It is a falling block puzzle game, in which the player's objective is to destroy the viruses populating the on-screen playing field by using colored vitamin capsules that are automatically tossed into the field by Dr. Mario. The player manipulates the falling capsules, to align the same colors, which destroys viruses. The player progresses through the game by eliminating all the viruses on the screen in each level.
Dr. Mario is a falling blocktile-matching video game.[11]Mario assumes the role of a doctor, tossing two-colored medical capsules into a medicine bottle representing the playing field. This area is populated by viruses of three colors — red, yellow, and blue — which stay in their starting positions until removed. In a style similar to Tetris,[12] the player manipulates each capsule as it vertically falls, able to move it left or right and rotate it 90 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise. When matching colors of capsule halves and viruses touch sequentially 4-in-a-row, they disappear. Any remaining half or whole capsules which are not supported will fall to the bottom of the playing field or until hitting another supported object, and any new 4-in-a-row alignments also disappear. The main objective is to eliminate all viruses from the playing field, finishing each level. A game over occurs if capsules fill the playing field in a way that obstructs the bottle's narrow neck. After each 5th level is completed on Medium or High difficulty, up to level 20, a cutscene shows the virus trio sitting on a tree as music plays and an object flies across the screen.[13]
The options screen configures the starting level, game speed, and music. The player chooses a starting level between 0 and 20 that determines the number of viruses to clear, and one of three speeds of the falling capsules. The player's score is based on the elimination of viruses and the chosen game speed, with bonus points for clearing more than 1 in a single line.[13]
Dr. Mario offers a multiplayergaming mode in which two players compete in separate playing fields. Each player's goal is to clear the private playing field of viruses first. Eliminating multiple viruses or initiating chain reactions can add capsules to the opponent's playing field. A player wins a single game upon eliminating all the viruses or upon the other player's bottle filling. The first player to win three games wins overall.[13]
Dr. Mario spawned several remakes and ports that were released on various Nintendo consoles. The original version's multiplayer portion was ported to two Nintendo arcade systems: the Nintendo VS. System (as Vs. Dr. Mario) and the PlayChoice-10. Vs. Dr. Mario was first shown at Nintendo's Seventh Annual Distributor Meeting in San Diego, and both versions were released simultaneously in August 1990.[6][7]
The NES version was ported twice to the Game Boy Advance: first in 2004 as one of thirty games in the Classic NES Series (Famicom Mini Series in Japan),[18] then bundled with a version of the Puzzle League series in 2005 as Dr. Mario & Puzzle League, with updated graphics and new music.[19]Nintendo Puzzle Collection and the Nintendo GameCube Preview Disc, both released in 2003 for the GameCube, can copy the NES version of Dr. Mario to the Game Boy Advance using the Nintendo GameCube – Game Boy Advance link cable.[20] The NES version was released on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2014[21] and was one of the launch games for Nintendo Switch Online on September 19, 2018.[22] The original Game Boy version was re-released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in 2011 and 2012, and on the Nintendo Switch Online service on March 12, 2024.[3]
In Japan, 2.08 million copies were sold for the Game Boy, 1.53 million for the Famicom, and 248,045 for the Game Boy Advance, for a total of 3,858,045 cartridges sold in Japan.[28] In North America, 2.5 million copies were sold within six weeks of release.[29] Worldwide, 5.34 million copies were sold for the Game Boy and 4.85 million for the Nintendo Entertainment System,[30] for a total of 10,438,045 cartridges sold worldwide across all platforms.
Contemporary reviews
Dr. Mario received generally positive reviews, although some parents were critical of the premise of medicine in a children's game.[citation needed]
The Game Boy version received positive reviews from Joystick[25] and Zero magazines, the latter comparing it favorably with Tetris and Connect Four while stating it is "easy to play and impossible to master".[27]ACE criticized the uninspiring graphics, repetitive play, and "plagiarism" while comparing it unfavorably with Tetris and Connect Four.[23]
GamePro reviewed the Tetris & Dr. Mario compilation very positively. They praised the Mixed Match mode and the SNES enhanced graphics and sounds, and concluded "Sharp controls and absorbing action are what make these two classics even better as a pair than they were alone."[24]Next Generation, in contrast, said the compilation was only significant as the SNES debut of Tetris, summarizing that "Yeah, it's great, but chances are you own a copy of one or both of these games already." They did, however, praise Nintendo for having the "cojones" to package its Tetris-inspired game with Tetris.[26]
Allgame praised the NES version, stating that on its release, "when puzzle games were flooding the market, Dr. Mario stands out as one of the best, combining a smooth learning curve, playful graphics and memorable tunes" and "fundamental concepts may be simple, but the addictive gameplay becomes progressively more complex as the speed increases and additional viruses are added."[34]
Dr. Mario was rated the 134th best game on a Nintendo system in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list,[40] the 7th best Mario game of all time on ScrewAttack's Top 10,[41] and the 51st best NES game of all time by IGN.[42] IGN also rated the soundtrack, composed by Hirokazu Tanaka, as seventh in its list of the top ten greatest 8-bit soundtracks.[43]GamesRadar ranked it the 13th best NES game ever made, calling it "one of the most celebrated of the [puzzle] genre".[44]Game Informer's Ben Reeves called it the seventh best Game Boy game.[45] In 2019, PC Magazine included Dr. Mario on their "The 10 Best Game Boy Games".[46]
The Game Boy Advance re-release in the Classic NES series is rated 66/100 on Metacritic based on 10 reviews.[33] Most reviews pointed out the game's addictiveness and praise the addition of wireless multiplayer, but some questioned the relevance of the standalone re-release. Eurogamer said the game was "still as playable, addictive, and maddening as it was back in 1990" but criticized Nintendo for re-releasing classic games as standalone games in the Classic NES Series instead of as a compilation, like Atari's Atari Anthology or Midway's Midway Arcade Treasures.[47] Craig Harris of IGN sarcastically expressed unease over the game's use of medicine. He enjoyed the addictive gameplay, but criticized the black-and-whitemanual which made it difficult to understand the colored gameplay mechanics.[36]1UP.com noted that the game's "color-matching action is more engrossing than Mario Bros.' turtle-punching platform hopping", but strongly questioned whether this re-release is worth its sale price by itself when a version of Dr. Mario was included in another Game Boy Advance game, WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgames!.[48]
In 2018 the Classic Tetris World Championship featured a Dr. Mario championship as a 'side event.' [54] This later spawned a dedicated tournament, called DrMC, which hosts live Versus tournaments and online speed tournaments.[55]
^Dillon, Tony (November 1990). "Dr Mario". ACE. No. 38. p. 91. Describing how the game works is best done by taking Tetris, adding Connect 4 and throwing in Dominoes.
^ abcDr. Mario Instruction Booklet. Nintendo. 1990. NES-VU-USA. "Dr. Mario instructions"(PDF). Archived(PDF) from the original on 9 April 2011.