

Spinys replace the turtles from the original version, in order to remind the player that these enemies can't be stomped on to be defeated they must be hit from below. If the brothers are taking too long to complete the battle, red fireballs will appear on some level along the left side of the screen, and bounce their way across to the right. This can only be performed three times before the POW block runs out. Whenever a brother punches this block, the screen shakes and any enemy standing on a platform behaves as though it had been hit from underneath. In the middle of the screen is a POW block. The player who defeated the enemy need not necessarily be the one who flipped it over, so be careful. These coins are the keys to victory, as the player who collects the most coins wins. If you do remove it from the screen, the player who defeated the enemy will receive one coin. If you do not remove it from the screen in time, it will get back up, change color, and move even faster than before. Then you must jump up and kick it off the platform while it is vulnerable. In order to defeat an enemy, you must first hit it from underneath while it's walking on a platform. The standard game is played three out of every four plays (a bonus game is presented on the fourth play.) In the standard game, five enemies will appear from the pipes at the top of the screen, and work their way down to the bottom. Please note that, while very similar, these rules do not precisely apply to the Battle Game found in the Super Mario Bros. In this mode, one player can bump the other from underneath and knock out any of the end-stage cards that they possess (the mushroom, flower, or star that provide extra lives when three are collected.) If one player manages to obtain 3 cards in this mode, the appropriate number of lives will be awarded instantaneously, and the cards are removed. You also have greater control over your jumps while in mid-air. Unlike the original, you may use the B button to run faster than normal. Like the original arcade game, the sides of the screen wrap around.


While playing the Battle Game, both brothers will appear as regular Mario and regular Luigi, regardless of what power-ups they may possess in the game. The winner of the battle will take his next turn regardless of whose turn it was when the battle was initiated. In every variation, the objective is to collect at least 3 out of 5 coins, if not more, or simply outlive your opponent. There are a total of 12 variations that the game cycles through every time a battle game is initiated. It is based on, and plays similarly to, the original Mario Bros. 3 can be accessed in 2-player mode by putting Mario and Luigi on the same point on the map screen.
