Dr. Mario

aka: Virus
Moby ID: 6116
Arcade Specs
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Description official descriptions

In this Tetris-style game, you play as Dr. Mario, who must drop differently coloured pills onto viruses to remove them from the bottle. Each pill is split into two, with each side being of one of three different colours, red, blue or yellow. Align three pills of the same colour to a virus of the corresponding colour (or any combination of pills and viruses totaling four or more) and it will be removed from the bottle, along with the aligned pills. The level is cleared when there are no viruses left, and the game is over when the pills reach the top and Dr. Mario can't drop any more pills.

Included in the game is the normal mode, a time trial, and a two player battle mode to see who can remove the most viruses.

Spellings

  • ドクターマリオ - Japanese spelling
  • 닥터 마리오 - Korean spelling

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Credits (NES version)

Designer (uncredited)
Composer (uncredited)
Producer (uncredited)

Reviews

Critics

Average score: 76% (based on 37 ratings)

Players

Average score: 3.8 out of 5 (based on 128 ratings with 5 reviews)

Play "Tetris" with Mario.

The Good
If you miss something about the classic game of "Tetris", then this is the game for you. When you start the game you immediately see the resemblance between this game and "Tetris". After a few minutes of playing the game, you are in a trance, and that is a very good sign for a game. The good sound effects and the cool music, in combination with the game engine, keeps you going for hours. The first five or eight levels are more like training levels. When you get past level 10, then you really get to use your skills to the max. I'm still trying to get past level 15. But even if it gets more difficult later on in the game, it is still a very fun game to play.


The Bad
As the case usually is for these old "Game Boy" games, it goes faster and faster further out in the game. Though you have set the speed to "Low" it still goes faster and faster.

The Bottom Line
As I wrote in the beginning, if you miss something about "Tetris" or don't like it so much, then this is the game for you.

Game Boy · by Michael B (303) · 2006

Everybody (especially Tetris fans) will find themselves addicted to this game in minutes.

The Good
This game has all the wonderful puzzle-solving and level-clearing action that the original Tetris had, and this is a quick addiction, so whenever you find a brief moment you will want to play this game. And the gameplay is so complicated, yet so simplistic, because it's just dropping colors onto colors (rather shades of gray) and yet it will take many weeks to master the science of pulling off combinations.

The Bad
The later levels (starting with Level 13 and going through 20) are practically impossible to beat, and it would be wise to just not attempt them. Also, the music grates on you, and playing this game for extended periods will cause your dreams to be full of that psycho MIDI and dropping pills onto bacteria.

The Bottom Line
This game is a Tetris clone modified by Nintendo to cater to a younger audience and with a Mario theme thrown in. This game has absolutely nothing to do with Mario or his compadres, but is one of those simple chain-reaction puzzlers that will have you clearing blocks in your mind far after your Game Boy has been shut off.

Game Boy · by pocketgamer2000 (20) · 2003

A classic puzzle game which still remains enjoyable today

The Good
Dr. Mario is a game which is extremely easy to pick up and play. The gameplay and controls are simple enough that anyone can learn to play with minimal effort. As far as sound is concerned, the effects are nothing spectacular, but not obstructive to gameplay either. However, the music, in my opinion, is brilliant. There are two songs included, Fever and Chill, which are very catchy and fit the frantic puzzle action of the game well. Finally, the inclusion of a two-player vs. mode is very welcomed as well.

The Bad
Mario storylines are supposed to be...different, but the story line behind Dr. Mario seemed stranger than usual and rushed, as there is only half of a page addressing the story line in the manual. Granted it's a puzzle game and the story is not a huge part of the gameplay, but I still would have liked a little more depth to the story. Also, the graphics are nothing amazing, but, on the other hand, they really don't need to be. Finally, while part of the charm of this game stems from its simplistic gameplay, this leads to its drawback of quickly becoming somewhat repetitive.

The Bottom Line
Dr. Mario is a puzzle game in which your objective is to kill all of the viruses in a jar. The viruses come in three colors (red, blue, and yellow) as do the pills which are used to kill the viruses. The pills contain two "sections" which allows for either a pill with two of the same colors or two different colors. A horizontal or vertical line of 4 or more "sections" of the same color will cause the line to disappear. So, one must strategically place the falling pills in line with the like-colored virus in order to kill it. If the jar is filled with pills and there are still viruses present, then it is game over.

NES · by Jon Collins (24) · 2004

[ View all 5 player reviews ]

Trivia

1001 Video Games

Dr. Mario appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Awards

  • Game Informer
    • August 2001 (Issue #100) - #76 in the "Top 100 Games of All Time" poll

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Contributors to this Entry

Game added by Kartanym.

Arcade, Nintendo 3DS, Wii U added by Michael Cassidy. Nintendo Switch added by Kam1Kaz3NL77. SNES, Game Boy Advance added by gamewarrior.

Additional contributors: PCGamer77, Guy Chapman, monkeyislandgirl, Игги Друге, Patrick Bregger, Michael Cassidy, Rik Hideto, FatherJack.

Game added April 3, 2002. Last modified February 18, 2024.