Mario Bros. (Atari 5200 review)

Developer: Atari, Inc.
Publisher: Atari, Inc.
Released: 1983

Mario Bros. is an action-platformer that was first released in the Arcade in 1983.

+ Quickly forming a plan to defeat foes and avoid fireballs in rather cramped environments is part of the games' charm.

+ Varying enemy types have lots of personality and the animation of the turtle kicking its shell back onto itself is hilarious!

+ POW block evens the playing field in precarious situations, and the collectable coins add a neat risk-reward element.

- Mario's movements are egregiously slippery and trying to make split-second turns is nigh-on impossible.

- Each stage features an identical layout, and the Challenge stage's coins are always located in the same places.

- Hazardous fireballs are overly aggressive in early stages and the hit detection when bopping a platform is suspect.

- Graphics have a washed-out look, while the animation is choppy and the SFX play some ear-piercing notes.