The original Super Mario Bros on Game Boy Color — plus challenge modes, trading cards, and a moving camera.
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe was developed by Nintendo and released for Game Boy Color in May 1999 — a port of the 1985 NES classic with Game Boy Color-specific additions: a scrolling camera that followed Mario rather than fixed-screen segments, a challenge mode with target scores for each level, unlockable collectible images, and a race mode against a ghost. The game included all levels from the original Super Mario Bros. and added the 'You vs. Boo' challenge. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe sold over 6 million copies on Game Boy Color, making it one of the best-selling Game Boy Color titles and a demonstration that faithful classic game ports remained commercially viable.
About this game
Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is a 1999 Game Boy Color adaptation of the 1985 Famicom/NES classic, packed with added content that transforms a faithful port into a definitive version. Due to the smaller GBC screen, the viewport scrolls both horizontally and vertically to follow Mario rather than showing the full NES width. The game adds a Challenge Mode for collecting Red Coins and Yoshi Eggs, a record-chasing Boo race, two-player VS mode via Link Cable, Game Boy Printer support, and a built-in calendar and fortune teller. Japan received it exclusively through the Nintendo Power rewrite service.
Key Features
Faithful adaptation of the original Super Mario Bros. 1-8 worlds. Challenge Mode: revisit levels to collect all Red Coins and Yoshi Eggs, with a high-score target per level. You VS. Boo time-race mode. Two-player VS mode via Game Boy Link Cable. Game Boy Printer integration. Built-in Toy Box extras: calendar, fortune teller, Yoshi Finder. Japanese version unlocks Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels after 300,000 points; Western versions unlock Super Mario Bros. 2 (Doki Doki Panic variant).
The Story Behind
By 1999, Super Mario Bros. was 14 years old — already a cultural artifact. Deluxe was Nintendo's answer to the question of how to bring a foundational console game to a handheld with a smaller screen and new expectations. Rather than simply porting it, Nintendo added enough new structure — challenges, records, bonus unlockables — to make replaying the original feel fresh. The differing unlockable game between Japan and Western versions reflects Nintendo's ongoing strategy of treating regional audiences differently.
Tricks & Tales
The GBC screen cannot display the full width of the original NES stages, so Nintendo engineered a scrolling viewport that follows Mario horizontally and vertically — meaning players see less of the stage at once and must react faster to incoming threats. The Japanese version's 300,000-point unlockable is The Lost Levels (the notoriously difficult original Super Mario Bros. 2), while Western versions unlock the gentler Doki Doki Panic-based Super Mario Bros. 2 — reflecting each region's familiarity with the respective games.
Collector's Guide
Region & Compatibility
Japan received this exclusively via Nintendo Power rewrite service (¥1,050 per rewrite) — no boxed retail version. Western markets received standard boxed GBC cartridges. Unlockable bonus game differs by region: Japan gets The Lost Levels; West gets the Doki Doki Panic-based Super Mario Bros. 2.
Maintenance Tips
Game Boy Color cartridges — the smaller, slightly translucent-shell format — use the same cleaning approach as original DMG carts: a cotton swab with 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol wiped along the contact row, allowed to dry fully before reinsertion. The GBC console's ABS plastic shell faces the same yellowing risk as the DMG when exposed to UV light over time. Notably, several GBC titles — most famously Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal — include a real-time clock (RTC) circuit that runs continuously off a CR2025 coin cell. These batteries are now well over 25 years old; a dead RTC battery means time-based in-game events will not advance, even though the game itself will still load and save normally. This is a distinct issue from save data loss.
Going deeper
Explore the machine this game ran on, and what to check before you buy or care for one:
What to Watch Out For
Before buying, these are the points worth knowing — from someone who handles original Japanese Super Mario Bros. Deluxe copies regularly.
Is this a region-free game? Will a Japanese Game Boy cartridge work on any Game Boy console?
Yes. The original Game Boy, Game Boy Pocket, and Game Boy Color have no hardware region lock — a Japanese cartridge plays on any Game Boy or Game Boy Color console worldwide without modification. The game itself is in Japanese, but the hardware accepts it freely. Game Boy Advance consoles are also backward-compatible with Game Boy and Game Boy Color cartridges and share this region-free status.
How should I clean a Game Boy cartridge?
Apply 90% or higher isopropyl alcohol to a cotton swab and gently wipe the gold-plated edge contacts on the base of the cartridge. Never blow into the cartridge — breath moisture accelerates contact corrosion. If the shell needs to be opened for deeper cleaning, Game Boy cartridges use 3.8mm security game bit screws. The contacts are small; clean with a gentle wiping motion rather than abrasive pressure.
Before You Buy
Things worth knowing before you buy Super Mario Bros. Deluxe
A short checklist for buying a used Game Boy Color cartridge wisely — useful with any seller, anywhere.
-
Choose a seller who tests it before shipping
A copy that has actually been powered on and checked is a known quantity. An untested one is a gamble you only settle after it arrives.
Look for a seller who states it was function-tested and says what they confirmed. A serious seller can tell you exactly what was checked.
-
Good news — Game Boy Color is region-free
These cartridges are not region-locked, so a Japanese copy plays on any compatible Game Boy worldwide.
Confirm whether the title is Color-only or also works on the original Game Boy.
-
If this title saves your progress, check the battery
Cartridges that save use a small coin-cell battery that fades over decades — a dead one wipes your save without warning.
Ask the seller whether the save function was tested. Replacing the battery is possible, but doing so erases any existing save.
-
Check that the contacts are clean
Dirty edge contacts are the most common cause of startup and sound trouble in cartridges of this age.
Choose a seller who cleans the contacts before shipping. A note that it was tested and cleaned means the basics were handled.
-
Read the seller's reviews and return policy
A 100% positive record across thousands of sales is close to a guarantee — packing, communication and problem-solving all work for everyone. A return policy protects you if something is off.
Read the feedback and confirm a clear return window before you buy.
The last step before buying anywhere is knowing what it's worth.
See what we have in stock →Unexpected Discoveries
Games you weren't looking for — but might be glad you found.
Rooms this game lives in
Wander deeper — explore the themed rooms where Super Mario Bros. Deluxe sits alongside its kin.
Memories from around the world
This is a young museum, and this page is still waiting for its first voices. The memories people send reach Taisei personally, and the ones that move him find a home here over time — always with the writer's blessing. Yours could be the very first for this game.
Share your memory ↑