This game has been a pleasant surprise. One would think from the title that this is once again a port of the arcade classic Donkey Kong, but the reality is that this game is a complete reboot (ironically, later would come another reboot) that ends up being a great tribute to the first game starring Mario.

The game starts identically to the original Donkey Kong, with the 4 classic levels, the same sounds, practically the same sprites, and the same objective, to save Pauline, however, when you finish these levels, it is revealed that this is just the introduction of a completely original game with 101 stages, which is much more interesting and mechanically creative. The gameplay is completely revamped, being a sort of combination of the original Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Super Mario Bros. 2 (USA) and a few more additions to Mario's moveset that make it extremely satisfying to control. This game is a precursor to Super Mario 64 in many ways, as you can perform other types of jumps depending on whether you're crouching or make the jump immediately by flipping to the opposite direction, which like in SM64, serve to reward the more skilled players by conveniently using these moves to skip sections of the levels. I've always loved this sort of thing, as it means that newcomers can play the game with simplicity and gradually learn the gameplay mechanics, but those who want to try to push the envelope and skip the easy parts quickly can do so as well.

This is one of the few games that really understands the console it is made for, meaning that the graphics and length of the levels are meant for a handheld console that you will most likely only play in short sessions. So in other words, this game consists of a series of small levels, each with a unique puzzle and platforming challenge, whose duration can range from over a minute to just a few seconds, making them a perfect snack for those dead moments. And this game is really very creative when it comes to level design and mechanics, as each level has its own little gimmick, all starting from the same basics of getting a key to the goal. There are levels where we are literally allowed to place platforms or stairs at our whim, or others where you must wisely use the elements of the stage to reach the goal.

Conclusion
And what can I say, I loved it, it was a very short game (about 4 hours), but also a very pleasant one to play and full of pure fun. It overflows charm and you can tell it was made by a team with ambition that understood the console for which the game was being created, which ends up making it not only an excellent tribute to one of Nintendo's first franchises, but an excellent Game Boy game in general.

This has become my second favorite Game Boy title, only being surpassed by Link's Awakening, but it's still really very good and I recommend it to any fan of retro Mario games. It's a pity that even though it received a sequel (Mario vs. Donkey Kong), other than that, Nintendo doesn't give much recognition to this game.

In 2005 Capcom released two of the best survival horror gameplay experiences, but sadly only RE4 got the attention it deserved... This was a constant thrill. Its expansive interconnected castle still looks amazing and somehow has zero load times on PS2, meaning the stalkers can follow you room to room basically anywhere and you have to learn how to lose them. You can hide in designated spots like wardrobes or under beds, but also just in the shadows, behind doors.. Eventually your pursuers will learn how you're tricking them. Something this ambitious, with an AI dog partner no less, could have been a disaster but the mechanics are really functional. It just doesn't hold your hand at all. I can see why it probably won't get rereleased today due to its themes (and the most disturbing game over screens ever) but it's something more people should try out... on PCSX2. I'm lucky to have a copy

A must play for people who consider themselves fans of the horror genre, as creative in it’s approach to the gameplay as it is terrifying, its a real test of mettle and how much you can handle, it tosses away conventional regular enemies to instead focus on a posse of stalker enemies who chase you around as you try to desperately advance through various levels, speaking of those, it’s amazing the amount of interesting environment you can pack with such a simple setting, some later levels are just jaw-dropping in terms of atmosphere and detail. It’s a true spiritual successor to RE1, but you’re not playing a person capable of being able to shoot any threat that comes their away, quite the opposite in fact, Fiona can and will succumb to the stress placed upon her by enemies which leads to a variety of panicked states, she only has her wits and some piss poor attacks to maneuver or defend herself, the German Shepard she rescues, Hewie, does the real carrying but even then he can only temporarily stop enemies and not permanently incapacitate them, add to that the fact that the stalkers in this game don’t have a habit of giving up easily on chasing you and you have a great basis for some truly terrifying moment to moment gameplay.

Oh yeah, the story is also interesting and holds it’s own quite well, Fiona might not say much but her expressions show a sea of emotions, seriously the facial animations for the game are pretty fucking good and they add a lot to the cutscenes, one of the most terrific scenes is pretty dependent on em! As for other aspects I really like how an act of unwarranted kindness from Fiona, even in the depths of hell, is what ends up saving her, I think it’s a neat way to shine a light on an aspect of Fiona’s personality.

Man, Mario has had a lot of odd occupations over the years, hasn’t he? He has been a carpenter, a plumber, a factory worker, owning a cement factory, being a construction worker, and being Princess Peach’s personal savior, while she constantly keeps him in the friend zone as payment. You name the job, and he has probably done it at some point in his life. Out of all of his jobs though, one of the most odd positions he has taken is that of a doctor, and a pretty bad one at that. All he does whenever he faces a problem with his patients (usually involving the same exact viruses), he just throws an endless amount of pills at them to try to take care of the issue… you know, just like a real doctor! But anyway, enough of the obvious jokes, it’s Dr. Mario on the NES!

This would be the first of the Dr. Mario series (obviously) and the start of many (and I mean MANY) different spin-offs for the Mario franchise, diving head first into the puzzle genre. So, for being the very first puzzle game for the series, I would say that it does a pretty damn good job at bringing the character into the genre, as well as being a pretty good game in general. It may not be that exciting or complicating of a puzzle game, and I can see how others wouldn’t get into this as much as I would, but personally, I find it to be a pretty fun time, and a good way to kill an hour of time where I have nothing better to do.

The graphics are pretty good for NES, with the sprites for Mario and the viruses being very well-made, with plenty of animations to give them personality to make them more memorable, the music is iconic and incredible, even if there aren’t too many tracks to choose from in the game itself, the control is incredibly simple and easy to understand, which is the best outcome that you can get from a puzzle game, and the gameplay is fun and addicting, still being good to go back to even with all the other games that would update the formula to make it better over the years.

The game is sort of a spin on your typical falling block puzzle game, where you will be given an endless amount of pills of varying color, and you will use them to attempt to take out each of the viruses in each round, rotating and moving them around to where you can place them strategically to take them all out. It is very simplistic, and pretty easy to figure out for beginners, while remaining pretty fun after all this time. There are plenty of levels to go through, each with their own amount of viruses, increasing the difficulty, and the options to choose how fast the pills fall, and the kind of music you listen to throughout, giving enough for the player to do and challenge themselves with.

Back when I reviewed Tetris, I mentioned that I prefer this game a lot more in comparison, and the primary reason for that is because, with this game, there is a clear goal for each level: to destroy the viruses. Yes, Tetris does have a clear goal as well, but that’s moreso just to see how many points you get before you lose, and even try to outlast other players that you are facing. There is appeal in that type of gameplay as well, but as someone who is very goal-oriented, having a clear task to complete is much more appealing to me personally, and thus, makes Dr. Mario much more fun.

There aren’t really any problems with the game overall, not that I can notice, but I guess if I could point out something, I would say that, just like with the original Street Fighter II, this game does feel outdated compared to future games. They aren’t updated versions of the same game, but they do take the basic gameplay and make it more appealing and addicting overall, as seen even with Dr. Mario Express, which was my personal introduction with the series, and the one that I definitely sank the most time into as a kid. So, when I originally came to this original game to try it out, the thought did cross my mind that I could just be playing Express, but I still had fun with this one regardless.

Overall, while it could be seen as outdated alongside the future games in the series, the original Dr. Mario is still a pretty solid title, and a great way to start off this small, yet memorable sub-series for Mario, and one that I still play sometimes to this day. If you are a big fan of Dr. Mario, then I would definitely check out the original to see how you like it, but if you are just a casual enjoyer of the games, then just stick with newer entries. And speaking of newer entries, I think it’s about time we had a new game for this series, don’tcha think? Where’s Dr. Mario on the Switch, Nintendo, HUH?

Game #243