{{Short description|1983 video game}} {{About|the 1983 arcade game|the Game & Watch game|Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)|the 1985 successor|Super Mario Bros.{{!}}''Super Mario Bros''|other uses}} {{Good article}} <!-- PLEASE DO NOT change the link "Super Mario Bros." or any of the instances of it at the end of a sentence to "Super Mario Bros.." When an abbreviation (such as Bros., Sr., Jr. or etc.) comes at the end of a sentence it is not followed by a second full stop/period. To do so is incorrect style and should be avoided. For reference see: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/qanda/data/faq/topics/Punctuation/faq0040.html --> {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use American English|date=April 2025}} {{Infobox video game | image = mariobrothers.png | alt = Player characters Mario and Luigi surround a green sewer pipe whilst being surrounded by a turtle (Shellcreeper), a fly (Fighter Fly) and a crab (Sidestepper), the latter of which is hiding inside the pipe. | caption = North American arcade flyer | developer = Nintendo R&D1{{efn|NES version developed by Nintendo R&D1 and Intelligent Systems; Atari 2600 and 5200 versions developed by Atari, Inc.; PC-8001 version developed by MISA;<ref>{{cite web | url=https://videogamesdensetsu.tumblr.com/post/157666153625/the-nec-pc-8001-version-of-mario-bros-published | title=Video Games Densetsu | access-date=May 1, 2022 | archive-date=May 13, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513070204/https://videogamesdensetsu.tumblr.com/post/157666153625/the-nec-pc-8001-version-of-mario-bros-published | url-status=live}}</ref> Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum versions developed by Choice Software; Commodore 64 version developed by Ocean Software; Atari 7800 version developed by ITDC; Atari 8-bit version developed by Sculptured Software.}} | publisher = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|Nintendo}}|{{ubl|'''2600, 5200'''|Atari, Inc.|'''PC-88'''|Hudson Soft|'''Atari 8-bit, 7800'''|Atari Corporation|'''C64, CPC, ZX Spectrum'''|Ocean Software}}}} | director = Shigeru Miyamoto | producer = Gunpei Yokoi | designer = {{ubli|Shigeru Miyamoto|Gunpei Yokoi}} | composer = Yukio Kaneoka | series = ''Mario'' | platforms = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|Arcade}}|NES, Atari 2600, Atari 5200, FM-7, PC-88, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Famicom Disk System, Atari 7800, Atari 8-bit, Nintendo e-Reader, Game Boy Advance}} | released = {{collapsible list|title={{nobold|March 1983}}| | '''Arcade''' {{vgrelease|NA|late March 1983{{efn|group=note|The original release date falls somewhere between 25 and 27 of that same month.}}|JP|June 21, 1983{{efn|group=note|Sources for the Japanese release date are conflicting and list it as somewhere between June and July 1983.}}}} | '''NES''' {{vgrelease|JP|September 9, 1983|NA|June 1986|EU|1986}} | '''2600''' {{vgrelease||December 1983<ref>{{cite news |title=Availability Update |url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/37e4659e-11c3-45c9-821e-350cd45303ed |work=The Video Game Update |volume=2 |issue=10 |date=January 1984 |page=16}}</ref>}} | '''5200''' {{vgrelease||February 1984<ref>{{cite news |title=Availability Update |url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/16d5f176-05e9-4f4c-9f76-9244f408ae6c |work=The Video Game Update |volume=2 |issue=11 |date=February 1984 |page=16}}</ref>}} | '''FM-7, PC-88, PC-8001''' {{vgrelease|JP|1984}} | '''C64, CPC, ZX Spectrum''' {{vgrelease|EU|1987}} | '''Famicom Disk System''' {{vgrelease|JP|November 30, 1988}} | '''7800''' {{vgrelease||December 1988<ref>{{cite news |title=Availability Update |url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/aad8c276-4320-4683-b3f5-eb0052fc9175 |work=Computer Entertainer |volume=7 |issue=10 |date=January 1989 |page=14}}</ref>}} | '''Atari 8-bit''' {{vgrelease||Mid-1989<ref>{{cite news |title=Availability Update |url=https://archive.gamehistory.org/item/fb498176-e4dc-48fa-923c-a18d5b48788c |work=Computer Entertainer |volume=8 |issue=2 |date=May 1989 |page=14}}</ref>}} | '''e-Reader''' {{vgrelease|NA|November 11, 2002<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harris |first1=Craig |title=Mario Bros.-e |url=http://ign.com/articles/2002/11/15/mario-bros-e |website=IGN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220133009/http://ign.com/articles/2002/11/15/mario-bros-e |archive-date=February 20, 2014 |date=November 15, 2002 |access-date=October 19, 2025 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} | '''Game Boy Advance''' {{vgrelease|JP|May 21, 2004<ref>{{cite web |title=Famicom Mini - Round 2 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/14/famicom-mini-round-2 |website=IGN |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221014022953/https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/14/famicom-mini-round-2 |archive-date=October 14, 2022 |date=April 14, 2004}}</ref>}} }} | genre = Platform | modes = Single-player, multiplayer }}

{{Nihongo foot|'''''Mario Bros.'''''|マリオブラザーズ|Mario Burazāzu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a 1983 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for arcades. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Players control Italian twin brother plumbers Mario and Luigi as they exterminate turtle-like creatures, giant flies, and crabs emerging from the sewers of New York City by knocking them upside-down and kicking them away. The Famicom/NES version was the first game to be developed by Intelligent Systems. It is part of the ''Mario'' franchise and the first spin-off of the ''Donkey Kong'' series.

The arcade and Famicom/NES versions were received positively by critics. Elements introduced in ''Mario Bros.'', such as floating coins, enemy turtles, and Luigi, were carried over to ''Super Mario Bros.'' (1985) and became staples of the ''Mario'' series.{{not verified in body|date=December 2025}}

An updated version, titled ''Mario Bros. Classic'', is included as a minigame in all of the ''Super Mario Advance'' series and ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' (2003). The NES version of ''Mario Bros.'' was re-released through the Wii and Wii U's Virtual Console, as well as the Nintendo Classics service for the Nintendo Switch. The original arcade version was released by Hamster Corporation as part of the ''Arcade Archives'' series for the Switch in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Whitehead |first=Thomas |date=2017-09-13 |title=Mario Bros. to Kick Off 'Arcade Archives' Range on Nintendo Switch |url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2017/09/mario_bros_to_kick_off_arcade_archives_range_on_nintendo_switch |access-date=2024-09-10 |website=Nintendo Life |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Gameplay== [[File:Mario Bros. Gameplay.gif|thumb|left|Mario is about to defeat a Shellcreeper, in the arcade version.]] ''Mario Bros.'' features two plumbers,<ref name="mbvc">{{cite web |title=Mario Bros. at Nintendo – Wii – Virtual Console |url=https://www.nintendo.com/wii/virtualconsole/games/detail/AN20FWaWbXNL-oWwUHwK0sMxrfq_plpD |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080731211605/http://www.nintendo.com/wii/virtualconsole/games/detail/AN20FWaWbXNL-oWwUHwK0sMxrfq_plpD |archive-date=July 31, 2008 |publisher=Nintendo |access-date=October 1, 2008}}</ref> Italian brothers Mario and Luigi, having to investigate the sewers of New York after strange creatures have been appearing down there.<ref name="powerup56">{{cite book |last=Sheff |first=David |author-link=David Sheff |title=Game Over Press Start to Continue |publisher=Cyberactive Media Group |year=1999 |isbn=0-9669617-0-6 |page=56}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=April 25, 2023 |script-title=ja:マリオ映画公開記念！宮本茂さんインタビュー 制作の始まりから驚きの設定まで |trans-title=Commemorating the release of the Mario movie! Interview with Shigeru Miyamoto From the beginning of production to the surprising setting |url=https://www.ndw.jp/mario-interview-230425/2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230425155151/https://www.ndw.jp/mario-interview-230425/2/ |archive-date=April 25, 2023 |website=Nintendo Dream |language=japanese |quote=もともと『マリオブラザーズ』は、土管がいっぱいあるニューヨークの地下で活躍する兄弟、ニューヨークのなかでもたぶんブルックリン、というところまで勝手に決めていて。『ドンキーコング』は舞台がニューヨークですし。その土管が不思議な森（キノコ王国）につながったのが、『スーパーマリオブラザーズ』なんです。[Miyamoto: Originally, ''Mario Bros.'' was arbitrarily decided as brothers who are active in the underground of New York, where there are many clay pipes, and probably Brooklyn in New York. ''Donkey Kong'' is set in New York. That clay pipe led to the mysterious forest (Mushroom Kingdom), which is ''Super Mario Bros.'']}}</ref><ref name="usatoday">{{Cite news |last=Snider |first=Mike |date=November 8, 2010 |title=Q&A: 'Mario' creator Shigeru Miyamoto |work=USA Today |url=https://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/11/qa-mario-creator-shigeru-miyamoto/1 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 9, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101111140107/https://content.usatoday.com/communities/gamehunters/post/2010/11/qa-mario-creator-shigeru-miyamoto/1 |archive-date=November 11, 2010 }}</ref> The objective of the game is to defeat all of the enemies in each phase, using only running and jumping.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Ryan |first=Jeff |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1k-6ksl3uLsC&dq=mario+sidestepper&pg=PT36 |title=Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America |date=2011-08-04 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-1-101-51763-5 |language=en |chapter=4- Mario's Early Years |access-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-date=December 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228081021/https://books.google.com/books?id=1k-6ksl3uLsC&dq=mario+sidestepper&pg=PT36 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Unlike subsequent ''Mario'' games, players cannot jump on enemies to squash them, until they are already flipped on their back.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schartmann |first=Andrew |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k5W6BwAAQBAJ&dq=mario+bros+1983+fireballs&pg=PT29 |title=Koji Kondo's Super Mario Bros. Soundtrack |date=2015-05-21 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing USA |isbn=978-1-62892-855-6 |language=en |chapter=1-2 Mario Grows Up |access-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-date=December 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228081019/https://books.google.com/books?id=k5W6BwAAQBAJ&dq=mario+bros+1983+fireballs&pg=PT29 |url-status=live}}</ref> Each phase consists of a series of platforms with pipes at each corner of the screen, along with an object called a "POW" block in the center.<ref name=":0" /> The screen uses wraparound, so characters that go off to one side reappear on the opposite side.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Altice |first=Nathan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1r34DwAAQBAJ&dq=wraparound+mario+bros&pg=PA359 |title=I Am Error: The Nintendo Family Computer / Entertainment System Platform |date=2017-09-08 |publisher=MIT Press |isbn=978-0-262-53454-3 |pages=359 |language=en |access-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-date=December 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228081019/https://books.google.com/books?id=1r34DwAAQBAJ&dq=wraparound+mario+bros&pg=PA359 |url-status=live}}</ref> Points are scored for defeating enemies and collecting the bonus coins that emerge from the pipes afterward.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gach |first=Ethan |date=2020-05-06 |title=Mario Bros. Masters Set New Arcade High Score While Stuck At Home |url=https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/05/mario-bros-masters-set-new-arcade-high-score-while-stuck-at-home/ |access-date=2023-09-13 |website=Kotaku Australia |language=en-AU |archive-date=September 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230929101247/https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/05/mario-bros-masters-set-new-arcade-high-score-while-stuck-at-home/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Enemies are defeated by kicking them over once they have been flipped on their back.<ref name="ignreview" /> This is accomplished by hitting the platform the enemy is on directly beneath them.<ref name="CVG" /> If the player allows too much time to pass after doing this the enemy will flip itself back over and recover.<ref name="ignreview" /> Four types of enemies emerge from the pipes: Shellcreeper;<ref>{{Cite book |last=Barton |first=Matt |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RlWXDwAAQBAJ&dq=mario+bros+Shellcreeper&pg=PT230 |title=Vintage Games 2.0: An Insider Look at the Most Influential Games of All Time |date=2019-05-08 |publisher=CRC Press |isbn=978-1-000-00776-3 |language=en |chapter=18}}</ref> Sidestepper;<ref name=":0" /> Fighter Fly,<ref name="CVG" /> which moves by jumping and can only be flipped when it is touching a platform; and Slipice, which turns platforms into slippery ice.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Weiss |first=Brett |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F01wiUr9LKQC&dq=Slipice+mario+bros&pg=PT51 |title=Classic Home Video Games, 1985-1988: A Complete Reference Guide |date=2012-11-12 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-1-4766-0141-0 |language=en}}</ref> Fireballs are a fifth enemy, floating around the screen instead of sticking to platforms.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lendino |first=Jamie |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X3bREAAAQBAJ&dq=mario+bros+floating+fireball&pg=PT195 |title=Breakout: How Atari 8-Bit Computers Defined a Generation |date=2023-08-17 |publisher=Steel Gear Press |isbn=978-1-957932-04-0 |language=en |chapter=9: Games M-P |access-date=October 6, 2023 |archive-date=December 28, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231228081020/https://books.google.com/books?id=X3bREAAAQBAJ&dq=mario+bros+floating+fireball&pg=PT195 |url-status=live}}</ref> The "POW" block flips all enemies touching a platform or the floor when activated, but can only be used three times before disappearing.<ref name=":1" /> The game contains bonus stages.<ref name="ignreview" /> In later rounds, icicles begin to form on the underside of the platforms and fall off.{{citation needed|date=November 2025}} One life is lost whenever the player touches an un-flipped enemy, fireball, or fully formed icicle. The game ends when all lives are lost.{{citation needed|date=November 2025}}

==Development== [[File:Shigeru Miyamoto 20150610 (cropped 4).jpg|thumb|upright|Shigeru Miyamoto ''(pictured)'' and Gunpei Yokoi collaborated on the design of ''Mario Bros.'']] ''Mario Bros.'' was created by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, two of the lead developers for ''Donkey Kong'' (1981). In ''Donkey Kong'', Mario dies if he falls too far. For ''Mario Bros.'', Yokoi suggested to Miyamoto that Mario should be able to fall from any height, which Miyamoto hesitantly thought would make it "not much of a game". He eventually agreed on some superhuman abilities. He designed a prototype that had Mario "jumping and bouncing around", which he was satisfied with. Yokoi suggested combating enemies from below, observing that it would work because there are multiple floors, but this proved too easy in gameplay, which the developers fixed by requiring the enemies to be touched after flipping. This was also how they introduced the turtle as an enemy that could only be hit from below.<ref name="wii">{{Cite web |url=http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol1_page1.jsp |title=Wii.com – Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros. Wii<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=December 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091128002528/http://us.wii.com/iwata_asks/nsmb/vol1_page1.jsp |archive-date=November 28, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Because of Mario's appearance in ''Donkey Kong'' with overalls, a hat, and a thick moustache,<ref name="historyofmariopg1">{{cite web|title=IGN Presents The History of Super Mario Bros. |url=http://games.ign.com/articles/833/833615p1.html |date=November 8, 2007 |website=IGN |access-date=September 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723144458/http://games.ign.com/articles/833/833615p1.html |archive-date=July 23, 2008}}</ref> and because ''Mario Bros.'' has a large network of giant pipes, Miyamoto changed Mario's occupation from carpenter to plumber.<ref name="powerup56"/> The game's music was composed by Yukio Kaneoka.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|url=http://vgmdb.net/album/404|title=Famicom 20th Anniversary Original Sound Tracks Vol. 1|year=2004|publisher=Scitron Digital Contents Inc.|access-date=August 23, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202033612/http://vgmdb.net/album/404|archive-date=December 2, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

A popular story of how Mario went from Jumpman to Mario is that an Italian American landlord, Mario Segale, had barged in on Nintendo of America (NoA)'s staff to demand rent, and they decided to rename Jumpman after him.<ref name="nyt20181102">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/obituaries/mario-segale-dies-super-mario.html|date=November 2, 2018|title=Mario Segale, Developer Who Inspired Nintendo to Name Super Mario, Dies at 84|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=January 6, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190227175918/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/02/obituaries/mario-segale-dies-super-mario.html|archive-date=February 27, 2019|url-status=live|last1=Zraick|first1=Karen|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> This story is contradicted by former NoA warehouse manager Don James, who has stated that he and NoA president Minoru Arakawa named the character after Segale as a joke because Segale was so reclusive that none of the employees had ever met him.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/02/gamelife-podcast-episode-18/ |title=Game Life Podcast: When Jay Mohr Met Tomonobu Itagaki |first=Chris |last=Kohler |magazine=Wired |date=February 17, 2012 |access-date=September 28, 2024 |archive-date=April 17, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417022605/https://www.wired.com/2012/02/gamelife-podcast-episode-18/ |quote="And so we thought, 'This guy [Segale] is a recluse. No one's ever actually met him.' So we thought, 'Wouldn't it be a great joke if we named this character Mario?' And so we said, 'That's great,' and we sent a telex to Japan, and that's how Mario got his name."}} Interview with Don James starts at 51:16. Quotation occurs at 52:00.</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |date=June 14, 2018 |title=Nintendo Treehouse Live - E3 2018 - Arcade Archives Donkey Kong, Sky Skipper | via=YouTube |publisher=Nintendo Everything |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CizC6MqyiJM&t=138s |url-status=live |access-date=September 28, 2024 |archive-date=October 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231003035157/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CizC6MqyiJM | at=2:25 | quote=Mr. Arakawa, who was the president, and myself looked at the character, and we had a landlord that happened to be named Mario as well, and we'd never met the guy, so we thought it'd be funny to name this main character Mario after our landlord in Southcenter. And that's actually how Mario got his name.}}</ref>

Miyamoto set the game in subterranean New York City due to what he called its "labyrinthine network of sewage pipes".<ref name="powerup56" /> The pipes were inspired by several manga, which he said feature waste grounds with pipes lying around. In this game, they are used to allow the enemies to enter and exit the stage neatly, to avoid them piling up on the bottom of the stage. The green coloring of the pipes, which Nintendo's late president Satoru Iwata called an uncommon color, came from Miyamoto having a limited color palette and wanting to keep things colorful. He added that two shades of green combine well.<ref name="wii" />

''Mario Bros.'' introduced Mario's brother, Luigi, who was created for the multiplayer mode by doing a palette swap of Mario.<ref name="historyofmariopg1"/> The two-player mode and several aspects of gameplay were inspired by ''Joust''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Fox |first=Matt |title=The Video Games Guide |publisher=Boxtree Ltd |year=2006 |isbn=0-7522-2625-8 |pages=261–262}}</ref> To date, ''Mario Bros.'' has been released for more than a dozen platforms.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://toadscastle.net/list-games.html | publisher=Toad's Castle | author=Eric Marcarelli | title=Every Mario Game | access-date=October 1, 2008 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081014064028/http://www.toadscastle.net/list-games.html | archive-date=October 14, 2008 | url-status=live}}</ref> The first movement from Mozart's ''Eine kleine Nachtmusik'' is used at the start of the game.<ref name="mozart">{{cite news|title=Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix|url=http://www.nindb.net/game/ddr-mario-mix.html|access-date=September 26, 2008|work=NinDB|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100619110057/http://nindb.net/game/ddr-mario-mix.html|archive-date=June 19, 2010}}</ref> This song has been used in later video games, including ''Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix''<ref name="mozart"/> and ''Super Smash Bros. Brawl''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Full Song List with Secret Songs – Smash Bros. DOJO!! |url=http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/music/music24_list.html |date=April 3, 2008 |publisher=Nintendo |access-date=September 6, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121101032549/http://www.smashbros.com/en_us/music/music24_list.html |archive-date=November 1, 2012}}</ref>

==Release== {{multiple image | total_width = 250 | direction = vertical | footer = Following its release in arcades, ''Mario Bros.'' was ported to several home console platforms. <!--image 1--> | image1 = Mario Bros. cabinet at PAX East 2014.png | caption1 = Upright arcade cabinet | alt1 = A vertical wooden structure with a visual display unit embedded in the front side. The sides have orange panels with cartoon artwork of two brothers in different colored outfits at the opening of a large green pipe as creatures roam the scene, and the top front panel is a backlit marque that reads: "Mario Bros". A pair of black joysticks and buttons are below the monitor, which displays a pixelated game screen. <!--image 2--> | image2 = Famicom 'Mario Bros' (5099954300).jpg | caption2 = Famicom cartridge | alt2 = An orange plastic video game cartridge shaped in a flattened rectangular prism. The metallic light silver label has orange Japanese Katakana that translates to: "Family Computer. Mario Brothers." Below it is orange English text that reads "Mario Bros. © Nintendo 1983. Made in Japan." }}

''Game Machine'' magazine reported that the game made its North American debut at the Amusement & Music Operators Association show during March 25–27, 1983, and entered mass production in Japan on June 21.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column|magazine=Game Machine|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|issue=216|date=July 15, 1983|page=38|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830715p.pdf#page=20|access-date=May 20, 2021|archive-date=April 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230405200126/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830715p.pdf#page=20|url-status=live}}</ref> The book ''Arcade TV Game List'' (2006), authored by Masumi Akagi and published by the Amusement News Agency, lists the release dates as March 1983 in North America and June 1983 in Japan.<ref name="Akagi">{{cite book |last1=Akagi |first1=Masumi |title=アーケードTVゲームリスト国内•海外編(1971–2005) |trans-title=Arcade TV Game List: Domestic • Overseas Edition (1971–2005) |date=October 13, 2006 |publisher=Amusement News Agency |language=ja |location=Japan |isbn=978-4990251215 |pages=57, 128 |url=https://archive.org/details/ArcadeGameList1971-2005/page/n58}}</ref> However, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said in a 2013 ''Nintendo Direct'' presentation that the game was released in Japan on July 14, 1983.<ref name="Iwata">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cntz1GyM1Bs|title=Nintendo Direct 2.14.2013|work=Nintendo YouTube|publisher=YouTube|date=February 14, 2013|access-date=February 16, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130215184305/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cntz1GyM1Bs|archive-date=February 15, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://kotaku.com/happy-30th-birthday-to-video-gamings-most-famous-broth-779535652 |title=Happy 30th Birthday to Video Gaming's Most Famous Brother |last=Good |first=Owen |date=July 6, 2013 |website=Kotaku |publisher=Gizmodo Media Group |access-date=March 8, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180308165058/https://kotaku.com/happy-30th-birthday-to-video-gamings-most-famous-broth-779535652 |archive-date=March 8, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Upon release, ''Mario Bros.'' was initially labeled as being the third game in the ''Donkey Kong'' series. For home video game conversions, Nintendo held the rights to the game in Japan, while licensing the overseas rights to Atari, Inc.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Overseas Readers Column: Nintendo Licensed "Mario Brothers" To Atari Inc. For Home Video|date=August 15, 1983|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830815p.pdf#page=15|magazine=Game Machine|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|issue=218|page=28|lang=ja|access-date=May 20, 2021|archive-date=October 23, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231023064052/https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19830815p.pdf#page=15|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Other versions=== ''Mario Bros.'' was ported by other companies to the Atari 2600, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit computers, Atari 7800,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gamespot.com/atari7800/action/mariobros/index.html |title=Listing at GameSpot.com |access-date=November 12, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090804205246/http://www.gamespot.com/atari7800/action/mariobros/index.html |archive-date=August 4, 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. The two versions for Commodore 64 are an unreleased Atarisoft version,<ref name="Interview with Gregg Tavares">{{cite web|title=Interview with Gregg Tavares|url=http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_gregg_tavares.html|access-date=January 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314150427/http://www.digitpress.com/library/interviews/interview_gregg_tavares.html|archive-date=March 14, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> and a 1986 version by Ocean Software. The Atari 8-bit computer version by Sculptured Software is the only home port which includes the falling icicles. An Apple II version was never commercially released.<ref name="Interview with Jimmy Huey">{{cite web|title=Interview with Jimmy Huey|url=http://my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RTM09/RTM09.html|access-date=January 7, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527013444/http://my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RTM09/RTM09.html|archive-date=May 27, 2013}}</ref>

A version by Nintendo and Intelligent Systems for the Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System was released in Japan on September 9, 1983,<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.famitsu.com/schedule/recent/fc/|title=All Famicom games sorted from the latest release to the earliest|magazine=Famitsu|archive-date=October 15, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015061257/https://www.famitsu.com/schedule/recent/fc/|url-status=dead}}</ref> followed by North America in June 1986.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/nes_games.pdf |publisher=Nintendo of America |access-date=August 9, 2015 |title=NES Games |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611225644/http://www.nintendo.com/consumer/downloads/nes_games.pdf |archive-date=June 11, 2014 }}</ref> Another NES version was released exclusively in Germany in August 1993 as part of the Classic Series.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mario Bros.|url=https://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563439-mario-bros/data|website=GameFAQs|access-date=August 20, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170821045801/https://www.gamefaqs.com/nes/563439-mario-bros/data|archive-date=August 21, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> A version for NEC's PC-8001, unrelated to the Hudson Soft-developed ''Mario Bros. Special'' and ''Punch Ball Mario Bros.'', was developed by MISA and published by Westside Soft House in 1984.<ref>{{cite web|title=「スペシャル」「パンチボール」じゃない元祖「マリオブラザーズ」が、パソコンに移植されていた！|url=https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrosoft/1127363.html|website=akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp|date=June 19, 2018 |access-date=August 29, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110141805/https://akiba-pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column/retrosoft/1127363.html|language=ja|archive-date=January 10, 2024|url-status=live|trans-title=The original Mario Bros., not Special or Punch Ball, was ported to personal computers!}}</ref> A modified version for the Famicom Disk System, titled {{Anchor|Kaettekita Mario Bros.}}{{Nihongo foot|''Kaettekita Mario Bros.'',|帰ってきたマリオブラザーズ|Kaette kita Mario Burazāzu|{{lit}} ''The Return of the Mario Bros.''|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}}<ref name="Obscure Mario Bros.">{{cite web | title=Obscure Mario Bros. Famicom Disk System Game Gets Translated Into English | first=Gonçalo | last=Lopes | date=May 24, 2016 | work=NintendoLife | url=https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/05/obscure_mario_bros_famicom_disk_system_game_gets_translated_into_english | access-date=July 29, 2019 | archive-date=July 29, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729205419/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2016/05/obscure_mario_bros_famicom_disk_system_game_gets_translated_into_english | url-status=live}}</ref> was released only in Japan on November 30, 1988, through the Disk Writer service.<ref>{{cite web |title=FAMILY COMPUTER Software List 1988 |url=http://tk-nz.game.coocan.jp/gamedatabase/software/DB_NTC1_FC1988.html |website=GAME Data Room |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180827211535/http://tk-nz.game.coocan.jp/gamedatabase/software/DB_NTC1_FC1988.html |archive-date=August 27, 2018 |language=ja}}</ref> This version featured product placement from Japanese food company {{ill|Nagatanien|ja|永谷園}}, with cutscenes advertising various food products.<ref name="Obscure Mario Bros." />

In Taiwan and Mainland China, the game is sometimes nicknamed as ''Pipeline'' (管道) or ''Mr. Mary'' (瑪莉) due to the fact that counterfeits were distributed widely.{{citation needed|date=September 2024}}

The NES version of ''Mario Bros.'' was ported via the Virtual Console service in North America, Australia, Europe, and Japan for the Wii,<ref name="Virtualconsole">{{cite web|title=Mario Bros. (Virtual Console)|url=http://wii.ign.com/objects/864/864232.html|website=IGN|access-date=September 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090126183624/http://wii.ign.com/objects/864/864232.html|archive-date=January 26, 2009|url-status=dead}}</ref> Nintendo 3DS, and Wii U.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/4ag6RvH5Q4UOf-jz7eJWulKEG9TihnzT |title=Mario Bros. For Nintendo 3DS – Nintendo Game Details |access-date=July 22, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180525204943/https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/4ag6RvH5Q4UOf-jz7eJWulKEG9TihnzT |archive-date=May 25, 2018 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.com/en_CA/games/detail/steaDexI7H4v0UEWC20wW3alYYaGW5bz |title=Mario Bros. For Wii U – Nintendo Game Details |access-date=December 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181216032059/https://www.nintendo.com/en_CA/games/detail/steaDexI7H4v0UEWC20wW3alYYaGW5bz |archive-date=December 16, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> The original arcade version of ''Mario Bros.'' was released in September 2017 for the Nintendo Switch as part of the ''Arcade Archives'' series.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why does Mario Bros. cost $8 on the Nintendo Switch eShop?|url=https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/27/16374274/nintendo-switch-mario-bros-arcade-archives-price|website=Polygon|date=September 27, 2017|access-date=September 30, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929171037/https://www.polygon.com/2017/9/27/16374274/nintendo-switch-mario-bros-arcade-archives-price|archive-date=September 29, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> The NES version is one of the first games to have been added to the Nintendo Classics service on the Switch.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/13/17856798/nintendo-switch-online-nes-games-list|title=Nintendo Switch Online has these 20 classic NES games|last=Good|first=Owen S.|date=September 13, 2018|website=Polygon|access-date=April 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331150838/https://www.polygon.com/2018/9/13/17856798/nintendo-switch-online-nes-games-list|archive-date=March 31, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Nintendo included ''Mario Bros.'' as a bonus in several releases, including ''Super Mario Bros. 3'' in the form of a two-player minigame,<ref name="SMB3pg27">{{cite book|author=Nintendo|url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAACE.pdf|title=Super Mario Bros. 3 manual|year=1988|version=Nintendo Entertainment System|section=pg. 27|access-date=February 16, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191105110431/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/clv/manuals/en/pdf/CLV-P-NAACE.pdf|archive-date=November 5, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> as a single-player mode in the Game Boy Advance's ''Super Mario Advance'' series,<ref name="gamespot4review"/> and in ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga''.<ref name="m&lguide">{{cite web|title=Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga Guide – Mario Bros. Classic |url=http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/550433/page_6.html |website=IGN |access-date=October 11, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090224224949/http://uk.guides.ign.com/guides/550433/page_6.html |archive-date=February 24, 2009}}</ref> The NES version is in a piece of furniture in ''Animal Crossing'' for the GameCube, along with many other NES games, though this one requires the use of a Nintendo e-Reader and a North America-exclusive e-Card.<ref>{{cite web|title=NES games|url=http://animalcrossing.planets.gamespy.com/ac-nes-mario.shtml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080411095104/http://animalcrossing.planets.gamespy.com/ac-nes-mario.shtml |archive-date=April 11, 2008|publisher=The Animal Forest|access-date=September 26, 2008}}</ref>

In 2004, Namco released an arcade cabinet containing ''Donkey Kong'', ''Donkey Kong Jr.'', and ''Mario Bros.'' under license from Nintendo. The latter was altered for the vertical screen used by the other games, with the visible play area cropped on the sides.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Namco's new 3-in-1 retro cabinet featuring Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., and Mario Bros. |url=https://www.engadget.com/2004-10-15-namcos-new-3-in-1-retro-cabinet-featuring-donkey-kong-donkey.html |access-date=2023-09-08 |website=Engadget |date=August 8, 2019 |language=en-US |archive-date=September 8, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230908012001/https://www.engadget.com/2004-10-15-namcos-new-3-in-1-retro-cabinet-featuring-donkey-kong-donkey.html |url-status=live}}</ref>

==Reception== {{Video game reviews | NES = true | GBA = true | WII = true | A2600 = true | CVG_NES = 83%<ref name="CVG">{{cite journal |title=Complete Games Guide |journal=Computer and Video Games |date=October 16, 1989 |issue=Complete Guide to Consoles |pages=46–77 |url=https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |access-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-date=June 11, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611004221/https://retrocdn.net/images/9/98/CompleteGuideToConsoles_UK_01.pdf#page=46 |url-status=live}}</ref> | CVG_A2600 = 82%<ref name="CVG"/> | GSpot_WII = 4.9/10<ref name="GSpot"/> | IGN_GBA = 6/10 <small>(e-Reader)</small><ref name="mariobrose"/> | IGN_WII = 4.5/10<ref name="ignreview"/> | rev1 = ''Mean Machines'' | rev1_NES = 80%<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Mean Machines |magazine=Computer and Video Games |date=October 15, 1988 |issue=85 (November 1988) |pages=130–1 |url=https://archive.org/details/cvg-magazine-085/page/n129/mode/2up}}</ref> | Allgame_NES = 4.5/5<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brett Alan Weiss |title=Mario Bros. (NES) Review |url=http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9418&tab=review |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141114213900/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=9418&tab=review |archive-date=November 14, 2014 |access-date=December 3, 2022 |website=Allgame}}</ref> | rev3 = ''Power Unlimited'' | rev3_NES = 80%<ref>{{cite web |date=November 1994 |title=Power Unlimited Game Database |url=http://www.powerweb.nl/database/img/index.php?page=database&&query%5border%5d=datum&ending=ASC&query%5bstart%5d=80 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20031019204506/http://www.powerweb.nl/database/img/index.php?page=database&&query%5border%5d=datum&ending=ASC&query%5bstart%5d=80 |archivedate=October 19, 2003 |accessdate=December 3, 2022 |website=powerweb.nl |language=nl}}</ref> }}

''Mario Bros.'' was initially a modest success in arcades,<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite web|title=IGN Presents The History of Super Mario Bros. |url=http://games.ign.com/articles/833/833615p1.html |date=November 8, 2007 |website=IGN |access-date=September 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723144458/http://games.ign.com/articles/833/833615p1.html |archive-date=July 23, 2008}}</ref> with an estimated 2,000 arcade cabinets sold in the United States by July 1983.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fujihara |first1=Mary |title=Inter Office Memo: Coin-Op Product Sales |url=http://www.atarigames.com/pdffiles/salesestimates1.pdf |publisher=Atari, Inc. |date=July 25, 1983 |access-date=October 14, 2021 |archive-date=October 20, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211020200920/http://www.atarigames.com/pdffiles/salesestimates1.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> It became highly successful in American arcades.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Leonardo |first=Bonucci |date=2024-12-03 |title=mario games |url=https://marios.games/ |access-date=2026-04-19 |website=Marios.Games |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=McGill |first1=Douglas C. |title=Nintendo Scores Big |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/04/business/nintendo-scores-big.html |access-date=September 13, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=December 4, 1988 |archive-date=July 15, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715052111/https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/04/business/nintendo-scores-big.html |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |title=News Bulletin: NBA Jam Sets Earnings Mark |magazine=Play Meter |date=January 1994 |volume=20 |issue=1 |page=3 |url=https://archive.org/details/play-meter-volume-20-number-1-january-1994/Play%20Meter%20-%20Volume%2020%2C%20Number%201%20-%20January%201994/page/n2}}</ref>

In Japan, ''Game Machine'' listed ''Mario Bros.'' as the third most successful new table arcade unit of July 1983.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Game Machine's Best Hit Games 25 – テーブル型新製品 (New Videos-Table Type)|magazine=Game Machine|issue=216|publisher=Amusement Press, Inc.|date=July 15, 1983|page=37|lang=ja}}</ref> In the United States, Nintendo sold 3,800 ''Mario Bros.'' arcade cabinets.<ref name="atari_memo2">{{cite web|last=Fujihara|first=Mary|title=Inter Office Memo|url=http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:atari-sales-estimates-for-other-manufactures-2&catid=5:atari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|publisher=Atari|access-date=March 18, 2012|date=November 2, 1983|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120084707/http://www.atarigames.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=49:atari-sales-estimates-for-other-manufactures-2&catid=5:atari-inter-office-memos&Itemid=5|archive-date=January 20, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> The arcade cabinets have since become mildly rare.<ref>{{cite book | title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games | first = David | last = Ellis | chapter = Arcade Classics | page = [https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/391 391] | publisher = Random House | isbn = 0-375-72038-3 | year = 2004 | chapter-url-access = registration | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi | url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/391}}</ref> The arcade game was not affected by its release during the video game crash of 1983. Video game author Dave Ellis considers it one of the more memorable classic games.<ref name="PriceGuide">{{cite book | title = Official Price Guide to Classic Video Games | first = David | last = Ellis | page = [https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/9 9] | chapter = A Brief History of Video Games | publisher = Random House | isbn = 0-375-72038-3 | year = 2004 | chapter-url-access = registration | chapter-url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi | url = https://archive.org/details/officialpricegui00davi/page/9}}</ref> In Japan, more than 1.63 million copies of the Famicom version of ''Mario Bros.'' have been sold, and more than 90,000 copies of the ''Famicom Mini'' re-release.<ref name="platinumsellers">{{cite web |title=The Magic Box – Japan Platinum Chart Games. |url=http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-JPPlatinum.shtml |publisher=The Magic Box |access-date=September 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810010607/http://www.the-magicbox.com/Chart-JPPlatinum.shtml |archive-date=August 10, 2011 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="famicommini">{{cite web |title=Nintendojofr|url=http://www.nintendojofr.com/redaction/editoriaux/?id=aVAd |date=September 26, 2006 |publisher=Nintendojo |access-date=October 9, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080730022258/http://www.nintendojofr.com/redaction/editoriaux/?id=aVAd |archive-date = July 30, 2008}}</ref>

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) version had 2.28 million cartridges sold worldwide.<ref name="whitepaper">{{cite book |title=CESA Games White Papers |publisher=Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association}}</ref> The Atari 2600 version's sales of 1.59 million cartridges made it one of the bestselling games of 1983.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/04/the-best-video-games-to-come-out-every-year-since-the-atari-2600/duck-hunt |title=1984: Duck Hunt – The Best Selling Video Game Of Every Year Since 1977 |last=Welch |first=Hanuman |website=Complex |date=April 23, 2013 |access-date=April 26, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424174120/http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/04/the-best-video-games-to-come-out-every-year-since-the-atari-2600/duck-hunt |archive-date=April 24, 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> This brings total Atari 2600, NES, and ''Famicom Mini'' cartridge sales to {{nowrap|{{#expr:2.28+1.59+0.09}} million}} units sold worldwide.

The NES and Atari versions of ''Mario Bros.'' received positive reviews from ''Computer and Video Games'' in 1989. They said the NES version is "incredibly good fun" especially in two-player mode, the Atari VCS version is "just as much fun" but with graphical restrictions, and the Atari 7800 version is slightly better.<ref name="CVG"/>

The 2009 Virtual Console re-release of the NES version later received mixed reviews, but received positive reviews from gamers.<ref name="ignreview">{{cite web |title=Mario Bros. (Virtual Console) Review |url=http://wii.ign.com/articles/750/750161p1.html |date=December 8, 2006 |website=IGN |access-date=August 24, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091106174923/http://wii.ign.com/articles/750/750161p1.html |archive-date=November 6, 2009 |url-status=dead}}</ref> In a review of the Virtual Console release, ''GameSpot'' criticized the NES version for being a poor arcade conversion that retains all of the technical flaws found in this version.<ref name="GSpot">{{cite web |title=Mario Bros. (NES) |url=http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-bros-review/1900-6162249/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150706040649/http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/mario-bros-review/1900-6162249/ |archive-date=July 6, 2015 |access-date=August 11, 2015 |website=GameSpot |quote=The NES version of ''Mario Bros.'' can be fun for a little while with two players, but it doesn't measure up to the seminal arcade hit it's based on.}}</ref> ''IGN'' complimented the Virtual Console version's gameplay, even though it was critical of Nintendo's decision to release an "inferior" NES version on the Virtual Console.<ref name="ignreview"/> ''IGN'' also agreed on the issue of the number of ports. They said that since most people have ''Mario Bros.'' on one of the ''Super Mario Advance'' games, this version is not worth 500 Wii Points.<ref name="ignreview"/> The Nintendo e-Reader version of ''Mario Bros.'' was slightly better received by ''IGN'', who praised the gameplay, but criticized it for lack of multiplayer and for not being worth the purchase because of the ''Super Mario Advance'' versions.<ref name="mariobrose">{{cite web |title=Mario Bros.-e Review |url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/377/377503p1.html |date=November 15, 2002 |website=IGN |access-date=September 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101205201157/http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/377/377503p1.html |archive-date=December 5, 2010 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The ''Super Mario Advance'' releases and ''Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga'' all featured the same version of ''Mario Bros.'' (titled ''Mario Bros. Classic''). The mode was first included in ''Super Mario Advance'', and was praised for its simplicity and entertainment value.<ref name="gamingage1review">{{cite web|title=Super Mario Advance Review for Game Boy Color – Gaming Age |url=http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/reviews/review.pl?sys=gameboy&game=marioadvance |date=June 13, 2001 |publisher=Gaming Age |access-date=September 26, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080209114923/http://www.gaming-age.com/cgi-bin/reviews/review.pl?sys=gameboy&game=marioadvance |archive-date=February 9, 2008}}</ref> ''IGN'' called this mode fun in its review of ''Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2'', but complained that it would have been nice if the developers had come up with a new game to replace it.<ref name="marioadvance2review">{{cite web |title=Super Mario Advance 2: Super Mario World Review |url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/324/324423p1.html |date=February 11, 2002 |website=IGN |access-date=September 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926181350/http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/324/324423p1.html |archive-date=September 26, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Their review of ''Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3'' criticizes it more than in the review of ''Super Mario Advance 2'' because Nintendo chose not to add multiplayer to any of the mini-games found in that game, sticking instead with an identical version of the ''Mario Bros.'' game found in previous versions.<ref name="marioadvance3review">{{cite web |title=Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island |url=http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/371/371999p2.html |date=September 24, 2002 |website=IGN |access-date=September 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081008182328/http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/371/371999p2.html |archive-date=October 8, 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> ''GameSpot''{{'}}s review of ''Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3'' calls it a throwaway feature that could have simply been removed.<ref name="gamespot4review">{{cite web |title=Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 Review for Game Boy Advance |url=http://www.gamespot.com/gba/action/supermarioadvance4/review.html?page=2 |date=October 17, 2003 |website=GameSpot |access-date=September 26, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130622170734/http://www.gamespot.com/super-mario-advance-4-super-mario-bros-3/reviews/super-mario-advance-4-super-mario-bros-3-6077002/?page=2 |archive-date=June 22, 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref> Other reviewers were not as negative on the feature's use in later ''Super Mario Advance'' games. Though it was criticized in most ''Super Mario Advance'' games, a ''GameSpy'' review praised the version within ''Super Mario Advance 2'' in multi-player because it only requires at least two Game Boy Advances, one copy of the game, and a link cable.<ref name="gamespy2review">{{cite web |title=Reviews: Super Mario World: Super Mario Advance 2 (GBA) |url=http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/february02/smwsma2gba/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409010039/http://archive.gamespy.com/reviews/february02/smwsma2gba/ |archive-date=April 9, 2008 |publisher=GameSpy |access-date=September 26, 2008}}</ref>

==Legacy== [[File:VB Mario Clash.png|thumb|''Mario Clash'' (1995) is on the Virtual Boy.]] In 1984, Hudson Soft made two different games based on ''Mario Bros.'' {{nihongo foot|''Mario Bros. Special''|マリオブラザーズスペシャル|Mario Burazāzu Supesharu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} is a reimagining with new phases and gameplay. {{nihongo foot|''Punch Ball Mario Bros.''|パンチボールマリオブラザーズ|Panchi Bōru Mario Burazāzu|lead=yes|group=lower-alpha}} includes a new gameplay mechanic: punching small balls to stun enemies.<ref name="virtuallyoverlooked">{{cite web|title=Virtually Overlooked: Punch Ball Mario Bros./Mario Bros. Special|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/11/virtually-overlooked-punch-ball-mario-bros-mario-bros-special|date=September 11, 2008|publisher=GameDaily|access-date=September 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110628011226/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/09/11/virtually-overlooked-punch-ball-mario-bros-mario-bros-special|archive-date=June 28, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Both games were released for the PC-6001mkII,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/hudsonmario/hudsonmario-old.htm|title=Hudson's Lost Mario Trilogy|date=August 2010|access-date=25 July 2024|publisher=Hardcore Gaming 101|last=Szczepaniak|first=John|archive-date=July 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240725125315/http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/hudsonmario/hudsonmario-old.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> PC-8001mkII,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2021/06/mario-bros-special-nec-pc-8001-tape-dump-and-scans/|title=Mario Bros. Special (NEC PC-8001) Tape Dump and Scans|last=Hubbard|first=Dustin | date=13 June 2021|access-date=25 July 2024|publisher=Gaming Alexandria|archive-date=July 25, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240725125315/https://www.gamingalexandria.com/wp/2021/06/mario-bros-special-nec-pc-8001-tape-dump-and-scans/|url-status=live}}</ref> PC-8801, FM-7, and Sharp X1.<ref name="virtuallyoverlooked"/>

A version was announced alongside the Virtual Boy console at Nintendo Space World 1994. Footage showed a faithful recreation, though with the Virtual Boy's signature graphical qualities of monochrome red and black graphics and a slight stereoscopic 3D effect. Its demonstration was generally poorly received by video game publications, which lamented the selection of a decade-old game to demonstrate the technology of the new Virtual Boy hardware. ''Mario Bros. VB'' was never released, but some gameplay concepts were utilized in the much more creative reimagining, ''Mario Clash'' (1995).<ref>{{cite news |id={{ProQuest|294877556}} |last1=Rafferty |first1=Kevin |title=Super Mario takes leap into three dimensional space |newspaper=The Guardian |date=16 November 1994}}</ref><ref>''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', January 1995, page 6</ref><ref>''Edge'', February 1995, pages 10-11</ref><ref>''Electronic Gaming Monthly'', January 1995, page 89</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Mario Clash|url=http://gameboy.ign.com/objects/006/006648.html|website=IGN|access-date=September 26, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081006042122/http://gameboy.ign.com/objects/006/006648.html|archive-date=October 6, 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>

''Super Mario 3D World'' for the Wii U contains ''Luigi Bros.'', starring Luigi. This version, based on the NES version and included as a part of 2013's Year of Luigi celebrations, replaces Mario with Luigi in his modern color scheme; the second player's sprite retains the original Luigi colors.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 13, 2013 |title=Luigi Bros. unlockable, Rosalina playable in Super Mario 3D World |url=http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/13/5099884/super-mario-3d-world-luigi-bros-rosalina |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131113194606/http://www.polygon.com/2013/11/13/5099884/super-mario-3d-world-luigi-bros-rosalina |archive-date=November 13, 2013 |access-date=November 13, 2013 |website=Polygon}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Buffa |first=Christopher |date=November 27, 2013 |title=Super Mario 3D World: How to Unlock Luigi Bros. |url=http://www.primagames.com/games/super-mario-3d-world/video/super-mario-3d-world-how-unlock-luigi-bros |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203065435/http://www.primagames.com/games/super-mario-3d-world/video/super-mario-3d-world-how-unlock-luigi-bros |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |access-date=January 4, 2014 |work=Prima Games |publisher=Random House}}</ref> On October 16, 2015, Steve Kleisath obtained the world record for the arcade version at 5,424,920 points verified by Twin Galaxies.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.twingalaxies.com/game/mario-bros/arcade |title=Mario Bros |access-date=October 17, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017203207/https://www.twingalaxies.com/game/mario-bros/arcade |archive-date=October 17, 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==

Mario & Luigi

==Notes== {{Notelist|group=note}} {{Notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Official website|https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/mariobros/index.html}} {{in lang|ja}} * [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/n08/fmk2/mariobro/index.html Official Nintendo Famicom Mini minisite] {{in lang|ja}} * [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wii/vc/vc_mb/ Official Nintendo Wii Virtual Console minisite] {{in lang|ja}} * [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/3ds/eshop/vc/tb7j/ Official Nintendo 3DS eshop minisite] {{in lang|ja}} * [https://www.nintendo.co.jp/wiiu/software/vc/faej/ Official Nintendo Wii U eshop minisite] {{in lang|ja}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20181016175051/https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/AN20FWaWbXNL-oWwUHwK0sMxrfq_plpD Official Nintendo Wii minisite] {{in lang|en}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20180525204943/https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/4ag6RvH5Q4UOf-jz7eJWulKEG9TihnzT Official Nintendo 3DS minisite] {{in lang|en}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20180525204824/https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/steaDexI7H4v0UEWC20wW3alYYaGW5bz Official Nintendo Wii minisite] {{in lang|en}} * [https://www.nintendo.com/jp/famicom/software/hvc-ma/index.html ''Mario Bros.''] on the Famicom 40th Anniversary page {{in lang|ja}} * {{KLOV game|id=8624}}

{{Mario series}} {{Luigi}} {{Shigeru Miyamoto}} {{Intelligent Systems}}

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