“Super Mario Multiverse” – Game & Watch Gallery (GB) by Andrew Fisher

GAME AND WATCH GALLERY

by Andrew Fisher (@merman1974)

I have fond memories of the early 1980s and playing LCD handheld games. The only one I owned was called Galaxy Twinvader, but that used VFD (vacuum-fluorescent display) technology similar to a car dashboard. I borrowed and played with several games that belonged to friends, including one based on a desert island and the amazing Thundering Turbo from Tomy’s Tomytronic 3D range. The desert island game mimicked the Watch part of the Game & Watch, meaning I managed to wake everyone in the house up at 6am by inadvertently setting its alarm. The Tomytronic 3D games used two small LCD screens behind its binocular-shaped eyepieces to create the 3D effect.

Galaxy Twinvader and Thundering Turbo

The best of those handheld games were undoubtedly Nintendo’s Game & Watch titles. I played and loved Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. Mario Bros. (with the brothers working in a bottling plant) brightened up a boring school trip. While I never bought any myself friends were always very generous in letting me play on theirs. The eccentric and clever inventor behind Game & Watch was of course the late Gunpei Yokoi.

Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong Game & Watch

There have been many articles over recent years talking about Yokoi and his concept of “Lateral Thinking with Withered Technology” – in Japanese, “Kareta Gijutsu no Suihei Shikō”. Put simply, this means taking an existing product that is well understood and trying a new approach with it. The urban myth is that Yokoi saw a bored commuter “playing” with a calculator, and envisaged how the LCD display could be used to create a game. The cheap calculator/digital watch parts and button battery made each unit profitable, but the real genius lay in the clever design of the games and the compact units themselves. Each game featured Mode A and Mode B, the latter effectively a harder and faster version of the game.

Gunpei Yokoi, who sadly passed away in 1997.

Nintendo R&D1, under Yokoi’s leadership, created an incredible 60 different Game & Watch titles between 1981 and 1991. (The rarest is Super Mario Bros. in the yellow Disk-kun packaging, given to contest winners in Nintendo’s F-1 Grand Prix tournament. There were just 10,000 units produced, making it highly sought after). The dual screen Donkey Kong handheld included the first cross-shaped D-pad control, now synonymous with Nintendo, and the clamshell design of the Multi-Screen series would be echoed years later by the Nintendo DS. That same research and development group would produce the Game Boy console, another amazing portable device. The two product lines were combined in the series of five Game & Watch Gallery games. 

The first release in 1995 was known as Game Boy Gallery, published in Europe and Australia for the original Game Boy. It had just five Game & Watch titles with slightly modernised graphics. Those games were Ball, Vermin, Flagman, Manhole and Cement Factory. It was a simple start to the series but the next title improved on the idea in several ways.

This gallery of images shows the cover, the title screen, the menu and options, plus each of the five included games – Vermin, Cement Factory, Flagman, Juggler and Manhole.

An interesting fact that some players may not be aware of is that the first four Game Boy titles in the Gallery series have Super Game Boy compatibility. Playing the Game Boy cart through the Super Nintendo add-on gives a screen border surrounding the central area, based on the case of the corresponding Game & Watch handheld.

Cement Factory from the original Game Boy Gallery, with its Super Game Boy surround.

Confusingly, the second release was known as Game Boy Gallery in Japan (in Hepburn Romanisation, Gēmu Bōi Gyararī) and as Game Boy Gallery 2 in Australia. For North America and Europe it was Game & Watch Gallery. All the regional versions were released in 1997, with a later Japanese re-release in 2000 for the Nintendo Power download service. Gallery refers to the “Museum” of screenshots from G&W games in each Gallery title (except the original Game Boy Gallery). It is intended as a reference to the history of the Game & Watch series. These were just to look at and not playable games.

The Japanese cover for the second game in the series.

This is where Mario and other Super Mario Bros. characters make their first appearance in the series. Each game in Game & Watch Gallery is available in two forms – Classic and Modern. Classic resembles the original G&W games with their LCD elements. Modern updates the look of each game, with pixel versions of Mario and his friends taking part. The four titles recreated for this release are Manhole, Fire, Octopus and Oil Panic. The screenshots shown here feature the Super Game Boy surrounds and colour palettes. 

Octopus sees the player as a diver trying to reach the sunken treasure and return it to the boat. The Classic mode features an old-fashioned diving suit with grilled helmet, while the Modern version has Mario’s face visible through the helmet’s window.

Oil Panic tasks the player with catching falling drops of oil in their bucket, then throwing the oil into an oil drum to the left or right. The G&W handheld was the first of the Multi-Screen series featuring two displays and the clamshell design. Classic emulates the original black LCD figures, while Modern has Mario catching the oil and throwing it out of Bowser’s Castle to Yoshi.

Fire sees the player controlling a trampoline/fire blanket outside a burning building. As people jump from the building they must be caught and bounced towards the waiting ambulance. Miss and they drop to the ground; three misses and it is game over. Classic’s Super Game Boy surround is the golden Wide Screen model, while Modern puts Mario and Luigi in charge of the trampoline as they save falling Toads.

In Manhole, an ancestor of the classic Lemmings, little men walk along platforms in the sewers. The player controls a man holding a manhole that can block one hole in the platform at a time. There are four gaps to cover, two on the top platform and two on the lower platform. Fail to block a gap and the little man falls into the water. The pace becomes frantic with more men onscreen at a time. Modern mode gives Yoshi the task of moving the platform, using his tongue to move it to the lower gaps. 

The Museum element of the first Game & Watch Gallery features sixteen different screenshots. These include pictures of Ball, Flagman, Vermin, Fire, Judge, Manhole, Helmet, Lion, Parachute, Octopus, Chef, Turtle Bridge, Fire Attack, Mario Bros., Mario’s Cement Factory and Boxing. The Museum here has to be unlocked by setting high scores in the various games. As the player progresses, Toad gives extra hints, shown in the Message Board section of the Gallery.

A hint from Toad for Modern Oil Panic.

Game & Watch Gallery 2 was the next instalment for Game Boy Color, arriving in North America and Europe in 1998. The Japanese release as Game Boy Gallery 2 had happened in September 1997, with a re-release for Nintendo Power download in 2000. The naming confusion continued in Australia with the title referred to as Game Boy Gallery 3.

The five games initially playable in this release are Parachute, Helmet, Chef, Vermin and Donkey Kong. The classic Ball can be unlocked by achieving high scores. Donkey Kong is the first example of a dual-screen release in this Game Boy series. This is emulated by having one of the two screens shown in miniature, switched between with the B button. Although it is sold as a Game Boy Color title, it is backwards compatible with the original Game Boy and once again features Super Game Boy surrounds. The Museum features screenshots from games including Donkey Kong, Oil Panic, Green House, Life Boat, Donkey Kong Jr., Tropical Fish, Rain Shower and Spitball Sparky.

Game & Watch Gallery 2 screenshots, with Super Game Boy surrounds. Modern Vermin features a big change in play, with Yoshi surrounded by the approaching enemies.

The third Game & Watch Gallery collection launched in 1999, and like its predecessor it was compatible with both Game Boy and Game Boy Color. Australia persisted with its different naming convention, making this Game Boy Gallery 4. The European release did not happen until February 2000, and that same year it was available on the Japanese Nintendo Power service. There were five games initially available in Modern and Classic modes. These were Egg, Green House, Turtle Bridge, Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong Jr. Playing well unlocked an additional six Classic versions of G&W titles – Judge, Flagman, Lion, Spitball Sparky, Donkey Kong II and Fire. The Museum featured screenshots from more G&W titles including Egg, Donkey Kong II, Pinball, Donkey Kong Hockey, Donkey Kong Circus, Super Mario Bros., Climber and Balloon Fight.

A glimpse at the Japanese Game Boy Gallery 3, which once again features Super Game Boy compatibility.

For Game & Watch Gallery 4 as it was called in the US, the series moved on to the new Game Boy Advance console. Japanese users knew it as Game Boy Gallery 4 while Australia and Europe called it Game & Watch Gallery Advance. Significantly Japanese company TOSE was credited as co-developer on this game – and had been involved in developing the other titles too. Five games are initially unlocked – Fire, Boxing, Rain Shower, Mario’s Cement Factory, Donkey Kong Jr. and Donkey Kong 3. These have the typical Classic and Modern modes, with Donkey Kong Jr. having the most significant changes in Modern mode to give it multiple screens to play through.

Earning Stars in this game unlocked extra features in the Gallery, including the Music Room where you could listen to music from the games. Five extra games can be unlocked with high scores. These are Chef, Mario Bros., Donkey Kong, Octopus and Fire Attack. These last two are only available in Classic Mode, while Boxing and Donkey Kong 3 have the option of multiplayer via Link Cable.

The other significant change is in the Museum, where there are more G&W screenshots to view. However, these games can then be unlocked to play in Classic mode emulating the original handhelds. The titles available this way are Manhole, Tropical Fish, Mario’s Bombs Away, Parachute, Bomb Sweeper, Climber, Safebuster, Life Boat and Zelda.

Game & Watch Gallery 4 aka Game & Watch Gallery Advance, with Classic and Modern versions.

Nintendo has revisited Game & Watch in other ways. The Nintendo Mini Classics series started in 1998 and comprised 12 small LCD handhelds with an attached keychain. These were essentially remakes of classic Game & Watch titles. Each took the form of a miniature Game Boy and most had a fold-out plastic stand for use on a table (except the three larger Dual Screen games). The remakes were Donkey Kong (Dual-Screen), Donkey Kong Jr., Fire, Mario’s Cement Factory, Octopus, Oil Panic (Dual-Screen, European exclusive), Parachute, Snoopy Tennis, Super Mario Bros. and Zelda (Dual-Screen). Although all the games were officially licensed from Nintendo, different companies and distributors were responsible for certain regions and countries. This led to differences in the case design and colour, and even the programming of the games.

As well as the Nintendo games, other licensed properties had their own Mini Classic handheld. These other games included Carrera(branded by the slot car manufacturer), Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Smurfs, Soccer, Spider-Man, Star Trek: The Next Generation (Single and Dual-Screen versions), Star Trek: The Original Series – Beam me up!, Sudoku, Tetris, UEFA Euro 2008 and Yu-Gi-Oh! Several of these titles were exclusive to Europe.

Nintendo planned to publish a series of e-Reader Cards based on Game & Watch, but the only title to gain an actual release was Manhole in 2008. In recent years select Game & Watch releases have been available again as downloadable titles, in 2009 for Nintendo DSi and then in 2011 for 3DS. Extras added to these versions include a high-score table and demonstration screen. The games chosen for re-release were Ball, Flagman, Vermin, Judge, Helmet, Chef, Donkey Kong Jr., Mario’s Cement Factory and Manhole.

Game & Watch Gallery launched on the 3DS Virtual Console during 2011, with the Australian release using the international title rather than its original Game Boy Gallery 2 name. Japan got a Game Boy download for the 3DS Virtual Console of Game & Watch Gallery 2 in 2012, while Europe, North America and Australia received the full Game Boy Color version. Game & Watch Gallery 3 reached the 3DS Virtual Console in 2014 for Europe and Australia, with North America receiving it early in 2015. However, Japanese users had to register certain games (Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and either Pokémon Alpha Ruby or Omega Sapphire) through Club Nintendo to get the download. Game & Watch Gallery 4 appeared on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2015 and 2016.

There were two Game & Watch Collection titles for Nintendo DS, exclusive to Club Nintendo members and purchased with Nintendo Points. These were designed to play and look exactly like the original games. The first collection had three Dual-Screen titles – Donkey Kong, Green House and Oil Panic. Game & Watch Collection 2 had the single-screen games Parachute and Octopus, plus a special dual-screen mode that combined the two games (Parachute on the top screen, Octopus on the bottom screen). Both Collections replicated the Mode A and Mode B variations in gameplay.

The most obscure appearance so far for Game & Watch titles has to be in Japanese DS title Kanji Sonomama Rakubiki Jiten DS. This piece of educational software was designed to teach kanji, but has four G&W games as Easter Eggs. Those titles are Ball, Manhole, Judge and Flagman. And of course Mr. Game & Watch himself has gone on to make regular appearances in the Super Smash Bros. series.

In recent months there has been a series of LCD games converted to the Commodore 64 by programmer Nick Sherman (https://arlagames.itch.io/). His version of Grandstand’s LCD game Caveman is very playable. Of more relevance to this article are the two Nintendo Game & Watch titles he has tackled, for C64 and other Commodore computers. The first release was Donkey Kong Jr. and more recently the early G&W title Fire. Both of these are very impressive too, recreating the look and feel of the originals.

The Game & Watch titles were classic slices of gameplay in a portable form, which rewarded practise and effort. The Game Boy collections distil that action and give them a more modern look without harming the gameplay.

Andrew Fisher is a freelance writer specialising in retro games, with a personal collection of over 3,000 retro games across many formats. He is a regular contributor to Retro Gamer magazine – https://www.retrogamer.net, and writes the More C64 column for The Retrogaming Times website – https://www.classicplastic.net/trt/. His book The Commodore 64 Games Book 1982-19xx, featuring over two hundred game reviews, was published in 2008. He recently completed over 700 SNES game reviews (including several Picross games) for the Super Nintendo Anthology from Geek-Line Publishing. He has contributed music and been a games tester for newly released C64 games. He has been working on a book project with fellow writer Jerry Ellis, titled Arcade Imperfect, due for publication in 2020. Andrew is 45, married to Alison and helps look after his stepdaughter Madalyn.

Andrew enjoys a well-earned cup of tea from his ZZAP! 64 mug. Photo processed with the Retrospecs app.

Wahoo! You are a Super Reader! But the adventure doesn’t stop here… There’s more of this project in another castle! This article is just one level in an entire Super Mario Multiverse, a galactic collaboration between writers around the world sharing a bit of our hearts and memories about our favorite Mario games. Visit the Center of the Multiverse to see more: