Dr. Mario is a puzzle game. There is a Game Boy version, but for the purposes of this review, the focus is going to be on the NES version. It’s a spin-off and is like Tetris. The similarity is that both have different pieces that fall and can be different.
Premise
There are viruses that can infect people. It’s up to Mario to eliminate the viruses. Three types of viruses exist in that there is the blue one, the red one, and the yellow one. When one color has been eliminated, the virus has been eliminated as well. Repeat until all have been removed. It is a game that will go on until you have finally lost.
Gameplay
Dr. Mario is a two-player game. The first mode is to talk about the single player game. In that area, there are three different speeds that can be used. There is low, medium, and high. Consider them identical to that of a difficulty level from the easiest to the hardest. You can also select the music you want or just not have any at all. As far as level selection, you can choose up to level 20. Once you have everything set up, you begin the game.
In terms of difficulty on the levels, up to level 20, you will see an increase of 4 viruses every single level. The trick is to get four in a row to match whether horizontally or vertically. It can take one major mistake and it can cost you the win. If you see blue viruses, be sure to put blue on top. If you get medicine that has blue on both sides, setting it vertically could help depending upon the position of the virus that’s blue. It is applicable to all but with red and yellow in the mix.
The two-player mode can see both players selecting which levels to play at and the speed as well. One player could play at a higher level than the other. That would mean that they would have more to eliminate. There are two ways to win. One way is to clear the viruses and the other is your opponent must have made a major mistake and caused the medicine to overflow to the top. It’s the best of five so you can sweep but it can also go the distance.
Overall
It’s a fun puzzle game to play from beginning to end. There are other versions, and it is also available on the NES Channel on the Nintendo Switch. If you are curious enough to play it, it would be recommended to do so. If you are curious enough on puzzle games, Dr. Mario is a game that would be worth considering.
