Super Mario Bros. Special

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Super Mario Bros. Special

System(s): PC-8801

Publisher: Hudson Soft

Developer: Hudson Soft

Licensor: Nintendo

Genre: Action

Number of players: 1

Release

Date

RRP

Code

JP

1986

¥6,8006,800^[1]

Non-NEC versions
X1

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Super Mario Bros. Special (スーパーマリオブラザーズスペシャル) is a home computer variant of the 1985 Famicom/Nintendo Entertainment System game, Super Mario Bros., for the PC-8801 and X1. These versions, developed by Hudson Soft under license from Nintendo, were released in 1986.

Gameplay

Gameplay screenshot.

Super Mario Bros. Special is an attempt to bring an altered version of Super Mario Bros. to Japanese home computers. While very similar to the base game, it has an entirely new set of levels and includes some new power-ups and enemies (many originally seen in Donkey Kong and Mario Bros.). Graphics, audio and the core aspects of gameplay attempt to match that of the original Famicom game, however limitations imposed by the PC-8801 and X1 hardware mean that all three aspects are simplified to various degrees.

The game lacks any form of scrolling, meaning levels are presented as a series of static screens that shift as Mario reaches the right edge of the screen. Performance is not a match for the Famicom, meaning slowdown, sprite flicker and control issues are more common, and on the PC-8801, graphics are reduced to eight on-screen colours (with most objects limited to just four). The game is considered to be less stable than its Famicom counterpart, with collision errors and sometimes game-breaking glitches being more common.

Like the original game, the objective is to reach the goal of each stage within the time limit, jumping over hazards such as pits and jumping on the heads of enemies to defeat them. Mario moves left and right using Numpad 4 and Numpad 6 , jumps and swims by pressing Z , and can run by holding X while moving. After collecting a Super Mushroom, Mario can crouch by holding Numpad 2 , and pressing Numpad 2 on certain pipes will allow Mario to enter them and find hidden rooms. Pressing Esc pauses the game. The game has a total of eight Worlds, each with four levels - most levels are cleared by jumping into a flagpole, while the final level of each World takes place within a castle, where the goal is an axe placed behind Bowser.

Despite its name, no two-player option exists, nor is there a dedicated option to play as Mario's brother Luigi, so he is never seen.

Items

	Super Mushroom
	Points: 1,000
	Turns Mario into Super Mario, allowing him to survive one hit. He will shrink back down after taking damage.
	Fire Flower
	Points: 1,000
	Turns Mario into Fire Mario, allowing him to shoot fireballs by pressing X .
	Starman
	Points: 1,000
	Makes Mario invincible for a short period.
	1-Up Mushroom
	Points: 0
	Awards an extra life.
	Coin
	Points: 200
	Collect 100 coins for an extra life.
	Hachisuke
	Points: 8,000
	The bee from Hudson Soft's logo, which only awards 8,000 points when collected and nothing else. Appears in World 1-1.
	Hummer (Hammer)
	Points: 1,000
	Originally from Donkey Kong, this lets Mario repeatedly swing a hammer in front of him for a short period. Appears in World 3-4 and 5-1.
	Clock
	Points: 1,000
	Adds 100 seconds to the timer. Appears in World 8-3.
	Wing
	Points: 1,000
	Allows Mario to swim through the air as a form of flight. Appears in World 3-2 and 4-1.
	Lucky Star
	Points: 1,000
	Defeats all on-screen enemies, with each enemy awarding their default point values. Appears in World 4-1.

Enemies

	Kuribou (Goomba)
	Points: 100 Worlds: 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-1, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 5-1, 5-2, 8-1
	The most basic of all enemies, these traitorous mushrooms march forward and drop down from ledges, and can be defeated with any kind of attack.
	Nokonoko (Koopa Troopa)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-1, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1, 4-2, 5-1, 5-2, 6-3, 7-3 (yellow); 1-2, 1-3, 3-3, 4-3, 5-2, 6-3, 8-1 (red)
	When jumped on, these turtles will retreat into their shells, which can then be kicked into other enemies for extra points, while other attacks against them will defeat them instantly. The yellow ones will drop down from ledges, while the red ones change direction upon reaching a ledge.
	Patapata (Koopa Paratroopa)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, 5-1, 5-2, 7-1, 7-3, 8-1 (yellow); 1-3, 5-3, 7-3, 8-1, 8-3, 8-4 (red)
	Koopa Troopas with wings. When stomped, they lose their wings and regress to regular Koopas, while other attacks against them will defeat them instantly. The yellow ones will jump about while moving forward, while the red ones hover in the air.
	Met (Buzzy Beetle)
	Points: xxxx Worlds: 4-2, 5-2, 6-2, 7-1, 8-1, 8-4
	Functionally similar to Koopa Troopas and are defeated in the same way, however are immune to fireballs.
	Hummer Bros (Hammer Bro)
	Points: 1,000 Worlds: 5-2, 8-2, 8-3
	Elite turtles that jump about and throw hammers in an arc, and can be defeated with any kind of attack.
	Jugemu (Lakitu)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 4-1, 6-1
	Turtles riding in clouds that will chase Mario and drop Spiny Eggs on him. When defeated, they won't respawn.
	Togezou (Spiny)
	Points: xxxx Worlds: 4-1, 6-1
	These hatch from Spiny Eggs thrown by a Lakitu. They cannot be jumped on due to their spikes, and so must be defeated by bumping them from underneath, using fireballs or invincibility.
	Pakkun Flower (Piranha Plant)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 2-1, 2-4, 3-1, 4-1, 4-3, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 6-1, 6-2, 6-4, 7-1, 7-4, 8-4
	Lives in pipes and will bite Mario if he tries to jump on them, so must be defeated with fireballs or invincibility. They won't come out of their pipes if Mario stands next to or on top of the pipes.
	Paipo (Spiny Egg)
	Points: xxxx Worlds: 4-1, 6-1
	Thrown by Lakitu, these hatch into Spinies when they land on the ground.
	Killer (Bullet Bill)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-1, 2-3, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 4-1, 4-2, 4-3, 5-1, 5-2, 8-1
	Fired out of cannons and travels in a straight line. They can be jumped on, however are immune to fireballs.
	Pukupuku (Cheep Cheep)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 2-2, 3-1, 7-2, 8-2 (yellow); 2-2, 2-3, 3-1, 5-3, 7-2, 7-3, 8-2 (red)
	Commonly found underwater, they will swim about in the water and can only be defeated with fireballs or invincibility. Some red Cheep Cheeps also appear in land levels where they'll leap up from the bottom of the screen and can be stomped on.
	Gesso (Blooper)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 2-2, 3-1, 5-1, 5-2, 7-2, 8-2
	Squids that will bob about towards Mario, and are defeated with fireballs or invincibility.
	Bubble (Podoboo)
	Points: xxxx Worlds: 2-4, 3-4, 5-4, 7-4, 8-4
	Lava bubbles that jump out of lava pits in castles. They can only be defeated with invincibility.
	Chokichoki (Sidestepper)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 4-2, 5-2, 7-3, 8-1, 8-3
	Originally from Mario Bros., these crabs scuttle forward and cannot be jumped on.
	Nakaji (Fighter Fly)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 5-1, 5-2, 8-1, 8-2, 8-3
	Originally from Mario Bros., these enemies can jump about, pausing whenever they land, and cannot be jumped on.
	Tarusar (Barrel)
	Points: 200 Worlds: 3-4, 4-3, 6-2, 6-4, 7-1, 8-2
	Originally from Donkey Kong, these roll down ledges and can only be destroyed with a Hammer or by bumping them underneath.
	Sigebou (Fireball)
	Points: xxxx Worlds: 7-4, 8-2
	Originally from Donkey Kong, these fireballs tumble down ledges like barrels.
	Tsurara (Icicle)
	Points: xxxx Worlds: 4-2, 4-4, 5-3, 6-4, 7-4, 8-3, 8-4
	Originally from Mario Bros., these fall from the ceiling and can be melted by fireballs.
	Kuppa (Bowser)
	Points: 5,000 Worlds: 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-4, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4, 8-4
	The main antagonist, who is found at the end of every castle and must be defeated by touching the axe behind him or hitting him with five fireballs. His primary attack is to breathe fire, however starting from World 6 he will throw hammers.

Scoring

Items: All values listed above.

Enemies: All base values listed above. Defeating multiple enemies in a row with stomps or a Koopa shell will increment the points awarded.

Flagpole: Various points depending on how high the player jumps into the flagpole, with the lowest bonus being 100 points, and the highest being 5,000.

End level time bonus: 50 points for each tic left on the timer after finishing a level.

Fireworks: These appear at the end of levels with flagpoles if the player reaches them when the last digit of the timer is a 1, 3 or 6, with the number that are set off equal to that digit. 500 points each.

History

Legacy

Like Hudson Soft's other home computer conversions of Nintendo games, Super Mario Bros. Special has not been acknowledged by Nintendo since its release. However, unofficial fan conversions of the game have been made, including a ROM hack of the NES game by frantik in July 2021 that ports Special's levels, power-ups and enemies to the original game's engine.

Versions

Though made for both the PC-8801 and X1 computers, the PC-8801 version is overall less polished than the X1 version due to using fewer colours (four instead of eight) with many enemies and objects intending to be green being shown yellow as a result, and a rougher form of transition between each screen in levels. The X1 version also supports the Joy Card peripheral, allowing that version to be played with a gamepad like the Famicom game - the PC-8801 version has no support for an equivalent peripheral, so consequentially is only playable with the keyboard.

The X1 version is known to have been exported to South Korea for the Samsung SPC-1500, a clone of the X1.^[2]

Comparisons

Main article: Super Mario Bros. Special/Comparisons.

Production credits

Programmed by: Yukio-Takeoka
Course-Designed by: Ichirou-Sakurada
Enemy Dispoed by: Sugata-Morimoto
Ending Demo by: Tomohiko-Nakajima
Sound Effected by: Fumihiko-Itagaki, Megumi-Kawamata
Course Editor by: Yoshiyuki-Kawaguchi
New Character by: Yukio-Takeoka, Megumi-Kawamata
New Character Naming by: Yukio-Takeoka, Tomohiko-Nakajima, Sadakichi
Produced by: Takashi-Takebe

Cast

Mario, Princess Peach, Kinopio
Enemy: Kuribou, Nokonoko Red, Nokonoko Green, Patapata Red, Patapata Green, Met, Hummer Bros, Jugemu, Togezou, Pakkun Flower, Paipo, Killer, Pukupuku, Gesso, Bubble, Chokichoki, Nakaji, Tarusar, Sigebou, Tsurara, Kuppa

Thank you!

Source:

In-game credits

Magazine articles

Main article: Super Mario Bros. Special/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

File:MicomBASIC JP 1986-08.pdf

Print advert in Mycom BASIC Magazine (JP) 50: "August 1986" (1986-07-08)
also published in:

Mycom BASIC Magazine (JP) 51: "September 1986" (1986-08-08)
Mycom BASIC Magazine (JP) 52: "October 1986" (1986-09-08)

Physical scans

PC-8801, JP
Cover

References

↑ MicomBASIC JP 1986-08.pdf, page 195
↑ http://hg101.proboards.com/thread/6968/hudson-mario-trilogy?page=2&scrollTo=173288 (Wayback Machine: 2020-04-09 19:27)
↑ MicomBASIC JP 1986-09.pdf, page 187
↑ MicomBASIC JP 1986-10.pdf, page 184