Welcome to another edition of Playing With Power. The review article that looks at all things Nintendo Entertainment System. Spring has sprung, the flowers are blooming, and you know what that means? Allergies, people still suffering from their colds, and general sickness still present. Well, while there’s no cure for the common cold, there’s always a cure for boredom, and that’s a good puzzle game. But will the game we’re talking about be a true cure to all your gaming woes? Or is it just a placebo? Lets find out as we get medicinal with this week’s review of Dr. Mario.
YEAR OF RELEASE: 1990
PUBLISHER: Nintendo
GENRE: Puzzle
By the late 80’s, Tetris had become a dominating force in gaming. So much of a dominating force that it birthed the puzzle game genre, and the Nintendo versions of the game would be million sellers (The Game Boy version being the best selling game on the portable). Nintendo’s success with Tetris prompted them to delve deeper into the genre, and bring their mustached mascot along for the ride.
Dr. Mario was designed by Gunpei Yokoi, the legendary mind behind many of Nintendo’s early works including the Game and Watch, and the Game Boy. The game would be released for the NES and Game Boy simultaneously on July 27th, 1990, and was a best seller for both devices. Dr. Mario has since been re-released for virtually every major Nintendo console in some capacity or another. Be it paired with Tetris on the SNES, paired with Puzzle Leage on the GBA (Along with an NES Classics port), or the more recent releases on Wiiware and the 3DS Virtual Console.
The legacy of the Dr. Mario character would also see a life outside the puzzle world as he would become a playable character in Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Gamecube. So obviously this version of the portly plumber has had a lasting effect on Nintendo. But has the game that started it all held up? Let’s look further.
COVER STORY
This is another one of my all time favorite NES covers. The characters on the box are well designed, and its colorful enough be an instant eye catcher. I also have always liked the “Nintendo Entertainment System” red border on the top of the box. It was one of those nice little touches on some of the later games that always come off as cool to me. Nintendo rarely ever failed when it came to quality packaging, and this one is certainly no exception.
STORY
You may not believe it, but behind the plumber’s overalls is a man with a medical degree. When he’s not stomping goombas, or beating down Bowser, Mario spends his time at his virus research lab. However, one of his experiments goes out of control, and the viruses within begin to spread rapidly. The only way to stop them is with special pills Dr. Mario has made for just such an occasion. Can Mario stop the mega viruses before the Mushroom Kingdom has a very unfortunate outbreak?
GAMEPLAY
Dr. Mario is a 1-2 player puzzle game. The object of the game is to destroy the evil mega viruses by throwing pills on them. Clear the entire bottle of viruses and you move on to the next level. Simple as that. You move the newest thrown pill by moving the D-Pad left or right, and can make the pill go down quicker on the pile by pressing the down button. You use A and B to flip the pill around in one of the four directions.
To destroy a virus with the pill, the object is simple. Drop a pill of a corresponding color on top of it. Three pieces of pill that are the same color as the virus will destroy it. There are three different colored viruses, red, yellow, and blue. And of course, there are also pills that are also the same colors are the viruses. Every pill has 2 sections to it, usually of different colors. When one side of a pill destroys a virus, the other piece will break off and fall to the next area. This is where one of the main strategies to the game comes in to play. Knowing where to drop the pill is essential so that you don’t drop a diferent color onto another virus. That usually means you’ll have to remove the excess with other pill pieces of the same color.
You also have to be quick while making your decisions. The longer you play, the faster Dr. Mario will drop the pills, which, unless you can work really fast, can mean that pills will pile up fast. And if the pills reach the top of the bottle, its game over. You can continue from the level you’re on, as there’s unlimited continues, but you will have your score reset. So, if you are trying to achieve a major score in this game, you may want to try your best not to get a game over.
At the end of every five levels, the game has a quick cutscene of the viruses sitting in a tree, as some weird object flies by, like a UFO, or a Book. While nothing major, these are nice little interludes from gameplay. Which is definitely useful to relieve some frustration when this game gets major tough later on.
From the main menu, you can turn on whatever settings you want for the game. You can set the virus level, the game speed, and even the music that plays during the game. You can set the virus level up to 20, which will fill up the bottle with more and more viruses depending on how high you set it. There are three speed settings, LOW, MED, HI. This will determine how fast Dr. Mario initially drops the pills. And finally, you can choose from one of two songs, FEVER or CHILL, or just turn the music off. But really, why would you ever choose to turn the music off?
The game’s two player mode is a competition mode that pits player one against player two in a best of five matchup. First player to win three games is the winner. Winning a round is determined buy the first player who can eliminate all viruses in their bottle, or if the losing player fills his bottle to the top with pills. Just like the 1 player mode, you can set the virus level you want to start at (both players can choose what individual level of play to start on), along with their own speed, and of course the music. These can be the most fun aspect of Dr. Mario, as most puzzle games are usually at their best when you’re challenging a friend or family member to a round or two.
GRAPHICS
The graphics in the game are excellent. The basic design of the puzzle area is well done, and the designs of both Dr. Mario and the viruses under the magnifying glass are well done. The viruses are very cartoony in design, and are very likeable characters, despite being evil, disease spreading monsters, of course. Most puzzle games really don’t require major presentation as long as the core game is quality, but when they do it right, it shows, and Dr. Mario is definitely one of those games that excels in graphical quality.
MUSIC
Oh how I love this soundtrack. The music for Dr. Mario was done by the legendary Hirokazu Tanaka. I’ve mentioned Tanaka previously with my Metroid review. And as evident of his brilliance as a video game composer was there, it’s even more evident here. The music has a very 1950’s pop music feel, which leads to some really peppy and addicting tracks for the game.
Despite the fact that there are so few songs in the game, and only two gameplay tracks (FEVER and CHILL), every one of them is addicting. My personal favorite tracks being the title theme and FEVER. Dr. Mario’s soundtrack is honestly in my opinion one of the top 5 best full soundtracks on the console, and is definitely a must listen for any video game music enthusiast.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
I think what makes Dr. Mario such an enduring game is the fact that it’s such a simple game. You can pick it up, and immediately get the hang of what you’re supposed to do. And when you do, you’ll find one of the most addicting video games of all time. Add it with great graphics, and a must listen soundtrack, what you get with Dr. Mario is what most puzzle games strive to be. The gameplay style of Dr. Mario was so popular, many video games would later try to emulate it. Hell, even Tetris would, but that’s a whole other story for a whole other day.
To put it simply, Dr. Mario is easily one of the best NES games of all time. Heck, not just the NES version. Pretty much every port of this game is quality. If you can find it on any of the multiple platforms it has been put on, then it is definitely a must play. But if you can especially find the classic NES version (which considering how common it is, shouldn’t be a problem), then you should definitely give this classic a play. It’s no medical miracle, but it is a gaming great.
RATING: Thumbs up