Super Mario Bros. Special

Super Mario Bros. Special (スーパーマリオブラザーズ スペシャル) was developed by Hudson Soft and released in 1986 for the NEC-PC8801 and Sharp X1 series of Japanese PCs. Special was the first Nintendo-licensed follow-up to Super Mario Bros., released shortly before Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels. Two years earlier, Hudson Soft had released Punch Ball Mario Bros. and Mario Bros. Special.

While superficially very similar to the original Super Mario Bros., the game features original levels and lacks a screen-scrolling mechanism. Jumping and running physics also differ from the original, providing a more challenging experience than Super Mario Bros.. Adding to the difficulty is the fact that the level timer runs much faster than in the NES/Famicom game. Returning was Mario's Hammer from Donkey Kong, alongside a variety of past foes from earlier arcade Mario titles, and new, exclusive items.

Due to the PC88's technology being slightly inferior to that of the NES/Famicom, the graphics and audio differ slightly from the original NES game as well, although they are closely replicated. Additionally, the game does not include Luigi or a multiplayer mode.

The Sharp X1 version contains partial scrolling and slightly more colorful graphics, containing actual greens and whites. While the PC88 is able to produce all eight colors the Sharp X1 can and use dithering to provide additional colors into one pixel (the Sharp X1 does not have this feature), Special only uses half of the PC88's hardware palette, restricted to only black, red, yellow, and blue.

New Enemies
Hudson's staff took these enemies from earlier Mario games, none of which can be stomped, and provided them with new names:


 * Tarusar (Barrel) - Originally from Donkey Kong. Can be defeated with a hammer or a bump from below.
 * Sigebou (Fire) - Originally from Donkey Kong.
 * Chokichoki (Sidestepper) - Originally from Mario Bros. Can be defeated with a fireball or a bump.
 * Nakaji (Fighter Fly) - Originally from Mario Bros. Can be defeated with a fireball or a bump.
 * Tsurara (Icicle) - Originally from Mario Bros. Can be defeated with a fireball.

New items
All the items listed are exclusive to Special and give 1,000 points upon pickup unless otherwise noted.


 * Hachisuke (a.k.a. Hu-Bee) - The bee from the Hudson Soft logo. If Mario finds this item, he will be awarded 8,000 points. Found in World 1-1.
 * Hammer - The same power-up from Donkey Kong. It even behaves similarly. Found in Worlds 3-4 and 5-1.
 * Clock - Upon picking this up, Mario will get an additional 100 seconds added to the timer. Found in World 8-3.
 * Wing - Collecting this causes Mario to briefly act as if he is swimming in the air. Found in Worlds 3-2 and 4-1.
 * Lucky Star - Resembles an atom. If Mario collects it, all the enemies on-screen will be defeated and award their normal point values (as if hit by a Star). Found in World 4-1.

Programmed By

 * Yukio-Takeoka

Course-Designed By

 * Ichirou-Sakurada

Sound Effected By

 * Fumihiko-Itagaki
 * Megumi-Kawamata

Produced By

 * Takashi-Takebe