About Mario Bros.
Mario Bros. is a classic arcade platform game developed and published by Nintendo in 1983. Released originally for arcades before being adapted to several home systems including the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), the game introduced players to Mario and Luigi as a team long before the Super Mario series became a worldwide phenomenon.
Unlike later side-scrolling Mario adventures, Mario Bros. takes place on a single-screen stage made up of connected platforms and pipes. The setting is simple but surprisingly chaotic, with waves of creatures crawling through the sewer system while Mario and Luigi try to clear each stage.
The game focuses heavily on fast reactions and movement timing. Enemies can’t be defeated by jumping directly on them like in later Mario games. Instead, players must hit the platform beneath enemies to flip them over before kicking them away. This small gameplay twist gives Mario Bros. its own rhythm and makes even early stages feel tense once the screen starts filling with enemies.
Mario Bros. also became one of Nintendo’s earliest and most memorable local multiplayer games. Playing together as Mario and Luigi can either feel cooperative or competitive depending on how crowded the stage becomes.
How To Play
In Mario Bros., you control either Mario or Luigi across a series of single-screen platform stages filled with enemies emerging from pipes.
Movement is simple: run across platforms, climb between levels, and jump to avoid hazards or attack enemies from below. Instead of stomping directly on enemies, you defeat them by jumping underneath the platform they are standing on. This flips them over for a short moment, giving you time to kick them off the stage.
As the game progresses, enemy patterns become faster and more unpredictable. Some creatures slide across icy floors, while others recover quickly if you wait too long before attacking them.
Coins occasionally appear during stages, rewarding players who move quickly between enemy waves. Timing and positioning become increasingly important once multiple enemy types begin appearing together.
The game can be played solo or with two players at the same time. In multiplayer, players often end up competing for enemies and points while also trying not to accidentally interfere with each other’s movement.
Mario Bros. keeps its controls simple, but the faster pace and platform-based enemy attacks give it a very different feel compared to later Mario platform games.
