We Took Super Mario Bros on the Go with Super Mario Bros Deluxe – Today in History – May 10th, 1999

When you think “killer game” you think of something iconic and classic. Nintendo knew this when they launched the original Game Boy in the late 80’s. They launched with Tetris packed in. Smart move. They updated the Game Boy over the years, most notably with color when they launched the, imaginatively named, Game Boy Color. While sales were not exactly floundering, Nintendo knew they had to have a “killer game” to move units even faster. It is not like they needed the money but all companies love more of it. That is when Super Mario Bros Deluxe was released for the Game Boy Color. This was almost as big as the launch of the original Game Boy. Nintendo had finally given fans an updated Super Mario Bros that was portable. Only took them almost a decade longer than when fans originally wanted it. Did that diminish the charm? The fun? The excitement? Nope.

First, let’s get the ‘negatives’ out of the way. The original game does not fit perfectly on the screen. The Game Boy Color screen is smaller in resolution than the original NES produced. This caused Nintendo to work around things while staying true to the source material. Mario is huge. Pushing up or down will make the screen scroll a little bit to show you that area, when applicable. This is going to take a bit of getting used to. Okay, that is it for negatives.

Nintendo’s updates to Super Mario Bros Deluxe include an over world map, the ability to go left just a little it (missed that pipe or one up for instance, go get it- our treat) and now you can alternate brothers. Also, now Luigi has a personality of his own rather than a sprite color swap of Mario.

I could go on all night about the Super Mario games and the Deluxe version but you probably don’t care to read MORE words about this game. Just hit Ebay or check Amazon for a physical copy or the Virtual Console and enjoy this classic. ASAP.