How to Play Mario.Game Adventure: Beginner's Guide
Everything a new player needs: goals, controls, power-ups, lives, the timer and checkpoints in Mario.Game Adventure.
6 min read
New to side-scrolling platformers, or just new to Mario.Game Adventure? This guide covers everything you need to clear your first level and understand what is happening on screen.
The goal
Every level is a run from left to right. At the end stands a flagpole (or, in the final castle, an axe on a bridge). Touch it to finish the level, collect your time bonus and move on. There are 8 levels in 4 worlds, and each level you reach is unlocked permanently on the title screen.
Basic controls
| Action | Keyboard | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Walk | ← → or A D | Left pad |
| Run | Hold Shift or X | Right pad, B button |
| Jump | Space, Z, ↑ or W | Right pad, A button |
| Crouch | ↓ or S | Left pad, down |
| Pause | Enter or P | Pause button |
| Mute | M | Note button |
Jumping is variable: tap for a short hop, hold for a full jump. Running is the second skill to learn — while you hold run, the hero accelerates to a much higher top speed and jumps further. See the full controls guide for gamepad buttons.
Reading the screen
The bar at the top shows your score, lives (the little hero icon), coins, the current world and the time left. Each level gives you 300 seconds. At 100 seconds the music speeds up as a warning; if the timer reaches zero you lose a life.
Blocks
- ? blocks flash and contain a coin — or, in some cases, a power-up.
- Bricks are solid when you are small; once you are big, you can smash them from below for 50 points. A few bricks hide surprises: a star, a 1-Up or a stack of coins.
- Used blocks turn dark and give nothing more.
- Some blocks are invisible until you jump into them. Our secrets guide lists all of them.
Power-ups and getting hit
When you are small, one hit from an enemy costs a life. Grab a Super Mushroom and you grow; a hit then shrinks you instead of ending the run, and you blink for a moment of safety. Collect a Fire Flower while big to throw fireballs. A Starman makes you invincible for about ten seconds. Your power-up carries over to the next level, so arriving big is worth the effort. Details: power-ups explained.
Lives and checkpoints
You start with 3 lives. Collect 100 coins or a green 1-Up mushroom for an extra one. Each level has a hidden checkpoint around the middle: once you have run past it, losing a life puts you back there instead of at the start. If you lose your last life you see the Game Over screen, but every level you have reached remains selectable.
Five tips for your first run
- Stomp enemies by landing on top of them — touching them from the side hurts.
- Hit the first ? blocks in each level; the mushroom is usually near the start.
- Don't rush over pits. Line up, hold run for a few steps and jump at the edge.
- Use small hops when the ceiling is low or when an enemy is right in front of you.
- Keep moving — the timer is generous, but standing still near enemies is the most common way to lose a life.
