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.
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.
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