The Game & Watch is a fantastic line of handhelds starting from the early 80s. Nintendo produced many variants, but now in 2020, we finally have a new one! Is the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch worth buying? Let’s take a look.
The box itself mimics the original Game & Watch packaging from back in the day, which is a wonderful touch. Once opened, the device reveals itself as a beautiful piece of hardware. It mimics the widescreen Game & Watch line. But this time with a real display. The build quality is exactly what you’d expect from Nintendo.
The D-pad is nice, resembling a larger version of the Donkey Kong one. The rubber A and B buttons feel authentic. A massive upgrade over the originals is the rechargeable battery via USB-C. (Trust me those battery covers and tiny batteries on the original handhelds are so annoying to deal with!) It lasts around 8 hours, which is plenty. Unless you want to play Super Mario Bros. for 8 hours straight.
The screen looks fantastic with excellent viewing angles and colors. The built-in speaker is surprisingly loud and clear. There are also tons of secrets to discover, like the Mario Drawing Song and playable Luigi in Ball.
Overall, the Super Mario Bros. Game & Watch is a wonderful piece of Nintendo history. With its quality build and solid game selection, it’s a must-have for fans. Hopefully, this opens the door to more, maybe a Zelda one? (Update: There was!)
Anthony Micallef is the creator of Anton Retro, a platform dedicated to retro gaming enthusiasts. With years of experience in Nintendo homebrew and modding, he creates guides to help gamers get the most out of their consoles.
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