Punch Ball Mario Bros.
From NEC Retro
Punch Ball Mario Bros. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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System(s): PC-8001 mkII, PC-6001 mkII, PC-6601, PC-8801 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Publisher: Hudson Soft | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Developer: Hudson Soft | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Licensor: Nintendo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Genre: Action | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Number of players: 1-2 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Punch Ball Mario Bros. (パンチボール マリオブラザーズ) is a take on the 1983 Nintendo arcade game Mario Bros. by Hudson Soft. It was released for the PC-6001 mkII, PC-8001 mkII and PC-8801 in 1984.
An alternative Mario Bros. game from Hudson Soft exists as Mario Bros. Special.
Contents
Story
Although humanity has improved their use of tools over the ages by harnessing fire, wind and even atomic energy, some humans, including Mario and Luigi, have not learned about sophisticated culture and must use stone balls and their jumping abilities to defend themselves.
Gameplay
The premise and gameplay of Punch Ball Mario Bros. is much like the original game in that Mario and Luigi must go through a sewer and remove creatures across multiple phases, however the game differs from the original in that they cannot flip creatures over by hitting the floor from underneath and instead must take care of them by throwing Punch Balls at them to flip them over, then kick them before they get back up. Throwing the Punch Ball is mapped to the same key as jumping, so players must be standing still in order to throw it. Once thrown, the Punch Ball will remain on the ground and so must be picked up in order to use it again. Like in the original game, enemies can also be flipped over by hitting the POW Block in the middle of the screen, which can be done three times per phase.
The stage design differs from the original game in that there are only four main platforms above the ground - in later phases these platforms can also move, and may also be frozen, which will make players slide. Instead of two pipes at the bottom corners of the screen, there is a single pipe in the middle of the floor that acts as a pit - enemies will respawn from the top pipes if they fall into this pipe, however players will lose a life if they fall in. If a Punch Ball falls into this pipe, it will respawn above the POW Block. Bonus phases also appear in this game, in which the player(s) must collect all 10 coins before time runs out, and collecting them all in time awards a perfect bonus.
Like the original game, the game can be played in single player as Mario alone, or in simultaneous two-player as Mario and Luigi together. Mario moves using Numpad 4 / Numpad 6 and jumps/throws with Space , while Luigi moves using D / G and jumps/throws using Tab . The game also offers two difficulty modes named A and B, with game B being slightly harder than game A.
Enemies
Most of the enemy types from Mario Bros. are present, however Freezies do not appear in this game.
Shellcreeper | |
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First appearance: Phase 01 | |
Simply walks along the floors like in the original game. They will turn red if allowed to get back up. | |
Sidestepper | |
First appearance: Phase 04 | |
Unlike in the original game, Sidesteppers only take one hit to flip over instead of two. They will turn green and display their angry face if allowed to get back up. | |
Fighter Fly | |
First appearance: Phase 06 | |
Like in the original game, Fighter Flies hop about and must be flipped when grounded. They will turn green if allowed to get back up. | |
Fireball | |
First appearance: Phase 04 | |
An invincible enemy. Only red fireballs appear in this game, however they function like the green fireballs from the original game in that they fly across the screen until they reach the other side. |
Production credits
- Written by: Kiku
Physical scans
PC-8001 mkII version
PC-6001 mkII version
PC-6601 version
PC-8801 version
References
Punch Ball Mario Bros. | |
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Main page | Comparisons | Hidden content
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Super Mario games for NEC systems |
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Mario Bros. (1984) | Mario Bros. Special (1984) | Punch Ball Mario Bros. (1984) | Super Mario Bros. Special (1986) |
- No title screen
- 1-2 player games
- PC-8000 series games
- PC-8000 series action games
- PC-8001 mkII games
- PC-8001 mkII action games
- 1984 PC-8001 mkII games
- All 1984 games
- PC-6000 series games
- PC-6000 series action games
- PC-6001 mkII games
- PC-6001 mkII action games
- 1984 PC-6001 mkII games
- JP PC-6601 games
- PC-6600 series games
- PC-6601 games
- 1984 PC-6601 games
- JP PC-8801 games
- PC-8800 series games
- PC-8800 series action games
- PC-8801 games
- PC-8801 action games
- 1984 PC-8801 games
- All games
- Punch Ball Mario Bros.
- Super Mario