In the vast history of the Mario franchise, few entries are as bizarre, infamous, and obscure as Super Mario Bros. Special . Released in 1986 for Japan's NEC PC-8801 and Sharp X1 computers, it stands as the first Nintendo-licensed follow-up to the original Super Mario Bros. , predating even the "real" Super Mario Bros. 2 ( The Lost Levels ).
Use an IPS patching tool to apply modern compatibility, color, or scrolling fixes.
Set the emulator to (from the Options menu) and reset to auto-run the game.
The PC-8801 version introduced several notable features: Super Mario Bros Special Pc 88 Rom BETTER
The story of Super Mario Bros. Special is one of the most curious chapters in gaming history. While many believe Nintendo never allowed their flagship mascot on rival hardware, this 1986 title was an officially licensed follow-up developed by Hudson Soft
What could be improved
I will link to ROMs. Search for: "Super Mario Bros. Special (PC-88)" "BETTER" archive.org You’ll find disk images in the Internet Archive’s PC-88 software collection. Always verify against No-Intro PC-88 DATs if possible. In the vast history of the Mario franchise,
However, the most famous "BETTER" variant is the hack. This fan patch recalibrates the collision detection, speeds up the scrolling slightly, and tweaks enemy hitboxes. It turns a historically broken game into a "so bad it's good" challenge.
However, the early ROM dumps were flawed. A notable glitch prevented players from completing the game. At the end of World 8-3, the game would freeze and display the error: "DISK ERROR! PLEASE RESTART GAME PUSH IPL SWITCH". This was due to a corrupted ROM dump.
For most, the 1986 Hudson Soft port was a kusoge—a "crap game." It lacked smooth scrolling, the colors were garish, and the physics felt like Mario was wading through miso soup. But Kaito didn’t want it for the gameplay. He wanted it for the "Better" patch—an urban legend whispered about on old Japanese BBS boards. , predating even the "real" Super Mario Bros
There is . What the community calls “BETTER” usually refers to one of two things:
No. The NES original remains the superior version in terms of gameplay fluidity, controls, and audio/visual cohesion.