75%Emulated

Nintendo Hard. Set the bar

50%NES

I would say that this game design was done by satan, but satan can't compare to Miyamoto

80%NES

[en-us]
Well, there's nothing to say, it's Mario.
Probably one of the most important games of all time, a platform game, well structured and that provides a great experience for an 8-bit console.
The first time I played Super Mario Bros. was on the SNES, in Super Mario All-Stars, so I missed holding Y and pressing B when jumping. Here we jump with A and run with B, so it's a bit limited, but I imagine that playing this game at the time of its release would have been enjoyable.

[pt-br]
Bom, não tem o que dizer, é Mario.
Provavelmente um dos mais importantes jogos de todos os tempo, jogo que plataforma, bem estruturado e que da uma ótima expêriencia para um console 8-bits.
A primeira vez que joguei Super Mario Bros. foi no SNES, em Super Mario All-Stars, então senti um pouco de falta de ficar segurando o Y e pressionar o B no momento do pulo, aqui a gente pula com A e corre com o B, então confinde um pouco, mas imagino que jogar isso na sua época de lançamento fosse prazeroso.

100%NES

The true timeless classic.

Good
- Absolutely revolutionary game that inspired and changed the landscape of gaming. A formula that many games still follow exactly today.
- Challenging platforming.
- Controls are very crisp.
- Catchy tune. Now probably seen as the video game anthem.
- the power up mechanics were unique.
- the enemies had varied movement giving decent challenge to the platformer. Turning koopas into shells, then using the shells to kill other enemies was creative, and made the combat deeper.
- the character models and environment were bold, which made it very easy to see.
- stomping on foes feel satisfying.

Bad
- I felt the amount of lives were too little. Starting over after a game over is too punishing. But this was the norm difficulty back in the 80s and 90s gaming.

60%Game Boy Advance

6/10: A very poorly done port. Movement is awkward compared to NES engine. Not the absolute worst, but still not enjoyable.

90%Nintendo Switch

The game that saved the home console industry is still fantastic nearly 40 years later and is the benchmark for game design techniques today.

70%NES

It's a tale as old as time; in 1983, the once-flourishing American video game industry experienced a massive decline. Market saturation, an overabundance of poorly made games, and the breakthrough of personal computers all contributed to a decline of almost 97% in the home gaming market. It led to the bankruptcy of several companies and cast doubt over the long-term viability of a healthy gaming market in the U.S. Many stores wouldn't even reserve store space for games anymore, and the video game crash of 1983, as it would become known, became one of the most impactful moments in the medium's short history. It would take something equally impactful, perhaps more so, to help the industry heal. And while this was primarily an American phenomenon, it was a Japanese company that would be largely responsible for solving it, as in late 1985, Nintendo would debut into the American home console market with their Nintendo Entertainment System.

From its cassette-like design to its name, everything about the NES was specifically designed to avoid the stigma around video games in the west and to avoid comparison to the failed consoles that had come before. But a revolutionary console wouldn't be enough—to draw skeptical players in, the NES would need a killer app. They'd get more than that; among the list of the console's 17 launch titles was a game that would become one of the most iconic and influential games ever made. That game was, of course, Super Mario Bros.

Practically everyone in the gaming community is familiar with the Super Mario series, and by extension, the series debut, Super Mario Bros. Its main theme is immediately iconic, its first level instantly recognizable, its tricks and secrets memorized by many. Discussing it critically at this point can sometimes feel irrelevant; it truly is that impactful. Super Mario Bros., above all else, is impressive for how much it brought to the side-scrolling genre and how much of its innovations became commonplace thereafter.

Side-scrolling had never looked this fluid, movement was never this smooth, controls had never been this precise. Super Mario Bros. does get (rightly) criticized for some of its unique movement attributes in the modern day, but put it next to virtually any of its contemporaries, and it feels just as revolutionary as it was on debut. It's also surprisingly accessible; making it through the entire game with no continues or warp pipes provides a fair enough challenge, but there are systems designed to bypass the game's difficulty for less experienced players, systems encouraged by the game's very manual. This was very much still an arcade-style game with its limited number of lives and high scores, but it's notable how quickly Nintendo also committed to the home audience. By delicately balancing between quick bursts of action with home console length and depth, SMB was able to emulate the best of both worlds.

Super Mario Bros. is a simple game, but only rarely does it feel exceedingly simple or underdeveloped. Its core premise is fun, and there's plenty of enjoyment to be had, whether you're blasting through the game as quickly as possible or you're taking on each level at a time in an attempt to reach a new high score. When it does start to feel overly simple, though, it's usually because of its level design. There's not really a lot of variety in the game's 8 worlds, and only a handful of the levels here end up feeling memorable or significant as a result. What's worse, though, is that some of the levels that are memorable are so for the wrong reason. Such as 8-4, the game's final level, which involves a strange puzzle sequence that is pretty difficult to complete in time without knowing the solution beforehand. But even if Super Mario Bros. doesn't utilize its level design or creativity to its fullest potential, it is simple, quick, and enjoyable enough that it never has time to get tedious.

The mythology around Super Mario Bros. is such that it can sometimes be sensationalized. Claims that it, alongside the NES, saved the video game industry singlehandedly usually contain a heavy amount of American bias. It's likely that the industry would have bounced back sooner or later. But it's undeniable that the medium would be at a different place today without the NES, without Super Mario Bros. For someone interested in video game history, it's an absolute must play. For fans of Nintendo, it's a rite of passage. But Super Mario Bros. holds up as more than just a history lesson. The influence of Nintendo's early arcade titles on this title is paramount, but it's clear why it was Super Mario Bros. that carried the genre. It's the prototypical platformer that influenced a generation. It's the reason why parents everywhere called all things electronic a Nintendo. It's an introduction to an incredibly iconic series. And, above all, it's just a fun game. For Super Mario Bros., even back then, that's all that ever really mattered.

70%Emulated

-73-
An arcade experience. Difficult to beat without savestates. A classic and I really didn't regret pulling this one out and emulating it.

80%Super Nintendo

It was fun.
Eğlenceliydi.

60%Nintendo Switch

Of course it was innovative and all, but obviously its hard to speak about it when it all happened way before you were born... it still holds up nowadays and is a good introductory to someone who never has played a video game, as its easy to understand. I think Nintendo's team has done a great job evolving the series where the fundamentals and feel still exist, but feel better and modern.
The game doesn't have much flaws, but obviously, like most older video games in my opinion, can't really compare fairly to modern games due to the limitations at the time.

20%NES

I know this was a formative game, and it is supposed to play better than basically everything that came before...but I'd rather play almost any of Nintendo's arcade games made prior to this, as it genuinely feels far too addicted to momentum to really feel precise, especially compared to Mario Bros. for Arcade. Respect more than ever the speedrunners who take on this game, because while it isn't hard, it is hard to do precisely.

75%Emulated

I don't think "this has aged poorly" is a phrase that's necessarily a bad thing. It shows how an industry or an audience has grown, and has experienced much better things to where something older might not be as acceptable or fun. And for a video game that was made when design standards were in their infancy, when there was nothing else like it at the time, it's very easy to write off Super Mario Bros. as an obsolete title. And it is, especially when compared to not just contemporary Mario titles, but video games in general.

While there's many aspects of this game that wouldn't do well by contemporary standards, such as Mario's inconsistent jump and the harsh lives system, it's worth playing as a piece of gaming history. If all video games are connected in some sort of family tree, one can see how Super Mario Bros. becomes Super Mario 64 a decade later and Ratchet and Clank six years after that. One can see how Celeste and Ori and the Blind Forest and even Sonic the Hedgehog all use this simple foundation and run with it to become genre-defining experiences in their own right.

Is Super Mario Bros. worth playing some 40 years or more after its release? Is it fun? It's hard to say what this game is because it was doing something never done before. It was fun but it had the graciousness and privilege to be novel. It's difficult and requires practice and patience (and maybe even an emulator to save your game state), but what's most fascinating and rewarding about playing it all these years later is realizing how every game that's come after has been inspired by it in some way.

80%NES

Simple, yet challenging. Fun for being the first Super Mario.

50%Game & Watch

I'm not much of a fan for platformers and suck at them aswell so i had alot of trouble beating this game, i can see why other people like it and why they would find it quite enjoyable but for me, it felt like a task to be completed.

60%PC

OST랑 디자인이 예술입니다.
장르의 특성상 그런 것도 있겠지만
그것들이 슈퍼 마리오 특유의 조작감과 어우러져 지금도 할 만한 게임입니다.
아마 100년 후에 태어난 사람이 플레이 해도 비슷한 생각을 할 것 같습니다.

물론 OST, 디자인, 조작감이 모두 좋아도 딱 할 만한 정도지만
그 정도로 충분하지 않나 싶습니다.
플레이 타임도 짧고, 마리오 시리즈의 첫 작품이기 때문에 한 번 해보시는 걸 추천드립니다.

70%NES

I am terrible at 2d Platformers, but credit due to the OG King.

50%Nintendo 3DS

I don't give a damn if it's a classic, son. The controls were created by a fuckin chimpanzee on crack. The only thing these mechanics guarantee is a one way ticket to the pit of death or straight up at an enemy(also death). To be exact, this is the ancestor of contemporary troll games. Infact, the only way this game can become enjoyable is with save states but then you feel like youre playing a bethesda game cause you'll wanna save every 2 steps. To sum up, unenjoyable, broken, troll ass game. I don't know how this became a classic. Probably because it was one of the first of its kind.

60%PC

its ok but aged badly

100%Nintendo Switch

I mean, it's one of the best of all time that started so, so much.

70%Super Nintendo

Super Mario was revolutionary. It was the first video game for many, including myself. The world of gaming has grown significantly since its initial release; however, Super Mario still holds up significantly well all these years later. The visuals and gameplay are simplistic compared to recent entries, but Mushroom Kingdom is still recognizable alongside each enemy and character. The foundation for this franchise still offers a fun experience that everyone should play and witness at some point in their lives. Of course, being an older game still provides plenty of caveats in its presentation. Regardless, Super Mario is a well crafted platformer, that has created such a large following over the years.

Final Verdict: 7/10 (Very Good!)

90%NES

9/10: Honestly a really fun time with this one! I liked the very fast pace of this one compared to some of the last games. Overall I enjoyed it.

90%NES

It's really fun! Honestly, I was really suprised how many of the classic mario mechanics have been already implemented in this first entry of the series, even the stupid bloopers (the squids from the underwater levels...i hate these guys)

It can be a bit tricky to beat though, without lots of practice. 8 Worlds with 3-4 levels each, no option to save inbetween, only 3 lifes in the beginning and when you get injured as fire mario, you immediately go back to your small foem. For my first playtrough I used the switch emulator rewind and saving function a few times, to ensure I would reach the last levels.

100%NES

¿El mejor y mas icónico juego de todos los tiempos? yo digo que sí.

60%NES

Mario has come a long way since 1985.

65%NES

i may be the worst videogamer ):

60%Nintendo Switch

What can I say that hasn't already been said? This game's a classic, but has its flaws.

70%NES

Another iconic classic game that went on to become a big franchise starring the most well-known hero Mario in his never-ending quest to save the mushroom kingdom princess Peach.

Things I liked about the game:
-the pacing of the game is pretty good, introducing new obstacles and enemies as the game progresses forward
-the movement is pretty good for a game from this era, you have much more control over your jumps

Things I did not like about the game:
-you have 2 tracks in the entire game and the second one you only hear a couple times when you are in the underground levels, it gets stale pretty fast
-the difficulty can be all over the place, you can easily die on obstacles you passed dozens of times

Once again, the save state system is your best friend with these old games in order to have a good time. I am all for a challenge but these old games are just unfair and it can ruin otherwise what are some old gems that you have to try out at least once.

20%Nintendo Switch

Never completed it as a kid. Finally complete with a meh feeling.

80%Emulated

I'm tired of this

60%NES

I enjoyed Super Mario Bros. Played on an emulator with no save-states nor cheats in order to recreate the NES experience. As a child, I played the DS "New" reboot of this series. I remember sucking at that game, because I was seven. Either I've not improved at all, or the original NES game is really, really difficult for someone new to old Nintendo. I like a challenge. Super Mario Bros. is not challenging, it's punishing. The majority of my deaths felt cheap and starting over after three of them was frustrating. After World 6 or World 7, the lack of variety in enemies and environments really started to get to me. It could have been half the length and remain fresh throughout. Of course, these gripes are only glaring off the lens of my privileged 21st century gamer eyes. All of these decisions make sense when considering the gaming industry in 1985 - hardware limitations of the then-fresh NES, arcade optimised penny-nicking difficulty. This game shines in its simplicity, its pure fun-factor, the satisfaction of squishing goombas and booting turtle shells. I'd recommend anyone to try out this piece of gaming history. Just don't let your thirteenth game over screen get to you.

70%Nintendo Switch

It's crazy how modern this game is, even today lol

I legitimately tried beating this game the old fashioned way, but It just got to the point that I didn't want to do it anymore. I would've been stuck on those final levels for months...

I have alot of appreciation for this game, and it's wild just how playable it still is, but god has it aged in some places.

80%NES

THE video game. I won't blame you if you use the saving and loading system of emulators to make the game easier.

85%NES

An all-time classic, and where it all started. Other Mario games have come along and done it better, but this one is still fun to play and a great challenge.

75%NES

Finished on my NES mini with savestates and I'm completely unashamed about it. This game is surprisingly fun to this day if you can get used to its physics and the soundtrack is ICONIC.

I died quite a few times because I forgot you can't jump off enemies

100%NES

There's no point in reviewing SMB with today standards. Of course there are flaws, but let's be honest : if it wasn't for SMB, gaming as we know it wouldn't even exist. More than a classic : it's a pillar. And a really solid one, since it still plays incredibly well decades later. Even hundreds games after you're first playthrough, you can still be surprise by how clever's the level design, how smooth are the controls... etc. It was a revolution back then ; it remains an impressive and unavoidable game design masterclass nowadays.

80%NES

Gameplay 3/5 it's very basic but it is from the NES. For the length of the game the variety in platforming challenges is a pretty good time. Certainly harder than I would have guessed. The game over mechanic isn't a very fun time though
Visuals 2/2 fun and enjoyable. Enough visual variety for this very short game
Audio 2/2 fun and enjoyable. Enough musical variety for this very short game
Story 1/1 very barebones but is fun and silly. Certainly works for this game.

Reccomend completing

95%NES

Super Mario Bros. is a timeless classic that revolutionized the platform gaming genre. Its simple yet engaging gameplay, coupled with vibrant graphics, set a new standard for video games. The game's protagonist, Mario, became an iconic character, symbolizing the fun and adventure of gaming. The game's levels are meticulously designed, offering a perfect balance of challenge and enjoyment. Its power-ups, like the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower, add an exciting dimension to the gameplay. The game's antagonist, Bowser, is a formidable foe, making the journey to rescue Princess Peach thrilling. The catchy background music is another highlight, enhancing the overall gaming experience. Despite its age, Super Mario Bros. remains enjoyable and relevant, testament to its exceptional design. It's a must-play for any gaming enthusiast, offering a glimpse into the roots of modern platformers. Super Mario Bros. is not just a game, but a piece of gaming history that continues to inspire and entertain.

70%Nintendo Switch

A short but simple old platforming game that was important for its future, and something I had some enjoyment with. Aside from Smash Bros, this is the first Nintendo and platforming game I've ever played in... well since I was 8 or 9 years old, so my knowledge and experience in the genre is very limited. I must confess that when playing this game, I realize that I'm not so good at retro platformers. I tend to rush ahead unaware of an enemy in front, or my timing within my jumps is really bad. With the Switch's rewind feature being the saving grace, I must confess that I may have abused the hell out of this thing plenty of times. I ain't proud of it, but with limited lives and a timer, and restarting all the way back, I probably would've given up already without it.

So onto it's gameplay, I don't have much to say. The platforming is basic and simple, and it's not bad. Some instances have you jumping off weighted platforms that fall down and have you jumping on others that rise. Water levels focusing more on navigating across enemies so, it's all about watching patterns and swimming through them. Then there is Bowser's castle that has you jumping from fireballs, though the final one is a bit confusing since you're running on different multiple paths determining where to go as you waste time. There are bits where you jump on enemies using them as your own platform, like a Koopa or Goomba to jump on an area or as a boost to jump on another enemy.

Overall it's a solid/decent platformer that I'm sure its sequels did way better. Platorming variety isn't much but it's fine for what it is. It does get tiring completing each area and seeing the whole "Princess in another castle", wondering when it's gonna end. The music is catchy and enhances the gameplay with it whimsical style. I'll just say that this game won't be the only one I'll use the rewind feature for, as plenty of them I'm playing have been used plenty of times.

60%Emulated

Playing through this game for first time: I could tell why this game was the foundation of the genre. The movement feels extremely satisfying when executed correctly and affords the player a great deal of control over their movement with the momentum system that was implemented. The enemies are varied, memorable and each have a unique mechanic that offer a unique challenge. While it is clear why super mario bros. was successful for it's time it also shows it's age. The movement system while great has a fair bit of jank; at times inputs would not be read, the hit detection for enemies would not trigger and momentum would either not carry through or send you flying, sliding off the edge of a platform. However, the worse offense would have to be the sharp spikes in difficulty, especially starting at world 6, some portions require very precise movement while also relying on good RNG which would make some portions impossible to pass on your first try. On a more minor note, the level design was bland and repetitive but serviceable. In conclusion, despite the jank this game is a classic. I could spent countless hours mastering the movement in this game; it really is that satisfying.

70%NES

73/100. Hard, but good game

75%NES

7.4

80%NES

It’s a good game and the start of every game but the difficulty curve and the jumps being weird sometimes and the fact that if you play it for a few days you’ll be able to beat the game easily. I wish second quest was better than just speed of stuff but for the time it’s a good game and a good game today.

85%NES

I played via Switch Online and made copious use of the save feature. Foundational game and still fun!

95%NES

Review

A wonderful game, and telling how important it was would be redundant. The question is, how does it play today? In my humble opinion, pretty well. A couple years ago I tried several of these early 8-bit platformers, and most of them felt either pretty bad or really bad. But a few of them, including Super Mario Bros, somehow felt like modern games. In the case of Mario, maybe the momentum was a bit exaggerated (something one doesn't take too long to take into account), but it feels great.

The difficulty level is probably also some notches higher than we expect today... but then, today we have save states, right? May own rules for playing this game: save state before each level, load every time you die. This allows to experience the whole game in a few hours, and still having a certain level of challenge.

I used save states because I didn't want to spend all the time I would take for me to beat it without tricks. I personally wouldn't mind spending dozens of hours to finish it without cheats -- except for the fact that there are so many games out there to try out. Anyway, my point is that the game is good. Let me list some cool things about it:

* Controls, as I said, are beyond the vast majority of the games on that era, and in my opinion still feel modern in some way.
* Visual feedback helps to make the controls feel good. I like that one sprite of Mario sliding as he changes direction. It's a small detail that helps with the exaggerated momentum I mentioned.
* Wide variety of scenarios. You got the normal "land" levels, levels played on top of giant mushrooms, underwater levels, dungeon levels, night levels.. even those bridge levels with flying fish jumping around you (I had forgotten those were a thing!).
* More generally, nice graphics. Simple for today's standards, of course -- but look closely: the style that lasts to this day is there! And if you look one step at the (non-super) Mario Bros.), aside from a few elements, the style was not there. Super Mario Bros. is where, well, Super Mario started. The enemies you see in this game are staples of the Mario franchise to this day.
* Same for the music and sound: excellent, iconic, still in use today.

Memories from back in the day

It was already early 1990s. A friend got a videogame console with a game "with guy who needs to hit bricks with his head." It was Super Mario Bros. (and we never heard about it before).

70%NES

Obviously dated, but a classic. Hard af to actually beat.

90%Nintendo Switch

An absolute classic, it shaped platform games, but its graphics have aged poorly, which is why I recommend everyone play the Super Nintendo version of the Super Mario All-Star collection.

90%Nintendo Switch

If you know about holding A before starting the game so you can continue from the world you got a game over then this game is almost perfect besides its physics.

70%NES

Super Mario Bros. is a nice game to come to for a bit. The difficulty can really ramp up at times, but that's balanced out by the fairly short runtime of both the individual levels and the entire game as a whole. The controls are pretty simple and smooth overall, which leads to a generally responsive gameplay experience. Definitely give this one a try. Could easily truck through this one in a single afternoon.

90%Emulated

(NES)

65%Nintendo 3DS

Super Mario Bros. is a decent game. At heart, it’s an icon of creating an amazing franchise full of wonderful games, spin-offs, and merchandise, around the world. However, to fairly rate the original SMB (Super Mario Bros.) game, it’s lackluster. The games mechanics are pretty good for its time, however what really makes this game okay, is the repetition of maps. Many levels becomes very similar that I couldn’t tell you the difference between them. It may be more difficult but it feels the same. And if we’re going by the original SMB, there’s no save states or save features. Meaning, that if you get a game over at the last world, you will have to start at the beginning of World 1-1. For the experience I had, this game is recommended if you never played it, to discover the origins of the 2D plat-former, but I also don’t recommend you finish unless you want to.