Mario Bros

Mario Bros. is a classic single-screen platform game that introduced Mario's brother Luigi to the world for the first time. The story casts Mario and Luigi as plumbers investigating the sewers of New York, where strange creatures have been appearing out of the pipes. The gameplay takes place across a single screen featuring multiple floor platforms with four pipes and a POW block in the center. The objective is to defeat all enemies in each phase. Unlike future Mario games, you cannot jump on enemies unless they are flipped. Instead, you must jump beneath the platform an enemy is standing on to flip it over, then run into it to kick it off the screen. The game features Shellcreepers, Sidesteppers (requiring two hits), Fighter Flies, Slipice (who freeze platforms), and bouncing fireballs. The POW block flips all enemies on screen but can only be used three times.

Atari 8-bit

Released on November 22, 1988 exclusively for the Atari XE Game System, this version of Mario Bros. was developed by Sculptured Software and is widely regarded as the best home conversion of the arcade classic. It is the only home version ever released that includes the falling icicles hazard in later levels, a feature absent even from the NES port. Using a custom-built sprite engine, the game displays a high number of large moving sprites, pushing the Atari 8-bit hardware to its limits. The port preserves all enemy introductions and charming arcade animations, including Shellcreepers leaping out of their shells. Critics praise this conversion for its attention to detail and accurate jumping physics, making it a must-have title for any Atari 8-bit collector.