Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for Game Boy Color is Nintendo’s 1999 enhanced handheld version of the landmark 1985 NES platform game. Developed and published by Nintendo, it brings the original adventure’s eight worlds and 32 stages to a color portable system while preserving its recognizable courses, enemies, music, secrets, and rescue-the-princess premise. Bowser’s forces have taken over the Mushroom Kingdom and captured Princess Toadstool, sending Mario through a chain of grasslands, underground passages, water stages, and castles to reach her.

The central game, labeled Original 1985, follows the classic side-scrolling platform formula. Mario runs, jumps, breaks blocks, collects coins, enters pipes, and searches for power-ups while moving toward each stage’s goal. Super Mushrooms let him take an extra hit, Fire Flowers give him fireballs for attacking enemies, and Stars offer a brief period of invincibility. Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Piranha Plants, and other hazards make careful movement important, while hidden blocks, underground bonus areas, warp zones, and alternate routes reward players who investigate the courses.

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe retains the original level designs but adapts their presentation to the Game Boy Color’s smaller screen. The action scrolls as Mario travels, and the player can look vertically with the directional controls to check the area above or below. A world map organizes progress between courses, and the cartridge supports saving, making the long journey across the Mushroom Kingdom more practical for portable play. Its full-color presentation was also a notable fit for the Game Boy Color, giving the familiar environments and characters a handheld version built around the system rather than a monochrome Game Boy release.

Nintendo added much more than a straightforward conversion. Challenge Mode revisits cleared Original 1985 stages with new goals: players seek five red coins and a hidden Yoshi egg in each level while also trying to improve their score. Completing a course produces a performance assessment, turning known levels into repeatable searches for routes and collectibles. The mode supplies an extra reason to revisit stages after reaching the flagpole, especially for players who already know where the usual power-ups and shortcuts are located.

Competition is another major part of the Deluxe package. With two Game Boy Color systems and a Game Link Cable, two players can race through special Vs. Game courses toward the finish. These stages use disappearing and reappearing blocks that can change the path ahead, so speed is not the only consideration. The single-player You vs. Boo mode uses related courses and pits Mario against a Boo opponent, offering a time-based challenge without requiring a second player or link cable.

Progression also opens up extras beyond the main quest. An unlockable version of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels adds the Japanese sequel to the cartridge, with its demanding variations on the original game’s style. The Toy Box and related records, albums, images, and other collectibles give the Game Boy Color release an archive-like side to explore. Some rewards and images can be used with the Game Boy Printer, extending the system’s accessory support into the game’s collectible features.

As part of the long-running Super Mario series, Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is both a preservation of a foundational platform adventure and an expanded Game Boy Color release. Its main campaign remains focused on quick, precise movement through compact obstacle courses, but its challenge objectives, competitive races, unlockables, and portable save feature make this version distinct from the 1985 original. For Game Boy Color players, it combines a complete classic Mario quest with additional ways to replay, compete, and uncover secrets.