In a year when gaming went big, Nintendo is keeping things small.
The company’s answer to Microsoft and Sony’s physically enormous new consoles is a handheld throwback that’s about 30 percent smaller than my smartphone. It’s remake of the device that cleared the road for Nintendo’s eventual NES dominance, and it’s focused on the character that made the company famous: Mario.
The Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch comes packing that original NES pack-in game, along with Super Mario Bros. 2 (not the weird one; the one that’s normally called Lost Levels in the U.S.), a Mario-themed remake of an old LCD juggling game, and an adorable clock.
I love the clock.
Image: adam rosenberg
Image: adam rosenberg
Let’s do a quick history lesson. Back in the early ’80s, the Game & Watch line of products were Nintendo’s take on handheld electronic games. These battery-operated devices typically featured a single game, sometimes with a couple of variants, beamed to a rudimentary LCD screen. Even with limited technical capabilities (and staying power), they were popular as low-cost diversions for a society that was still getting comfortable with the idea of video games.
The first set of Game & Watch devices dropped in 1980, a whopping (and painful to realize for those who were alive back then) 40 years ago. Nintendo’s newly revamped 2020 edition is based on the first release in that lineup, a simple juggling game called Ball (Toss-Up in the U.S.). But the new device is also a celebration of Mario, who turns 35 in 2020.
In a year when gaming went big, Nintendo is keeping things small.
Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. ditches the replaceable batteries for a rechargeable one, powered by USB-C. The older edition’s monochrome screen is also toast, and in its stead we get an LCD screen that comes in just under 2.5 inches. It’s a wee thing, but powerful enough to give you around eight hours of gaming on a single charge.
There’s not much to be said about the games here that hasn’t already been said. Super Mario Bros. and even Lost Levels have been discussed, and re-discussed, and dissected, and then dissected some more. These are known entities. Ball hasn’t been subjected to as much discourse, but it’s a simple game of moving hands to the left and right to keep a set of balls aloft. Miss one and it’s game over.
Then there’s the clock. Gosh do I love the clock. It’s a digital timepiece with a Super Mario theme. As time ticks away, an AI-controller Mario runs from left to right, avoiding Goombas, grabbing power-ups, and occasionally ducking into a pipe. The digital numbers readout is made up of brick blocks, and when one minute passes, the blocks shatter to keep up with the time.
You can even change the scene by pressing the “Time” button, swapping between three familiar Super Mario environments as you please. It’s cute! The only downside is the lack of a kickstand. If you want to set the Game & Watch up on your desk as a quirky timepiece, you’ll need to rig something up. I’ve been using a kickstand-equipped smartphone mount that works fine. (It needs to stay plugged in, though; otherwise, it powers down after a few minutes of being left idle.)
Make no mistake: This is a nostalgia play and a collector’s piece. It can’t compete with the now-discontinued Nintendo 3DS – or even the original Game Boy, let’s be real – but it looks and feels like a smaller version of the thing that many Nintendo fans used to own. The squishy-feeling directional pad and A/B buttons are maybe not the best way to play the included games.
I’m old enough to remember coveting (and eventually owning) the odd Game & Watch handheld, including Ball, and I can totally see myself tossing this remake in a bag ahead of a long (post-pandemic) flight or train trip. But it’s never going to replace, say, my Switch. I also would almost rather set it up on my desk and leave it there permanently as an eye-catching way to keep track of time.
From the device itself to the artful plastic housing that contains the Game & Watch box, Nintendo is putting this out for fans to collect. Much like the NES and SNES Classic that came before, this is another way to play game that you’ve likely already got access to on a half-dozen other screens (at least).
The math here couldn’t be clearer: Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. is a $50 limited edition release that’s launching just before the holidays. It’s a budget-friendly gift item that will delight any Nintendo-loving fanperson in your life.
Nintendo’s Game & Watch: Super Mario Bros. is out on Nov. 13 and will be available for purchase until March 31, 2021.