Mario Bros. (series)

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This article is about the series of games based around the arcade Mario Bros. For the series based around Super Mario Bros., see Super Mario (series).
Mario Bros.
Mario Bros. North American logo
First installment Mario Bros. (1983)
Latest installment Mario Clash (1995)
Franchise Super Mario

The Mario Bros. series is a video game series in the Super Mario franchise, deriving from the original 1983 arcade game of the same name.

List of games[edit]

Title
Cover, original release and system Synopsis
Mario Bros.
Arcade flyer for Mario Bros.
Japan June 21, 1983[?]
Arcade machine
Mario Bros. is the second arcade game starring Mario as a protagonist, coming after Donkey Kong. The game's main attraction was featuring cooperative two-player functionality with Mario's recently introduced brother, Luigi. The two are in a sewer, battling various enemies leaking from the plumbing, hitting the floors underneath them to stun them before kicking them away. Many aspects from this game recur in later games of the Super Mario franchise, notably coins, pipes, POW Blocks, and enemy turtles. The game has been ported innumerable times to various systems.
Mario Bros. Special
The box art for Mario Bros. Special
Japan August 1984[?]
Home computer
Mario Bros. Special is a Japan-only computer game developed by Hudson Soft. It has altered gameplay with stages where Mario or Luigi must complete specific tasks, such as pressing switches or collecting $ symbols.
Punch Ball Mario Bros.
Punch Ball Mario Bros.'s Boxart.
Japan October 5, 1984[?]
Home computer
Punch Ball Mario Bros. is another Japanese computer-based sequel by Hudson Soft. It features stone "Punch Balls" that must be thrown at enemies to stun them.
Mario Bros. have returned
The title screen of Mario Bros. have returned
Japan November 30, 1988[?]
Family Computer Disk System
Mario Bros. have returned is a Japan-only game for the Family Computer Disk System, being mostly a more graphically accurate port of the original arcade game than the 1983 Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System port. However, it also has new features, such as the ability to change direction mid-jump and a slot machine minigame. Many of its graphical enhancements were used in a 1993 European NES port of Mario Bros.
Mario Clash
Mario Clash
Japan September 28, 1995[?]
Virtual Boy
Mario Clash, unlike its predecessors, stars only Mario, but it otherwise keeps the same gameplay formula. It takes place in the Clash House, where Mario needs to defeat invading enemies in both the standard playing field and the background by using the Virtual Boy's depth and Koopa shells.

Related games[edit]

Title
Cover, original release, and system Synopsis
Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)
Mario Bros. (Game & Watch)
March 14, 1983
Game & Watch
The Game & Watch game Mario Bros. was released before the arcade game (and, as such, is technically the first appearance of Luigi), though it also started development later. Gameplay-wise, the games have nothing in common, with the Game & Watch game featuring Mario and Luigi working in a bottling plant, with one of the brothers appearing on each of its two screens. It was ported to both Game & Watch Gallery 3 and Game & Watch Gallery 4.
Super Mario Bros. 3
North American box art for Super Mario Bros. 3
Japan October 23, 1988[?]
Nintendo Entertainment System
Super Mario Bros. 3 features a battle mode called "Classic Mario Bros.," which is an altered version of the original. It is the first rendition to replace Shellcreepers with Spinies. A further edited version appears in the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 3.
Super Mario Advance
North American box art for Super Mario Advance
Japan March 21, 2001[?]
Game Boy Advance
Super Mario Advance also features an alternate mode based on Mario Bros., having both a normal mode and a battle mode. Additionally, it can have up to four players and features some other new elements, such as garbage cans and Bowser. This mode returns in every other Super Mario Advance game as well as Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.
Super Mario 3D World
North American box art of Super Mario 3D World
Japan November 21, 2013[?]
Wii U
Super Mario 3D World features an alternate mode with an edited port of the first NES version, called "Luigi Bros." It replaces Mario with Luigi's modern colors, keeping the original Luigi the same.

See also[edit]

  • Wrecking Crew, a series using a similar layout of stacked platforms.
  • Hotel Mario, a game that also uses a similar layout.