➤ Doctor, call a doctor! 🎮

Twenty-five years have now passed since the two most famous brothers in the world of video games wore the shirts for the first time. It was 1990 when they started the profession and water from the Nintendo Entertainment System viruses passed under the bridge, which if many things have remained almost unchanged. The game structure and the dynamics of the levels have remained completely similar to the original ones with the exception of some additions, a clear sign that the Kyoto house does not consider the series in need of particular innovations in its basic mechanics so dear to long-time fans . Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure available on the Nintendo 3DS eShop is the latest iteration of the franchise that introduces a couple of great side news and the introduction of a mode completely focused on Dr. Luigi, which after its debut on Wii U finally arrives on the portable console.

Dr. Mario: Miracle cure is an enjoyable puzzle game that doesn't leave its mark

Virus and medicine

There are no twists in Dr. Mario's formula, but a couple of interesting additions that increase its content and variety. The Special Care Laboratory brings together a total of fifty levels divided into three categories by difficulty, starting with an explanatory tutorial of all the game mechanics, to continue with Pupil and Primary levels, the most difficult of course.

Since the doctor's office saw the arrival of Dr. Luigi, the levels have been designed in such a way as to alternate the classic mechanics based on Dr. Mario's pills that have remained unchanged from the first chapter for the NES, to those of the Wii U title centered on Luigi with the L-shaped capsules. The aim is always the same in both cases, to eliminate all the viruses present in the bottle by aligning the capsules in such a way as to create a line of four equal colors. In fact, each virus is characterized by a different color and there are three types: red, blue and yellow. Playing strategy, in a way not entirely unlike Tetris, we should better orient and fit the capsules with the viruses on the screen by eliminating them before they have reached the edge of the bottle, but to help us in the success of the enterprise, there are a whole series of power ups available every time the sidebar is filled. These have different functions and uses and are generated in a completely random way: there are the Anticapsules which are single capsules to be used to complete the lines, the Antiviruses that once eliminated also make all other viruses of the same color disappear, the Vaccines that they eliminate entire horizontal or vertical lines of capsules and viruses and the Bomb, the ultimate remedy that makes a clean sweep of whatever lies in its vicinity. While in the single player mode we will have all these power ups available, in the challenges against high players or against the CPU some extra elements are added to the package specifically designed to sabotage the opponent. The Fixed Capsule prevents rotations, the Adrenaline increases the descent speed of the individual components in the bottle and the Confusional State reverses the directional arrows making the capsules send to the right when you press left and vice versa. In both cases, all the power ups work wonderfully, have the right variety and allow for effective combos if used with the right timing and in the correct position.

The 3D effect

Not received.

The sense of progression is well marked throughout all 50 levels of the game by increasing speed and viruses, positioned in increasingly complicated and difficult ways to eliminate considering that the bottle takes very little and fill up once the final levels are reached. The mechanics behind the gameplay are quite simple and intuitive, but as often happens in Nintendo titles, this does not in any way detract from the title, highly replayable especially in multiplayer (online and local) and in the Without Recipe mode. Here it is possible to customize the games in duration, in the amount of viruses and in the difficulty, choosing which power ups to insert and obviously whether to use the classic Mario capsules or Luigi's L-shaped ones. Not bad so if it were not that after twenty-five years we are practically replaying the same game for NES on a portable console and with a few more power ups. Don't get us wrong, Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure is an excellent title that offers pleasant hours in the company of various and fun puzzles, but it is yet another "recycler" of a gameplay that has not moved one iota from its origin. To this is added a soundtrack rather than repeating to the bitter end the usual two themes and an imperfect management of the monads, with the analogue unusable in favor of the directional arrows. There is no 3D and the Germ Buster mode can also be forgotten to play with the stylus on the touch screen, which is also much less practical and accurate than traditional commands.

Comment

Digital Delivery Nintendo eShop Price 9,99 € Resources4Gaming.com

7.0

Readers (6)

5.0

Your vote

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure manages to do exactly what we expected: to engage and entertain, despite repeating the same formula that started the series 50 years ago. 3 levels excellently calibrated for difficulty and variety, an online and offline multiplayer mode to dramatically lengthen the replayability and the debut on Nintendo XNUMXDS of Dr. Luigi, all seasoned with excellent power ups. Despite everything, however, the sense of déjà vu is palpable, especially for long-time fans who, however, could appreciate the portable vein of the title by turning a blind eye to a technical realization that is not exactly excellent in order to always have the puzzle game of the game at hand. most famous icon of the great N.