Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. is a Game & Watch game that was released on November 13, 2020, as part of the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. The system allows the player to play Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and a Mario-themed version of Ball with Mario or Luigi as the main character, and like the original Game & Watch systems, it also features a digital clock, which is displayed through 35 different animations. It is the first Game & Watch handheld since 1991's Mario the Juggler released 29 years prior, and as a reference to the Game & Watch systems' screen types, it is advertised as featuring a "Color Screen" on the packaging.
Although the game itself does not have any 35th-anniversary missions on the My Nintendo site, the November issue of the monthly newsletter that announced its release included a redeemable code that was required for completing both the standard My Nintendo mission and the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary website-related mission.
The digital clock is displayed in the Super Mario Bros. aesthetic, although some of the animations feature characters from other Mario games. The digits and colon are made of blocks and are occasionally interacted with by the characters, and the seconds are counted by a black dot that moves clockwise around the screen and beeps every second, turning red every five seconds. The "level" in which the clock takes place consists of flat ground with a Warp Pipe on the right side, while the time of day in the level changes according to the clock. The player can toggle between three level themes by pressing the TIME button again: the ground theme from World 1-1, the sky theme with tree-like platforms from World 1-3, and the sky theme with Mushroom Platforms from World 4-3.
The clock's main animation involves an AI-controlled Mario walking from left to right across the screen, reappearing from the left when he walks offscreen to the right, while Goombas periodically drop from the sky on the right side. Mario automatically avoids enemies, though he may inadvertently jump on them or take damage. If Mario is defeated by an enemy, he simply respawns back at the same location. Occasionally, the colon's bottom block may turn into a ? Block containing a coin, Super Mushroom, or Super Star, which Mario tries to collect. When it is a new minute on the clock, Mario stands underneath the digit and hits it, causing it to break or drop offscreen and replacing it with the new digit.
If the player presses the + Control Pad or the A or B buttons, a green Koopa Troopa drops from the sky on the left side, though only while there are fewer than five enemies onscreen. During the last 20 seconds of the current minute, red Koopa Paratroopas spawn from the colon's top block and fly into the sky instead, and they do not affect Mario. If the player tries to set the time, a Lakitu holding a wrench appears, and after the player sets the time, it drops the wrench in a similar manner to a Spiny Egg. At random points, a second Warp Pipe may appear from underneath Mario on the left and he faces the screen; Mario's sprite when he does this is not present in the original Super Mario Bros.
If the player presses and holds the A Button for five seconds, they can listen to the Mario Drawing Song. The song's lyrics are available in English, Japanese, German, French, Italian, Spanish, and Dutch, which are selected from the title screen that appears after the player presses/holds the A Button. Due to an error that was acknowledged by Nintendo a few days prior to the system's release,[8] selecting the German, French, Italian, and Spanish versions of the song display lyrics in the incorrect language by default, instead displaying the Italian, German, Spanish, and French lyrics, respectively. However, it is possible to change the language of the lyrics in the middle of the song by pressing left and right on the + Control Pad.
The digital clock features special animations that may play out while it is active. Most of them play at random points during a certain hour, while some of them play when the clock displays the same digits. With the exception of the transitions between hours and animations involving a different area, each animation lasts for one minute. A special animation playing is indicated by the second dot flashing and its beeps echoing.
Two Boos from Super Mario World float from left to right above Mario. When he randomly turns to face them, they stop and cover their eyes. As Boos do not originally do this in Super Mario World, the sprite for this action is new.
The colon's bottom block contains a Fire Flower. After Mario hits the block, a Trampoline appears, and he uses it to collect the Fire Flower. As Fire Mario, Mario occasionally shoots fireballs at enemies.
3:33 a.m. and p.m.
A Hammer Bro appears on the right and throws hammers at Mario.
Mario enters the Warp Pipe and arrives at a castle with a fake Bowser. After Mario touches the axe and defeats him, he enters a Warp Pipe in the next room and emerges out of the same Warp Pipe in the main area. The digits are a reference to the original release date of Super Mario Bros., September 13.
After the clock strikes midnight, the screen scrolls to the right to show Mario climbing the stairs towards the Goal Pole, of which he reaches the top, replicating the animation seen at the end of non-castle levels. He then meets Princess Peach at the fortress, which both of them enter before the screen returns to the clock.
Midnight
Yoshi, a Blue Yoshi, and a Yellow Yoshi from Super Mario World appear and change the digits instead of Mario. Mario instead hits the colon's bottom block, with the number of hits corresponding to the number of the new hour, releasing a coin while its sound effect plays each time. If it is 12:59 changing to 1:00, a Red Yoshi appears as well to change the hour's ten digit.
New hour
Mario enters the Warp Pipe and arrives at the bonus room from World 1-1. When Mario enters the Warp Pipe at the end, he emerges out of the same Warp Pipe in the main area.
Half past (a.m.)
Mario enters the Warp Pipe and arrives at an underwater sub-area with coins. When Mario enters the Warp Pipe at the end, he emerges out of the same Warp Pipe in the main area.
Half past (p.m.)
A vine may appear from breaking the minute's one digit, and Mario climbs it and arrives at the Coin Heaven from World 2-1. After leaving, he returns to the main area.
If the Game & Watch is left idle for three minutes while unplugged, it enters sleep mode to save battery. Before it does, one of five pieces of artwork depicting Mario characters briefly appears onscreen, which changes depending on the device's activity prior to entering sleep mode. All artwork with Mario and Luigi, as well as a Piranha Plant and a Buzzy Beetle, depicts them in the same color scheme as their in-game sprites, while a Lava Bubble is seen with its in-game eyeless appearance and a Hammer Bro and a Koopa Troopa are seen with their in-game shoeless appearance.
Artwork shown while on Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
Artwork shown while on Ball
Artwork shown while the digital clock is between noon to 1:00 p.m.
Artwork shown while the digital clock is between 11:00 p.m. to midnight
Artwork shown while the digital clock is at any other time
In terms of character movement in Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, the controls are the same as in the original NES versions.
+Control Pad – Select option
Left/right – Move arms left and right (Ball); select NORMAL/HARD mode (Super Mario Bros. title screen after clearing the game)[9]
GAME – Select game
TIME – Switch to digital clock
PAUSE/SET – Pause/unpause the game and open/close the menu to view battery life, adjust volume/brightness, and set the time
A Button – Confirm selected option; move arms right (Ball)
Holding this down on the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels title screen grants the player infinite lives (except for World 9).[9]
Holding this down on the Ball title screen changes the character to Luigi.[9]
B Button – Close menu; move arms left (Ball); select world (Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels title screen);[9] select Worlds A to D (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels title screen after clearing the game eight times)[9]
SS: Silver series • GS: Gold series • WS: Wide Screen • MS: Multi Screen • TT: Table Top • PS: Panorama Screen • NWS: New Wide Screen • MVS: Micro VS. System • CrS: Crystal Screen • Sp: Special • CoS: Color Screen
- Everyone
- Three years and older
- All ages
- General
- Six years and older
- Three years and older
- Three years and older
