Super Mario Bros.: SMB Special - 35th Anniversary Edition

Super Mario Bros. Special is a follow-up to Super Mario Bros, originally
released in Japan in 1986 for the home computer market. The game features 32 all new levels, 5 new enemies and 5 new power-ups. Due to limitations of the PC hardware, the game engine was quite poor in comparison to the Famicom/NES original. Most notable was the lack of scrolling; the PC version would instead show each screen one at a time.

This port brings the levels, new enemies and power-ups back to the Famicom/NES engine. Also included are most of the unique background changes and other features not possible with the original SMB engine. The end result is a much more playable game that feels like a legitimate sequel.

Super Mario Bros. Special
35th Anniversary Edition
v1.3

Presented by Frantik
2021


Super Mario Bros. Special is a follow-up to Super Mario Bros, originally
released in Japan in 1986 for the home computer market. The game features 32
all new levels, 5 new enemies and 5 new power-ups. Due to limitations of the PC
hardware, the game engine was quite poor in comparison to the Famicom/NES
original. Most notable was the lack of scrolling; the PC version would instead
show each screen one at a time.

This port brings the levels, new enemies and power-ups back to the Famicom/NES
engine. Also included are most of the unique background changes and other
features not possible with the original SMB engine. The end result is a much
more playable game that feels like a legitimate sequel.


New Enemies
=============
None of these enemies can be stomped!

Sidestepper / Chockichoki
*A crab-like enemy
*Originally from Mario Bros

Fighter Fly / Makaji
* Jumping fly enemy that will chase after Mario
* Originally from Mario Bros

Icicle / Tarusaur
* A falling spike made of ice
* Originally from Mario Bros

Fireball / Sigebo
* A fireball that moves along the ground
* Originally from Donkey Kong

Barrel / Tsurara
* A barrel that rolls along the ground
* Originally from Donkey Kong


New Power-Ups
===============

Hachisuke - The bee from the Hudson Soft logo, gives 8000 points

Hammer - Hammer from Donkey Kong, kills enemies it touches

Clock - Adds 100 ticks to the game clock

Wing - Gives Mario the ability to fly

Lucky Star - Kills all enemies on the screen

Search for these power-ups!


Special Features
==================

There are two special features accessible from the main title screen:

* Press B to select the starting world

* Press UP+Select to swap between X1-style and original NES/Famicom colors


History and Commentary
========================

In the late 2000s, relatively little was known about Super Mario Bros Special
outside of Japan. The most widely available emulator/rom combination at the
time was the inferior PC-88 version. In addition to being nearly unplayable,
the level data was corrupted at World 4-3, so there was no knowledge of the
areas past this.

Luckily, Karatorian was able to patch the file to correct the level data and
then managed to decode all the levels and create some of the first known
complete maps of the game. Frantik used these maps and began iterpreting the
levels into standard Super Mario Bros format, while making some minor changes to
the engine to more closely resemble 'Special'. Karatorian took the new level
data and wrote tools to combine the extra data and other changes into one custom
file.

The aim was simply to recreate the similar feel of the original, but not
actually add the new power-ups or enemies. Karatorian did set up some of the
inital framework for the hidden power-ups, though they were represented by 1ups
instead of custom power-ups. It was hoped that perhaps someone in the future
would add the missing features. Frantik and Karatorian released this version in
2008-2009.

Two other significant versions of the game were created, both using the initial
Frantik/Karatorian project as their base. First was the Messatu X1 version in
2012, which added a much more accurate title screen, as well as made some
attempts at looking closer to the X1 version. A modified palette was used for
the overworld, and some tiles had dithering added. The second version was
TRIFORCE89's 2017 release which retained the new title screen and restored
the original Famicom/NES color palette, while also swapping in a mix of tiles
from SMB2j.

Not totally satisfied with either of these approaches, Frantik decided in 2021
to revist Super Mario Bros Special, and to finally implement the missing power-
ups and new enemies. This work snowballed into an attempt to recreate as many
of the other unique aspects as possible. Added were features such as support
for multiple power-ups on the screen at one time, more flexibility with mixing
elements, variable pipe exit heights, the list goes on. Many of the changes are
subtle and may not be noticed except by those familiar with the engine.


Big thanks to these folks for their help during development and beta testing!
===============================================================================
TRIFORCE89
ShadowOne333
mahou
Baggins
shanem
Agahnim
CasualChris
diablo666
Vanya
Dracula X
Hacker65xx
PowerPanda
Superjustinbros
thanksgoogle
MathUser2929

And, of course: Huge Thanks To Karatorian!


Version History
=================


Version 1.3

* Released 28 July 2021

* Fixed a handful of issues with the Hammer and tried optimize its code
* Made barrels contrast with background in 8-2
* Added a few tiny level fixes


Version 1.2

* Released 19 July 2021

* Fixed a bug with NES color mode when near Bowser


Version 1.1

* Released 16 July 2021

* Optimized code and enemy placement to reduce lag issues/HUD flicker
* Fixed water bubble not showing
* Fixed hammer showing when supposed to be off screen on some emulators
* Changed castle color scheme
* Added blue shadow to all text with black background
* Fixed Castle/Cloud issue in 7-2
* Fixed Spelling of Famicom
* Lengthened time after you beat game before Congratulations message appears
* Fixed music restarting in 3-1 after you touch flag pole
* Re-enabled fireworks
* Fixed bug where you could enter sideways pipe too low (inside wall)
* Fixed/enabled 1-2 "warp zone" area
* Fixed blue bar on very top of screen in water areas
* Fixed bugs with color swap and moved option to title screen
* Allowed for Bowser to be killed by the hammer
* Added a little bit of time to hammer and wing power ups
* Slow the clock down to orininal SMB1 speed
* Fixed bug that caused display buffer overflow when getting too many coins
* Other misc bug fixes and edits


Version 1.0

* Released 25 June 2021

* Limited public release primarily for beta testing



Database match: Super Mario Bros. (World)
Database: No-Intro: Nintendo Entertainment System (v. 20210216-231042)
File SHA-1: EA343F4E445A9050D4B4FBAC2C77D0693B1D0922
File CRC32: 3337EC46
ROM SHA-1: FACEE9C577A5262DBE33AC4930BB0B58C8C037F7
ROM CRC32: D445F698