Wonderful sketches of the game Super Mario Bros

At Callvention, we are actively studying design documents for Super Mario Bros. Below are the most interesting discoveries. Some sketches are taken from Nintendo Direct for Super Mario Maker, but most are from photographs taken by us on a Nintendo storefront.

1. The title screen was almost completely green.

We all remember the title screen of the first side scroller about Mario. That's why the discovered alternative design for the Super Mario Bros. title screen , painted by Shigeru Miyamoto or Takashi Tezuka, is so amazing.

Let's first look at the original version that we know and love. Below is the final sketch used by programmers to create the Super Mario Bros title screen.



Surprisingly, the Nintendo storerooms have retained the alternative screen shown below. In this version, a green background is used for the logo, which I personally find more vigorous than the final version. It uses the color of Mario's brother, Luigi. In addition, the letter “S” in the word “Super” of the alternative sketch is drawn differently.



2. The unrealized enemy of Super Mario Bros.

The second curious sketch is an adversary who did not first enter the Super Mario Bros. series. and only appeared in Super Mario World on Super Nintendo.



Shigeru Miyamoto first saw Mario colliding with Koopa turtles without shell. This dream came true only in Super Mario World: jumping on turtles, Mario makes them slip out of his shell in his underpants.

Japanese text next to a sketch in translationCheesemeister reads, "The Shellless Shellcreeper Runs Naked." In Japanese, Shellcreeper is the name of the original Mario Bros. series of tortoise opponents. Other translations of design texts can be found here .

3. Work on sprites was more accurate than you might think.

The most surprising discovery for Callvention was how pixel-wise the drawings look like original sketches on checkered paper.

As shown in the examples below, the pixel art that we see in Super Mario Bros. is incredibly similar to the original design. This is an awesome job considering the technical hardware limitations of NES. For convenience, thumbnails are compared with NES sprites provided by Beam Luinsir Yosh with Mario Mayhem .

Goomba



Gumbu (Goomba), the first enemy of Mario in Super Mario Bros., can be recognized on sketches on diagonal eyebrows.

Blooper



These underwater creatures called Bloopers are accurately painted in sprites with four tentacles hanging from the body.

Koopa Koopa



sketches have changed significantly compared to the Shellcreeper design shown above. Even the sketch does not reflect the more detailed design of Super Mario sprites. Here, the sketch is similar to the enemies from the arcade game Mario Bros.

Hill changes



Although the visual styles are similar, the hills are significantly different from the original game level sketches. At Super Mario Bros. hills and mountains are evenly covered with grass, as seen on the sprite. In a video game, grass always appears one square of the sprite outside the mountain. However, in the original level sketches, the grass does not protrude beyond the top of the hill.

Shiny pipes



Even the level sketches show beautiful shading and lighting effects on the pipes. The depth added by a slight discoloration of the pipes makes a significant difference in their appearance.

Wait, this is no longer Donkey Kong



Interestingly, moving platforms have changed dramatically compared to the original sketches of the game. The sketch is very similar to the platform from another famous game Shigeru Miyamoto of that time Donkey Kong. The diagonal elements of the platforms were simplified in Super Mario sprites, which gave them the more rectangular shape known to us.

Different types of vines in Super Mario Bros.





Vine Found in Super Mario Bros. above ground level, had a simpler design in the drawings than in a real game. The sketches are closer to the vine from Donkey Kong Jr., another game created by Shigeru Miyamoto.

A vine growing under water is also different from the one we see in the game. The final sprites of Super Mario vegetation look much more dangerous and erratic than the original sketches.

Bonuses



Sketches of magic mushrooms perfectly reflect the characteristics of the final sprites. Everything has been preserved: from spots of random sizes to the classical shape of the mushroom.

High Mario's Gait



The original sketch of Mario passing the level emphasizes the movement of arms and legs, which will later be animated in Super Mario sprites. Interestingly, the design of his face is similar to that of Donkey Kong, the first video game in which Mario appeared.

New information about Mario on the way

Over the next weeks, animations, level diagrams, and other sketches from Super Mario Bros will be published on Callvention. Subscribe to our Callvention newsletter or follow us on Twitter or Facebook .