Super Mario Bros.
Description
Super Mario Bros. is a single-player and multiplayer side-scrolling platform game.
The story follows the heroic brothers Mario and Luigi, who set out to rescue Princess Toadstool after she is kidnapped by Bowser, king of the Koopas. Bowser has invaded the Mushroom Kingdom, transforming its citizens into blocks, plants, and enemies using his dark magic. To restore peace, the brothers must travel across eight worlds filled with dangerous terrain and hostile creatures, ultimately facing Bowser himself in his fortified castles.
Gameplay is presented from a side-scrolling perspective, with each world divided into multiple stages. The player must guide Mario or Luigi to the end of each stage by running, jumping across gaps, and avoiding or defeating enemies. Levels conclude with a flagpole, and the height at which the flag is touched awards additional points. Stages include ground-based courses, underground areas, underwater sections, and fortress levels guarded by Bowser or his decoys.
A variety of power-ups aid the player’s progress. The Super Mushroom transforms Mario into Super Mario (Mario's larger form), allowing him to take an extra hit. The Fire Flower grants the ability to throw fireballs at enemies, while the Starman provides temporary invincibility. Coins scattered throughout the stages can be collected, with one extra life awarded for every hundred coins. Green 1-Up Mushrooms provide an immediate bonus life, while pits, enemy attacks, or running out of time result in losing one.
The game introduces warp zones, hidden pipes that allow players to skip ahead to later worlds. Secret bonus areas, often accessed through pipes or hidden blocks, contain extra coins and shortcuts. Enemy types include Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Buzzy Beetles, Lakitus, Cheep Cheeps, and Hammer Bros., each requiring different strategies to overcome. Bowser’s castle stages often feature hazards such as firebars and lava pits, ending in a battle where Bowser must be defeated or bypassed to rescue a captive Toad.
Multiplayer mode allows two players to alternate turns, with the first player controlling Mario and the second controlling Luigi. Each player continues from the same point until all lives are lost, after which the other resumes play.
Super Mario Bros. has been re-released many times, including as part of the Classic NES Series on Game Boy Advance, the Virtual Console services for Wii, 3DS, and Wii U, and the NES games available through Nintendo Switch Online. While each version preserves the core gameplay, some later editions include save states, online play, or minor graphical adjustments for modern hardware.