Dr. Mario (video game)
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| Dr. Mario | |
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo R&D1 |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Designer(s) | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Composer(s) | Hirokazu Tanaka. ex |
| Engine | Super Mario Bros. |
| Platform(s) | NES, SNES, Game Boy, Game Boy Advance |
| Release date(s) | JPNJuly 27, 1990 NAOctober, 1990 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle game |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) (GBA, Wii) |
Dr. Mario (Dr. マリオ) is an arcade-style puzzle video game produced by Nintendo. It was originally released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy in 1990. Its play mechanics are compared to Tetris.[1] In this game, Dr. Mario throws vitamins that the player must align in order to destroy the viruses that populate the playing field (designed to resemble a medicine bottle).
U.S. Patent 5,265,888 covers Dr. Mario, but as of 2004, Nintendo has not enforced it against amateur software developers.
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[edit] Gameplay
A puzzle game similar to Tetris, Dr. Mario features Nintendo mascot Mario as a doctor. Gameplay consists of dropping two-sided vitamin capsules into an eight-block-by-16-block playing field populated by viruses of three colors (red, yellow, and blue).
There are six types of capsules, each one being a combination of two of the three possible colors. The player must rotate and position these capsules on top of and alongside the viruses and other capsules in an effort to eliminate the viruses. Both viruses and capsules are eliminated when four or more objects of corresponding color are placed in a row or column. A player completes a level by eliminating all viruses on the playing field. The game will end if any capsules obstruct the bottle's narrow neck at the top row of the field.
When the game is first started, a selection board is shown with several options to modify: level, speed, and music. The player can start at any one of 21 distinct levels (0-20), with levels up to 40 accessible by those who can clear level 20. Levels are differentiated by virus counts, ranging from four at level 0 to 84 at levels 20 and higher. Above level 20, each level starts with 84 viruses, thus levels do not increase in difficulty past level 20. Much like Nintendo's version of Tetris, the player may choose a level of difficulty to start, which is the game's general speed and can be set to either Low, Medium, or High. Choosing the speed determines the game's background color; the Low option making it dark green, Medium being blue, and High being gray. Two kinds of music can be chosen: Fever and Chill, with also the option of None.
The Game Boy version of the game is nearly identical to its NES counterpart. In keeping with the technical limitations of the device, the game features a playfield measuring eight-blocks by 15-blocks and viruses of black, white, and gray. In addition, levels increase in difficulty after level 20 and may be impossible. The Fever song was updated with a few extra musical notes and a slightly faster tempo.
[edit] Rewards
At five level intervals, there is cut scene that shows the viruses sitting atop a large tree. Music plays in the background, and after a short delay an object will fly across the screen as the viruses watch. The objects change at each interval and also depends on the speed setting (Low speed does nothing and goes straight to the next level). After level 20 on High (the last scene awarded to the player), the most grandiose scene occurs and the viruses are actually affected by what is happening above them.
[edit] Versus
Two player gameplay in either version consists of two side-by-side playfields that can be level-adjusted according to the strength of each player. The first player to win three games wins the match. The objective is to be the first to clear the viruses or to block the opponent's field to the top.
An added element is the ability to "rain" down blocks into the opponent's playfield by clearing two, three, or four separate lines with a single vitamin (additional branches of vitamin drops which exceed four lines cleared will be disregarded). An alternative method to raining four blocks is to clear four separate lines with two vitamins within the time between your opponents' current vitamin and his next vitamin (two quick double-line clearances, in other words).
The colors of pills rained down upon the opponent correlates to the colors of the lines cleared. Again, a clearance of more than four lines in this respect will be disregarded.
[edit] Characters
The viruses have never been given any formal names, and are known simply as "Red Virus," "Blue Virus," and "Yellow Virus". The Nintendo Comics System (a series of comics produced by Valiant) included an issue called "The Doctor Is In... Over His Head," which depicts a story of Dr. Mario based on the original NES and original Game Boy titles. The comic names the blue virus "Chill," the red "Fever," and the yellow "Weird." These names were later used in Dr. Mario 64.
[edit] Games
- Dr. Mario (Famicom/NES and Game Boy - 1990)
- Tetris & Dr. Mario (Super Famicom/Super NES - 1994), which introduced a computer-controlled opponent in multiplayer mode.
- Dr. Mario BS Version (Ｄｒ．マリオＢＳ版) (Satellaview - 1997) - First broadcast in March 1997, this game is notable as the last game ever to be broadcast to the Satellaview before it was discontinued in June 2000.
- Dr. Mario 64 (Nintendo 64 - 2001), which introduced the single-player story mode and 3-player/4-player competitive modes.
- Nintendo GameCube Preview Disc (Game Boy Advance - 2003) - This disc contained a full version of Dr. Mario (NES) that could be transferred to a Game Boy Advance using a Nintendo GameCube Game Boy Advance Cable.
- Nintendo Puzzle Collection (Nintendo GameCube - 2003) - Japan only. There was also an option to play a port of the Famicom version on the GBA.
- Dr. Mario (Game Boy Advance - 2004) - Re-released as part of the Classic NES Series.
- Dr. Mario & Puzzle League (Game Boy Advance - 2005)
- Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! (Nintendo DS - 2005) features an unlockable mode called "Virus Buster", which is a simplified version of Dr. Mario.[2]
- Dr. Mario Online Rx (Wii, through WiiWare - 2008)
- Dr. Mario Express (DSiWare - 2009) Version of Dr. Mario Online Rx without multi-player.
[edit] Other appearances
- In the Super Mario Adventures comic Mario dressed up as a doctor, but was pretending to be a psychiatrist. The viruses also made a cameo as guests at Bowser's wedding.
- In WarioWare MegaMicrogame$ there is a mode called Dr. Wario which shows Wario in Dr. Mario's suit. The gameplay is the same, although the only music played is "Chill."
- Dr. Mario was an unlockable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee.
- In the movie Dr. Giggles, there is a scene that has a character playing Dr. Mario.
[edit] Reception
Dr. Mario was rated the 134th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.[3]
Dr. Mario was also rated by ScrewAttack as the Seventh Best 'Mario' game of all time.[4]
[edit] References
- ^ A UK magazine wrote: "Describing how the game works is best done by taking Tetris, adding Connect 4 and throwing in Dominoes." (Dillon, Tony (November 1990), "Dr Mario", ACE (38): 91)
- ^ cabel.name: On Brain Training
- ^ "NP Top 200", Nintendo Power 200: 58–66, February 2006.
- ^ Gametrailers.com - ScrewAttack - Top Ten Mario Games
[edit] External links
- Dr. Mario (Game Boy) at Nintendo.com (archives of the original at the Internet Archive)
- Dr. Mario at MobyGames
- Dr. Mario at NinDB
- Dr. Mario Manual Write-Up (txt) by Starsky.
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