Dr. Mario Express
| Dr. Mario Express | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Developer | Arika | ||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||
| Platform(s) | Nintendo DSi, Nintendo 3DS | ||||||
| Release date | Nintendo DSi (DSiWare): Template:Release Nintendo 3DS (eShop): Template:Release[?] | ||||||
| Genre | Puzzle | ||||||
| Rating(s) |
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| Mode(s) | Single-player | ||||||
| Input | Nintendo DS: Nintendo 3DS:
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- Everyone
- Three years and older
- All ages
Dr. Mario Express, known as A Little Bit of... Dr. Mario in PAL regions and as Chotto Dr. Mario (ちょっとDr. MARIO, lit. "A little bit of Dr. Mario") in Japan, is a puzzle game released on DSiWare for the Nintendo DSi for 500 DSi points and the fifth main installment in the Dr. Mario series. This game has the same design and most of the same music as Dr. Mario Online Rx, but unlike the WiiWare version, it does not offer a multiplayer mode or feature the Virus Buster mini-game (which can be found as part of the DSiWare games of its original parent series, Brain Age Express, instead). Moreover, this game does not have touch control functionality.
Gameplay
The basic gameplay for Dr. Mario is to eliminate viruses by using capsules to line it up against the same colored viruses so that a line of four in a row or column is formed. The game is over if the capsule is blocked at the top-middle of the bottle.
There are two main modes in this game: Classic and Vs. CPU:
- Classic: In this mode, the bottle is filled with viruses, and they need to be eliminated by using the capsules to match them. After clearing a level, the player can proceed to the next level or to replay the current level. If the player got a game over, the player can restart the level. The level can also be restarted at any time during gameplay. However, in level 21 and above on Fast, the option to restart the level is disabled, except after you cleared a level.
- Vs. CPU: In this mode, the player competes against the CPU in order to either be the first to clear all the viruses in their bottle. The player can also win if the capsule in their opponent's bottle is blocked at the top middle. By making multiple matches in a single move, the player can send up to four garbage capsules to their opponent, depending on the amount of matches cleared. The garbage colors are dependent on the color matches made. The difficulty of the CPU can be chosen between Easy, Normal, or Hard.
There are three options in the menu: Quick Drop toggles the ability to instantly drop capsules with the up button, Capsule Ghost Image shows a translucent image of where the capsule will fall, and Background Color changes the color of the background between 1 (red), 2 (blue), and 3 (green).
Controls
(left/right): Move capsule- (down): Pull capsule down
- (up): Quick drop capsule (requires enabling in options to do so)
: Rotate capsule clockwise
: Rotate capsule counterclockwise
: Pause game, and display pause menu
DSi Shop description
American
Mario™ once again dons his stethoscope to battle the forces of illness in this downloadable version of the classic puzzle game. Use vitamins to eliminate viruses in Classic mode, or play against a computer opponent in Vs. CPU mode. Make an appointment with Dr. Mario today!
European
Dr. Mario is back, to cure your puzzle fever! A Little Bit of... Dr. Mario brings you this classic game in an easy-to-digest portable form for your Nintendo DSi! Enjoy the original inspiration for Germ Buster (as seen in More Brain Training from Dr Kawashima). Simply defeat all the viruses in the bottle by lining up coloured capsules that match the colour of the viruses. Watch out, because if the bottle fills to the brim with capsules, it's Game Over! Choose Classic Mode to play solo, or battle against the computer in Vs CPU Mode in a race to clear all the viruses first. You can also set the number of viruses and game speed, to tune the difficulty level to your liking. Please note that elements of this software may have been featured in previously released software.
Staff
- Main article: List of Dr. Mario Express staff
Gallery
The title screen.
Level Clear screen.
Game Over Screen.
Japanese game screen
Dr. Mario's winning pose
Japanese logo
Simplified Chinese logo
American logo
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ちょっとDr.MARIO[?] Chotto Dokutā Mario |
A little bit of Dr. Mario | |
| Chinese | 一下下马力欧医生[?] Yíxìaxìa Mǎlìōu Yīshēng |
A little bit of Dr. Mario | |
| German | Dr. Mario für zwischendurch[?] | Dr. Mario in between | |
| Italian | Una pausa con... Dr. Mario[?] | A pause with... Dr. Mario | |
| Spanish | Una pausa con... Dr. Mario[?] | A pause with... Dr. Mario |
Trivia
- In Classic mode, when the player beats level 5, 10, 15, or 20, they will see a picture of Dr. Mario taking a rest under a tree. The number of viruses on top of the tree and the time of day depends on the speed and level the player plays at.
- At Low speed, only the blue virus will be on the tree.
- At Med speed, the blue and red viruses will be on the tree.
- At High speed, all three viruses will be on the tree.
- After beating level 5, the time of day shown is daytime.
- After beating level 10, the time of day shown is sunset.
- After beating level 15, the time of day shown is night.
- After beating level 20, the time of day shown is also night, except there is a full moon and a UFO.
