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Really enjoyed playing this hack. Remember when and where to back track was tough but made the game fun, challenging, and different. I would recommend checking this hack out.

Here is a map I made to help me figure out where to go. http://www.filedropper.com/em102017

This hack isn't hard in the normal way. It's not tough jumps that are the problem as just finding your way. You'll probably want to make a map.

The limitations of the Super Mario Bros. engine are difficult to overcome, but ATA does an admirable job turning the game into something entirely different than what it was created to be.

This is probably my favorite Mario hack as of this moment.

Simply put, Extra Mario Bros is, as of now, the best SMB hack of all time. But certain other reviews here seem to put emphasis on the point that it is 'not good enough'.

Now, indeed, this hack has some limitations, but keep in mind that it is based on Super Mario Bros. 1 instead of games like SMB3 / SMW with more refined engines. For example, one review pointed out that you can't go left, but in fact to implement 2-way horizontal scrolling (for more than 2 pages) is HARD, as it means a complete rewrite of the level loading system (and probably the data structure) is required. And back then there wasn't a complete disassembly source of SMB.

Back to the review:

The general idea of advancing the game can get more frustrating than Super Metroid, which the game is clearly inspired by. The game has 5 worlds, and each world is a rather large maze. You can easily get lost in these mazes on the first playthrough, let alone the fact that you must get 3 unique upgrades in a certain order, traversing different worlds, and then finally explore all corners of the realm. And there's lower W3 (lower Norfair's equivalent) which is harder than hard (not that hard with savestates though), especially if you want the Screw Attack upgrade.

But the game is never hard for the bad reasons. The course design and the puzzle solving parts are ingenious. The ! blocks are designed so that even when different routes lead to the same stage, said stage won't be the same as the ! blocks are switched on / off.

And there's the final boss. And there's New Game+ with a brand new challenge. And there are 20 1UP shrooms which serve as collectibles. And I don't need to name the unique powerups and all the different enemies.

This game is not, and never meant to be a 'perfect mixture' of Zelda & Metroid & SMB. This is a ROM hack that's inspired by Super Metroid, but it's more like solving a maze (instead of exploring the vast area with fewer obstacles as game progresses like Super Metroid). And the game does its best at doing so, even when restricted by the limitations of the SMB engine.

One thing though, it's not recommended to reproduce this game on a cart, as not only is it Nintendo hard, but it has no save feature as well.

I really wanted to like this hack, and at first I did. A Super Mario Bros. hack that's more like Metroid with exploration, secrets, and items that enhance your abilities? Sign me up! It starts out great, with a dark, mysterious world that's absolutely haunting; the visuals are excellent, perhaps even capturing that Metroid atmosphere better than most Metroid games!

The first problem starts when the classic, happy, bouncy Super Mario Bros. theme starts up; it really clashes with the atmosphere that's been set up thus far. It's forgivable, though, and really only used in Area 1. You navigate the game by using pipes, so levels can loop, making them not so one-way, which is a neat fix for the engine's inability to scroll to the left. Entering a different area resets the timer to a generous 800 ticks, and hitting S blocks will give you back about 100, so while the time limit is an issue, it's been taken into account and mitigated.

The biggest problem lies in the switches; like in Super Mario World, you can hit switches to activate certain blocks. Unlike in Super Mario World, they can be - and sometimes must be - turned off. When combined with the non-linear, yet one-way nature of this game, you're forced into a level of preparation that doesn't quite work with such an exploratory game, least of all one with a time limit.

I tried this hack several times, but each time, I just couldn't bring myself to finish. The biggest problem is that the amount of things to remember and plan for are absolutely overwhelming, and you just don't get the time to stop and think about it, so it becomes a stressful experience. With a few tweaks, I feel like this could be a masterpiece.

Extra Mario is among the top 1% of rom hacks. The graphical overhaul is spot-on, introducing SMB3 and Metroid sprites into SMB1. The music is engaging and moody.

The gameplay is what sets Extra Mario apart. Instead of simply moving left to right, finishing a level and moving on to the next, Mario must navigate through 5 distinct areas of the world via warp pipes. The game only allows left to right movement, but that restriction adds to the gameplay, ramping up the difficulty a few clicks.

The available power ups scattered through the 5 areas create a rich game experience, opeinging new worlds and aiding Mario in his quest to retrieve 8 keys and defeat Bowser.

And the final boss fight... yowza.

There's even a game+ option if you still want to explore the world after defeating Bowser.

Extra Mario is, if not the best, among the top rom hacks. I can't recommend this game highly enough. Two thumbs up, five stars out of five. Extra Mario is one of the better games for the NES period.

I was looking forward to playing a rom hack that was professed to be 'the perfect synthesis of zelda, metroid, and super mario bros'... But I really couldn't get into extra mario bros.. I think it would have been a much better playing experience if you could go LEFT, as well as right. There is no sense of exploration when there is only one direction to go in; you just keep going right... until you hit a dead end... or you might hit a pipe and get sent all the way back to the beginning... or you may fall into some lava.. meh..

Extra Mario Bros. is not just a typical SMB hack. The gameplay has been altered significantly and is reminiscent of Metriod in many ways, including maze-like level design and even the graphic style. Some Metroid tiles are imported directly as well.

There are multiple new enemies and other modified gameplay elements which will impress even the most jaded SMB hack fan, but what really shows ATA's hacking skill is the final scene with Bowser (available for viewing on Youtube).

This is a must have hack for fans of both SMB and Metriod.

Difficulty: moderate to hard. Fun factor: high but can become tedious if you're expecting straightforward Mario action.