Tetris & Dr. Mario

Individually, Tetris and Dr. Mario are probably most well-known for their Game Boy versions, released in 1989 and 1990 respectively. While there were also NES versions of both games released concurrently, it makes sense that most people would gravitate towards the versions that could be played on the go - after all, both games are perfect for playing on the bus or train.

However, the 1994 SNES versions of both, which were released as one game, Tetris & Dr. Mario, is comparatively much less highly regarded. This is a pity because, with the exception of being able to play it on the go (which is still impossible via legitimate means today), I’d argue that this is actually the definitive version of both.

Now, to clarify, when I say it’s the ‘definitive version’ I mean that it’s the definitive version of these games’ original incarnation - there have since been modern, enhanced versions of both that add all kinds of cool new elements, such as the ‘hold’ feature in Tetris, and various unique modes (and even stories) for Dr. Mario. Nonetheless, this does not make Tetris & Dr. Mario obsolete.

Both games here have been faithfully recreated for the SNES and so have brighter, more colourful and appealing graphics, plus new versions of their soundtracks that use the charming SNES sound chip. Some gamers are going to have a lot of nostalgia for the Game Boy sound and graphics (I certainly do) and so may still gravitate towards the originals - but I think even purists will enjoy the opportunity to see these old favourites revamped and presented with a new coat of digital paint.

The multiplayer mode is another area where this game excels. If you want to play against a friend on the original Game Boy versions, you’re going to need two Game Boys and a link cable. Just needing two SNES controls here makes it a lot more accessible - though in fairness, the NES versions could also do this. Though what the NES version couldn’t do is give you Mixed Match mode, where you and a friend have to switch between playing both games on the fly for a unique challenge.

Is there anything that this version lacks when compared to the NES and Game Boy versions? Unfortunately, there are a few missing details that stop it from being quite perfect:

In the NES version of Tetris, reaching a certain milestone in Type B mode will give you a special celebration scene featuring Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus Aran, and Pit celebrating together. This is gone from this version, which is a shame, because how cool would it be to see this recreated for SNES?
In the Game Boy version of Tetris, multiplayer mode has you and your opponent playing as Mario and Luigi, with their faces visible throughout the game and then special animations when they win or lose. These are completely absent.
In both the NES and Game Boy versions of Dr. Mario, there are special animations that play when you reach certain milestones, showing strange things like UFOs blasting the viruses. Both of them have different scenes that play out, and this version just has a big picture of one of the viruses along with some congratulatory text, which is much less exciting than what either of the other versions have to offer.

However, while these are delightful Easter Eggs (and the kind of things that every Tetris or Dr. Mario fan is going to want to see once on the original platforms), their absence doesn’t make a huge difference to the overall quality of the game. When you play Tetris or Dr. Mario, you want addictive block-falling fun and this game gives you exactly that.