About this game
Kaettekita Mario Bros. is a 1988 FDS title released exclusively through Nintendo's Disk Writer rewrite service — never sold as a boxed cartridge. What makes it historically unique is that it was co-published with Nagatanien, a Japanese food company, and opens with three unskippable advertisements for Nagatanien products before the game begins. The rewrite price was set at ¥400 — discounted from the standard ¥500 — because Nagatanien funded the difference in exchange for the in-game advertising. It is the last Super Mario franchise game released on the Famicom Disk System, and the last Super Mario title released during Japan's Showa era.
Key Features
Classic Mario Bros. gameplay updated with a special Nagatanien bonus mode — a slot machine minigame awarding extra lives. Players who achieved 100,000 points could mail in a code for Super Mario Bros. 3 trading cards; 200,000 points entered them in a raffle for a physical Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge. The promotion ran from November 30, 1988 to May 31, 1989.
The Story Behind
Released just weeks before the end of Japan's Showa era (Emperor Hirohito passed away on January 7, 1989, approximately five weeks after this game's release), Kaettekita Mario Bros. is a strange historical footnote — a Nintendo flagship character's game funded partly by a tea and furikake seasoning company. The title screen copyright notice reads '1988 NAGATANIEN,' an unusual sight for a Nintendo title. The game is also the last Famicom Disk System Mario release, marking the close of an era.
Tricks & Tales
The three Nagatanien advertisements that play before the game — for ochazuke nori (featuring celebrity enka singer Saburo Kitajima), gomoku fried rice mix, and a Super Mario Bros. 3-branded furikake — are completely unskippable. The game used the promotion to cross-market Nintendo's upcoming Super Mario Bros. 3, which launched exactly one month after this game.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Japan-exclusive. Never localized outside Japan. Available only through Disk Writer rewrite service and Nintendo mail-order service — no retail boxed version was ever produced. Original FDS disks are extremely rare today.
Available in our shop
Hand-cleaned and tested units shipped worldwide from Toyohashi, Japan. HP direct purchase exclusive: we include a printed shop owner's note card with every order.
Direct purchase supports this museum directly. eBay Top Rated Seller · 1,750+ reviews · 100% positive feedback.
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