Dr. Mario is a fun action puzzle video game made by game designers Gunpei Yokoi and Takahiro Harada in 1990. Nintendo developed and published the game for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and later for Game Boy consoles.
Looking like a shameless Tetris clone but with a different fun style, I think this is the grandfather of the fruit style puzzle games that plague the android phones and tablets of today.
The Story
Beloved Italian plumber Mario, in the role of a wacky doctor, was given the task to destroy sets of viruses inside medical bottles. To do this, he drops anti virus pills into the bottle, trying to make rows of a single colour.
The Graphics and Sound
The game has solid and sharp colors. The viruses and vitamins are the only damn visuals in the game. So I think they are only fair.
Dr. Mario has a couple of music tracks. There is an option to turn the sound off completely. The game's sound effects are limited but great; I somehow liked the thud of the pills landing and the pop of a virus bursting.
The Gameplay
The game is kind of a weird puzzle game, like Tetris and Columns, but with an oddly unique feature: little viruses that you must destroy. So basically not only do you have to get three of the same color pills lined up but you have to get it lined up on a virus with same color to kill the virus! The game's control is jolly good.
The two player mode is great, because you can set up a handicap.
The replay value is quite high. Even without a friend, it is a fun video game to play. If you are craving for puzzle games at all, Dr. Mario will keep you busy for a while.
My Verdict
Not quite as legendary as Tetris, but a very fine contender for that title. A very easy to learn but a bit difficult game to master. Passing a higher level gives the same satisfaction as doing the same in Columns or Tetris.
Get the NES cartridge, Super NES version (Tetris & Dr. Mario), or play cheap on your chosen emulators. Play alone or with a friend. You will thank me later, buddy!
@tipu curate