
35 Years Ago, Nintendo Turned A Flagrant Imitation Of ‘Tetris’ Into A Mario Instant Classic
Mo Mozuch
created: July 27, 2025, noon | updated: Aug. 1, 2025, 2:29 p.m.
Available on both NES and Game Boy, Dr. Mario quickly became a favorite among the massive Tetris audience.
Unlike Tetris, where speed and reflex ruled, Dr. Mario invited players to think more slowly and methodically.
Commercially, Dr. Mario sold millions of copies and quickly earned a place in the NES’s late-stage library of must-owns.
What Dr. Mario lacked in pizzazz, it made up for in purity of gameplay.
Whether Nintendo gives us more Dr. Mario in the future remains to be seen.
5 days, 4 hours ago: Inverse