The Movement Physics of Super Mario Bros – Behind the Code

It is hard to describe just how different Super Mario Bros. feels compared to other games of its time.

I mean this was nineteen-eighty-freakin-five.

Mario can walk and run, but more than that… he accelerates. When you start from a stop or press B to go faster, it takes a bit of time for you to get up to speed.

If you reverse direction while in motion, Mario skids to a stop before going the other way.

How did they do this?

In this episode of Behind the Code, we look into the movement physics – the motion – of Mario in the original Super Mario Bros. for NES.

My intention here – as always – is not just to show the code but also point out the reasons why a game feels the way it does. For the original SMB, they put a LOT of thought into it.

Did you ever think about the fact you have to let go of the B button while running so you can press B again to launch a fireball… and you somehow keep running without losing speed?

Well, Nintendo sure did.

Enjoy!

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