The original NES Super Mario Bros lives in most older gamers hearts as one of their first gaming experiences. Back then games were challenging and pretty much needed cheat codes if you were not a hardcore player or just wanted to mess around.

This game isn't bad, but a common mistake would be coming into it thinking the high jump is a built-in cheat, when in fact it's just an alteration to the meta-game. A big alteration, with a lot of smaller ones hidden underneath.

Graphics: 7.
Graphics are actually improved in my opinion. A brighter tone, and Mario's old blue and black suspenders like in the Atari Mario Bros.

Sound: 2.
The sound is strictly worse. Original NES Super Mario Bros had some fantastic sound, and this has butchered it was fast forward screeches.

Story: 1.
It's Mario. No story to speak of, but even less so as there's no real fluff for the high jump. Would have been kind of cool had it been incorporated as a permanent power-up Mario found.

Depth: 7.
While technically no stages have been altered or extended, the high jump does make it a lot easier to seek out warp zones.

Difficulty: 6.
About what I'd list the original Super Mario Bros. While you may be able to just swoop right through levels and all the difficult platforms, it could be a slow and painful time based death when you realize you can't complete it because you went up the blocks of Bowser's castle and now are breaking the fourth wall of walking among the timer and high score tables whilst Bowser is attacking air and you can't go back. I have not attempted to see if this effects the flags as well that if you go over them, then come down, you can't pull the flag down.

I do know many glitches previously existed in the game that I did not experience. No freezes, just gimped combat. The fact is high jump does make goomba stomping a bit more sloppy and prone to killing you. You won't be gathering as many coins, 1Ups, or fire flowers if you're busy just floating the entire time, and in some ways you'll need to float as your jump is less precise than it was as the original Super Mario. It's a monkey's paw of a trade-off and hardly in your favor.

Another thing I noticed was the fire balls have a very limp range. Fire flowers were amazing in the NES, and now you have to be so close to do anything, it'd be safer to just avoid them or goomba stomp them if possible. So fire flower serves no real purpose other then a slightly improved mushroom.


In closing, this game is not "easier" than the original, and I honestly think that was the hacker's intention all along. To just make it different. And show how much gameplay can change with a few alterations. As to which one is better... that's a hard question to answer. They both have their ups and downs in art vs sound, game mechanics. I guess what it really comes down too is do you want a game where the challenge is the hostile environment where everything is out to kill you, or do you want a game where the most dangerous thing is yourself and the hubris of your own high jump?

Whichever you choose, this hack of Mario is something a retro gamer or Mario fan is going to want to play, and I think they'll welcome the change where it's Mario who is his own worst enemy and you have to learn how to work with the power rather than just using it to survive and get past the newest koopa troopa.