Mario Bros. was originally released in 1983 as a coin operated arcade game made by Nintendo. The game was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto. It was a spin-off from the DONKEY KONG series, and heavily influenced by Williams' JOUST , which led to it being a two player game. It later was released for home console play.
It was the first game to feature Mario's name in the title. It was also the debut of Mario's brother, Luigi. Unlike in Donkey Kong, where Mario was a carpenter, in this game he became a plumber, exterminating pests who exit from pipes (including the soon-to-be trademark turtles Koopas). The game's popularity declined following the release of Super Mario Bros in 1985.
Mario and Luigi, the best plumbers in the world, have a real job on their hands. A host of characters have taken over the sewers, and the brothers must clear them out of the pipes.
The platform puzzle, which first introduced Luigi to the world, has both single and multiplayer action with two differing game types, but with the same objective. Side Steppers, Shell Creepers, and Fighter Flies must be cleared out by jumping underneath the platform they sit on, then kicking them away. Each level is cleared when a set number of coins is collected.
ENEMIES
SHELL CREEPERS:
(Possible inspiration for the later Koopa Troopas) look like turtles. They move slowly, though they will move the same speed as Mario or Luigi when hit three times and not kicked. It takes only one hit to flip them over. They later were replaced with Spinys in the Super Mario Advance series.
SIDE STEPPERS:
(Later renamed Crabs) resemble monkeys and are often referred to as monkeys by small gaming communities. They move the fastest of all the pests and it takes two hits to flip them over. After taking one hit, Side Steppers become angry and begin to move even faster than Mario and Luigi.
FIGHTER FLIES:
They move by taking short hops, and can only be hit when touching the ground.
There are other enemies and obstacles that do not need to be killed to clear the phase.
SLIPICE:
(Later renamed Freezie) They move slowly. A hit instantly kills them. A new one is respawned in a few seconds if the previous one is killed. They can freeze a platform, turning it into ice, making it harder to maneuver Mario. If a platform is iced, it is returned to normal at the start of the next phase. If all three ice-eligible platforms are iced, no more slipices spawn for that phase.
ICICLES:
They start appearing on Phase 16, after the third coin phase. They will fall down to cause harm but may be killed when they're only a drop attached to the roof.
RED FIREBALLS:
They bounce diagonally. Mario can kill a fireball by hitting the ground as the fireball bounces; killing a fireball is unwise, as one soon respawns and moves faster. If the red fireball makes a complete circuit of the screen, it disappears and then respawns moving faster, effectively limiting the amount of time Mario can safely take to complete a phase. Normally, only one fireball is present; after the fifth coin phase, Phase 29, two fireballs are present simultaneously.
GREEN FIREBALLS:
(Sometimes called Hurricanes)They move horizontally, spawning on one end of the screen and traveling to the other. They bounce at irregular intervals, making it risky to jump over one.
POINTS KICKING OFF A PEST: 800 points
(If you can kick off multiple pests at one time, the value increases to 1600, 2400, etc.)
EACH COIN: 800 Points
KILING A SLIPICE: 500 points
KILLING A GREEN FIREBALL(HURRICANE): 200 points
(It is possible to kill it by hitting the floor just after it bounces)
KILLING A RED FIREBALL: 1000 points
(This is usually a bad idea, as it immediately respawns and then moves faster)
KILLING AN ICICLE AS IT'S FORMIMG: 0 points
(If you touch an Icicle after it has formed, but not dropped, Mario or Luigi dies)
GETTING ALL 10 COINS ON THE COIN PHASE: 5000 points the first time; 8000 points later times.
FLIPPING A PEST OVER: 10 points
You control Mario or Luigi with the joystick. Press the button to jump.
You must eliminate every enemy to advance to the next stage.
To eliminate an enemy, you must hit it from underneath until it flips over, then jump up and kick it off the pipe.
You must avoid touching any enemy that is not flipped over, as well as fireballs, Slipice, and icicles.
For every enemy that you kick off, a coin will pass through the stage. Collect it for bonus points.
Use the POW block to create an earthquake that hits every enemy standing on a surface.
In bonus rounds, collect all ten coins before time runs out for a bonus reward.
In case of emergency the brothers have one extra weapon at their disposal, the POW block. It is always located in the lower center of the screen when it is available, and it can be used three times before being used up. It is periodically refreshed after certain bonus rounds. Jumping up and punching POW will create an earthquake effect on the entire screen. Any enemy on the ground at that time will behave as if they had received a punch from below. This means that pests knocked on their back or head will be put back on their feet. This is best saved for emergencies or when a high scoring potential becomes available.
BOARDS
PHASE 1-2. Shell Creepers
PHASE 3. First coin phase; POW not replenished
PHASE 4. Side Steppers
PHASE 5. Side Steppers and Shell Creepers; this is the only phase in the game that has both Side Steppers and Shell Creepers.
PHASE 6. Fighter Flies
PHASE 7. Fighter Flies and Side Steppers
PHASE 8. Second coin phase; POW replenished
PHASE 9. Slipice are now present on every phase; Fighter Flies and Shell Creepers.
PHASE 10, 11. Fighter Flies and Side Steppers
PHASE 12-14. Same as 9-11, but the Fireballs are more frequent
PHASE 15. Third coin phase; floors turn invisible; POW replenished
PHASE 16-21. Icicles are now present on every phase; otherwise same as 9-14. Fireball frequency is decreased on phases 16-18.
PHASE 22. Fourth coin phase; POW replenished
PHASE 23-28. Same as 16-21, but fireball frequency is maximum and Icicles are more common.
PHASE 25. Phase counter replaced with a red "KO".
PHASE 29. Fifth coin phase; POW replenished
PHASE 30-35. Same as 23-28, but now two red fireballs appear on each phase.
The same pattern of six phases repeats for the remainder of the game.