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Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

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Not to be confused with New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
North American box art for Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer Nintendo R&D 2
Publisher Nintendo
Platform(s) Game Boy Color, Virtual Console (Nintendo 3DS)
Release date Game Boy Color:
USA May 10, 1999[1][2]
Europe July 1, 1999[3]
Australia July 1, 1999[citation needed]
Japan March 1, 2000 (NP)[4]
3DS Virtual Console (Promotional Release):
Japan January 27, 2014[5]
Europe February 13, 2014
Australia February 13, 2014
3DS Virtual Console (Full Release):
Europe February 27, 2014
Australia February 28, 2014
USA December 25, 2014[6]
South Korea May 4, 2016
Genre Platformer
Rating(s)
ESRB:E - Everyone
PEGI:3 - Three years and older
CERO:A - All ages
ACB:G - General
Mode(s) 1–2 players
Media
Game Boy Color:
Game Pak
Nintendo 3DS:
Digital download
Input
Game Boy Color:
Nintendo 3DS:

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is a platform game released on the Game Boy Color in 1999 as a remake of the 1985 NES game Super Mario Bros., also including its 1986 Family Computer Disk System sequel, Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, as a hidden reward. It was released fourteen years after the original Super Mario Bros. The game was never released in Japan for the normal Game Boy Color Game Pak but rather the Nintendo Power cartridge. This game was initially released for the 3DS's Virtual Console in Japan, Europe, and Australia in 2014, as part of a special offer, and was later available to download for everyone in Europe, Australia, and North America with an added cost.[7]

The game received critical acclaim for a number of reasons, including bringing back the original Super Mario Bros. for a whole younger generation to experience, especially to a handheld that allowed players to enjoy Super Mario Bros. wherever they went, the inclusion of the previously rarely seen Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and the great abundance of featured unlockables.

This game also serves as a precursor for the Super Mario Advance series of rereleases, and Super Mario 64 DS as a classic title with additional features.

Story[edit]

The story for Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels are exactly the same as in their original releases, but present minor alterations. The plot follows like this, as detailed on the game's manual:[8]

Once upon a time, the peaceful Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by the Koopa, a tribe of turtles famous for their dark magic. These terrible terrapins transformed the peace loving Mushroom People into stones, bricks, and ironically, mushrooms, then set their own evil king on the throne. In the wake of the ghastly coup d'etat, the beautiful Mushroom Kingdom fell into ruin and despair.

It is said that only the daughter of the Mushroom King, Princess Toadstool, can break the evil spell and return the inhabitants of Mushroom kingdom to their normal selves.

But the King of the Koopas, knowing of this prophecy, kidnapped the lovely Princess and hid her away in one of his castles.

Word of the terrible plight of the Mushroom People quickly spread throughout the land, eventually reaching the ears of a humble plumber. The simple, yet valiant Mario vowed to rescue the Princess and free her subjects from King Koopa's tyrannous reign. But can Mario really overcome the many obstacles facing him and become a true hero?

Controls[edit]

  • A Button: Jump
  • B Button: Sprint/Fire (Fire Mario)
  • +Control Pad: Move
  • Start Button: Pause / Select option
  • Select Button: Choose options
  • (Hold) +Control Pad + B Button: Run

Game modes[edit]

Title Screen of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
The title screen

Original 1985[edit]

This is the first mode of the game that the player will encounter. It is a nearly exact replica of the 1985 edition of Super Mario Bros., having only a few changes. The player will once again have to travel through eight worlds, each containing four levels. There are three save files to choose from. The player can use Start Button to either save or quit the game.

Differences between versions[edit]

  • The game physics are somewhat tighter than in the original version.
  • The player begins a game with five lives, instead of just three like the original game (as in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World). They may also begin with ten lives with the Fortune Teller.
  • Many glitches from the original game were fixed for Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. As such, well-known glitches such as the Minus World glitch cannot be performed, although the Small Fire Mario glitch can be done in the Japanese version of the game.[9]
  • The player can save the game at any time. As in the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, the game saves the current level, rather than just the current world.
  • A world map has been added for each world, displaying the player's progress in the game.
    • On a similar note, after beating a castle in each world, a brief cinematic is shown of Mario jumping repeatedly on a castle to make it collapse, similar to in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World.
  • Due to the lack of a 2-Player mode, the player can switch between Mario and Luigi during the game by pressing the Select Button button on the world map.
  • Water in ground courses and lava are animated. In the original version, they were a static part of the background.
  • Princess Toadstool and Toad have talking animations. Additionally, when Peach is rescued in the final castle levels, she approaches Mario or Luigi and gives him a kiss after thanking him (with her either kneeling down or standing on her toes to kiss them depending on whether they are in small form or in Super/Fire form when they rescue her).
  • The first sentence of Toad's dialogue has a comma added after "you".
  • Luigi's sprite palette has been changed. In the original version, Luigi wore a white hat and a green shirt with white overalls, and Fire Luigi looked identical to Fire Mario. In Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, Luigi's palette was changed to reflect that of Mario's. As such, Luigi has Mario's palette, but with green instead of red, and Fire Luigi has his original normal colors, but with a darker green.
  • Similarly, the grey Cheep-cheeps now appear green. The grey appearance in the original is actually due to graphics with the typical "green" palette appearing as grey underwater.
  • Various sounds were added for various actions that were silent in the original. For instance, the Jumping Board makes sounds when Mario jumps on it, a sound is made whenever Lakitu tosses a Spiny Egg, Mario makes skidding sounds when he reverses while walking (much like in Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels), Cheep-cheeps make a noise before they jump, and finally, just as in the Super Mario All-Stars version, a chime or buzz will sound depending on whether Mario takes the correct path in Worlds 4-4 and 7-4.
  • Because the Game Boy Color has a smaller screen resolution than the NES, the visible playing space is cropped, which results in some course elements being off-screen that would be on-screen in the original. This adds a degree of difficulty in some stages like World 1-3, but to compensate, the player is able to backtrack in the course a little bit, and can adjust the camera by pressing up or down on +Control Pad or Select Button.
    • Due to this, the HUD is also condensed:
      • Only the score, coins, and time are shown during levels. Mario's/Luigi's lives and current level are now shown on the new Pause screen.
      • The score lacks redundant zeroes at the left of numbers.
      • The word "Time" is replaced by a small clock symbol.
  • Much like in Super Mario All-Stars, if the player ran out of time as Fire Mario, then the resulting dead Mario sprite will not have Fire Mario's colors.

Challenge[edit]

Challenge Mode
Mario finding a Red Coin in Challenge mode.
Challenge Mode
Mario finding the hidden Yoshi Egg of World 1-1 in Challenge mode.

This mode allows the player to travel through any one of the 32 levels of Super Mario Bros. of their choosing, only this time, the player must collect Red Coins and Yoshi Eggs, and try to get higher scores to unlock Medals. The player can also unlock additional pictures and awards to view in the Toy Box if they do exceptionally well. In each level, five Red Coins are hidden, either replacing some regular coins (including some in Coin Blocks), or in new locations. The Yoshi Egg is in an invisible block that is hidden somewhere in the level; the player may get a clue as to where Yoshi Eggs are hidden by choosing Yoshi in the Toy Box. High scores may be attained through the usual methods, with each level having a target score that awards a Score Medal. The targets are lower in the Japanese version of the game. There are some differences in scoring between Challenge Mode and the original game:

  • 1-up Mushrooms are worth 2,000 points.
  • If the player would ordinarily receive a 1-Up from kicking a shell or stomping an enemy, they will receive 10,000 points instead.
  • If an infinite 1-Up stomp trick is used, such as at the staircase at the end of 3-1, the Koopa Troopa or Buzzy Beetle will be killed after the 10,000 point bonus is earned.
  • If the player gets every coin in a Bonus Stage, the screen will display "Perfect Bonus" and award 10,000 points.

Additionally, the score from each level is summed and displayed on the level select screen with a progress bar, which completely fills at 1,160,000 points (much higher than the total of all required scores for Score Medals). Filing the bar will earn the player an award.

Super Mario Bros. for Super Players[edit]

The title screen for Super Mario Bros. For Super Players
Title screen

After earning a total of 300,000 points in Original 1985 mode, the Super Mario Bros. for Super Players mode is unlocked. This mode is a remake of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and unlike the "Original 1985" mode, it only has one save slot.

Some adjustments were made from the original game. Worlds 9 through D are left unused in the game (though they do exist in the ROM). The wind feature and Luigi's unique physics were also removed; as such, the game was modified so that some jumps were actually possible. Nearly all the modifications from the Super Mario Bros. port are present, including the graphics, but with different palettes.

High Scores[edit]

By utilizing the Game Boy Color infrared port, two players can view and exchange each other's high scores on levels and game modes. Because the Nintendo 3DS uses different infrared technology from the Game Boy Color, it is not possible to exchange scores in the Virtual Console version.

You VS. Boo[edit]

The You VS. Boo mode of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
You VS. Boo menu

After earning a total of 100,000 points in Original 1985 mode, the You VS. Boo mode is unlocked. This mode is extremely similar to VS Game in multiplayer, only this time, the player must race against a Boo. The Boo has a major advantage over the player, as it can pass through walls and obstacles without slowing down. However, the player is given option to start the race as Super Mario or Fire Mario by pressing the Select Button button. The player will then have to race against the Boo on a particular stage. Each stage is modeled after a certain level in the game, only with some modifications. Springboards and blocks inhabit the courses mostly, as the player is required to utilize these to traverse the course successfully.

If the Bros. do so, Boo floats away and is replaced with a Green Boo. This Green Boo moves much faster than its predecessor, and if it is defeated, it ventures off and is replaced by a still-faster Red Boo.

Eventually, if the Red Boo is defeated in a race, a final Black Boo challenges the player. This Boo does not have a set speed but instead will match the player's best time. Beating this Boo will do nothing but make him faster the next time he is challenged by the player.

The personal best time for a respective level can also be deleted, which will revert Boo into his weakest white form.

Notably, all of the Boos race according to the player's best time, so a Boo of one color will get harder to beat after each defeat. Essentially, each of the four Boo colors merely indicate a certain level of difficulty; the change between Boos occurs upon beating a particular time that depends on the respective level. Therefore, it is also possible to skip the next Boo color faced if the player finishes a level at a fast enough speed.

VS Game[edit]

This mode is almost the same as You VS. Boo, but it is not available on the 3DS Virtual Console port, due to no multiplayer support. By utilizing the Game Boy Color Link, two players can race head-to-head on a particular level. The levels are laid out identically to those featured in You VS. Boo mode. It is necessary to play this mode at least once to unlock certain graphics in the Album. Only two differences can be found between VS Game and You VS. Boo:

  • Boo will not be found on any level as competition.
  • The players can use the rearranging blocks to complicate the level for their opponent.

Toy Box[edit]

The Toy Box contains a large variety of different toys for the player to use. The majority of the items in the Toy Box must be unlocked, generally through game completion.

Fortune Teller[edit]

Fortune Teller
The main screen for the Fortune Teller.

The Fortune Teller is a bonus mode that is accessible from the very start of the game. The player enters the Fortune Teller, pick a random card, and receive a fortune. There are five different varieties of fortunes: Extremely Lucky, Very Lucky, Lucky, Unlucky, and Extremely Unlucky. The only way that the Fortune Teller can actually affect gameplay is if the player receives an Extremely Lucky fortune and starts a new file; they start the new game with 10 lives, instead of just five.

Mystery Room[edit]

The Mystery Room (or ? Room) is perhaps the most well-developed secret in the Toy Box. It contains a total of eight different options for the player to choose from. Each must be unlocked by rescuing a captive from a castle in Original 1985 mode. Whenever a Toad (or Princess Peach, as the case may be) is rescued from a castle, they will show up in the Mystery Room.

  • World 1-4 Toad: Shows the player banners to print out on the Game Boy Printer.
  • World 2-4 Toad: Shows the player animations.
  • World 3-4 Toad: Shows the player banners to print out on the Game Boy Printer.
  • World 4-4 Toad: Shows the player animations.
  • World 5-4 Toad: Shows the player various graphics available for printing.
  • World 6-4 Toad: Shows the player a certain mode that allows them to create a sort of story.
  • World 7-4 Toad: Shows the player banners to print out on the Game Boy Printer.
  • Princess Peach: Shown an introduction screen editor where the player can replace the "Super Mario Bros: since 1985." title screen with different images, and add custom text. Can also be used to change the song heard in the title screen.

Calendar[edit]

Calendar
The Calendar

The Calendar is the only other feature that is located in the Toy Box to be accessible from the very start of the game. The main function of the calendar is to keep track of the days. The player could mark certain days on the calendar if they were a specific event, such as a birthday. The player can only mark 12 dates on the whole calendar. If the player wants to try to mark another, one of the dates has to be erased. It always has the same music as the Main Menu music.

Yoshi Is Here![edit]

By finding at least one Yoshi Egg in Challenge Mode, the player will unlock "Yoshi Is Here!", an optional feature helps the player find other Yoshi Eggs in various levels of Challenge Mode. It operates like a roulette, flashing random levels at a high speed. When the player presses A Button, the screens will stop flipping. A brief snapshot will be shown of an area in a specified level, indicating that the level's Yoshi Egg can be found there; it is often near an object that did not appear in the original level. This mode has the same music as the Mystery Room menu.

Album[edit]

Awards[edit]

Image How to unlock In-game comment
Album Book Artwork
Bowser Award
Complete the Second Quest of Super Mario Bros. You finished the Star courses!
Album Book Artwork
Mario Award
Beat World 8-4 of Super Mario Bros. Hooray! You cleared World 8-4!
Album Book Artwork
Peach Award
Get all Red Coins, High Score Medals, and Yoshi Eggs in Challenge Mode You received all Challenge Medals!
Album Book Artwork
Toad Award
Fill the total score meter on Challenge Mode (1,160,000 points) You exceeded the Challenge Score!
Album Book artwork of Yoshi
Yoshi Award
Beat World 8-4 of Super Mario Bros. for Super Players You completed the Extra Courses!

Printable icons[edit]

Every printable icon is unlocked when Mario or Luigi rescue a Toad in World 5-4 of the "Original 1985" mode (Super Mario Bros.). They can be printed from the Game Boy Printer.

Pictures[edit]

Image How to unlock In-game comment
Album Book Artwork Make the Fireworks Show go off on at least one level A Fireworks Show just for you!
Album Book Artwork Collect a 1-up Mushroom All right! You got a 1-up Mushroom!
Album Book Artwork Climb a beanstalk and enter a Bonus Stage You found the Bonus Stage!
Album Book Artwork Play multiplayer mode with a friend once. This image is permanently locked in the 3DS Virtual Console port. You played your first VS GAME!
Album Book Artwork Complete Super Mario Bros. You're a hero! You rescued Peach!
Album Book Artwork Use the infrared link at least once. This image is permanently locked in the 3DS Virtual Console port. You traded High Scores! Way to go!
Album Book Artwork Find all Red Coins in Challenge mode Good job! You got all the Red Coins!
Album Book Artwork Get all the High Score Medals in Challenge mode You got all the High Score medals!
Album Book Artwork Find all of the Yoshi Eggs in Challenge mode Wow! You found all the Yoshi Eggs!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Goomba You stomped a Goomba!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Bloober Way to go! You beat a Bloober!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Lakitu You knocked Lakitu off his cloud!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Cheep-cheep You beat a Cheep-cheep! Nice work!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Hammer Bro You defeated the Hammer Bros!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Bullet Bill You stomped Bullet Bill! All right!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Koopa Troopa Great! You toppled a Koopa Troopa!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Spiny You defeated a Spiny! Yippee!
Album Book Artwork Defeat a Buzzy Beetle Good job! You beat a Buzzy Beetle!
Album Book Artwork Defeat the first four fake Bowsers with fireballs in Super Mario Bros. The player unlocks a quarter of the picture for each Bowser defeated with fireballs. You blazed the first 4 Bowsers!
Artwork of Mario and Luigi shaking hands as shown in the Photo Album of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Defeat the last three fake Bowsers and the real Bowser with fireballs in Super Mario Bros. The player unlocks a quarter of the picture for each Bowser defeated with fireballs. You blazed the last 4 Bowsers!

Story Mode artwork[edit]

All of the Story Mode artwork is unlocked when Mario or Luigi rescue the Toad in World 6-4 of the "Original 1985" mode (Super Mario Bros.). These images can be printed with the Game Boy Printer.

Game Boy Printer banners[edit]

Each banner is unlocked by rescuing a Toad from one of the castle levels.

Image How to unlock
Banner Rescue the Toad in the first castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the first castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the first castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the first castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the first castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the third castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the third castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the third castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the third castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the third castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the seventh castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the seventh castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the seventh castle of Super Mario Bros.
Banner Rescue the Toad in the seventh castle of Super Mario Bros.

Staff[edit]

Main article: List of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe staff

Original Game Design[edit]

Producer[edit]

  • Masayuki Uemura
  • Kazuhiko Taniguchi

Supervisor[edit]

  • Shigeru Miyamoto
  • Takashi Tezuka
  • Toshihiko Nakago

Regional differences[edit]

The Challenge mode score for some levels, such as World 1-1, is higher in English versions (left) than the Japanese version (right).
The Challenge mode score for some levels, such as World 1-1, is higher in English versions (left) than the Japanese version (right).
The Challenge mode score for some levels, such as World 1-1, is higher in English versions (left) than the Japanese version (right).

The Japanese version was released nearly a year after the North American and European versions, and features some enhancements over earlier versions.

  • In the Japanese release, when the player unlocks new album photos, a red and yellow-flashing icon reading "NEW" is shown next to the album icon from the mode select screen.
  • The photo fragments on pages 4 and 5 of the album are not unlocked by using fireballs to defeat the fake Bowsers and Bowser in original mode. Instead, the eight fragments are rewarded for every four Red Coins collected in Challenge mode.
  • The Ranking scoreboard plays the same theme from when printing from a Game Boy Printer.
  • In the Japanese release, when saving the game progress, Mario and Luigi's current form and the player's current score are also saved. In the English version, when reopening a game, Mario and Luigi return to their small form, and their score is reset to zero.
  • From the pause menu, if the player saves their game with a score high enough for the Records table, a large starburst saying "RANK IN!" appears.
  • Some names on the Ranking screen were changed to their romanized Japanese name.
    • "BOWSER" was changed to "KOOPA".
    • "BOO" was changed to "TERESA".
    • "LAKITU" was changed to "JUGEMU".
    • "TROOPA" was changed to "NOKO2" (short for Koopa Troopa's Japanese name, Nokonoko). The "2" of the Ranking name is white, while "NOKO" is colored green.
    • "TOAD" was replaced by "PAKKUN", the Japanese name for Piranha Plant.
    • "GOOMBA" was changed to "KURIBO".
  • In the Japanese release, the Ranking scores can be reset if the player presses Start Button.
  • The Boo in the "You VS. Boo" mode was renamed to simply Ghost and has a different graphic.
  • The record time for each level in "You VS. Boo" is saved.
  • In Challenge mode, the minimum points requirement was changed for each of the first four worlds' levels, except World 2-3 and World 3-4.

Reception[edit]

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe was very well-received by both fans and critics.

Reviews
Release Reviewer, Publication Score Comment
Game Boy Color Cameron Davis, GameSpot 9.9/10 "It looks like we finally have the "killer app" for the Game Boy Color, then. Worth buying a GBC just to play. Well done, Nintendo - now, where's Zelda and Metroid...?"
Game Boy Color Craig Harris, IGN 10/10 "Super Mario Bros. remains one of my top 10 favorite games of all-time, even though it's almost a decade and a half old. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is such a perfect translation, it makes me wonder if it's easy to port NES games to the Game Boy Color. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is the Game Boy Color-specific game to own, hands down, and will be the title that, hopefully, will key a revolution of porting NES games to the handheld system. Buy this game. Now."
Nintendo 3DS Marcel van Duyn, Nintendo Life 6/10 "All in all, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is both a hit and a miss. The newly added features and included edition of Lost Levels give you some bang for your buck, but the decreased field of vision — a throwback to the Game Boy Color's small screen — hinders enjoyment of all modes quite a lot. To those who have played the original game and are interested in Deluxe's bonuses — or to those who got the game as a freebie — this is quite a nice little experience, but to anybody simply looking to get a portable version of Super Mario Bros., the already available original NES version is probably the smarter option."
Aggregators
Compiler Platform / Score
GameRankings 92.63%

Sales[edit]

The game sold about 2.8 million copies in the United States.[10]

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Super Mario Bros. Deluxe.

Media[edit]

Audio.svg Title
File infoMedia:SMBDX Title.oga
Audio.svg Main Menu / Calendar
File infoMedia:SMBDX Main Menu & Calendar.oga
Audio.svg Select File / Challenge Menu / Toy Box
File infoMedia:SMBDX Select File-Challenge Menu-Toy Box.oga
Audio.svg Overworld Theme
File infoMedia:SMBDX Overworld Theme.oga
Audio.svg Underground Theme
File infoMedia:SMBDX Underground Theme.oga
Audio.svg Underwater Theme
File infoMedia:SMBDX Underwater Theme.oga
Audio.svg Castle Theme
File infoMedia:SMBDX Castle Theme.oga
Audio.svg Invincibility
File infoMedia:SMBDX Invincibility.oga
Audio.svg Level Clear
File infoMedia:SMBDX Level Clear.oga
Audio.svg Castle Clear
File infoMedia:SMBDX Castle Clear.oga
Audio.svg Lose a Life
File infoMedia:SMBDX Lose Life.oga
Audio.svg Ending
File infoMedia:SMBDX Ending.oga
Audio.svg Credits (Super Players mode)
File infoMedia:SMBDX Credits.oga
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

Trivia[edit]

  • A 2001 patent filed by Nintendo for a gaming smartphone used Super Mario Bros. Deluxe as an example of a built-in game. The patent called the game "Super Mario DX".[11]
  • Mario's in-game sprite still wears the same colored attire for his shirt and overalls as he did in the original; Luigi wears a new dark/light green outfit while his original colored attire is now Fire Luigi's outfit. However, the game's artwork and cutscenes depict Mario and Luigi wearing the standard colors of their shirts and overalls since Super Mario Bros. 3.

References[edit]

External links[edit]