Super Mario Bros.

This article is about the video game originally published for the Nintendo Entertainment System. For further uses, see Super Mario Bros. (disambiguation).

"SMB" redirects here. For the game known in Japan and Europe as Super Mario Ball, see Mario Pinball Land.

"Super Mario Brothers" redirects here. For the microgame from WarioWare: Smooth Moves, see Super Mario Brothers (WarioWare: Smooth Moves).

"Mario 1" redirects here. For the level in Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, see Mario 1 (level).

Super Mario Bros.
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
Platform(s)	Famicom/NES Famicom Disk System Nintendo PlayChoice-10 Game Boy Advance Virtual Console (Wii / 3DS / Wii U) NES Classic Edition/Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.
Release date	Famicom/NES September 13, 1985 October 18, 1985 May 15, 1987 July 1, 1987 1993 Famicom Disk System February 21, 1986 Nintendo PlayChoice-10 August 1986 Game Boy Advance February 14, 2004 June 7, 2004 July 9, 2004 Virtual Console (Wii) December 2, 2006 December 25, 2006 January 5, 2007 January 5, 2007 April 26, 2008 Virtual Console (3DS) (Ambassador Program release) August 31, 2011 August 31, 2011 September 1, 2011 September 1, 2011 Virtual Console (3DS) (full release) January 5, 2012 February 16, 2012 March 1, 2012 March 1, 2012 February 3, 2016 Virtual Console (Wii U) June 5, 2013 September 12, 2013 September 12, 2013 September 19, 2013 NES Classic Edition/Famicom Mini November 10, 2016 November 10, 2016 November 11, 2016 November 11, 2016 Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online September 18, 2018 September 19, 2018 September 19, 2018 September 19, 2018 April 23, 2019 April 23, 2019
Language(s)	English (United States)
Genre	2D platformer
Rating(s)	ESRB: - Everyone PEGI: - Three years and older CERO: - All ages ACB: - General USK: - All ages ClassInd: - General audience RARS: - All ages GRAC: - All ages
Mode(s)	1–2 players
Format	NES: Game Pak FDS: Disk Card Wii: Digital download Wii U: Digital download Nintendo Switch: Digital download Game Boy Advance: Game Pak Nintendo 3DS: Digital download NES Classic Edition: Built-in
Input	NES: NES Controller Wii: Wii Remote (horizontal) Classic Controller Nintendo GameCube Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad Wii Remote (horizontal) Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller NES Controller Super NES Controller Game Boy Advance: Gamepad Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad NES Classic Edition: NES Classic Controller Classic Controller
Serial code(s)	Famicom: HVC-SM NES: NES-SM FDS: FMC-SMA

Super Mario Bros. is a video game released for the Family Computer and Nintendo Entertainment System in 1985. It shifted the gameplay away from its single-screen arcade predecessor, Mario Bros., and instead featured side-scrolling platformer levels. While not the first game of the Super Mario franchise (the first being Donkey Kong), Super Mario Bros. is the most iconic, and it introduced various series staples, including power-ups, classic enemies such as Goombas, and the basic premise of rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser.

As well as kicking off an entire series of Super Mario platform games, the wild success of Super Mario Bros. popularized the genre as a whole, helped revive the North American gaming industry after the video game crash of 1983, and was largely responsible for the initial success of the NES, with which it was bundled as a launch title. Until it was eventually surpassed by Wii Sports, Super Mario Bros. was the best-selling video game of all time for nearly three decades, with over 40 million copies sold worldwide.

The exact day of the North American release of Super Mario Bros. is heavily disputed, with different sources giving different dates with no way to verify them. Regardless, Nintendo officially pinpoints the release date as October 18, 1985.

A successor named Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan (later renamed Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels in North America) was released on June 3, 1986. Another successor sharing its English name with its predecessor's Japanese name was released on October 9, 1988. A third successor named Super Mario Bros. 3 was released on October 23, 1988.

Super Mario Bros. has been ported to many consoles. It was one of the NES games that could be played on the Nintendo PlayChoice-10 and NES Classic Edition, and it was released on the Wii, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and on Nintendo Switch's Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online.

Story

The following text is taken directly from the NES instruction booklet localization.

One day the kingdom of the peaceful mushroom people was invaded by the Koopa, a tribe of turtles famous for their black magic. The quiet, peace-loving Mushroom People were turned into mere stones, bricks and even field horsehair plants, and the Mushroom Kingdom fell into ruin.

The only one who can undo the magic spell on the Mushroom People and return them to their normal selves is the Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the Mushroom King. Unfortunately, she is presently in the hands of the great Koopa turtle king.

Mario, the hero of the story (maybe) hears about the Mushroom People's plight and sets out on a quest to free the Mushroom Princess from the evil Koopa and restore the fallen kingdom of the Mushroom People.

You are Mario! It's up to you to save the Mushroom People from the black magic of the Koopa!

One day, the Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by the Turtle Tribe, whose king was capable of using powerful magic. This magic was used to transform all the Mushroom People into inanimate objects such as rocks, bricks, and even horsetails, thus spelling the kingdom's downfall. Only Princess Toadstool can undo the spell and restore her people to life, but she is being held captive by King Koopa himself. Mario hears of the princess's plight, and sets out on a quest through 32 stages to topple the Turtle Tribe and save the once-peaceful kingdom.

Gameplay

Super Mario in World 1-1.

Super Mario Bros. is divided into eight worlds, each of them containing four levels. Mario has to get to the end of the level by jumping over various gaps and avoiding the enemies on his way. He can use several platforms (some of them collapse when Mario lands on them), stairs in the level, as well as jumping boards. There are also pipes along the way, some of which Mario can enter to visit various secret coin rooms before returning to the level, a bit further ahead than when he left.

Enemies include Little Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Buzzy Beetles, Koopa Paratroopas, Bullet Bills, Hammer Brothers, and leaping Cheep-cheeps. All these enemies can be defeated when Mario jumps on them. Koopa Troopas and Buzzy Beetles cower in their shell when jumped on, which Mario can kick to defeat other enemies with. Koopa Paratroopas lose their wings and fall to the ground when Mario jumps on them. Other enemies include Piranha Plants, and the Spiny-throwing Lakitus, and Mario has to either shoot fireballs at them or just avoid them. Two levels take place underwater. In the water, Mario can swim freely from the top to the bottom of the screen. The enemies in underwater levels are Bloobers and Cheep-cheeps. Mario can only defeat these creatures by shooting them with fireballs.

Mario swimming in World 2-2.

If regular Mario takes a hit, falls down a pit, or if the Time Limit runs out, he loses a life and restarts the level. The point where Mario continues depends on how far he ran through the level before getting defeated; either from the beginning or at one of several invisible "checkpoints" throughout the level. After a Game Over, pressing while holding on the title screen allows the player to continue from the start of the world. In a 2-player game, if this is done by whoever got a Game Over second, both players will begin in the same world where the second player's game ended.

Mario can get special power-ups out of ? blocks or, uncommonly, bricks. Most of the ?s in which Mario can find these items are visible, but some are hidden and only become visible when Mario hits them from beneath. With the Magic Mushroom, he turns into Super Mario. As Super Mario, he can survive the hit of an enemy one time, at the cost of turning back to regular Mario. He may also destroy empty bricks by jumping beneath them. Additionally, he can also get the Fire Flower. With the Fire Flower, Super Mario turns into Fiery Mario, which allows him to shoot fireballs at enemies to defeat them from a distance. With the 1 up Mushroom, he gains an additional life; he can also get an extra life if he collects a hundred coins. With the Starman, which can only be found in bricks, Mario turns invincible for a short amount of time and can defeat enemies by simply touching them. With the exception of coins, only one item can appear on the screen, and when a new item appears, the previous one will disappear.

At the end of each level, a castle stands with a flagpole nearby. When Mario reaches the flagpole, he takes down the enemy flag and enters the castle, completing the level. The higher the spot that Mario hits the flagpole, the more points he receives. If two players are playing the game, Luigi's turn comes whenever Mario loses a life. Luigi has no special abilities in the game that are different from Mario's.

The fourth level of each world plays inside a castle. They are usually filled with Fire-Bars and Podoboos. At the end of a castle level, Mario is confronted with a fake Bowser in Worlds 1 through 7 and the actual Bowser in World 8. Mario ordinarily has no way to hurt the fake Bowsers or the actual Bowser and has to either use the ax to destroy the bridge, causing either the false or real one to fall into the lava, or pelt him with many fireballs, which produces the same result and reveals the true forms of the fakes. After defeating an impostor, Mario frees one of the seven remaining mushroom retainers from the castle, at which point they say their iconic phrase: "Thank you, Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" At the end of the castle in World 8, Mario frees the grateful Princess Toadstool and completes his adventure, having the choice to continue playing in a "new quest." In this second quest, the player gets to choose a world, and replay some levels. However, all Little Goombas are replaced by Buzzy Beetles, all ground enemies are also considerably faster, some platforms and elevator-style lifts are shortened in length, and the level design is slightly changed for some levels (see below at "Hard mode").

Time clock

The game's levels have a Time Limit in the upper right, which counts down, with the background music speeding up when going below 100. If it reaches 0, the game declares "Time Up", and Mario loses a life. However, the in-game timer runs much faster than in real life; 400 seconds on the timer, which is the default when starting most of the levels, is 160 seconds in real time. The timer countdown speed is the same across NTSC and PAL versions.

amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits starts with a real-time 180 second limit, which is sufficient to finish any level, presuming it is finished without losing any lives, and would have 32 timer seconds (15 real-time seconds) to spare for any follow-up levels. For its seventh scene, this is sufficient to see the game's ending.

Hard mode

Main article: Hard Mode § Super Mario Bros.

After beating the main game, the player is given the option to pick a world (by pressing on the title screen to change the world counter in the upper right) to play in "a new quest"—a harder mode where all Little Goombas are replaced by Buzzy Beetles, and all enemies walk faster. Elevator-style lifts that were originally in their wide forms (Six holes wide) are now in their small forms (Four holes wide) that were used from World 5-1 onwards in the main game. Mario gains no special powers in hard mode, and he receives no extra points when he defeats an enemy.

The story remains the same, as each of the first seven castles contains a mushroom retainer that needs rescuing, while the eighth castle has Princess Toadstool. If the player finishes the game on hard mode, they will not unlock anything new from the previous time the game was finished. However, points can be gained faster by jumping on a Buzzy Beetle and then running with the shell as it hits other Buzzy Beetles and Koopa Troopas. Earlier levels in hard mode that had harder versions later on the in the main game, now have the harder version used for both levels; for instance, 1-3, which is an easier version of 5-3 in the normal game, is identical to 5-3 in Hard Mode.

Controls

The controls can be customized on Wii U Virtual Console and to some extent in Nintendo Switch's system settings.

Action(s)	NES Controller / NES Classic Controller / Nintendo Switch Online NES Controller	Wii Remote	Wii Classic Controller	Nintendo GameCube Controller	Game Boy Advance	Nintendo 3DS	Wii U GamePad / Wii U Pro Controller (default)	Joy-Con (dual) / Nintendo Switch Pro Controller	Joy-Con (sideways)
Move; change position on a beanstalk	(left/right)		(left/right) or	(left/right) or		(left/right) or	(left/right) or	(left/right) or	(left/right)
Duck; enter Warp Pipe	(down)		(down) or	(down) or		(down) or	(down) or	(down) or	(down)
Climb beanstalk	(up/down)		(up/down) or	(up/down) or		(up/down) or	(up/down) or	(up/down) or	(up/down)
Jump; swim upwards
Dash; throw fireball; restart the game at the end; select a world
Pause; confirm selected option on title screen
Select number of players on title screen
Continue in the same world after the Game Over screen	Hold + press	Hold + press	Hold + press	Hold + press	Hold + press	Hold + press	Hold + press	Hold + press	Hold + press

Characters

Playable characters

Image	Name	Description
	Mario	Mario serves as the main protagonist of the game. Luigi, Mario's brother, appears only as the second player and plays identically to Mario. While Luigi is differentiated by his colors, both Fiery Mario and Fiery Luigi have the same palette.
	Luigi

Non-playable characters

Image	Name	Description
	Princess Toadstool	The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom. Bowser kidnaps her to prevent her from reversing the magic the Koopa used on the Mushroom People. She appears in the final course, 8-4 where she thanks Mario for rescusing her and offers a "new quest" for him.
	Mushroom retainers	Seven Mushroom People that are servants of the princess and prisoners of the Koopa. They appear in every castle except for the final one. Mario can rescue a retainer by finishing a castle in World 1 to World 7. They'll say, "Thank you Mario/Luigi! But our princess is in another castle!"

Enemies and obstacles

Enemies

Enemies are generally listed in the order they appear in the instruction booklet. They are referred to as "bad guys" in-text.

Image	Name	Description	Levels		Pts.
			First	Last
	Little Goomba	Mushroom creatures that walk back and forth. Little Goombas are the most common enemies and can be defeated with any attack.	World 1-1	World 8-4	100
	Koopa Troopa (green)	Foot soldiers of the Turtle Empire. Stomping on Koopa Troopas make them recede into their shells, which can be kicked to hit defeat enemies. Like Little Goombas, green-shelled Koopa Troopas walk off ledges.	World 1-1	World 8-3	100
	Koopa Troopa (red)	Red-shelled Koopa Troopas turn around when the reach the corner of a ledge.	World 1-2	World 7-3	100
	Koopa Paratroopa (green)	Winged Koopa Troopas. The green ones bounce across the ground or fly back and forth in set paths.	World 2-1	World 8-4	400
	Koopa Paratroopa (red)	Red Koopa Paratroopas fly up and down in set paths.	World 1-3	World 5-3	400
	Buzzy Beetle	Small Koopas that retract into their shells when stomped. Buzzy Beetles are immune to fireballs and replace Little Goombas in Hard Mode.	World 4-2	World 8-4	100
	Hammer Brother	Helmeted Koopas that toss hammers. Hammer Brothers periodically hop between rows of blocks. They always occur in pairs.	World 3-1	World 8-4	1000
	Spiny	Squat, spiked Koopas. Stomping one damages Mario.	World 4-1	World 8-2	200
	Spiny's egg	The spiked eggs tossed by Lakitus. They hatch into Spinies when they make contact with the ground.	World 4-1	World 8-2	200
	Lakitu	Cloud-riding Koopas. Lakitus toss Spiny's eggs. They appear towards the top of the screen follow Mario's position.	World 4-1	World 8-2	200
	Piranha plant	Carnivorous plants that sit in pipes. Piranha plants emerge and retract from pipes in set internals. If Mario stands directly next to or on these pipes, the plants do not emerge.	World 1-2	World 8-4	200
	Cheep-cheep (red)	Pudgy pufferfish enemies that swim through water. In some ground-themed courses, red Cheep-cheeps leap over bridges in large numbers.	World 2-2	World 8-4	200
	Cheep-cheep (grey)	Grey Cheep-cheeps only occur underwater. They swim slightly faster than the red ones.	World 2-2	World 8-4	200
	Bullet Bill	Missiles launched from Turtle Cannons. They fly in straight lines. Bullet Bills are unaffected by fireballs.	World 5-1	World 8-3	200
	Bloober	Underwater squid sentinels. They swim erratically to strike Mario.	World 2-2	World 8-4	200
	Podoboo	Balls of lava that guard Bowser's castles. They leap straight up from pools of lava to strike Mario.	World 2-4	World 8-4

Obstacles

Image	Name	Description	Levels
			First	Last
	Fire-Bar	Various fireballs stacked together moving either clockwise or counterclockwise. Their length may vary.	World 1-4	World 8-4
	Koopa's fire	Flames spewed by Bowser and his imposters. The fire travels horizontally and transcends walls.	World 1-4	World 8-4
	Lava	Pools of molten rock found within fortresses and castles. Direct contact makes Mario lose a life.	World 1-4	World 8-4
	Turtle Cannon	Cannons that launch Bullet Bills. Like the pipes that contain Piranha plants, Turtle Cannons do not fire when Mario is next to or on them.	World 5-1	World 8-3

Bosses

Mario and Bowser in World 8-4.

A boss occurs in the fourth level of each world, specifically located within the final room of the castle. The boss is on a bridge suspended above a pool of lava. Touching the ax at the opposite corner of the bridge makes it fall away and defeats the boss, but striking one with five fireballs as Fiery Mario defeats it as well. Defeating it this way awards the player with 5000 points. Once defeated, Mario transitions to a narrow corridor where captive is held. In the first seven worlds, this captive is a mushroom retainer that directs Mario further along his journey. In World 8, Princess Toadstool is the one rescued, completing the game. As Mario progresses through the worlds, bricks and lifts appear in the boss rooms as well.

Intrinsically, the only boss in the game is Bowser, the fire-breathing King of Koopas who kidnapped the princess and turned her subjects into horsehairs and bricks. However, Bowser himself only appears at the boss of World 8-4. All of the proceeding "Bowsers" are his minions in disguise. They all exhibit the same behavior: the large Koopa shuffles back and forth along the bridge, facing Mario, and jumping in small arches. These arches are just high enough that Mario can move underneath Bowser if the opportunity presents itself.

In the first five worlds, the fake Bowsers spew Koopa's fire. In the sixth and seventh worlds, they toss hammers like Hammer Brothers. The real Bowser is the only boss that actively does both. Like Spinies, Bowser and fake Bowsers have spiked shells. Attempting to stomp them damages Mario.

Items and objects

Items

Image	Name	Description
	1 up mushroom	Green mushrooms that give Mario an extra life when collected. 1 up mushrooms are within invisible blocks near pits. When one is struck, the mushroom travels across the ground in the opposite direction from Mario.
	Coin	Coins float in mid-air throughout levels and within blocks. Collecting one awards Mario 200 points. Collecting 100 awards him an extra life.
	Koopa shell	Stomping on a Koopa Troopa makes it recede into its shell. Its sent sliding when touched, defeating enemies on contact. Doing so causes the "bulldozer attack", where each enemy defeated grants Mario more points than the last. Launched shells ricochet off collided walls and can damage Mario on contact.
	Buzzy shell	Stomping on a Buzzy Beetle yields a shell that works like the Koopa ones, but it cannot be cleared away with tossed fireballs.

Power-ups

Items that transform Mario's appearance and give him unique abilities called "power boosts" in the instruction booklet. All of these items are held within blocks and must be jumped under to be released. It is not inherently apparent which block contain which power-ups, and breaking them does not grant Mario their abilities. He must touch the power-ups directly once they are expelled. Touching any power-up also awards Mario 1000 points. Forms that share a column look the same for Mario and Luigi.

Power-up	Form		Description
	Mario	Luigi
N/A	Regular Mario	Regular Luigi	Mario is in this small-sized form when the player starts a new game. Regular Mario is incapable of breaking bricks and loses a life when he makes contact with an enemy or obstacle. However, he can run across narrow passageways without having to crouch. Regardless of the form he was in before losing a life, Mario reappears in the level in his regular form.
Magic Mushroom	Super Mario	Super Luigi	The red Magic Mushrooms are within visible blocks and slide across the ground, similar to 1 up mushrooms. They bounce back in the opposite direction when they hit an obstruction. Touching one transforms Mario into Super Mario, a form twice as tall as his regular form and capable of breaking bricks. Subsequent encounters with blocks intended to contain Magic Mushrooms instead release Fire Flowers when struck in this form. Receiving damaging in this form reverts Mario back into his regular-sized state. He retains this form across levels if he reaches flagpoles as Super Mario.
Fire Flower	Fiery Mario / Luigi		Making contact with a Fire Flower transforms Mario into Fiery Mario. In this form, Mario can toss projectile fireballs with that bounce along the ground. Most enemies are defeated when hit. Fiery Mario also has all the benefits of Super Mario, and similarly retains this form if he completes the level in it. Mario reverts to his regular size if hit as Fiery Mario.
Starman	Invincible Mario / Luigi		Starmen are rare power-ups often hidden in invisible blocks. When released, they bounce in the opposite direction from Mario. When grabbed, Mario is transformed into Invincible Mario for thirty seconds. In this state, Mario is largely indestructible and defeats enemies on contact. Contact with the Starman does not wholly replace the form Mario was already in (i.e., Mario remains small if one is touched while in his regular form, and he can still toss fireballs if he is in his Fiery form.) Invincible Mario cannot be carried over to subsequent levels.

Objects

Objects are interactable elements of the environment that cannot be picked up or collected.

Image	Name	Description
Blocks
	? block	Floating blocks that contain items. One releases its contents when jumped underneath. Some ? blocks are ten-coin blocks that release up to 10 coins if struck in rapid succession. Others are invisible. A struck ? block becomes an empty block that can be used as platforms. These are the only type of strikable blocks that regular Mario can open.
	Brick	The most common blocks. Most bricks fall apart when struck, but some are secretly ? or ten-coin blocks. Regular Mario is incapable of directly breaking a brick block, but he can still use a shell if available.
	Coral	Coral form varyingly sized columns in underwater levels that obstruct Mario.
	Small cloud	Cloud-like blocks make up the terrain in Bonus Stages high in the sky.
	Stairblock	Unbreakable blocks that appear on the ground. Some are stacked or laid next to each other to form climbable staircases or incomplete bridges.
Platforms
	Jumping board	Jumping boards bounce Mario into the air. Pressing when the the spring is fully contracted makes a jumping board launch Mario much higher than it would otherwise.
	Lift	Thin, moving platforms. They are most common in athletic levels, above bottomless pits. Lifts are of varying widths and movements. There is a paired type of Lifts called Balance Lifts that are a seesaw-like pulley system, where standing on one Lift makes it fall and the other rise. There are also types of Lifts that fall shortly after being stepped on.
	Pipe	Most pipes are columnar platforms of varying height, some of which contain Piranha plants. A few of them are Warp Pipes that bring Mario to a secret underground area by pressing down on .
	Super mushroom	Giant mushrooms that occur in athletic levels, high above bottomless pits.
Goals
	Ax	Touching an ax causes the bridge it is alongside to collapse. This defeats the boss that was on top of it and completes the level.
	Flagpole	Flagpoles are the goals at the end of most levels. When one is touched, Mario slides to the base and completes the level. Touching one also rewards him bonus points. The higher he is on the flagpole, the greater the number of points. Grabbing the top rewards Mario 5000 points.
Other objects
	Beanstalk	Beanstalks rapidly grow from struck vine blocks, ascending skyward. Climbing one brings Mario to a hidden Bonus Stage in the sky.
	Firework	Fireworks appear if Mario grabs a flagpole with 1, 3, or 6 as the last digit on the timer. The number of fireworks that go off correlates with this number, and each one rewards Mario 500 points.
	Horsehair plant	Field horsehair plants appear in the background of ground-themed levels. According to the instruction booklet, Bowser transformed some of the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants into these plants.

List of levels

World	Level	Setting	Enemies found
	World 1-1	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa
World 1-2	Underground	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant
World 1-3	Athletic	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa
World 1-4	Castle	Fire-Bar, fake Bowser (Little Goomba)
	World 2-1	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant
World 2-2	Underwater	Bloober, Cheep-cheep, Piranha Plant
World 2-3	Athletic	Cheep-cheep
World 2-4	Castle	Fire-Bar, Podoboo, fake Bowser (Koopa Troopa)
	World 3-1	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Hammer Brother
World 3-2	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant
World 3-3	Athletic	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa
World 3-4	Castle	Fire-Bar, Podoboo, fake Bowser (Buzzy Beetle)
	World 4-1	Overworld	Piranha Plant, Lakitu, Spiny
World 4-2	Underground	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle
World 4-3	Athletic	Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa
World 4-4	Castle	Piranha Plant, Podoboo, Fire-Bar, fake Bowser (Spiny)
	World 5-1	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Bullet Bill
World 5-2	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle, Bullet Bill, Hammer Brother (Bloober, Cheep-cheep)
World 5-3	Athletic	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Bullet Bill
World 5-4	Castle	Podoboo, Fire-Bar, fake Bowser (Lakitu)
	World 6-1	Overworld	Piranha Plant, Lakitu, Spiny
World 6-2	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle (Bloober, Cheep-cheep)
World 6-3	Athletic	Bullet Bill
World 6-4	Castle	Podoboo, Fire-Bar, fake Bowser (Bloober)
	World 7-1	Overworld	Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle, Hammer Brother, Bullet Bill
World 7-2	Underwater	Bloober, Cheep-cheep, Piranha Plant
World 7-3	Athletic	Cheep-cheep, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa
World 7-4	Castle	Podoboo, Fire-Bar, fake Bowser (Hammer Brother)
	World 8-1	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle
World 8-2	Overworld	Little Goomba, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Buzzy Beetle, Lakitu, Spiny, Bullet Bill
World 8-3	Overworld	Koopa Troopa, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Bullet Bill, Hammer Brother
World 8-4	Castle	Little Goomba, Koopa Paratroopa, Piranha Plant, Fire-Bar, Podoboo, Buzzy Beetle, Hammer Brother, Bloober, Cheep-cheep, Bowser

Glitches

Main article: List of Super Mario Bros. glitches

Minus World

The Minus World entrance screen

Minus World in the NES version

Main article: Minus World

The Minus World is an endless underwater level, identical to World 7-2, which is accessed through a programming glitch. There is no way to complete the level, as entering the pipe at the end will simply return Mario or Luigi to the one at the beginning. While there is no strategic advantage in performing this glitch, many find it intriguing. The glitch was removed in some remakes of the game, excluding the imports, the Virtual Console port, and Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. The Family Computer Disk System release has a different Minus World with three levels that can be beaten, and once -3 is complete, the player will return to the title screen as if they had beaten the game.

Mario goes through the wall and enters World -1

To perform the glitch, Mario must go to World 1-2 and stand on top of the pipe that leads to the above-ground flag, without going in the pipe. Then he must break the second and third block from the pipe, but leave the one on the far right. Then he must stand on the left edge of the pipe (facing left) and duck. He then has to jump while in a ducking position and move right in mid-air (while still facing left). If done correctly, Mario will go through the block on the far right and the wall to the Warp Zone. Mario must then go through the pipe that would normally lead to World 2-1 or World 4-1, and Mario will enter the Minus World.

If World 2-2 or 7-2 is edited in a ROM editor so that it is possible to beat it during the underwater segment, there is a World -2, an underwater version of 3-4. If World 3-4 is edited in a ROM editor, then there is a World -3. It is also a version of 3-4, but with overworld graphics; beating World -3 takes the player to World -4, a level which is just a blank screen.

Over the flagpole

Over the Flag Pole Glitch - Video describing Over the Flagpole glitch in World 1-1, as well as some other glitches

File infoMedia:SMB W1-1 Glitch2.ogv ​

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Over the Flagpole glitch in World 3-3

In some levels, it is possible to jump over the flagpole. Beyond the flag pole is nothing but an endless path. There is nothing to do; all that can be done is wait for the timer to get to zero. To do this glitch in World 1-1, right after the second pit, Mario needs to wait for the Koopa Troopa to about to fall into the pit and simultaneously jump at the top of the level right above the Koopa. After that, the Koopa will be stuck underneath the level, but the player will still be able to see it. When the Koopa starts to walk under the level, Mario should follow it to the end. Along the way, it is required to grab a Magic Mushroom. When the Koopa is halfway between the staircase and the flagpole, the player must do the glitch again and Mario will jump above the flagpole.

To do this glitch in World 3-3, at the end of the level the player must stand on the last lift until another one has completely lifted, before falling off. After that, the player must accelerate as fast as possible and jump from the far edge of the lift. The lift should not lower while doing so.

There is a brick right after the fortress's or castle's first door, which stops Mario from going past the Fortress at the end of the levels.

In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, this is exploited to hide Warp Zones. In worlds 3-1 and A-3, there are warp zones placed beyond the goals. In other worlds, while it is possible to go over the flagpole, the edge of the world is a few steps past the fortress, and the player is not able to go far enough for the flagpole to scroll off the screen.

This glitch was fixed in the Super Mario All-Stars version.

Staff

Main article: List of Super Mario Bros. staff

Director

• Shigeru Miyamoto

Original Music

• Koji Kondo

Designers

• Shigeru Miyamoto
• Takashi Tezuka

Programmers

• Kazuaki Morita
• Toshihiko Nakago

Producer

• Shigeru Miyamoto

Executive Producer

• Hiroshi Yamauchi

Development

Development for Super Mario Bros. began after Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka finished two other games together beforehand: Excitebike and Devil World. When designing Super Mario Bros., they wanted to use the scrolling screens of Excitebike and the large character sprites from Devil World, to make Super Mario Bros. stand out from other titles. Miyamoto and Tezuka wanted to fit various technologies into the game, comparing it to a puzzle. The name "Super Mario Bros." also came from Mario's new Super form.

Super Mario Bros. was developed at the same time as The Legend of Zelda, and both shared numerous staff members: Miyamoto, Tezuka, Toshihiko Nakago, Koji Kondo, Kazuaki Morita, Yasunari Nishida, and Hiroshi Yamauchi. According to the developers, some aspects of Super Mario Bros. were taken from The Legend of Zelda; Fire-Bars were one example, as they were present in the dungeons in The Legend of Zelda. Miyamoto implemented Fire-Bars into Super Mario Bros. as an obstacle.

The main goal of Super Mario Bros. was to have a character travel through many lands with all different themes to each other and it would feature a diverse terrain, such as land, water, and sky. They also intended for the main character to be twice the size of the final one. At the beginning of developing the game, the placeholder playable character was a 16×32 pixel square. The square could not even jump and as a result, Tezuka suggested making Mario the playable character instead of the square due to the popularity of Mario Bros., which Miyamoto accepted.

Nakago and his team, Systems Research and Development (SRD), colored the background blue in some levels. This was unusual, because video games released during this time usually had a black background, to avoid eye-strain and to avoid getting distracted by the bright colors. After coloring the background blue in some levels, Nakago then started designing maps for this game. Miyamoto wanted the levels to be around a minute long and he told SRD to do so. He then realized that it usually takes about a second to travel across a screen and that numerous screens would have been implemented in one stage. SRD first thought that Miyamoto had requested them to make 60 screens per stage, but Miyamoto then explained that obstacles in each screen would slow down the player's progress, which resulted in an average of about 12 screens per level. The stage with the most screens has only 32, which is about half of what SRD had originally expected.

When designing the stages themselves, because a level creating tool was not available to them at the time, Miyamoto and Tezuka would draw the levels on graph paper, and then Nakago and his team would design and program it into the game; if edits were to be made to the original drawings, a sheet of clear paper was placed over the original drawings. Nakago has stated that a lot of documents were sent to his team every day to change some aspects of stages. Every day, the group would do all they could do of what was stated in the documents and would work until 10 at night.

In two Japanese interviews promoting The Super Mario Bros. Movie, Miyamoto gave insight into the original background for the connection between the story of Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros., stating that the among the pipes in Mario Bros., one of them leads to the Mushroom Kingdom where Super Mario Bros. takes place.

According to Toru Iwatani, creator of Pac-Man, Miyamoto told him personally that Super Mario Bros. was influenced by Pac-Land, the pioneer of action games with horizontally running background.

The "Ending" theme in the Famicom Disk System version of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was first composed as the ending theme of Super Mario Bros., before being shortened due to storage limitations.

Regional differences

The European version of the game adds one pixel to the hitboxes of Little Goombas, Spinies, Piranha Plants, Bloobers, Cheep-cheeps and Bullet Bills.

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Super Mario Bros. pre-release and unused content

The game was far more focused on action than platforming. The game was split between ground and sky segments, which had Mario shooting enemies. Mario could use weapons and the control scheme was different as a result, such as having the up arrow of the used as the jump button.

Reception and legacy

The Super Mario Bros. Avenue in Zaragoza, Spain

Super Mario Bros. received critical acclaim and is considered one of the best games of all time. One of the most-praised aspects of the game is the precise controls, which allow players to control how far and high the characters jump and how fast they can run. The game popularized side-scrolling video games, and the game has since received several sequels and spin-offs, and many different ports and alternative versions. All characters, enemies, and items found in the game have become core elements of the Super Mario franchise and the plot of Bowser kidnapping the princess has continued to be used throughout the core Super Mario series.

The game was placed 14th in the 100th issue of Nintendo Power's "100 best Nintendo games of all time" in 1997. It ranked the first spot in Electronic Gaming Monthly's "Greatest 200 Games of Their Time", named in IGN's top 100 games of all time lists in 2005 and 2007, and declared the second-best Mario game of all time. IGN also placed it 3rd in their Top 100 NES Games list.

Super Mario Bros. sold 40.24 million units with its original release, being the second best-selling Super Mario game and among the best-selling video games of all time. It has received several other works such as The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! and the Super Mario Bros. film.

The game's impact on popular culture was so big that in 2010, a street in Zaragoza, Aragón (Spain), was named after it, with a ceremony being held in celebration.

References to other games

• Donkey Kong: The design for lifts resembles the girders seen in 100m.
• Donkey Kong Jr.: Trampolines return with a similar design.
• Mario Bros.:
  • Green pipes, coins and blocks, introduced to the Mario universe in this game, return.
  • Koopa Troopas are derived from this game's Shellcreepers.

References in other games

• Donkey Kong: For the NES release of this game, Mario's jumping sprite from Super Mario Bros. is used on the box art.
• Mario Bros.: For the NES release of this game, Mario's jumping sprite from Super Mario Bros. is used on the box art.

References in later games

Main article: List of references to Super Mario Bros.

Alternate versions and re-releases

25th Anniversary SUPER MARIO BROS., with all the question marks on the ? Blocks changed to number 25's.

The 3-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet cartridge.

The playable demo in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

• 1985 - Original Nintendo Entertainment System release (North America/Japan)
• 1986 - Re-released on the Family Computer Disk System in Japan as one of the launch titles.
• 1986 - Released for the arcade VS. System as VS. Super Mario Bros.
• 1986 - A Game & Watch titled Super Mario Bros. is released, but it is a completely different game.
• 1986 - Ported into the arcade machine Nintendo PlayChoice-10.
• 1986 - Released on the Family Computer Disk System as All Night Nippon: Super Mario Bros. Most of the levels have been reused but the physics engine is from Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
• 1987 - Original Nintendo Entertainment System release (Europe/Australia)
• 1988 - Re-released on the NES in North America as part of the 2-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt compilation, packaged with the NES Action Set.
• 1989 - A Nelsonic Game Watch titled Super Mario Bros. is released, but it is a completely different game.
• 1990 - Re-released on the NES in North America as part of the 3-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt/World Class Track Meet compilation, packaged with the NES Power Set.
• 1990 - Re-released on the NES as part of Nintendo World Championships 1990.
• 1992 - Re-released on the NES in Europe as part of the 3-in-1 Super Mario Bros./Tetris/Nintendo World Cup compilation, sold alone or with the Top Loader.
• 1993 - Remake available on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as part of the Super Mario All-Stars compilation. Graphics and sound were updated, and many glitches were removed.
• 1994 - Remake available on the SNES in North America as part of the Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World compilation, packaged with the SNES Mario Set.
• 1997 - A special version is released as a Satellaview broadcast titled BS Super Mario Collection - Dai-1-Shuu, which is based on the Super Mario All-Stars version.
• 1999 - Remake released on the Game Boy Color as Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. The game featured the original game's graphics but loads of additional content.
• 2001 - The original game is available as an unlockable NES game in Doubutsu no Mori+. In Japan, it is obtainable only through the thirty Nintendo GameCube Memory Cards that were distributed as part of a sweepstakes in Famitsu magazine. In the international release, it can only be unlocked by using a cheating device. It was likely going to be released as an e-Reader card (as were Ice Climber and Mario Bros.), but a Super Mario Bros. card was never released. In the Japan-only re-release, Doubutsu no Mori e+, the game is removed altogether.
• 2003 - In celebrating 20 years of the Famicom in Japan, Nintendo ran a "Hot Mario Campaign" from November 7, 2003 to January 15, 2004, in which the prize was a special edition of Super Mario Bros. alongside a Famicom-themed Game Boy Advance.
• 2004 - The original game was re-released on the Game Boy Advance as part of the NES Classics / Famicom Mini collection, celebrating 20 years of the Famicom in Japan. It was also re-released on September 13, 2005, in Japan to celebrate 20 years of the original NES game.
• 2006 - Available on the Wii as part of the Virtual Console. It requires 23 blocks (2.9 MB) to be installed.
• 2008 - Available as a playable demo in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
• 2010 - SNES version re-released with Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition.
• 2010 - Virtual Console port titled 25th Anniversary SUPER MARIO BROS. with the question marks on the ? Blocks replaced with "25", exclusively bundled with a special, red Wii.
• 2011 - Released on the 3DS as part of the Virtual Console. It is a free download for those who purchased a 3DS before the August 12th price drop. The full release version was released on January 5, 2012, in Japan, on February 16, 2012, in North America, and on March 1, 2012, in Europe and Australia.
• 2013 - Released on the Wii U as part of the Virtual Console service via the Wii U eShop in Japan on June 5 and in Europe, Australia, and North America in September. It requires 15 MB to be installed. The game was also featured in NES Remix.
• 2014 - Re-released in NES Remix 2 as Super Luigi Bros. The game was also featured in Ultimate NES Remix along with the port of Super Mario Bros., Speed Mario Bros.
• 2014 - Available as a playable demo in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
• 2015 - Available as a "highlight" in amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits.
• 2016 - Released as one of the 30 games included in the NES Classic Edition and Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer.
• 2018 - Available as one of the 20 NES titles at the Nintendo Switch Online subscription service's launch in September 2018, and for the first time can be played with other players online.
• 2020 - Released as Super Mario Bros. 35, using the physics of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels and the "Taking damage as Fire Mario becomes Super Mario" system that was standardized in the Western Super Mario Bros. 3 versions onwards.
• 2020 - Released as Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros.

Profiles and statistics

• Wii Shop Channel: "One day, the Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by the Koopas, a tribe of turtles famous for their black magic. The quiet, peace-loving Mushroom People were turned into stones, bricks, and even plants, and the kingdom fell into ruin. The only one who can undo the magic spell on the Mushroom People and return them to their normal selves is Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the Mushroom King. Unfortunately, she is in the hands of evil King Bowser. Mario, the famous plumber, learns of the Mushroom People's plight and sets out to free the Mushroom Princess from the Koopas and restore the fallen kingdom of the Mushroom People. Jump, kick shells, and throw fireballs through eight action-packed worlds in this iconic NES classic!"
• Nintendo eShop: "Rediscover Mario & Luigi's first great adventure! One day, the Mushroom Kingdom was invaded by the Koopas, a tribe of turtles famous for their black magic. The quiet, peace-loving Mushroom People were turned into stones, bricks, and even plants, and the kingdom fell into ruin. The only one who can undo the magic spell is Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the Mushroom King. Unfortunately, she is in the hands of evil king Bowser™. Mario™ learns of the Mushroom People's plight and sets out to free the Mushroom Princess from the Koopas and restore the fallen kingdom. Jump, kick shells, and throw fireballs through eight action-packed worlds in this iconic NES classic!"

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

Sticker Super Mario Bros.
	Artwork from: Super Mario Bros.
	Effects in The Subspace Emissary: [Arm, Leg] - Attack +15
	Usable by: Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Bowser

Media

For a complete list of media for this subject, see List of Super Mario Bros. media.

Ground Theme - Excerpt of the overworld theme.

File infoMedia:SMB Overworld Theme.oga 0:30

Underground Theme - The underground theme.

File infoMedia:Under Ground Theme SMB.oga 0:12

Underwater Theme - The underwater theme.

File infoMedia:Under Water Theme SMB.oga 0:25

Castle Theme - The castle theme.

File infoMedia:SMB Castle Theme.oga 0:16

Starman - The Starman theme.

File infoMedia:Invincibility SMB.oga 0:06

Lose a Life - The Life Lost theme.

File infoMedia:Lose a life SMB.oga 0:03

Course Clear - Theme that plays at the end of the levels.

File infoMedia:SMB Victory.oga 0:06

Help:Media • Having trouble playing?

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Super Mario Bros.

• 

  Japanese box art

• 

  Mario

• 

  Princess Toadstool

• 

  Mushroom Retainer

• 

  Little Goomba

• 

  Bowser

Quotes

• "To make Mario jump extra high, hold the B button down while you run and jump." — Nintendo Game Pack with Top Secret Tips!, Card no. 7
• "Even if it says "Game Over" you can hold A and press Start. You'll continue on Level 1 of the last world you were on." — Nintendo Game Pack with Top Secret Tips!, Card no. 13
• "In every world, within invisible blocks, on extra life is concealed (possibly more). Keep your eyes peeled!" — Nintendo Game Pack with Top Secret Tips!, Card no. 19
• "You'll gain more points the higher you jump on a flagpole. Try accelerating first, the jump for all you're worth!" — Nintendo Game Pack with Top Secret Tips!, Card no. 31
• "We wanted to make a big Mario running around beneath a blue sky. We squeezed as much as we could out of the NES technology." — Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario History 1985-2010 Booklet
• "Developing this game was fun because it felt like we were solving a puzzle as we were making it." — Takashi Tezuka, Super Mario History 1985-2010 Booklet
• "There was so much enthusiasm on this project because we were trying to create something that had never been done before." — Koji Kondo, Super Mario History 1985-2010 Booklet
• "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" — Mushroom Retainer, Super Mario Bros.
• "Thank you Mario! Your quest is over. We present you a new quest." — Princess Toadstool, Super Mario Bros.

Names in other languages

Language	Name	Meaning	Notes
Japanese	スーパーマリオブラザーズ[?] Sūpā Mario Burazāzu	Super Mario Bros.
	スーパーマリオブラザーズ1 Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Wan	Super Mario Bros. 1
Chinese (simplified)	超级马力欧兄弟[?] Chāojí Mǎlì'ōu Xiōngdì	Super Mario Bros.
Chinese (traditional)	超級瑪利歐兄弟[?] Chāojí Mǎlì'ōu Xiōngdì	Super Mario Bros.
Korean	슈퍼 마리오브라더스[?] Syupeo Malio Beuladeoseu	Super Mario Bros.

Trivia

The original story of Super Mario Bros. (with early character designs) as seen on a board game based on the game. An alternate set of pictures depicting the same events is in How to win at Super Mario Bros.

A comparison of the Super Mario Bros. and Mario Pikachu artwork

• Despite being unmentioned in the Japanese manual, the Mushroom King appears in Asian-drawn strategy guide illustrations.
• The Guinness Book of World Records 2011: Gamer's Edition states that this game was also remade on the Nintendo 64, which is incorrect.
• In a 2011 United States Supreme Court case, Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (which overturned a California law banning the sale of violent video games to children without parental supervision), the Electronic Frontier Foundation submitted an amicus brief citing social research that declared Super Mario Bros. to be a violent video game. In the brief, it was stated that the game contained cartoon violence similar to that found in various Saturday morning television shows, the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons, and the Mighty Mouse series, which garnered little negative reaction from the public in their own times.
• A promotional artwork for the "Mario Pikachu" line of merchandise, based on the artwork for the Famicom release of Super Mario Bros., replaces the original game's characters and elements with Pokémon and elements from the Pokémon series. The changes are the following:
  • Mario is replaced by Pikachu.
  • Bowser is replaced by Blastoise.
  • Princess Peach is replaced by Diancie.
  • The Toads are replaced by two Foongus.
  • The Koopa Paratroopa is replaced by a Wartortle.
  • The castle is replaced by Bell Tower.
  • A flower is replaced by Flabébé.
  • The Goomba is replaced by a Shroomish.
  • The Bullet Bill is replaced by Beldum.
  • The Super Mushroom is replaced by a Big Mushroom.
  • The Blooper is replaced by an Inkay.
  • The hill is now orange and the Warp Pipe has been replaced by Slowpoke Well.
  • The Koopa Troopa is replaced by a Squirtle.
  • The Cheep Cheep is replaced by a Qwilfish.
  • The Hammer Bro is replaced by a Psyduck.
  • The cliff is now a cave.
  • The Spiny is replaced by a Ferroseed, and the Lakitu is replaced by a Landorus.
• The South African release in 1993 reuses the European version's packaging, the only NES game to do so in the region; all other South African NES titles feature a red "South African Version" banner on the box art and cartridge label.

External links

• Mario Portal Game Archive (EN)
• Mario Portal Game Archive (JP)
• Famicom 40th Anniversary site
• Nintendo UK Game Boy Advance site
• Japanese Famicom manual
• North American NES manual