995 and 1999[A]Game Boy (Player's Choice): September 1, 1997[6]Super Famicom (Nintendo Power): June 1, 1998[7]Game Boy (Nintendo Power): March 1, 2000[?]Game Boy Advance (link transfer): February 7, 2003[8]Game Boy Advance: May 21, 2004[9] October 25, 2004[10] January 7, 2005[11]Virtual Console (3DS): July 27, 2011[?] March 22, 2012[?] March 22, 2012[?] October 4, 2012[?] May 18, 2016[?]Virtual Console (Wii U): February 13, 2014[?] February 14, 2014[?] February 26, 2014[?] March 27, 2014[?]Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer: November 10, 2016[?]NES Classic Edition: November 10, 2016[?] November 11, 2016[?] November 11, 2016[?]Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics: September 18, 2018[?] September 19, 2018[?] September 19, 2018[?] September 19, 2018[?] April 23, 2019[?] April 23, 2019[?]Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Classics (The UFO cover-up): December 12, 2018[?] December 12, 2018[?] December 12, 2018[?] December 12, 2018[?]Game Boy - Nintendo Classics: March 11, 2024[12] March 12, 2024[?] March 12, 2024[?] March 12, 2024[?] March 12, 2024[?] March 12, 2024[?] | ||||||||||||||
| Language | English | ||||||||||||||
| Genre | Puzzle | ||||||||||||||
| Ratings |
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| Mode | 1–2 players | ||||||||||||||
| Format |
Built-in
 CartridgeNES:
 Game Pak CartridgeSNES:  Game Pak Digital download Digital download Game Pak Cartridge Game Pak Link Cable download Digital downloadBuilt-in
| ||||||||||||||
| Input |
NES:
 Wii Remote (horizontal) Joy-Con (horizontal) | ||||||||||||||
| Serial codes | Famicom: HVC-VU Game Boy: DMG-VUA Game Boy Advance: AGB-FDME-USA AGB-FDMJ-JPN AGB-FDMP-EUR | ||||||||||||||
- Everyone
- All ages
- Three years and older
- All ages
- General audience
- All ages
- General
- “Dr. Mario, with germs that are fun to catch.”
- —US box blurb
Dr. Mario (stylized as D℞. MARIO on the Western logo) is an arcade-style puzzle video game created by Nintendo, and it was released for the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) as well as the Game Boy in 1990. It is the first game in the Dr. Mario series. The gameplay is similar to that of Tetris, although in Dr. Mario, the object is to line up vitamins to destroy viruses.
The soundtracks of both the Game Boy and NES versions are available on Nintendo Music, with the Game Boy version included since the application's launch and the NES version added on March 17, 2025 (PST).
Story[edit]
The following text is taken directly from the instruction manual.
Hi everybody! I'm Mario. How's it going? Over the last few years, I've been involved in some pretty wild adventures. Now, believe it or not, I work in the virus research lab at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital. Today I'm about to begin my research as usual.
"Dr. Mario, something terrible has happened!"
"What's wrong, nurse Toadstool?" "One of the experiments has gone out of control. The viruses are spreading quickly!"
"Oh No! We've got to do something! I have just developed a new vitamin that should be able to take care of it. I sure hope this stuff works!"
Dr. Mario works in a virus research lab at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital, alongside Nurse Toadstool. When one of the experiments goes wrong, the hospital is flooded with tri-color viruses. Armed with vitamin capsules—a medicine of his own invention—Dr. Mario sets out to neutralize the outbreak.
Gameplay[edit]
In this game, the interface is presented with a giant bottle, which features a grid that is 8 tiles long and 16 tiles tall. When the stage starts, viruses will populate the bottle, and they come in three varieties: Chill (blue), Fever (red), and Weird (yellow).
The main objective of the game is to clear the viruses in the bottle. This objective can be fulfilled with the help of multi-colored capsules called vitamin capsules. The vitamins have two segments, where each half can come in three colors, and both halves can even have the same color. To eliminate a virus with them, they must be lined up with at least one like-colored virus in a column or row so that the line consists of at least four in a row or column. When that happens, both the viruses and vitamins in that line disappear. These vitamins can also be cleared if four or more of the same colored pieces are arranged in a line, even if there are no viruses within them. The viruses remaining is represented by the three viruses under the magnifying glass around the bottom-left, where they slowly revolve along the glass. If at least one virus is eliminated, the corresponding virus color will flinch and the viruses will stop moving. If all viruses of that color are gone from the bottle, that corresponding virus under the glass will also disappear after flinching. After a number of vitamins are brought to the bottle, a five-note chime will be played which will signify that the speed of the capsule drops increased.
If vitamins are stacked so that one of the two middle spots at the top of the bottle is occupied, the player receives a Game Over.
Controls[edit]
/ 
: Move cursor on the menu screen- / (left/right): Move vitamin capsule
- / (down): Drop vitamin capsule
/ 
: Rotate vitamin capsule clockwise
/ 
: Rotate vitamin capsule counterclockwise
/ 
: Start the game; pause or unpause game during gameplay
/ 
: Move cursor on the title screen
Characters[edit]
| Nintendo Entertainment System | Game Boy | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Dr. Mario | Mario donning a doctor's outfit. The game's only playable character. |
|
.gif){kind=small}
|
Viruses | Red, yellow and blue viruses that appear in large quantities. They can be eliminated by being matched with vitamins in rows of four or more of the same color. |
Game modes[edit]
1-Player Game[edit]
When a 1-Player game is started, the player has three options: Virus Level, Speed, and Music Type. For Virus Level, one of the 21 levels (from 0 to 20) can be chosen. This determines the number of viruses at the beginning is equal to four times the level number plus four, all the way up to level 20. Although the level number can go up to 24 in the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System version, there will always be 84 viruses at the beginning of levels 20 and above.[13] In the Game Boy version, levels above 20 may be arranged in a way that is impossible to beat. Level 28 is a kill screen in which Mario does not appear.
The Speed setting determines the speed of the vitamins as they fall, which are between: Low, Med (medium), or Hi (high). The Music Type is a choice between Fever, Chill, or Off (no music). For the Game Boy version, the music can be previewed by highlighting the option, whereas this feature is not present in the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System version.
In a 1-Player Game, the score is tracked. In order to earn points, viruses must be eliminated, as just clearing only capsules or forcefully dropping capsules will not contribute to the score. The amount of points earned from eliminating viruses is dependent on the Speed setting, where the base score is 100 for Low, 200 for Med, and 300 for Hi. Additionally, if the player eliminates more than one virus in a single move, the subsequent viruses contribute more points. After clearing all the viruses and finishing the level, the score is carried over to the next level. The basic scoring is as follows:
| Virus # | Low | Med | Hi |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 | 200 | 300 |
| 2 | 200 | 400 | 600 |
| 3 | 400 | 800 | 1200 |
| 4 | 800 | 1600 | 2400 |
| 5 | 1600 | 3200 | 4800 |
| 6+ | 3200 | 6400 | 9600 |
In the Famicom and NES version, a fanfare will not sound after clearing more than one line in a single move. However in the Game Boy version, a fanfare will be played depending on the amount of lines made, and a special fanfare is played after clearing four or more lines in a single move, something that is not present in other versions.
2-Player Game[edit]
A 2-Player Vs. game mode is also available for selection. In this mode, two players battle to either clear their grid first, or cause their opponent to get a Game Over through causing an object to reach the middle of the topmost row. The game ends after one of the players wins three rounds. The Level and Speed options are chosen independently by each player before the game begins. For the Game Boy version, a Game Link cable is required to play the 2-player Vs. game mode. On the 3DS Virtual Console version, 2-player mode is not supported.
During a two-player head-on-head game, whenever a vitamin resulted in a chain or combo with more than one line cleared, a corresponding number of garbage, basically single vitamin pieces of colors based on the colors cleared by a player, will drop into their opponent's bottle at a slow pace, similar to the speed of a capsule falling normally in the Hi speed. The number of garbage that drops depends on the amount of lines cleared, so for example, clearing two lines in a move will cause two pieces to fall. The dropped pieces will simultaneously be either in the odd-numbered columns or even-numbered columns. If two pieces drop, both of them are always four columns apart, and if three pieces drop, they will all be two columns apart of each other and won't be two pieces that will be four columns apart.
Cutscenes[edit]
After completing certain levels at certain speeds, a short cutscene will occur, along with text that consists of a "CONGRATULATIONS!" message and the Virus Level and Speed that the player has beaten. The cutscenes are different between the Famicom and NES version and the Game Boy version. If the cutscene has something that moves in it, the text on the screen will disappear or appear depending on the version: they appear before the cutscene is played in the Famicom and NES version, whereas they start to appear after the cutscene is played in the Game Boy version.
Famicom / NES[edit]
Most of the cutscenes start with the viruses sitting on a tree. Graphics for a snowman and a round ball exist that were likely meant to be used in a cutscene, but ended up unused.[14]
| Level to beat | Screenshot | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Level 20 (Low) | 
|
Only the "Congratulations!" message will be displayed, as the background is black otherwise. The music played in this cutscene is a shorter, slower, and higher-pitched version of the normal ending theme. |
| Level 5 (Med) | 
|
A book flaps its covers from left to right. |
| Level 10 (Med) | 
|
A rooster slowly flies from right to left. |
| Level 15 (Med) | 
|
An upside-down aerosol is sprayed, quickly propelling from right to left. |
| Level 20 (Med) | 
|
A dinosaur in an egg slowly paddles from left to right. |
| Level 5 (Hi) | 
|
A tortoise slowly swims in the air from left to right. |
| Level 10 (Hi) | 
|
A pig uses its tail to propel in the air from right to left. |
| Level 15 (Hi) | 
|
A witch rides her broom to fly from left to right. |
| Level 20 (Hi) | 
|
The sky gradually changes from bright to dark, after which a UFO floats down to beam the three viruses into it, and then it flies away. While the UFO is present, the music pauses until it goes away, after which the music continues. After the UFO is gone, the sky flashes bright before flashing stars appear and fall from the sky. |
Game Boy[edit]
Every cutscene starts with the viruses sitting at the sea floor.
| Level to beat | Screenshot | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Level 20 (Low) | 
|
Nothing else happens beyond the viruses sitting at the sea floor. |
| Level 20 (Med) | 
|
A nautilus slowly swims from right to left. |
| Level 5 (Hi) | 
|
A puffed-up pufferfish slowly swims from right to left. |
| Level 10 (Hi) | 
|
A crab quickly scuttles along the sea floor from right to left. |
| Level 15 (Hi) | 
|
A flying fish flies above the sea from right to left. |
| Level 20 (Hi) | 
|
A UFO flies from the right to the middle, beaming the viruses. While in the middle of being beamed, a coelacanth quickly swims across the viruses to eat them. After the coelacanth swims away, the UFO flees the scene to the right. |
Reception[edit]
Reviews for the game were generally positive, although there has been some criticism from parents about the use of medicine in a children's game.[15] Jeff Lundrigan of Game Players reviewed the NES version of Dr. Mario, calling the game simple to play but difficult to master.[16]:28
The Game Boy version of the game was placed 45th in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997.[18] The NES version placed 69th in the 200th Issue of GameInformer's "Top 200 Games of All Times".[19] The game placed 51st in IGN's Top 100 NES Games list.[20]
GameRankings gave the game 69.25%, while review aggregator Metacritic gave it a 66 out of 100 based on 10 reviews.
| Reviews | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release | Reviewer, Publication | Score | Comment |
| Game Boy | GB Action[21] | 42% | "It's not particularly original and certainly not worth purchasing, particularly if you already own a copy of Tetris. As is the case for all Mario games, the presentation is okay but the rest of the fun and games that it's[sic] headier relations possess are sadly missing." |
| Game Boy Advance | Bob Colayco, GameSpot | 7.4/10 | "The GBA version of Dr. Mario is a great emulation of the original NES game. The production values of the game don't quite measure up to today’s standards even for a puzzle game, but the gameplay has held up well over the past decade and a half, and the wireless networking is a really nice feature. If you were a big fan of the original, or you’re in the market for a Tetris-like puzzle game for your GBA, Dr. Mario is a worthy purchase." |
| Wii U | Thomas Whitehead, Nintendo Life | 5/10 | "The arrival of Dr. Mario on the Wii U Virtual Console is a little odd due to its proximity to Dr. Luigi; the latest effort is the far superior effort, as it includes multiple modes and online multiplayer to enjoy. It's not fair to compare the two, but they are both available side-by-side, so at its standard price this NES effort is passable but not exceptional value. The gameplay, while enjoyable, lacks the compulsive impact of a classic like Tetris, leaving this pill a little tougher to swallow — the modern effort from Luigi goes down a little easier." |
| Aggregators | |||
| Compiler | Platform / Score | ||
| Metacritic | 66 | ||
Remakes and ports[edit]
VS. Dr. Mario[edit]
- Main article: VS. Dr. Mario
In 1990, Dr. Mario was made available for the VS. System arcade machine under the name VS. Dr. Mario. This version omits the Low speed and renames the Med (medium) speed to Norm (normal), and has varied scoring values.
Satellaview[edit]
- Main article: Dr. Mario BS Ban
A slightly altered version of Dr. Mario, known as Dr. Mario BS Ban (Ｄｒ．マリオＢＳ版), was broadcast for the Satellaview system between March 1997 and June 2000, using the same graphics and music as the Tetris & Dr. Mario version.
LodgeNet[edit]
This section is about a work that used to be available to the public, but is now partially or entirely inaccessible.
Details: As per The Cutting Room Floor,[22] the LodgeNet version is not dumped.
However, the subject is thoroughly documented here. Only remove this notice if the complete work is recovered and made available publicly.
In the late 1990s, Dr. Mario was made available for the LodgeNet, both as a stand-alone release and in Tetris & Dr. Mario. The former is reported to be the same as the Nintendo Power version, but both releases have not been dumped.
List of re-releases and ports[edit]
- 1990: Dr. Mario was made available for the Nintendo PlayChoice-10 arcade machine in North America.
- 1994: Nintendo released the remake for SNES, as a part of the Tetris & Dr. Mario cartridge.
- 2003: The original Famicom version is ported to Game Boy Advance through Nintendo Puzzle Collection, where that version requires a Game Boy Advance.
- 2004: Nintendo re-released the original Famicom and NES version for the Game Boy Advance, as part of the Classic NES Series.
- 2005: Nintendo again released Dr. Mario for Game Boy Advance, but this time as an enhanced remake in Dr. Mario & Puzzle League.
- 2011: On July 27, 2011, the Game Boy version was released on the Nintendo 3DS's Virtual Console in Japan. It was released in PAL regions and North America on April 22 and October 4 respectively the following year.
- 2014:
- Dr. Mario is one of the games that appear in NES Remix 2 and Ultimate NES Remix. It is the final challenge in Championship Mode.
- A trial version of the Game Boy game appears as an unlockable Masterpiece in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
- 2015: A trial version of the NES game appears as a "highlight" in amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits.
- 2016: The NES and Famicom version of Dr. Mario is one of the 30 games included in the NES Classic Edition and Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer, respectively.
- 2018: The Famicom and NES version of Dr. Mario was made available as one of the 20 NES titles at Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Classics's launch in September 2018, and can be played competitively with other players online.[23] A special edition titled Dr. Mario: The UFO cover-up. that starts the player at level 20 and Hi speed was also added on December 12, 2018.
- 2024: The Game Boy version of Dr. Mario was made available for Game Boy – Nintendo Classics on March 11, 2024 in the Americas and March 12 elsewhere, alongside the Game Boy Color versions of Mario Tennis and Mario Golf.
- 2026: The Game Boy version of Dr. Mario was made available in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons 3.0 update released on January 15, 2026,[24] exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers.[25]
- See also: Game Boy (New Horizons)
Microgames[edit]
WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$! featured a microgame version of Dr. Mario. There is also an unlockable mini game version entitled Dr. Wario.
Another microgame based on this game appeared in WarioWare Gold, with twist controls instead of Mega Microgames$!'s button controls.
Another microgame based on this game appeared in WarioWare: Move It!
Development[edit]
Dr. Mario was originally under the title "Virus", which had similar gameplay, but the goal was to cure viruses in a sick animal. What appears to be Nurse Toadstool is also visible in the game.[26] The yellow virus looked markedly different, having a trumpet-shaped downward pointing proboscis rather than the plump-cheeked mouth it has in the final.
References in later media[edit]
- During the May 2026 event, the Game Pak Special Decor Pikmin had the Famicom Game Pak version of Dr. Mario included, with the White Pikmin representing it, as well as T-shirts including the Famicom key artwork.[27] The White Pikmin's animation also has it briefly mimicking Dr. Mario's capsule holding image from the game.
Gallery[edit]
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Dr. Mario (game).
Multimedia[edit]
- For the complete list of media files for this subject, see Multimedia:Dr. Mario.
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