Mario Clash

This article is about the Virtual Boy game Mario Clash. For the microgame of the same name, see Mario Clash (microgame).

Mario Clash
American box art For alternate box art, see the related gallery.
Developer	Nintendo R&D1
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Virtual Boy, Virtual Boy - Nintendo Classics
Release dates	Virtual Boy: September 28, 1995 October 1, 1995 Virtual Boy - Nintendo Classics: TBA
Language	English
Genres	Platformer, action
Rating	ESRB: - Kids to Adults
Mode	Single player
Format	Nintendo Switch: Digital download Nintendo Switch 2: Digital download Virtual Boy: Game Pak
Input	Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Nintendo Switch 2: Joy-Con 2 Joy-Con Virtual Boy: Virtual Boy Controller
Serial code	VUE-VMCJ-JPN

Mario Clash is a game released for the Virtual Boy in 1995. It is also the first 3D stereoscopic game of the Super Mario franchise. The game is a return to the style of the arcade game Mario Bros., but it is for only one player.

The game will be re-released for the first time on Virtual Boy - Nintendo Classics for the Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2.

Story

From the instruction booklet:

The Clash House Tower has been invaded by bad guys! It's up to Mario to clear them out, throwing Koopa shells to knock them away. Take care as you battle in dangerous rooms of narrow ledges connected by pipes.

The game's introduction shows a skull-marked blimp depositing several passengers, implied to be the game's enemies, to an enormously tall tower, followed by a similarly skull-marked flag being raised atop the tower. The scene then pans down to the ground, where Mario enters the door, labeled "Clash Tower" above its entrance.

Gameplay

Mario battles Thornies by throwing Shells from the foreground to the background.

Each level consists of two layers, a foreground and a background, that are connected by Warp Pipes. When Mario enters the stage through the rope, he can decide which layer to start in. Each layer may have two floors or floating platforms between the two floors. Later levels have slippery icy platforms.

To beat each level, Mario must knock targeted enemies off the stage before the Time Limit runs out. Stomping on Koopas provides Mario with his only weapon, their shells. There are always two Koopas; if one gets knocked off, another one takes its place. Enemies and thrown Shells can travel through the pipes. Many enemies need to be hit from the side to stun them, thus Mario must throw Shells from the background to the foreground and vice-versa in order to hit them, but a Shell becomes lost if he misses. It is also possible to ricochet off multiple enemies this way. Stunned targets can be dispatched by kicking them or throwing a Shell at them again. However, all stunned enemies can recover, including the Koopa that Mario is holding. Also, the last target of each level moves faster. Stunning a target is worth 100 points, while dispatching one is worth 500. Defeating multiple enemies with a single throw gives bonus points.

The game allows the player to select any of the first 40 levels to start. After the player clears all 99 levels, the game loops back to Level 1, but all the enemies move faster. There is no true ending, but reaching the maximum number of points (999,999) awards the player a cutscene. Between some levels is the Bonus Chance where Mario can collect coins for extra points or get an extra life. The other method of getting extra lives is to accrue enough points. When this is achieved, a 1UP sign flies across the screen. If Mario hits it with a Shell, he gets a second extra life. This sign does not show up if the threshold is crossed during the Bonus Chance. It is also impossible to hit if it appears after Mario defeats the last target. There is no save function, and high scores are not recorded.

Enemies

Target
Enemy	Name	Debut	Information
	Spike	Level 1	Spikes are single-spiked turtles that can be defeated with a single Shell collision from any angle.
	Thorny	Level 3	Thornies are triple-spiked turtles that can be stunned only by hitting their sides.
	Para-Goomba	Level 6	Para-Goombas are slow hopping enemies that can be stunned only by hitting their sides.
	Lobb	Level 9	Lobbs are wheeled tank-like contraptions that throw Iron Balls at Mario strong enough to stop a Shell, and can be stunned only by hitting their sides.
	Sidestepper	Level 11	Sidesteppers are irritable crabs that must be hit in the front or back to damage them and then from the side to defeat them, with them first facing the side, then facing the screen after being hit once.
	Snake	Level 13	Snakes are reptiles that slowly bloat up before spitting a single egg, which hatches into another Snake; the Snakes can be stunned only by hitting their sides, and the eggs are destroyed by any sort of contact from Mario or a Shell.
	Big Boo	Level 15	Big Boos are ghosts that fly in a wavy pattern, occasionally becoming transparent, and can be stunned only by hitting their sides when they are not transparent.
	Pokey	Level 17	Pokeys are three-segmented cacti that can regenerate their lower segments; if just a head, they can be stunned only by hitting their sides, but when one is the final enemy, it moves extremely quickly.
Miscellaneous
Enemy	Name	Debut	Information
	Koopa	Level 1	Koopas are infinitely spawning paired enemies that can be jumped on unlike other enemies, allowing Mario to use their shells as projectiles.
	Fire	Level 1	Fires are spinning fireballs that spawn if Mario stays on the same level too long, moving with a simple wavy pattern, but can be destroyed with a Shell.
	Ice	Level 12	Ices are icicles that spawn from ceilings in icy levels and can be destroyed with a Shell, though they shatter upon hitting the ground anyway.

Items

• Mushroom – After Mario defeats 30 target enemies, a mushroom exits a pipe. Collecting the mushroom initiates Fever Time, a period that makes Mario's throw strong enough to defeat all enemies on contact and doubles points. Losing a Shell or losing a life ends Fever Time.
• Coin – In the Bonus Chance, collecting coins is worth 300 points each, and there is an extra life awarded for collecting all of them.

Cameos

Cameos from other Super Mario–series characters appear in a Nintendo border after every 100,000 points scored. In the Bonus Chance, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, Yoshi, and Toads appear in the bleachers.

Score	Cameo	Screenshot
100,000 points	Mario saying, "Good!"
200,000 points	Toad saying, "Great!"
300,000 points	Yoshi saying, "Wonderful!"
400,000 points	Luigi saying, "Marvelous!"
500,000 points	Wario saying, "Superb!"
600,000 points	Princess Toadstool saying, "Fantastic!"
700,000 points	Bowser saying, "Astonishing!"
800,000 points	Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. saying, "Amazing!"
900,000 points	A group photo of Mario, Luigi, and Toadstool saying, "Incredible!!"
999,999 points	An enemy cast roll holding white flags under the text "All right, that's it—you win!"

Staff

Main article: List of Mario Clash staff

Pre-release and unused content

The original title screen of Mario Bros. VB, with a screenshot of the 2D gameplay below

Mario Clash was originally a minigame in VB Mario Land. The game Mario Bros. VB itself was an earlier version of Mario Clash. It was shown as a demo game at the Shoshinkai expo in Japan, which took place on November 15 and 16, 1994. The Electronic Entertainment Expo in May 1995 revealed that the Mario Bros. minigame (which was previously known to be included in the VB Mario Land demo) was now being developed as a standalone game titled Mario Clash, which was planned to be released as a launch title for the Virtual Boy. For unknown reasons, there were no further reports of VB Mario Land being developed.

Reception

The game received mixed reviews. ScrewAttack named this video game "The second worst Super Mario video game of all time," while other reviews were more positive. The Video Game Critic gave it an A and called it a "must have for Virtual Boy owners."

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Clash.

• 

  Mario carrying a Shell

• 

  Koopa

• 

  Big Boo, Para-Goomba, Thorny, and Sidestepper

• 

  Fire

Multimedia

Mario Clash - Mario Bros. VB was first revealed at Shoshinkai 1994, where it was shown to be based on the classic Mario Bros.

File info 0:07

Opening - The music heard in the opening before the blimp appears

File info ​

Help:Media file • Having trouble playing?

References in later games

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!

• A microgame based on Mario Clash appears in 9-Volt's set of microgames.

WarioWare Gold

• The same microgame reappears in 5-Volt's set of microgames.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	マリオクラッシュ Mario Kurasshu	Mario Clash