Retro Games Reviewer #15; Dr. Mario Review
Mario... the doctor? What the...!
This was my reaction, in my younger days, when I saw the cover and label of this game. And not just because Mario looks more like a mad scientist than a doctor, in the box art. There's also a sort of mysterious "X". Dr X Mario?
Although, we should not be surprised, for Mario is definitely the man of one zillion jobs, throughout a bunch of Nintendo games, who are not related to Mario Mythology.
Very far from being just a plumber, Mario is the referee in Tennis (NES and Game Boy), he's a golf player in the Golf series (NES and GB), he wrecks buildings in Wrecking Crew (NES), he is an astronaut, and space ship pilot in Alleyway (GB), AND in Super Mario Land 2 (Moon Zone) - ape hunter in Donkey Kong, the list goes on and on.
So, yes, Mario is playing doctors, but in a good educational puzzling way. I have to say, when I was a kid, and I asked my father to buy me Dr. Mario, without having read a word about the game, I wasn't expecting an adventure, Super Mario series kind of game. Of course not. But I was hoping for something in the vein of the original Mario Bros., for example. A simple action/platform game, fun to play with a buddy, original stuff, nice to relax in a rainy sunday afternoon.
Oh, by the way, apparently, Luigi didn't graduate from med school.
Instead, I was very surprised to see it was a puzzle. I was a little disappointed at first, because the game I had imagined was kind of cool, but, hey, let's see if the doctor aproves it!
Usually I have a problem with puzzles, because I love Tetris, and the other ones always seem a shadow, unworthy of "the Soviet Mind Game".
However, Dr. Mario was definitely approved.
First of all, yes, it's another Tetris'son. But it has its differences. Both the concept, and also the gameplay. Mario throws vitamins, or medicins, well, pills, to a bottle. Each pill has two different colors, and you can rotate them, in order to use the color you want. The position of the pill is also important. It can go vertical, or horizontal.
So, there are three colors available: red, blue and yellow. And Mario, I mean, Dr. Mario, can send you a whole bunch of combinations of pills, using these three colors. For example - Red-Red; Yellow-Blue, Blue-Red, etc, etc. You get the point.
You control the pills like you control the blocks in Tetris. But in Dr. Mario, you need to use the pills on the virus! Yes, your mother will be so proud! You are playing a game in which you are a doctor, kicking deseases' asses!
As expected, virus can be yellow, blue and red. You need to put two pills of the same color of the virus, on top of them (the virus!) - or below - in order to destroy them. So, you need to use the half of the pill you are interested in, for each virus' case. That's why you can rotate the pills.
The first levels, are easier, but, as you progress in the game, the scientist bottles will become more and more crowded with the damn' virus, and it will be harder. You can choose the level in the beggining of the game. It's quite a challenge to the mind, and to your nerves. Not a nice game to play if you're drunk.
The graphics are ok. You can see Mario, all dressed up as a doctor, up in the screen, throwing you the pills. He's always holding the next pill you will get next. Just like in Tetris, you get to see what's coming. And just like in Tetris, you have to figure out what to do with the piece, before it lands something. Hopefully the right virus.
There's also a magnifying glass, that shows you the virus in big size. One for each color, of course. They are quite ugly, in a fun way. When you destroy all the virus of one species, then, its "big" representant will disappear from the magnifying glass. After you destroy all the virus, there's nothing else to see, and off you go the next level. Sherlock Holmes would have love this game.
Now, the soundtrack. You have two different tunes. "Fever" and "Chill".
I have to say, "Chill" is... sick, so to speak! I loved this tune, when I was a kid, I still like a lot. I used to play the game just to listen to it. Very jazzy and psychadelic, and has a hell of solo.
Here's a nice arrangement from FamilyJules7X:
Yeah, I know, me and the songs...
Anyway, the game was released, both to NES and Game Boy. Later, it was released for the Super NES, with a bonus: Tetris. Yes, the two games in one single cartridge. This was a great idea, double the fun.
Either way, Dr. Mario is a very good choice if you're planning to stay home, pretending you're sick, just to be left alone with your good ol' NES. If solitude isn't your thing, you can also use the two player mode.
Retro Games Reviewer; Dr. Mario Review, 30/08/13
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