game
icon
title Mario Bros. (Japan)
set name marioj
manufacturer Nintendo
year 1983
genre Platform (hof)
category Platform / Run Jump (hof)
driver status good
driver source mario.c
snapshots PS: in game | title | parent / MW: parent / CT: | parent / Mr. Do: parent
zoom
rating

56.9% after 35 votes
 
parent Mario Bros. (US, set 1)
other clones Mario Bros. (US, set 2)
Masao
Pest Place
display
colour emulation good
palette 512
display type raster
orientation horizontal
resolution 256x224
frequency 59.185606Hz
sound
sound emulation good
channels mono
controls
players 2
nplayers 2P sim
controls 2 way joystick
buttons 1
coin slots 2
hardware
cpu Z80 @ 4MHz
cpu M58715 @ 11MHz
audio Discrete
data
version added .036b01
last change(s) .119u1
roms
name size crc set flags sha1
tma1c-a1.7f  8192  b64b6330  marioj    f7084251ac325bbfa3fb804da16a50622e1fd213 
tma1c-a2.7e  8192  290c4977  marioj    5af266be0ddc883c6548c90e4a9084024a1e91a0 
tma1c-a1.7d  8192  f8575f31  marioj    710d0e72fcfce700ed2a22fb9c7c392cc76b250b 
tma1c-a2.7c  4096  a3c11e9e  marioj    d0612b0f8c2ea4e798f551922a04a324f4ed5f3d 
tma1c-a.6k  4096  06b9ff85  mario    111a29bcb9cda0d935675fa26eca6b099a88427f 
tma1v-a.3f  4096  adf49ee0  marioj    11fc2cd197bfe3ecb6af55c3c7a326c94988d2bd 
tma1v-a.3j  4096  a5318f2d  marioj    e42f5e51804195c64a56addb18b7ad12c57bb09a 
tma1v-a.7m  4096  186762f8  marioj    711fdd37392656bdd5027e020d51d083ccd7c407 
tma1v-a.7n  4096  e0e08bba  marioj    315eba2c10d426c9c0bb4e36987bf8ebed7df9a0 
tma1v-a.7p  4096  7b27c8c1  marioj    3fb2613ce19e353fbcc77b6817927794fb35810f 
tma1v-a.7s  4096  912ba80a  marioj    351fb5b160216eb10e281815d05a7165ca0e5909 
tma1v-a.7t  4096  5cbb92a5  marioj    a78a378e6d3060143dc456e9c33a5068da648331 
tma1v-a.7u  4096  13afb9ed  marioj    b29dcd91cf5e639ee50b734afc7a3afce79634df 
mario.4p  512  afc9bd41  mario    90b739c4c7f24a88b6ac5ca29b06c032906a2801 
cabinet art
cabinet mario.png
marquee mario.png
control panel mario.png
flyer mario.png
PCB mario.png
additional information
info 0.119u1 [Stephane Humbert]

0.08 [Mirko Buffoni]

TEST MODE:
  • Press F2 for Test-Mode (keep it pressed)
NOTE:
  • On the 4th bonus stage of Mario Bros., if you hit the floor (with Mario's head) while the floors are fading out, a wrong picture is drawn (see snapshot). mario060gre_1 MK
  • On the 4th bonus stage of Mario Bros., the floors have snow but aren't slippery! mario060gre_2 MK
  • mario060gre_1 - I've seen it several times while playing. The video should also clear up Possible Bug mario060gre_2. The floor starts out as ice before it disappears but Mario doesn't slide on it like ice when he's on them. I meant to change directions a few times but by the time I finally got there, I forgot. I did slide to a stop under the last coin and you can see he stops abruptly, instead of sliding several character widths. Video of the real arcade. patman
  • A strange line is present in attract mode when "mario bros" scroll down - Robiza. It happens on the original pcb too! So there is no need for the fix but I wonder how you fixed that bug - Kold666 (0.122u3)
  • Clone masao: The mario bootleg masao locks up at the start of Phase 16. startaq. Reported many times in the past as correct behavior of that bootleg. Haze (0.122u3).
  • Clone masao: The "run" sample doesn't play in on the 1st instructional pre-stage screen in the US and Japanese versions, but it does play in the later instructional screens. mario058gre Smitdogg. The reported behavior is the correct behavior. The run sample doesn't play during the Shellcreeper demonstration screen at the start of the game but does play during the demonstration screens for the crabs, Fighter Flies and Slipice. Video of the real arcade. patman (0.109u4)
WIP:
  • 0.127u4: CPU-internal regions now have priority again. Fixed Mario Bros. by installing a handler in the SOUND_START function [Aaron Giles].
  • 0.127u3: Aaron Giles fixed memory bank error in clone Masao and access violation in clones (US, set 2) and (Japan).
  • 0.127u2: Couriersud changed MCS-48 core to write p1 and p2 on reset. Use banking to handle EA line. Added MCS48_INTERNAL_ROMBANK define to header. Drivers which need to control the EA line have to initialize banking for internal/external rom. This is not yet optimal but works as expected with existing drivers and modified Mario driver. Changed MCS-48 EA line handling to use an explicit bank for now. Aaron Giles fixed music speed regression in Mario and clones. Fixed audio rom address to $1000. Replaced I8035 CPU2 with MB8884 in clone Pest Place.
  • 0.125u7: Cleaned up Z80DMA interface [Couriersud]: Removed compatibility to old Z80DMA driver. Now uses std. callbacks (READ8_HANDLER, WRITE8_HANDLER). Updated Mario Bros. accordingly.
  • 0.123u4: Changed Z80DMA to new device interface, updated Mario and Donkey Kong driver to use new interface. Illustrates how to keep existing memory read/write handlers. This is slower than caching the device interface, but does not have an impact on devices accessed at a low frequency like in this case [Couriersud].
  • 0.123u1: Stephane Humbert fixed 'mario' and 'masao' memory maps to match the dipswitches port name.
  • 0.122u8: Couriersud fixed crash in clone Masao.
  • 0.122u7: mario.c changes [Couriersud]: Removed all traces to video/generic.h. Fix flipscreen issue with autosave. On a hires pcb picture, verified resistor and capacitor values.
  • 0.122u6: i8039.c/mario.c updates [Couriersud]: Fixed I8039 movd instructions, added MB8884 and M58715 cpu types, moved timer hack to M58715, added ram_mask for internal ram access, added R.A11 as 'M' to DASM flags, added EA "IO" port, mario now uses M58715 as sound CPU, hooked up EA line for M58715, fixed portA startup value and documented hardware changes to use a I8039 on a mario board. Replaced I8039 CPU2 with M58715 (11MHz).
  • 0.122u5: mario.c improvements [Couriersud]: Discrete sound. Hooked up Z80DMA. Combined memory maps. Statics in mario_state struct. Fixed save state issues. Combine sh_* writes into one routine. Replaced Samples/DAC sound with Discrete.
  • 0.122u4: Mario driver improvements [Couriersud]: Hooked up flipscreen. Changed monitor orientation to ROT0.
  • 0.122u3: Rewrote mario.c [Couriersud]: Rewrote driver, separate MACHINE_DRIVER(mario_audio). Palette from schematics. Video timing from schematics. Driver configuration switch Nintendo/Std Monitor. Got rid of COLORTABLE. Fixed mario0110u1gre (no extra space between the platform and objects). Couriersud fixed clone Pest Place which crashes in debug build (pestplce0122red). Changed I8039 CPU2 clock speed to 733333 Hz, palettesize to 512 colors and VSync to 59.185606 Hz.
  • 0.122u2: Changed Z80 CPU1 clock speed to 4MHz in Mario Bros. Replaced DAC/Samples sound with Discrete in clone Pest Place.
  • 0.121u3: Added Donkey Kong Junior samples to clone Pest Place.
  • 0.121: Vas Crabb updated the DIP locations in Mario Bros, marked all as active high (confirmed from manuals).
  • 0.119u1: Stephane Humbert added Mario Bros. (US, set 1). Renamed (mario) to (marioo) and (mariojp) to (marioj) and fixed dipswitches in the driver.
  • 0.116u4: Couriersud fixed regressions in clone Pest Place due to incorrect memory map and rendering too many sprites.
  • 0.114u1: Justin Szczap added DIP locations to the Mario Bros.
  • 0.110u3: Derrick Renaud reverted Mario Bros graphics offset since it caused issues elsewhere.
  • 0.110u2: Derrick Renaud fixed tilemap y-scrolly in Mario Bros.
  • 0.104u4: Adam Bousley added save state support to Mario Bros.
  • 0.97u5: David Haywood fixed scrolling (POW button hitting) in Mario Bros.
  • 0.97u1: Pierpaolo Prazzoli added redumped roms to clone Pest Place and fixed spritelayout.
  • 0.88: Added save state support to Mario Bros (thanks to Mame32Plus).
  • 0.71u2: Added clone Pest Place (bootleg 1983). Bad colours, some bad gfx etc.
  • 9th July 2003: Pierpaolo Prazzoli added Pest Place, a bootleg of Mario Bros, to the Donkey Kong driver.
  • 19th July 1999: Jim Hernandez fixed some sound issues in Mario Bros.
  • 0.36b1: Nicola Salmoria added clone Mario Bros. (Japan).
  • 2nd March 1999: Nicola fixed Mario Bros. death sound with information from Brian Stern.
  • 0.35b5: Brian Stern emulated the death sound in Mario Bros, the sample is no longer used.
  • 0.34b1: Brad Oliver fixed the screen bounces when you hit POW.
  • 0.33b5: Hugh McLenaghan added clone Masao (bootleg 1983). The game uses a Z80 instead of 8039 for sound. Issues: Masao locks up at level 16 ?
  • 0.31: Howie Cohen and Brad Oliver fixed sound pitch and Mario jump in Donkey Kong.
  • 0.30: Ron Fries, Dan Boris and Mirko Buffoni support a 8039 emulator and emulated sound in Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Bros. Since the boards also use discrete circuits to generate sound, some samples are still needed to get complete sound support. Also partial sound in Radarscope.
  • 0.29: Brad Oliver and Shane Monroe supported partial sound (through samples) in Mario Bros. Accurate colors in Mario Bros.
  • 0.26a: Mirko Buffoni worked with the wrong source, now everything is back to normality in Mario Bros.
  • 0.16: Stefano Mozzi provided a much better palette for Mario Bros.
  • 0.14: Fixed bug in Mario Bros. High Score loading: It was recovering the high score table, but the high score at the top of the screen was not set accordingly.
  • 0.08: Mirko Buffoni added Mario Bros (Nintendo 1983) (wrong colors, no sound).
LEVELS: 255 (endless)

Other Emulators:
  • CottAGE
  • HiVE
  • JAE
  • Retrocade
Recommended Games:
Recommended Games (Platform 2):

Joust

Joust 2 - Survival of the Fittest

Q*bert

Faster, Harder, More Challenging Q*bert

Q*bert's Qubes

Chack'n Pop

Mario Bros.

Mario Bros. (PlayChoice-10)

Popper

Bomb Jack

Vs. Mighty Bomb Jack

Bombjack Twin

The FairyLand Story

TeddyBoy Blues

Bubble Bobble

Bubble Bobble 2

Bubble Memories - The Story Of Bubble Bob

Rainbow Islands

Don Doko Don

Rodland

Snow Bros. - Nick & Tom

Snow Bros. 2 / Otenki Paradise

Snow Brothers 3 - Magical Adventure

The Berlin Wall

Tumble Pop

Dark Tower

Diet Go Go

Funky Jet

Saboten Bombers

Jump Kids

Metal Saver

Pang Pang

Fancy World - Earth of Crisis

Miss Bubble 2

Toppy & Rappy

Ultra Balloon

Bomb Kick

Raccoon World

Dynamite Bomber

Dream World

Head Panic

Penguin Brothers

Tang Tang

Jumping Pop

Super Bubble 2003

Romset: 65 kb / 14 files / 35.4 zip
history Mario Bros. (c) 1983 Nintendo.


Mario Brothers is a superb, single-screen platform game in which the legendary "Mario Brothers", Mario and Luigi, must try to rid each level of a number of pests that have infested the waterworks : Shellcreepers (turtles), Sidesteppers (crabs that need to be hit twice) and Fighterflies (flies, that can only be attacked when they touch a platform).


Players can jump upwards to hit the platform above them, which will 'flip' any enemies on the above platform onto their backs. The prone enemies can then be kicked into the water to remove them. A 'POW' button also appears on a number of screen; this can be 'butted' by a player, causing all on-screen enemies to flip onto their backs; as well as destroying any enemy fireballs that may be around. Each POW can only be used a maximum of three times.


As well as the game's enemies, players are also hampered by the huge amount of inertia that comes into play when controlling Mario or Luigi. This is due to the low degree of traction that exists between the Mario brothers and the platforms. On later levels, ice appears on the platforms reducing the amount of traction even further. As the game progresses, water drops hang below the platforms and freeze into deadly icicles, which will eventually break off and fall.


- TECHNICAL -


Main CPU : Z80 (@ 3.072 Mhz)

Sound CPU : I8039 (@ 730 Khz)

Sound Chips : DAC


Screen orientation : Horizontal

Video resolution : 256 x 224 pixels

Screen refresh : 60.00 Hz

Palette colors : 256


Players : 2

Control : 2-way joystick (LEFT, RIGHT)

Buttons : 1 (JUMP)


- TRIVIA -


Released in March 1983. The US version was released in May 1983.


Shigeru Miyamoto was inspired to make "Mario Bros." a two-player game after seeing Williams' 1982 platform game, "Joust". This would in turn lead to the creation of Mario's brother, Luigi.


Mario Brothers was the first platform game designed entirely around its eponymous hero, Mario, and his brother, Luigi. Although the plumber had, of course, featured in the first and third games in the legendary "Donkey Kong" series. The game's simple-yet-involving gameplay only hinted at the greatness that was to follow for both Mario and Nintendo itself.


The Mario character would soon become Nintendo's mascot; and while the plumber's arcade outing would be few and far between, Mario would prove to be at the cornerstone of the massive critical and commercial success Nintendo would subsequently enjoy. The "Mario Bros." arcade game also saw the introduction of Mario's brother, Luigi; named after a pizzeria that was situated near the then-new Washington headquarters of Nintendo of America, called "Mario and Luigi's".


Despite being released at the time of the infamous videogame industry collapse of 1983; when smaller arcade companies, such as Centuri, (producers of "Pleiades", "Phoenix" and "Time Pilot") simply went out of business; and even industry giants such as Atari, Konami and Taito saw a drastic reduction in arcade revenue; "Mario Bros." was a huge success and would provide a firm foundation for Nintendo to make a move into the home console market for which they are now known.


The musical introduction at the beginning of the game is the first movement of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik.


The stage layout for Mario Bros. is used as an unlockable stage in Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii.


Default highscore table :

RANK SCORE NAME

1ST 012000 AKI

2ND 009000 CHI

3RD 008000 SEI

4TH 005400 NAO

5TH 003200 IYO


Perry Rodgers holds the official record for this game with 3,481,550 points.


A Mario Bros. units appears in the 1986 movie 'Over the Top'.


The 9 December 2003, the Hollywood Wax Museum announced the first ever video game character to ever be put to wax : Mario.


Original products :

Mario Bros.


Bootleg/Hacks :

Masao

Pest Place


- UPDATES -


The Japanese version features an extra life every 30000 points, compared with only one free life per game in the English version.


The Japanese version features three all-Shellcreeper rounds before the first bonus round, instead of two. In the US version, you have to kick off 3 Shellcreepers in the first round, and 6 in the second. In the Japanese version, you have to take care of 3 Shellcreepers in the first round, 4 in the second, and 6 in the third.


- SCORING -


Scoring in this game is relatively simple. It is based on how many critters you knock off the ledges :

Shellcreeper : 800 points

Sidestepper : 800 points

Fighterfly : 800 points


Knocking over an enemy : 10 points


The above scores are for knocking only one critter off the ledge. If you knock off two in a row, you get 1,600 points. Three nets you 2400 points while knocking four or more off in a row garners you 3200 points.


You also get points for things other than the above :

Slipice : 500 points

Coin : 800 points

Red Fireball : 1000 points

Blue Fireball : 200 points


In addition to getting points for the above, you also can get points during the bonus rounds :

1) You get 800 points x the number of coins you gather.

2) If you get all ten coins, you get 5000 points in the first bonus round and 8000 points for each bonus round thereafter.


- TIPS AND TRICKS -


* When you start the game, Mario and/or Luigi will be in the middle almost under the POW button. Your job is to go after the critters entering from the upper left or right pipe. Learn how to jump not only up, but also sideways. The platforms don't have a lot of room for jumping straight up. You need to learn how to jump sideways so you can quickly make it to the next platform. This is both for running and standing still.


* Know how each of the critters moves and what their behavior is. You can use this knowledge to your advantage. For example, an easy way to take care of Sidesteppers is as follows (assume that critter is moving left. Do the opposite of what is stated below if the critter is moving right) :

1) When they are just to the right of Mario or Luigi, jump up and hit the platform. This will make the Sidestepper mad and it will move left again.

2) Right when it passes over, hit it again. This will launch it up and make it drop to the next platform for easy pickings.


* As often as possible, try to kill animals in groups. Any animal killed is worth 800 points (plus the 800 point bonus coin). If you kill two animals in a short time (approx 1 second), the first is still only worth 800, but the second animal is worth 1600 points, not just 800. For three animals, the points are 800-1600-2400. For four animals, the points are 800-1600-2400-3200. The point for a killed animal is never more than 3200. So if you were to kill 5 at once, the fourth and fifth animal would both be worth 3200.


* Also remember, that unlike the fireballs, the critters can wrap around the screen. So if one disappears off the left edge, be prepared for it to reappear on the right edge.


* Use the POW button conservatively. You only get three uses in the game, so plan those uses wisely. The best time to use the POW is when a lot of critters are on the screen at one time. In addition, make sure they are close to the bottom when you flip them over or you may not have time to knock them off the upper platforms.


* After you flip a critter over, you have about 5 seconds to knock it off the platform. If you fail to do this, it will change color and speed up.


* If the last critter in a round is a Shellcreeper or a Sidestepper, it will automatically go to its fastest pace; if it is a Fighterfly, it will continue at its current pace.


* Learn how the critters move. If they bump into each other or a coin, they will reverse direction. You can work this to your advantage by trapping some critters between two flipped over critters. Again, be quick or they will recover and be faster.


* Coins can be collected by either grabbing them or by hitting them from under the platform they are traveling on.


* Things such as the Fighterfly, Red Fireball, and Green Fireball must be hit when they are in contact with the platform. This can make these things a challenge especially when there are other things harassing you.


* Speaking of the fireballs, some players hunt them for extra points. There are some things to keep in mind :

1)The more times you knock off the Red Fireball, the faster it gets.

2) You can escape off either edge to escape the fireballs. They cannot wrap around the screen.

3) As you get into the higher rounds, the Green Fireballs appear much quicker so you must be ready to get out of their way.

4) Only one Green Fireball will be active at a time, however, when one ends the other can immediately begin.


* If you get killed, you will be placed on a platform above the first gap. You have 10 seconds of invincibility before the platform disappears and puts you in the thick of things. Plan your re-entry carefully.


* The Bonus Rounds appear at round 3, round 8, and every 7 rounds thereafter (for the Japanese version, add 1 to the round number), and are pretty easy once you get a pattern down. In the first Bonus Round, you will have 20 seconds to get the ten bonus coins. However, in later Bonus Rounds, you will only have 15 seconds.


* The later rounds become challenging because not only do you have critters to deal with, after the second Bonus Round, Slipice will appear in search of a location to plant itself and freeze a platform. Until it manages to completely freeze the platform, the brothers may interrupt it and punch it from underneath. The platform will only remain frozen if Slipice has been given enough time to do its work. After the third Bonus stage, Icicles begin to form on the underside of the highest platform, and the pipes that sit above it. They will fall down from the upper platform and pipes to add to the hazards you already have to deal with. Using the POW will knock them down before they do any damage.


* When you are playing as two players, both of your characters are on the screen at the same time. It is up to the players as to whether they wish to cooperate or turn it into a death match.


- SERIES -
  1. Mario Bros. (1983)
  2. Super Mario Bros. (1985, Nintendo Famicom)
  3. Super Mario Bros. 2 (1986, Nintendo Famicom)
  4. Super Mario Bros. 2 (1988, Nintendo NES) : remake of Yumekojo Doki Doki Panic (1987, Nintendo Famicom)
  5. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, Nintendo Famicom)
  6. Super Mario World (1991, Nintendo Super Famicom)
  7. Super Mario 64 (1997, Nintendo 64)
  8. Super Mario Sunshine (2002, Nintendo Gamecube)
  9. New Super Mario Bros (2006, Nintendo Dual Screen)
  10. Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Nintendo Wii)
  11. - STAFF -
    • Designed & programmed by : Shigeru Miyamoto
    • Music by : Hirokazu Tanaka
    • Produced by : Gunpei Yokoi
    • - PORTS -
    • * Consoles :
    • Atari 2600 (1983)
    • Atari 5200 (1983)
    • Atari XEGS
    • Nintendo Famicom (1983)
    • Nintendo Famicom Disk (1988, "Kaettekita Mario Bros.")
    • Atari 7800 (1988)
    • Nintendo Famicom ("Super Mario Bros. 3") : appears as the 2-Player Battle Mode.
    • Nintendo GameCube (2001, "Animal Crossing" - NES version : as an unlockable Bonus game)
    • Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2001, "Super Mario Advance")
    • Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2002, "Super Mario Advance 2 - Super Mario World")
    • Nintendo Game Boy Advance (2003, "Super Mario Advance 3")
    • Nintendo Wii (2006, "Virtual Console")
    • * Computers :
    • Atari 800 (1983)
    • NEC PC-8801 (1984, "Mario Bros. Special")
    • NEC PC-8801 (1984, "Punch Ball Mario Bros") : featuring a small balls of colors red or green that Mario and Luigi can kick into the enemies to stun them instead of hitting them from below.
    • Apple II (1984)
    • Commodore C64 (1984)
    • Amstrad CPC (1987)
    • Sinclair ZX Spectrum (1987)
    • - SOURCES -
    • Game's rom.
    • Machine's picture.
    • F.A.Q. by Kevin Butler A.K.A. War Doc
    • Edit this entry at Arcade-History.com: http://www.arcade-history.com/?n=mario-bros.&page=detail&id=1564&o=2
resource links view in MAWS
view in CAESAR
view high score and replay at MARP
view in Progetto EMMA (Italian)
view in arcade-history.com
view in arcade-history.com
view in GameFAQs
view in KLOV
view in KLOV
view in The Arcade Flyer Archive
view in The Arcade Flyer Archive
view in VGMuseum Gamepics
view in VGMuseum Gamepics
view in VGMuseum Gamepics
cheats
cheats
code comments
00000000:6BF0:00000001:FFFFFFFF  Free Play
00000000:66D4:00000099:FFFFFFFF  Infinite Bonus Time
00000000:6860:00000002:FFFFFFFF  Infinite POW
00000000:603B:00000005:FFFFFFFF  Start on Level 5
00000000:603B:0000000A:FFFFFFFF  Start on Level 10
00000000:603B:0000000F:FFFFFFFF  Start on Level 15
00000000:603B:00000014:FFFFFFFF  Start on Level 20
00000000:603B:0000007F:FFFFFFFF  Start on Level 127
00000000:603B:000000FF:FFFFFFFF  Start on Level 255
60000000:0000:00000000:00000000 
00000000:6116:00000007:FFFFFFFF  Infinite Lives PL1
00000000:6156:00000007:FFFFFFFF  Infinite Lives PL2
2004-2009 MAWS all copyrights belong to their respective owners