Game Boy versionRelease dates
General information Developed by Nintendo R&D 1 Published by Nintendo Players: 1-2 Players |
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NES versionRelease dates
General information Developed by Nintendo R&D 1 Published by Nintendo Players: 1-2 Players |
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SNES versionRelease dates
General information Developed by Newcom Published by Nintendo Players: 1-4 Players |
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Game Boy AdvanceRelease dates
General information Developed by Intelligent Systems / NSPD Published by Nintendo Players: Single player, Multiplayer via Link |
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Nintendo 64 versionRelease dates
General information Developed by Nintendo Published by Nintendo Players: 1-4 Players |
Quick Links: Overview / Gameplay / Characters / Story / Single Player mode / Two Player mode / Reception / Videos: Trailers, Commercials & Gameplay / Remakes & Re-releases / Reference & Information / Media & Downloads
Overview
Dr. Mario was released for the Game Boy & NES by Nintendo in 1990, and was made in the popular arcade style of the time. While it has been aptly compared to Tetris, there is an added degree of excitement in the fact that you are helping Dr. Mario line up medicine to destroy the nefarious viruses.
Gameplay
The main field of the game was laid out as a large grid section that had random amounts of three different types of the viruses. One of the most memorable parts about the game field was that it was in the shape of a large pill bottle. The viruses were one of three types: the red fever virus, the blue chill virus, and the weird yellow virus. The goal of the player was to eliminate all of the viruses on the field by utilizing a variety of multivitamins. These vitamins come in two block segments, and can take on the color properties of any of the viruses that have been mentioned. Sometimes they come in a solid color block, but most of the time there are two different colors that must be matched to the viruses. The goal is to guide the vitamins down to the virus in order to create a block of four colors that match. The only way to win is by removing all of the viruses from the game grid, presumably curing the patient in the process.
Characters
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Dr. Mario- (Protagonist) the last line of defence between you and the worst viruses in the universe!
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Nurse Toadstool (NPC)- Although Nurse Toadstool doesn't play much a role in the actual game play she is the one who bought the viruses to Dr. Mario's attention in the first place!
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Fever (Enemy) - the red virus that brings on a terrible temperature
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Chill (Enemy) - the blue virus that causes the victim a nasty chill
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Weird (Enemy) - the yellow virus really is as weird as the name suggests, it transforms its victims into different shapes and sometimes even different species
In later Dr. Mario versions such as Dr. Mario 64 there were many more characters involved infact there was a colossal 15 characters in that. Dr. Mario, Wario, Spearhead, Webber, Silky, Appleby, Jellybob, Octo, Helio, Lumpy, Hammer-Bot, Mad Scientisen, Rudy the Clown all featured from the beginning however the final two playable characters; Metal Mario and Vampire Wario would have to be unlocked.
Story
The official storylines for each version of Dr. Mario from the games manuals.
Dr. Mario NES & Game Boy: My name is Dr. Mario
Hi everybody! I'm Mario. How's it going? Over the last few years, I've been involved in some pretty wild adventures. Now, believe it or not, I work in the virus research lab at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital. Today I'm about to begin my research as usual.
"Dr. Mario, something terrible has happened!"
"Whats wrong, nurse Toadstool?"
"One of the experiments has gone out of control. The viruses are spreading quickly!"
"Oh no! We've got to do something! I have jus developed a new vitamin that should be able to take care of it. I sure hope this stuff works!"
Dr. Mario 64: Dr. Mario and the cold caper
Flu season has struck! Now Dr. Mario, armed with his mighty Megavitamins, is busier than ever treating patients. But wait--Wario and the mysterious Mad Scienstein are spying on Mario and eyeing his magic cure-all. Of course, Wario just wants to get rich, but who's Mad Scienstein working for? The intrigue is deep and the action is fast and furious as all sorts of villainous types scramble to get their hands on Dr. Mario's Megavitamins.
You'll need to defeat each opponent you meet to move the story forward. To win, you must clear all of your viruses before your opponent does or force him or her to retire by filling his or her screen with garbage.
Single Player Mode
If you decide to start a one player game, then you get to choose from twenty one different levels, labelled 0-20. This number determines the amount of viruses that are on the level for you to cure. The algorithm is the level number multiplied by four, plus four equals the number of viruses. For example, level one would have four viruses, times one, plus four, for a total of eight viruses. There are three speed settings available for the game: low, medium, and high. However, as the game progresses, the speed will continue to increase. If you manage to get past the final level, the game will simply continue, adding more viruses into the mix for Dr. Mario to cure.
Two Player Mode
There is a mode available for two players to compete against one another. For the most part, the game mechanics are the same. However, the game modes have specific challenges such as being the first person to clear all of the viruses, or making their competition get a game over. One of the most interesting parts about the multi-player levels is that each person can choose their speed and level separately from one another. This makes it perfect for handicapping with younger siblings, and leads to a greater replay value.
During the head to head battle mode, any time that a row is cleared by one of the competitors using a megavitamin, a number of pill halves to match the rows are dropped onto the playing field. This makes the recipient wait for the matching pill halves to drop again before they can use a multivitamin, providing a certain degree of uncertainty in each match.
On the NES version of the game there is a split screen, while the Game Boy version of Dr. Mario required the use of a game link cable.
Reception
Dr. Mario was highly praised for its unique take on the puzzle game genre. It has ranked in the top one hundred games of all time in three reputable game review publications including Game Informer, Nintendo Power, and IGN. The puzzle factor and the added uncertainty of the multivitamins made the game the most popular iteration of Tetris-like games since Jewels, and would go on to influence games into the modern era in such titles as Candy Crush. However, not everyone liked the game because some people feared that pills appearing in a game that was geared towards children could have negative consequences. Also, there were some reviewers that had a less favorable view of Dr. Mario as the spiritual successor to arcade puzzle games, noting the graphics were not the best for its time.
Videos - Gameplay, Trailers & Commercials
A retro TV commercial for the NES version of Dr. Mario
A retro TV commercial for the Game Boy version of Dr. Mario
A retro TV commercial for the SNES version of Dr. Mario that was released with Tetris
Remakes and Re-releases
Remakes
Dr. Mario was given new life on the Nintendo Vs., an arcade format that was centered on two player competitions. It made several changes to the overall game interface such as eliminating the slow mode and having a scoring system that offered lower point values than before. This increased the overall competitiveness of the game, and gave the players more incentive to score higher than one another.
Dr. Mario appeared in the ported version of the Nintendo Playchoice-10 arcades in North America. A Nintendo 64 version of the game aplty named Dr. Mario 64 arrived for the first time in 2001 in the U.S. This version of the game featured a four player team mode as well as Wario as a playable character.
On the 31st of December 2013 a HD remake of Dr. Mario arrived on the Wii U eShop in the U.S, and followed two weeks later in Europe, Japan and Australia - but this time there was a twist to the tale, Dr. Mario had been sacked from his position due to negligence, and a new doc was in town - Dr. Luigi. Essentially the game modes in Dr. Luigi were based on those of previous Dr. Mario titles but with fresh graphics, sounds and higher bit-rate remixes of some of the old favourite themes you might remember from past titles.
Re-Releases
Dr. Mario has been a popular game for Nintendo to remake since its initial release. It has appeared on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System on the Tetris & Dr. Mario double cart which released in 1994. Next, it was ported onto the Game Boy Advance in two different games, where it was given cosmetic changes that improved the graphics and music, while partnering it with the Puzzle League game. Most recently, it was released on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console, where it remains a popular title for gamers to pick up and play, some two decades after its original release.
In April 2014, NES Remix 2 arrived for the Wii U - this title featured six challenges based on Dr. Mario click here to watch them on our YouTube channel.
Reference / Information
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Dr. Mario - Dr. Mario game & Game Boy Ad in Nintendo Power Magazine Vol. 18
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Dr. Mario - Strategy for Beginners in Nintendo Power Magazine Vol. 49
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Dr. Mario - Dr. Mario & Tetris Combo Pack in Nintendo Power Magazine Vol. 70