Super Mario Bros. 35

Overview

Super Mario Bros. 35 was a free online-only 2D platformer developed by Arika and released digitally by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch on October 1, 2020. It was exclusive to Nintendo Switch Online members and was discontinued on April 1, 2021.

Based on the 1985 NES game Super Mario Bros. (and corresponding with the game's 35th anniversary), Super Mario Bros. 35 put players in large-scale 35-player matches where each player simultaneously play through levels from the original game in an attempt to be the last Mario standing. Its premise, along with some of its features, were reminiscent of the studio's earlier game Tetris 99.

While most aspects of the game were accurate to the original Super Mario Bros., some changes were made to speed-up the game and introduce player-vs-player features. These include a revamped countdown timer (that counts down throughout the match, rather than by level, and was replenished by performing actions), a new system for acquiring power-ups (randomly, through a "roulette" system paid by coins), and "ghost" enemies that players sent to others.

Gameplay

The game played nearly identical to the original Super Mario Bros., with some differences (such as some glitches being fixed and some changes in game behavior).

Rather than a countdown timer for each course, players were given a global countdown timer that ticked down throughout the match. This timer could only be replenished by defeating enemies, clearing stages, collecting duplicate power-ups, and knocking out opponent players. As the match progressed, the timer ticked down at a faster rate.

In addition to standard Item Boxes, players earned power-ups by using coins they collected throughout the match to spin the "Item Roulette", earning them one of four power-ups at random:

• Super Mushroom - Transformed the player to Super Mario, if they are normal Mario. Otherwise, it added 15 seconds to the timer. Super Mario gave a one-hit damage buffer (turning them to normal Mario when hit) and allowed players to break bricks from below, at the cost of a larger hitbox.

• Fire Flower - Transformed the player to Fire Mario, if they were either normal or Super Mario. Otherwise, it added 15 seconds to the timer. Along with the Super Mario benefits, Fire Mario allowed players to shoot fireballs with the Run button.

• Starman - Gave temporary invincibility, allowing players to defeat most enemies by running into them.

• POW Block - Cleared all enemies on the screen. Unlike other power-ups, this one were not found in normal Item Blocks.

Unlike the original game, players were not scored and could not earn extra Lives. Players were allowed to keep more than 100 coins, and the Extra Life power-up instead gave 20 coins. Each spin of the Item Roulette cost 20 coins. Players had a separate coin counter that persist between matches, which were used to purchase power-ups at the start of each match.

By defeating enemies, players sent "ghost" copies of those enemies to other players to challenge them. If the opponent was eliminated due to these enemies, the player was notified that they "knocked out" that opponent and are granted their coins and added time. Similar to Tetris 99, players chose which opponents to attack both by manual targeting and by one of four targeting strategies:

• Stronger players with the most coins held.
• Weaker players with the least time remaining.
• Players targeting them, as a form of defense.
• Random players.

Game Modes

The game only included two game modes: 35-Player Battle and Special Battle.

• 35-Player Battle was the game's main mode. Prior to each match, players chose from a list of unlocked courses (1-1 to 8-4, with a total of 36 courses), and all chosen courses are included in that match's course rotation. Players could unlock courses by completing them when others have picked them, or by completing the courses before them. Players also used the mode to earn coins by completing Daily Challenges.

• Special Battle was a special weekly event from Friday to Monday, featuring a pre-determined course rotation (which is played either in a specific order, or randomized). Many events started the player with a power-up, coins, and/or additional time.