The Genesis of 'Super Mario Bros.' Quiz

The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) was released at a time when the video game industry was in free fall. The industry suffered a bad recession in what has come to be known as the "video game crash of 1983" where Atari was particularly adversely impacted. The NES reformed the sector by enforcing more control over game quality and quantity. One of the biggest and most enduring hits from these formative years is of course 'Super Mario Bros.' (1985).

As Nintendo is steeped in the arcade tradition, NES games often contain an arcade-style scoring system and 'Super Mario Bros.' toes the line in that regard. Players can obtain points in numerous ways such as coin collection, enemy destruction and efficient level completion.

Coins are a common item littered across the worlds in 'Super Mario Bros.' and they serve two main purposes. The first is as a method of obtaining points that get added to a player's total score (honouring Nintendo's arcade heritage) and the second is as a means to obtain an extra life or 1-Up. For every one hundred coins collected by Mario, he receives an extra life.

The number of lives that Mario has at any one time cannot be seen on the screen during each world but after a world is successfully conquered - or after a death - the life counter flashes up on a black screen before play resumes.

The standard run of 'Super Mario Bros.' consists of eight sets of four levels which comprise a total of thirty-two worlds from 1-1 to 8-4. Upon completion of the game the "hard mode" is unlocked and the same worlds can be played again at a higher level of difficulty. Each world can be classified, as they are on MarioWiki, into either Overworld, Underground, Underwater, Athletic or Castle. These classifications are associated with their own soundtrack, with the track for Overworld being the iconic sound of the 'Mario' franchise.

The world types are fairly self-explanatory but perhaps worth noting that the Castle worlds are where Mario faces a series of fake Bowsers before taking on the real Bowser in world 8-4.

The timer is yet another nod to Nintendo's arcade heritage. For the most part, a player is not at particular risk of running out of time in any given world but it does provide some pressure to navigate the map at something more than a leisurely pace if you are trying to beat your personal best score.

A quirk related to the timer is that if a player hits the flagpole at the end of any given stage when the time remaining ends in a 1, 3 or a 6 (131, 266 etc) then the player will be rewarded with bonus points and a fireworks display.

The Super Mushroom is the first power-up that Mario encounters on his quest to rescue Princess Toadstool. The power-up is also referred to as the Magic Mushroom (certain connotations associated with that!) or simply, Mushroom. The Super Mushroom can be identified by the red spots on its cap and electing to pick it up results in the transformation of Small Mario (the default) into Super Mario.

This transformation is the source of a number of benefits including making certain platforms easier to reach and permitting additional damage to be sustained. If Super Mario gets hit then he will be transformed back to Small Mario and the game continues. If Small Mario gets hit then a player loses a life.

It wouldn't be much of a game if Mario didn't have to evade or destroy enemies! Entering from stage right is the Goomba which is a very common enemy in 'Super Mario Bros.' and the wider 'Mario' franchise. You can kill a Goomba by jumping on it or, if you have the necessary power up, hit it with a fireball (Fire Flower) or simply run through it (Starman).

It is always very exciting to discover the 1-Up Mushroom as it gives Mario a much-needed extra life. Our green-capped friend can be obtained in a number of different levels, usually worlds which end in a one (1-1, 2-1 etc.). There are exceptions to this; the makers of 'Super Mario Bros.' were particularly generous in making a green mushroom available in both of the first two worlds, 1-1 and 1-2.

If you lose all your lives in 'Super Mario Bros.' you go right the way back to the start, so it is a good tactic to pick up the lives in 1-1 and 1-2 before the game starts ramping up in difficulty. Warning, they are not easy to find as they reside in hidden blocks!

The vast majority of pipes that a gamer will see positioned across Mushroom Kingdom are not usable and simply serve as an obstacle that Mario has to overcome via jumping (A-button on the controller). Many of the unusable pipes also house an enemy that needs to be avoided, the dreaded Piranha Plant!

Players who like to complete 'Super Mario Bros.' in as quick a time as possible (speed runners) will be acutely aware that the "hitbox" (an invisible area, typically a rectangle, in which damage can be sustained) for the Piranha Plant is at its base. If you watch the best speed runners of the game, you will see Mario frequently coming into contact with the head of the plant, but because the head is not in the hitbox, no damage is done!

The fourth pipe encountered by Mario in World 1-1 is the very first example of a pipe that can be interacted with. By placing Mario on top of the pipe and hitting the down button, Mario will descend the pipe and be transported to another screen. In this case, Mario is sent to a chamber containing nineteen coins (I took some artistic license in my recreation!) and on the right hand side is the entrance to another pipe that will result in the protagonist skipping the majority of the level and emerging fairly near the game's first iconic flagpole.

The first four item-containing blocks (represented by the ? symbol) are all completely visible and their contents can be released by standing underneath each block and jumping up to hit it. This does not continue! The opening platform of World 1-1 provides players the opportunity to find the first "hidden block" in the game.

The mechanics of emptying the contents of a hidden block are the same as for normal blocks but it is not at all obvious where they are located. Luck, research or exhaustive graft are the main methods available in the search for these elusive structures!