Dr. Mario

Dr. Mario
Developer	Nintendo R&D 1
Publisher	Nintendo
System	NES, Game Boy, Arcade, Super NES, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console (3DS, Wii U)
Release Date	NES JP July 27, 1990 US October 1990 EU June 27, 1991 Game Boy JP July 27, 1990 US December 1990 EU April 30, 1991 Arcade 1990 Super NES JP June 1, 1998 Game Boy Advance JP May 21, 2004 US October 25, 2004 EU January 7, 2005 3DS Virtual Console (GB) JP July 27, 2011 EU March 22, 2012 US October 4, 2012 SK May 18, 2016 Wii U Virtual Console EU February 13, 2014 JP February 26, 2014 US March 27, 2014
Genre	Puzzle
Gallery	GH Gallery
Rating	ESRB: E

Dr. Mario is a puzzle game featuring Mario in the role of a doctor eliminating viruses. It was released simultaneously for the NES and Game Boy in 1990. Since then, Dr. Mario has been ported to nearly every Nintendo system.

Story

Dr. Mario, after going on several wild adventures, has begun working at the Mushroom Kingdom Hospital's virus research lab with Princess Peach as his nurse. However, an experiment gone wrong causes several viruses to replicate quickly. Luckily Dr. Mario has invented a new vitamin that he thinks can destroy the viruses.

Gameplay

Similar to Tetris, Dr. Mario tosses several vitamins into a jar that takes up most of the screen. The jar is filled with viruses, each being one of three colors (red, blue or yellow). Each vitamin also has two colored segments. The point is to align and move the vitamins as they fall so that four vitamins and viruses of the same color are aligned, destroying all four. The game advances to the next level when all viruses are destroyed.

Legacy

Several more Mario-based puzzlers such as Tetris Attack and Yoshi's Cookie were made over the years. However, none became as popular as Dr. Mario. Dr. Mario has become well-known for its addictive nature and catchy music itself, and it has been known as one of the most popular puzzle games in general. This has led to various ports, remakes and alternate versions of the game..

In addition to the plays on the original game, the character of Dr. Mario has been featured as a playable fighter in several games of the Super Smash Bros. series starting with Super Smash Bros. Melee, and Dr. Mario music has also been featured throughout the series. The NES version of Dr. Mario was also among the games featured in NES Remix 2 and Ultimate NES Remix, games in which snippets of classic Nintendo games could be played with unique challenges, and elements of the different games could be mixed together.

Ports and Remakes

• In 1990, an arcade version was released as part of the Vs. Multisystem. It was the last game in the Vs. Multisystem line.
• A Super NES version was released packaged with Tetris as Tetris & Dr. Mario in 1994. This was only released in America and Europe.
• In 1998, Dr. Mario was released for the Super NES in Japan as part of the Nintendo Power system.
• A version of Dr. Mario appeared as an unlockable minigame in 2003's WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$ for the Game Boy Advance. This version was called Dr. Wario and replaced the Dr. Mario sprite with one of Wario.
• Dr. Mario was released for the Game Boy Advance as part of the Classic NES Series.
• In 2005, it was again released for the Game Boy Advance, this time packaged with Puzzle League (a character-less version of Panel de Pon) as Dr. Mario & Puzzle League.
• In 2007, Dr. Mario was included in Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! under the name Germ Buster.
• In 2008, a remake was made for WiiWare known as Dr. Mario Online RX. The game features an online multiplayer mode where characters can play as their Miis. This was followed by a similar DSiWare release in 2009 known as Dr. Mario Express.
• In 2011, the Game Boy version was released for download through the 3DS's eShop as part of the 3DS Virtual Console. The NES version would later be released through the Wii U's eShop for its Virtual Console in 2014.
• In 2014, Dr. Luigi was released for download through the Wii U's eshop as part of the special "Year of Luigi" promotion. This version replaced Dr. Mario with a doctor version of Luigi and also featured L-shaped Megavitamin blocks.
• In 2015, another updated remake called Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure was released for download through the Nintendo 3DS's eshop. This version introduced a new gameplay feature known as the Miracle Cure and also featured a Dr. Luigi mode incorporating the gameplay from Dr. Luigi.
• In 2016, Dr. Mario was among the games included in the NES Classic Edition.
• In 2018, it was among the NES games made available to play as part of the Nintendo Switch Online service. It was part of the first wave of games that were made available with the launch of the service in September 2018. This version includedocal and online multiplayer options. In December of that year, an SP version was released, which started the game on a rare scene of the game that occurred after beating the game on Level 20 at High speed.
  • The Game Boy version was later added to the Switch's Game Boy library in March 2024.

Sequels

While most Dr. Mario games have been enhanced or altered versions of the original, there are some that are different enough to qualify as their own entries.

The first was Dr. Mario 64, which was released for the Nintendo 64 in 2001, and its initial release was exclusive to North America. Dr. Mario 64 contained the original game as well as a new four-player mode and a Story Mode with appearances by Wario and various characters from Wario Land 3.

In 2019, a mobile game called Dr. Mario World went live. This game featured a Story Mode with worlds full of levels to clear, and it added other playable characters (such as Peach and Bowser in doctor outfits) who came with their own unique gameplay quirks.