Super Mario Bros.
Complete guide

Story | The good | Moves and attacks | Losing lives | The bad | Levels: Maps and stats | Items, blocks, and lifts | Scoring | Extra lives | "Hard mode" | Further reading | Credits

The release of Super Mario Bros. was a defining moment in video game history; not only did it introduce many people to Mario, but more importantly, it was also the first side-scrolling, run-and-jump platform game. Its popularity spawned a veritable truckload of platform games, and of course, more Mario games. With a perfect blend of action, secrets, and puzzle elements, Super Mario Bros. became an instant classic that was still good enough to be re-released on the Game Boy Color almost 15 years later.

Compared to today's games, Super Mario Bros. is short and simple, making it an easy target for a complete, in-depth analysis. So, enough introduction -- let's get down and dirty with the brothers, the baddies, and the Mushroom Kingdom...

WARNING: I've done my best to write about everything in this game, so the rest of this page can totally spoil the fun of finding out everything on your own.

Story

One day the kingdom of the peaceful mushroom people was invaded by the Koopa, a tribe of turtles famous for their black magic. The quiet, peace-loving Mushroom People were turned into mere stones, bricks and even field horse-hair plants, and the Mushroom Kingdom fell into ruin.

The only one who can undo the magic spell on the Mushroom People and return them to their normal selves is the Princess Toadstool, the daughter of the Mushroom King. Unfortunately, she is presently in the hands of the great Koopa turtle king.

Mario, the hero of this story (maybe) hears about the Mushroom People's plight and sets out on a quest to free the Mushroom Princess from the evil Koopa and restore the fallen kingdom of the Mushroom People. You are Mario! It's up to you to save the Mushroom People from the black magic of the Koopa!

- SMB manual

The good

Player 1

Mario He and his brother Luigi are the now-well-known Mario Bros. plumbing duo. Mario is out to "free the Mushroom Princess" and "save the Mushroom People" from Bowser.

Luigi Exactly like Mario in every way, except for his color scheme. However, Fiery Luigi will be the same color as Fiery Mario.

Player 2

Mushroom Retainer Located in Worlds 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-4, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4 Now known as "Toad." Amazingly, each Mushroom Retainer utters the same line when rescued: "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!"

Princess Toadstool Located in World 8-4 The princess of the Mushroom Kingdom has been kidnapped, and is being held captive by Bowser in World 8-4.

Moves and attacks

Right
Lets Mario walk to the right.

Left
Lets Mario walk to the left.

Down
When you are Super or Fiery Mario, press and hold Down to duck. Release to make Mario stand up again. Press Down while Mario is walking, and he'll slide one block. Press Down while Mario is running, and he'll slide three blocks. Also, presssing Down while standing on "open" pipes will let Mario enter them.

Up
Used to climb vines. You must grab onto the vine first by walking into it.

B Button
Hold B while pressing Left or Right to run. Pressing B also makes Fiery Mario shoot a fireball.

A Button
Press A to jump. Jumping while holding Left or Right makes Mario jump left or right. Jump while running for an even longer jump. To get the most distance out of your jump, hold the A Button until you land.

Blue: Standing jump (4 blocks high)
Yellow: Walking jump (5 blocks long, 4 blocks and 6 pixels high)
Red: Running jump (8½ blocks long, 5 blocks and 1 pixel high)

Landing on an enemy (the stomp attack) is Mario's basic attack. While under water, the A Button makes Mario swim.

Select
Only used on the title screen to select a 1- or 2-player game.

Start
On the title screen, pressing Start starts the game you've selected with the Select Button. During the game, player one can pause the game by pressing Start. While paused, pressing Start will unpause.

Losing lives

When Super or Fiery Mario take damage, they will survive but shrink to small Mario. If small Mario takes damage, it will result in a loss of life. Neither form of Mario can survive "instant death."

Damage

• Touching either side of an enemy.
• Stomping an enemy that can't be stomped on.
• Touching any enemy underwater.

Instant death

• Falling down a pit, or in lava.
• Getting sucked down a pit while underwater.
• Running out of time (the timer reaches zero).

Power-ups and 1-Up Mushrooms can help counter these unfortunate incidents.

The bad

Listed in order of appearance.

Land enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: Y

Goomba Infesting Worlds 1-1, 1-2, 1-3, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 6-2, 8-1, 8-2, 8-3 Mushrooms turned bad, these guys have over-run the Mushroom Kingdom. They slowly move left or right, changing direction after colliding with a pipe, wall, or another enemy. The weakest of all enemies, one stomp will get rid of them for good.

Koopa Troopa (green) Infesting Worlds 1-1, 1-2, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 4-2, 5-1, 5-2, 6-2, 7-1, 7-3, 8-1, 8-3 These brave, green-shelled baddies will stop at nothing to destroy Mario... even if that means walking off of cliffs. They move like Goombas, but they aren't as weak. Stomp them once, and they will retreat into their shells. Leave them alone and they'll pop back out after 13 game seconds.

Land enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: Y

Land enemy Stomp: N Fireball: Y

Piranha Plant Infesting Worlds 1-2, 2-1, 2-2, 3-1, 3-2, 4-1, 4-2, 4-4, 5-1, 5-2, 6-1, 6-2, 7-1, 7-2, 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4 These carnivorous plants reside in pipes, waiting to feast on unlucky Italian plumbers. Although there is a large population of Piranha Plants, their rhythmic up-and-down movements are predictable. Moreover, standing on or about half a block away from their pipes will keep them from coming out.

Red Koopa Troopa Infesting Worlds 1-2, 1-3, 3-3, 4-3, 5-3, 7-3 The red Koopas act much like their green relatives, except that the red ones will often stay in a given area due to the fact that they don't walk off of platforms. Red Koopa Troopas are mostly found in the x-3 Worlds.

Land enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: Y

Air enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: Y

Koopa Paratroopa (red) Infesting Worlds 1-3, 3-3, 4-3, 5-3 These guys like to travel vertically, hovering over bottomless pits. Therefore, they can be convenient stepping-stones to high platforms. When stomped, they lose their wings and become red Koopa Troopas.

"Firebar" Infesting Worlds 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-4, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4, 8-4 A "Firebar" is a stick of six (or more) fireballs that swings in a circle. Most of them are connected to empty blocks, but some are attached to the castle walls, or even spinning underwater as seen in 8-4. Since they are made of fireballs, Mario's fireballs won't even damage "Firebars." Avoid them altogether.

Land enemy Stomp: N Fireball: N

Land enemy Stomp: N Fireball: Y

Bowser (and seven decoys) Infesting Worlds 1-4, 2-4, 3-4, 4-4, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4, 8-4 The real Bowser awaits Mario in 8-4 for the final showdown. The first seven "Bowsers" are decoys -- normal enemies with Bowser's power, most likely created with Bowser's black magic. Bowser's main attack is spitting fire, but in 6-4, 7-4, and 8-4 he flings hammers as well. Bowser will also jump occasionally, which momentarily gives Mario a clear path to the axe... Touch the axe at the end of the bridge, and the bridge will retract, dropping Bowser into the fire sea below. You can also fry Bowser with five fireballs, the only way to get points from him.

Koopa Paratroopa (green) Infesting Worlds 2-1, 3-1, 3-2, 5-1, 5-2, 6-2, 7-1, 7-3, 8-1, 8-2, 8-3, 8-4 These winged Koopas fly around aimlessly, with no regard for their own lives. A well-timed stomp will make them shed their wings and become a green Koopa Troopa, grounding them for good. The majority of green Paratroopas hop, but a few in 7-2 actually hover.

Air enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: Y

Water enemy Stomp: N/A Fireball: Y

Bloober Infesting Worlds 2-2, 5-2, 6-2, 7-2, 8-4 These white jellyfish team up with Cheep Cheeps in every water level and bonus water level for a very effective aquatic attack. Bloobers have an uncanny knack for getting in your way, but as long as you're standing on the ocean floor, they can't hurt you. Bloobers will do their best to follow you, too. Luckily, your fireballs stay lit underwater...

Cheep Cheep Infesting Worlds 2-2, 2-3, 5-2, 6-2, 7-2, 7-3, 8-4 In all water levels, you'll face a constant stream of left-bound Cheep Cheeps. Since they don't swim very fast, and the gray ones move even slower, they make excellent fireball targets. In 2-3, 5-3, and 8-4, you'll encounter the flying red Cheep Cheep. When it's raining Cheep Cheeps, it's best not to stay in one spot for too long.

Water enemy Stomp: N/A Fireball: Y Air enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: Y

Air enemy Stomp: N Fireball: N

Podoboo Infesting Worlds 2-4, 3-4, 4-4, 5-4, 6-4, 7-4, 8-4 In every castle level except 1-4, these lava bubbles will shoot out of certain lava pits. They are invincible, so don't even waste your time trying to kill them. Podoboos travel vertically, and can shoot out again anytime after returning to its pool of lava. A Podoboo near Firebars will have you planning your jumps a bit more carefully.

Hammer Bros. Infesting Worlds 3-1, 5-2, 7-1, 8-3, 8-4 Hammer Bros. like to attack in pairs, creating a tortoise roadblock. Armed with hard shells and even harder hammers, these belligerent brothers are Mario's worst nightmare. As you'll notice in World 5-2, Hammer Bros. also have the ability to walk through "Stair Blocks."

Land enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: Y

Air enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: Y

Lakitu Infesting Worlds 4-1, 6-1, 8-2 A turtle that rides in a cloud, tossing Spiny Eggs from above. Kill him, and he'll come back after 40 game seconds for more egg throwing. Lakitu has an endless supply of eggs, but he'll stop throwing if there are five enemies (including himself) already on the screen.

Spiny Egg Infesting Worlds 4-1, 6-1, 8-2 The eggs thrown by Lakitu. As soon as they hit the ground, Spiny Eggs turn into Spinys.

Air enemy Stomp: N Fireball: Y

Land enemy Stomp: N Fireball: Y

Spiny Infesting Worlds 4-1, 6-1, 8-2 The red, spiked turtles that instantly hatch from Spiny Eggs. Spiny's spikes aren't just for decoration; fry the little "stegoturtles" with fireballs instead of stomping.

Buzzy Beetle Infesting Worlds 4-2, 5-2, 6-2, 7-1, 8-1, 8-2, 8-4 Buzzy Beetles act the same as Koopa Troopas, except Buzzys cannot be hurt with fireballs. Unless you just grabbed a Starman, kicking his shell into a pit is really the only way to dispose of him.

Land enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: N

Air enemy Stomp: Y Fireball: N

Bullet Bill Infesting Worlds 5-1, 5-2, 5-3, 6-3, 7-1, 8-2, 8-3 Fired from "Turtle Cannons," these straight-shooting, hot-leaded foes try to nail you in mid-air, where Mario is the most vulnerable. Similar to Piranha Plants, Bullet Bills won't fire if you stand on or near their cannons.

Levels: maps and stats

Maps

KEY:
  = Question Block containing a Coin.
  = Question Block containing a Super Mushroom or Fire Flower, depending on Mario's size.
  = "Free" Coin.
  = Invisible Block containing a 1-Up Mushroom (appears in World 1-1 only).
  = "10-Coin" Block (disguised as Brick Blocks).
  = Starman (found in Brick Blocks only)
  = Brick Block containing a Super Mushroom or Fire Flower, depending on Mario's size.
  = Brick Block containing a 1-Up Mushroom.
  = Invisible Block (always contains a Coin).
  = Invisible Block containing a "Bonus" 1-Up Mushroom.
  = Vine (found only in Brick Blocks).

World 1-1 World 1-2 World 1-3 World 1-4 World 2-1 World 2-2 World 2-3 World 2-4 World 3-1 World 3-2 World 3-3 World 3-4 World 4-1 World 4-2 World 4-3 World 4-4

World 5-1 World 5-2 World 5-3 World 5-4 World 6-1 World 6-2 World 6-3 World 6-4 World 7-1 World 7-2 World 7-3 World 7-4 World 8-1 World 8-2 World 8-3 World 8-4

Enemy inventory

Below is a chart of every world and the enemies in it. A "Y" means that the enemy is present, but there will be varying amounts due to the game design. For example, the number of Cheep Cheeps, Bullet Bills, or Lakitus (+ Spiny Eggs + Spinys) will vary depending on how quickly you finish the level.

A Piranha Plant is considered one per pipe. Note that they won't always appear in every pipe shown in the maps above. Piranha Plants found in Warp Zones are not counted, for Mario cannot kill them and vice-versa.

Currently, the chart only shows where Cheeps Cheeps are found; exact count will be added later.
Podoboos are considered one per location.

World
1-1	16	1
1-2	14	3	4	1
1-3	3			3	2
1-4						7	1
2-1	16	6	8					3
2-2			1						6	Y
2-3										Y
2-4						6	1				2
3-1	14	7	5					5				2
3-2	15	19	1					1
3-3	1			5	1
3-4						9	1				6
4-1			4										Y	Y	Y
4-2	3	6	8													3
4-3				5	1
4-4			1			5	1				1
5-1	21	6	4					4									Y
5-2	4	1	3	1				5	3	Y		4				3	Y
5-3	3			3	2												Y
5-4						11	1				6
6-1			1										Y	Y	Y
6-2	3	1	25					2	3	Y						4
6-3																	Y
6-4						11	1				3
7-1		1	5					4				4				1	Y
7-2			1						13	Y
7-3		1		3				3		Y
7-4						1	1				2
8-1	24	16	10					3								4
8-2	2		4					12					Y	Y	Y	4	Y
8-3		1	3					2				8					Y
8-4	3		14			5	1	4	3	Y	1	1				2
Totals
	142	69	102	21	6	55	8	48	28		21	19				21

Records and facts

• 32 total levels.
• Most free Coins: World 6-2 (79 Coins).
• Most enemies: World 8-1 (54 total enemies).
• Most diverse defense: Worlds 5-2 and 8-4 (each has 10 different enemies).
• Longest level, start-to-flagpole: World 8-1 (376 blocks from start to flagpole).
• Longest level, including bonus areas: 6-2 (216 blocks from start to flagpole, and 190 blocks of bonus areas, totaling 405 blocks).
• World 6-2's total bonus area length (190 blocks) is longer than the start-to-flag distance of 13 different levels! (Worlds 1-3, 1-4, 2-4, 3-3, 3-4, 4-3, 4-4, 5-3, 5-4, 6-1, 6-3, 6-4, 7-1 are all less than 190 blocks long.)
• Piranha Plants appear in 18 levels (56% of the levels), more than any other enemy.
• Red Koopa Paratroopas are the rarest of all enemies. They only appear in four of the x-3 levels with Red Koopa Troopas.

Recycled levels
Five of the 32 levels in Super Mario Bros. are recycled. Here's the list.

• 1-3 = 5-3
• 1-4 = 6-4
• 2-2 = 7-2
• 2-3 = 7-3
• 2-4 = 5-4

The second time around, the recycled levels are more difficult. More enemies appear, and all lifts are shortened by one block length. For example, 5-3 is exactly like 1-3 except the lifts are smaller, and Bullet Bills are constantly shot at you from off-screen. Also, in the x-4 levels, more firebars were added.

Items, blocks, and lifts

Power-up

Magic Mushroom Transforms small Mario to Super Mario. Super Mario can break Brick Blocks by hitting them from below.

Fire Flower Grants Mario the ability to shoot fireballs. It only appears when Super Mario hits a block that would usually contain a Magic Mushroom. If Super Mario becomes small, and then takes the Fire Flower, he will become only Super Mario.

Power-up

Power-up

Starman When touched, the power of the Starman makes Mario invincible for 18 game seconds. Invincible Mario is impervious to any enemy attack, but falling down a pit or running out of time will still kill him. During his invincibility, Mario can still collect power-ups and shoot fire if he is Fiery.

1-Up Mushroom Gives Mario an extra life. Every x-1 world contains a hidden 1-Up Mushroom, but the hidden blocks in Worlds 2-1 - 8-1 will only exist if you've warped to that particular world, or collected all the coins in the previous x-3 world.

Life-up

Item	Coin Hundreds of gold Coins are scattered throughout the Mushroom Kingdom; some are hidden in blocks, but most are out in the open. Every time Mario collects 100 Coins, he earns an extra life.

Jumping Board Jump off the Jumping Board as Mario is bouncing on it to give his jump a little extra height. With the right timing, Mario can leap 10¼ blocks from the top of Jumping Board.

Item

Block

Question Block Hit it from below to see what it contains. The possible prizes are Magic Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, Starmen, or a single Coin. If an enemy is on top of a Question Block when it is hit from below, it will be damaged. After a Question Block is hit, it becomes an empty Block.

Brick Blocks When hit from below, any enemies on top of it will be damaged, and any Coins on top of it will be collected. Super and Fiery Mario can break Brick Blocks, but small Mario can only bump it up for a split second. If a Brick Block contains an item, it functions like a Question Block.

Block

Block

"10-Coin" Block Looks exactly like a Brick Block. Keep hitting the bottom of the block to collect Coins, up to 14 Coins maximum.

"Stair" Blocks These blocks usually form staircase-like structures. Nothing special here.

Block

Block

Empty Block These blocks are usually expired Question Blocks. Empty blocks found in castle levels often serve as pivot points for Firebars.

Lifts
There are five different types of lifts.

• "Up-Down / Left-Right" - Traveling either up and down or right and left, these lifts stay in one area.
• "Elevator" - An endless stream of lifts that go either up or down. Some are connected with straight white lines.
• "Scale" - Stand on one platform, and the other platform goes up as yours goes down. If one platform goes all the way up, both platforms will break off.
• "Drop" - Motionless lifts that drop only when you're standing on them.
• "Sky Lift" - Found only in "Coin Heaven." Motionless until you touch it, and then it will move to the right forever.

Item inventory

KEY:
  = Total visible Question Blocks
  = Coins from Question Blocks
  = Super Mushroom / Fire Flower (depending on Mario's size) from Question Blocks
  = "Free" Coin
  = Invisible 1-Up (appears in World 1-1 only)
  = "10-Coin" Block (in Bricks only)
  = Starman (bricks only)
  = Super Mushroom / Fire Flower (depending on Mario's size) from Bricks
  = 1-Up from Bricks
  = Invisible Block (always contains a Coin)
  = "Bonus" 1-Up
  = Vine (in brick only)
  = Spring Board

World
1-1	13	10	3	19	1	1	1
1-2	5	4	1	33		2	1	2	1
1-3	1		1	21
1-4	1		1							6
2-1	18	17	1	60		1	1	3		2	1	1	1
2-2				28
2-3	1		1	34
2-4	1		1	6
3-1	9	6	3	65		1	1	1			1	1	1
3-2	1		1	7		1	1
3-3	1		1	22
3-4	3	2	1	3
4-1	20	18	2	34		1		1			1
4-2	7	6	1	52		4	1	3		4		1
4-3	1		1	26
4-4
5-1				10		1	1				1
5-2				69		1	1	3		1		1	1
5-3	1		1	21
5-4	1		1							6
6-1	4	3	1	6		2		1		2	1
6-2				79		2	1	2		2		1
6-3	1		1	24									2
6-4	1		1							6
7-1	4	4		19		1		2			1		1
7-2				28
7-3	1		1	34
7-4
8-1				32		2	1			1	1
8-2	4	4		10		2		1	1				1
8-3						1		2
8-4										1
Totals
	99	74	25	742	1	23	10	21	2	31	7	5	7

Scoring

Brick Blocks
Super or Fiery Mario can smash Brick Blocks from below for 50 points per block. If the Brick Block turns out to be a 10-Coin Block, the block will "expire" after getting all the Coins, and cannot be smashed.

Coins
Collect by touching them. If one is sitting on a Brick Block, you can hit the block from below to collect it. Coins are also hidden in Question Blocks, 10-Coin Blocks, and Invisible Blocks. No matter how you collect them, Coins are always 200 points each.

Power-ups
Magic Mushrooms, Fire Flowers, and Starmen are all 1000 points each.

Enemy point chart

KEY:
Stomp: Point value when stomped.
Fire: Point value when fireballed.
Star: Point value when touched while Invincible Mario.
Below: Point value when knocked off Bricks or Question Blocks from underneath.
N/A: Due to the level designs, situation does not occur.
-- : Enemy is not harmed by the attack.
xx : Enemy is not harmed, but harms Mario.

Enemy		Stomp	Fire	Star	Below
Goomba		100	100	100	100
Koopa Troopa		100	200	200	100
Koopa Troopa shell (moving)		100	200	200	N/A
Piranha Plant		xx	200	200	N/A
Bowser		xx	5000	N/A	N/A
Koopa Paratroopa		400	200	200	N/A
Bloober		xx	200	N/A	N/A
Cheep Cheep (water)		xx	200	N/A	N/A
Cheep Cheep (land)		200	200	N/A	N/A
Podoboo		xx	--	N/A	N/A
Hammer Bros.		1000	1000	1000	1000
Lakitu		800	200	N/A	N/A
Spiny Egg		xx	200	N/A	100
Spiny		xx	200	N/A	100
Buzzy Beetle		100	--	200	100
Buzzy Beetle shell (moving)		100	--	200	N/A
Bullet Bill		200	--	200	N/A

Enemy inventory notes

• Red Koopa Troopas have the same point values as the green ones.
• Hitting Buzzy Beetles from below can only be accomplished while in "Hard mode."
• Using an "invincibility code" with Game Genie, we find that every enemy that cannot normally be killed with a Starman (because they do not appear together in the same levels) would be 200 points each. The "Firebar" will still harm Mario even if you're using said invincibility code.

Enemy points: special sequences

• 100-400 sequence - Stomp on two Goombas or Buzzy Beetles at once. You'll get 100 points from the first enemy, and 400 points from the second.
• Shell-kick sequence - Kill enemies by kicking a Koopa or Beetle shell into them, and you'll earn more and more points for each enemy killed with the same shell. The point accumulation is as follows: 500 - 800 - 1000 - 2000 - 4000 - 5000 - 8000 - 1-Up.
• Stomp sequence - Keep stomping on enemies without touching the ground, and you'll earn more and more points for each enemy killed. The point accumulation is as follows: 100 - 200 - 400 - 500 - 800 - 1000 - 2000 - 4000 - 5000 - 8000 - 1-Up. Bullet Bills do not count towards a stomp sequence.

Enemy points: Shells

• Koopa Troopa shell (stationary) - Koopa Troopas are a bit different, in that they have a "stomp sequence" of their own. If you stomp a Koopa and then land on its shell before you touch the ground, you'll get 500 points. However, if you touch the ground first, you'll get 400 points for kicking. While the Koopa's legs are coming out, you can get 1000 points if you kick the shell right before the Koopa begins walking again, but if you're a bit quick on the draw, you'll end up with 500 points.

  You'll get 8000 points for kicking an upside-down Koopa shell in the air before it touches the ground.

• Buzzy Beetle shell (stationary) - These guys have sequences like Koopa Troopas, except for a few differences. When they're in their shell, there's nothing to tip you off when they'll begin walking again, so the reward is upped to 5000 points if you can kick the shell right before Buzzy begins walking again.

  You'll also get 8000 points for kicking an upside-down Beetle shell in the air before it touches the ground, but you'll only get the opportunity in "hard mode."

End-of-level bonuses

• Flagpole bonus - You'll get a bonus for touching the flagpole at the end of each level. The higher you jump on it, the more points you receive. Check the chart below for the point zones.
  
  
  (Point zones relative to the bottom of Mario's feet when he first touches the flagpole.)

• Time bonus - When Mario touches the flagpole, the timer stops. After Mario dismounts the flagpole, you get 50 points for each second remaining on the timer. However, there is no bonus for time remaining in the x-4 levels.
• Fireworks bonus - If you touch the flagpole when the last digit of the timer is a 1, 3, or 6, fireworks will go off, giving you 500 points each. The number of fireworks you get matches the last digit on the timer.

Miscellaneous
You can get 1000 points from "Scale Lifts" if you make the platforms fall off by standing on one side too long.

Extra lives

Extra lives can be earned three ways:

1. Grabbing a 1-Up Mushroom
2. Collecting 100 coins
3. Points/1-Ups-accumulation techniques
   1. Shell-kick sequence: Kick one shell into seven enemies to earn 1-Ups for every subsequent enemy killed with the same shell.
   2. Stomp sequence: Stomp ten enemies without touching the ground to earn 1-Ups for every subsequent enemy stomped. Sequence resets if Mario touches the ground. (Note: This technique is rare, with the possibility of a 1-Up occurring only where Koopa Troopas or Buzzy Beetles appear on staircase-like structures. See SMB tips/tricks page for details.)

Trash and treasure
The WORLD x-x screen shown before starting a level shows Mario's extra life total. If you get more than 9 extra lives, weird stuff starts to happen to Mario's extra life total. For example, if you have anywhere from 10 - 19 extra lives, the tens digit will be a crown instead of a "1." At this point, it's still easy enough to figure out how many extra lives you actually have left, but after lives (19 lives), the numbers turn into letters. While the crown stays where the tens digit would be, the ones digit goes through A - Z, a blank space, a few solid squares, and then the weird symbols start. Interestingly enough, there is a pattern behind this madness. The symbols (as well as the letters and numbers) come from the game's second CHR table, going in order from left to right and top to bottom.

To find out how many lives you actually have after you have the crown, you must first identify the symbol you have next to the crown. Then count (starting at zero - count: "zero, one, two," etc.) your way to that symbol in the table, and then add 10. For example, "" equals 23 lives.

But, if you manage to get more than 128 lives in reserve, the next time you lose a life you'll get a Game Over. I was talking to MEGAߥTE about this, and the next day he comes back with this info:

• smb_lives.txt

"Hard mode"

After you beat Bowser in World 8-4, Princess Toadstool says "Thank you Mario! Your quest is over. We present you a new quest. Press button B to select a world." Next, all you have to do is press B to get back to the title screen. Keep pressing B to make the "World" display on the top of the screen change to 2-1, 3-1, 4-1, etc.

A few notes:

• Your score is reset when you start hard mode.
• You can select one or two players regardless of how many players were in the last game.
• The World you selected will contain the "Bonus" 1-Up Mushroom as though you actually warped to the World.
• All Goombas are replaced by Buzzy Beetles.
• Ground enemies walk faster.
• Lifts are shortened by one block.
• Worlds 1-3, 1-4, 2-2, 2-3, and 2-4 are in their "recycled" form, meaning those levels are the same as 5-3, 6-4, 7-2, 7-3, and 5-4, respectively.
• The continue code still works if you die, and you'll stay in the hard mode.
• Beating the hard mode won't earn you a harder mode; you'll just get to play the hard mode again.

Further reading

• SMB info page
• Instruction manual
• Cheats/codes, tips & tricks
• Guide and FAQ
• Bugs/glitches
• From Japanese to English

Credits

(A.K.A. stuff I didn't do.)

• Story illustration by GryphonTen
• World 1-1, 1-2 mapped by MEGAߥTE
• World 2-1 - 2-4 enemy locations by MK Mario
• World 3-1 - 4-3 maps and enemies by MK Mario
• World 4-4 map and enemies by MEGAߥTE

Story | The good | Moves and attacks | Losing lives | The bad | Levels: Maps and stats | Items, blocks, and lifts | Scoring | Extra lives | "Hard mode" | Further reading | Credits