Prerelease:Super Mario Advance

This page details pre-release information and/or media for Super Mario Advance.

To do: There might still be some differences in the IGN screenshots that haven't been found yet. A Japanese commercial uses footage from a build close, but slightly newer, to the second one. Nintendo's Japanese website for Super Mario Advance contains screenshots of the latest prerelease build, seen here. More screenshots of that same build can be found here and here as well.

Several prerelease screenshots of Super Mario Advance are present in the first issue of GBX Magazine and a couple of websites from the early 2000s. These screenshots show multiple early builds with several differences from the final game.

Character Select Screen

Early Build #2

All of the characters' sprites are different, with Mario and Peach having the most noticeable changes. In all of these screenshots it's also visible that the areas that aren't in the spotlight are slightly darker and some letters like R and I have different shading.

Prerelease	Final

Prerelease	Final

Mario's arms are raised instead of being at his sides, and his feet are much flatter. Additionally, his color palette is different with much brighter blues. His "selected" pose is more roughly drawn with his open hand not being as readable. The letter R's shadow is not as defined and the I has an extra dark pixel in the bottom right.

Prerelease	Final

Luigi's body looks much more similar to Mario's, his feet are flatter and his neck is less defined. His color palette is also different, with brighter overalls that are also purple.

Prerelease	Final

Toad is a bit rougher looking, he's taller and has a more horizontal head, his cap has five spots instead of three as well. Notably, this is similar to his All-Stars sprites, suggesting that his sprites hadn't been updated yet. Toad's vest is blue instead of purple.

Prerelease	Final

Prerelease	Final

Peach's sprite looks very different from the final game. Her sprite is overall less refined, with more exaggerated proportions and less detail, her eyes are brown instead of blue as well. Notably, differences such as Peach's different eye color and Toad having five spots suggest that the original character select sprites were based directly off of the characters' All-Stars sprites.

Commercial Build

Prerelease	Final

A Japanese Super Mario Advance commercial uses footage from an early build of Super Mario Advance, the areas that aren't spotlighted are still darker but the playable characters now use their finalized sprites.

Early Build #3

It is pretty much identical to the final version aside from a single subtle change, Mario's sprites, and his sprites only, are one pixel lower in this build.

Prerelease	Final

Gameplay Screenshots

These screenshots show at least 3 early builds of the game; below they're separated from earliest to latest.

Early Build #1

This is the earliest build of the press kit, some big changes to note are:

• Most of the HUD, except for the life counter, is missing in this build, resembling the HUD from the original versions. Since the Ace Coin and score counters are missing, it's possible that those additions had not been implemented at this point.
• Mario's color palette is different; his overalls are a lighter shade of blue than the final game, similar to his palette in Super Mario All-Stars.

Prerelease	Final

In World 1-1, the Big Shy Guy at the beginning of the second area is placed differently, a tile to the right of the second Shy Guy instead of seven. In Addition, Big Shy Guy's sprites are different with a less round mask and differently shaped arm.

Prerelease	Final

Here's a comparison of Big Shy Guy's sprites.

Peach is holding a giant POW block in World 1-1, which is impossible in the final game.

Toad is still using his design from Super Mario All-Stars, with extra spots on his cap and a blue vest.

Luigi has purple overalls like in All-Stars.

Early Build #2

Slightly later build, this one features a complete HUD, with all of the extra information added, but the Ace Coin icons are different; they are a darker shade of red and lack the "A" imprints on them.

Prerelease	Final

The opening cutscene is seen here, changes include:

• The characters are closer to each other compared to the final game, it seems like they began walking at different time intervals in this build. Additionally, the sky has a different, greener color.
• Toad is still using his All-Stars sprites, with extra spots on his cap, other sprites like his Character Select screen and Bonus Chance screen ones reflect this.
• All of the playable characters' palette differences, Luigi's purple overalls, Mario's brighter overalls and Toad's blue vest, still apply here.

Prerelease	Final (Japanese Version)	Final (American Version)

The Game Select Screen has a handful of changes to document, these include:

• Like the Character Select Screen, Mario's sprites were redrawn to be more refined and on-model. Additionally, his gloves in these sprites have brown shading instead of blue.
• The Super Mario Bros. 2 option is missing the "スーパーマリオUSA" text that appears once it's highlighted, it's likely that this also applies to the Mario Bros. option.
• The Mario Bros. option's text is light blue instead of red, reflecting the color of that game's title screen in this build.
• The pipe and doors' shadows are missing their transparency effect.
• Lastly, the text at the top of this screen is in English instead of Japanese, but it does not match the American version, whose text says "Choose a Game" instead of "Game Select".

Prerelease	Final

The percent of Ace Coins collected is missing. In the final game, even at the very beginning when progress hasn't been made yet, the percentage is shown as 0%. Additionally, the number 7 is shaped slightly differently.

Prerelease	Final

In the first area of World 1-1, the sky has a darker gradient. It's also important to note that Big Shy Guys still use their early sprites.

Prerelease	Final

The start of 1-1's second area has been updated from the previous build, for example the Big Shy Guy has his final position, but there are still some changes to document here:

• Mario is carrying a giant eggplant vegetable that isn't present in the final game, which would eventually be replaced with giant turnips.
• The first grass in the area has a giant vegetable in it instead of a normal one.
• The gradient in the sky is darker.

Prerelease	Final

The giant eggplant vegetable can be seen again here.

Prerelease	Final

The layout of World 1-1's bonus room is pretty different, those differences include:

• The walls of the vase are different, with ledges at the top to make it easier to get out of it.
• The colored rotating platforms are in a different order.
• The blue and yellow platform has a different color palette, with a darker shade of blue, lighter shade of yellow and a yellow top.
• Cogs and other background elements are placed differently.

Mario is about to throw a Big Shy Guy at Birdo, which isn't possible in the final game. Furthermore, Big Shy Guy's sprites are still different in this build.

Prerelease	Final

Just like World 1-1, the sky's gradient is darker, though here it's more subtle.

Prerelease	Final

Robirdo is inside the ground for some reason. It can be gathered from this that she originally rose out of the ground at the beginning of the fight.

Additionally, her arena is completely different. There are no chains, the arena itself appears to be much smaller and the floor is a tile lower, only the middle of it is 2 tiles tall.

Prerelease	Final

The Bonus Chance screen is very different compared to the final game:

• The '"BET" is in normal text instead of having a unique sprite.
• The lives counter is at the bottom and doesn't mention a specific character.
• The coin counter is centered.
• The text doesn't have a drop shadow.
• The slots are higher and don't have the glass filter on top of them. The blue gradient in the background is higher as well.
• Toad's cap has extra spots in it, suggesting Toad still used his Super Mario All-Stars sprites at this point.

Overall, this screen was much more similar to how it was in the original game.

Commercial Build

To do: Add a comparison for the animation differences, not sure how though, maybe a GIF?

The previously mentioned Japanese Super Mario Advance commercial also shows differences in its gameplay footage. At first it appears to be identical to the previous build due to some changes being carried over from it like the early Ace Coin icon, Mario's brighter overalls and the darker sky gradient in levels like 1-1 and 4-2, but it does have some changes that indicate it being a later one:

• At 0:06 and 0:16 it can be seen that the giant vegetable has been updated to be a turnip instead of an eggplant.
• World 1-1's bonus room has been updated and now matches the final version, this can be seen at 0:15.

It also showcases a unique change of its own, at 0:06 the animation for pulling out a giant vegetable is different. When Mario begins pulling it up it's placed much higher, when it's fully pulled out there are no dirt particles, the animation is also around 13 frames faster.

Early Build #3

There doesn't seem to be anything greatly different in this version, but it appears that some sort of debug feature(s) are being used in these screenshots, as Mario has over 90 lives, and the score is absurdly high. Additionally, this build changes Mario's palette to have purple overalls, matching the final version of the game.

Prerelease	Final

Prerelease	Final

Title screen is almost identical to final, but the font used for the "Single Player" and "Multiplayer" options is smaller and both are vertically closer to each other.

Mario Bros. Classic

In addition to the Super Mario Bros. 2 screenshots, there are also some screenshots of Mario Bros. Classic. These screenshots show several drastic differences from the final game. Once again, these screenshots show 3 builds of the game, and below they are separated from earliest to latest.

Early Build #1

Big changes to note in this one are:

• These screenshots feature a different, more plain-looking font that isn't italicized. The HUD's layout is also noticeably different, with the players' coin counters being in the corners of the screen instead of them all being at the bottom.
• Bizarrely, the health meter from Super Mario Bros. 2 can be seen in these screenshots, which suggests players could take 3 hits instead of the final game's 2 hits.
• The third and fourth players have different palettes; Player 3 has a purple cap and yellow overalls, and Player 4 has an orange cap and red overalls, notably resembling Fire Mario's appearance in Super Mario Bros. 3. Player 1's palette has a more subtle change, with a lighter shade of blue for its overalls.

Prerelease	Final

The POW Block is blue instead of red. Additionally, a Shellcreeper can be seen in the top-right corner, looking very similar to a Koopa Troopa. While there are Koopa Shells, Shellcreepers are replaced with Spinies in the final game, likely to make it obvious you can't jump on them.

Of note is that the title screen art for Mario Bros. Classic was never updated, meaning it still depicts a Shellcreeper.

Two Shellcreepers coming out of a pipe.

Another screenshot, showing two Shellcreepers. The recurring detail of there being two of them close to each other suggests that they emerged from the pipes in pairs.

Additionally, a sixth platform can be seen at the bottom of the screen where the POW Block should be.

Early Build #2

To do: Add screenshots of the final version for comparison of some of these screenshots like the Crab one. (Ideally the Japanese version)

The HUD's layout is identical to the previous build, but the font has been updated to the italicized one used in the final, though its color differs from the retail version, being blue instead of gray. Player 1's palette has been updated as well; the overalls' colors have been darkened, although they're still not as dark as the retail game. The lack of the health meter in this build implies players can take two hits, like in the final.

Prerelease	Final

Prerelease	Final (Japanese Version)	Final (American Version)

The "Transmitting Data" screen has some small changes, including:

• The "MARIO BROS" text is blue and more separated.
• Mario and Luigi's palettes are different. Mario has a more vibrant red for his cap and shirt, and his skin is more saturated. Luigi has a more drastic color change, with his cap and shirt being yellow and his skin being more saturated, just like Mario's.
• Crabs and Fighter Flies use the same vibrant red as Mario.
• Both of the brothers' sprites have small changes in shading, most notably on Mario's nose. Both of them are missing their respective M and L emblems on their caps.
• The "TRANSMITTING DATA" text differs from both the Japanese and American versions of the game, reading "SENDING" with a dot above each letter. The font used for this text is also rounder, and its outline is not as defined as the final versions.

These changes apply to other screens that use these graphics, like the mode selection screen, which uses English text instead of Japanese.

This screenshot shows an unusual area that was cut from the final game. There's a garbage can in the middle instead at the bottom. There's also a heart that does not seem to be launched by the garbage can; instead, a heart appears a few seconds after a player dies. Mario's unused angel sprite can also be seen here, suggesting that it was once used when a player died.

Interestingly, the deceased players' coin counters aren't present here, suggesting that they once disappeared when a player died.

Prerelease	Final

This screenshot gives a clearer look at the scrapped area seen above, revealing it to be a larger version of the normal arena. It also shows a different HUD with a life counter. It looks like Classic Mode had its own HUD design at this point.

Additionally, the background uses tiles taken from World 7-2's castle of Super Mario Bros. 2. Noting that the score counter is very low, it seems this background was used in phases 1 to 3. If this screenshot takes place in those phases, that means the floor uses a different design, specifically the one used in phases 10 and onward in the retail game.

Shellcreepers have been (partially) replaced with Spinies at this point. Here, one is flipped and Mario hasn't gained any score from it, considering neither POW Blocks has been activated and the Spiny was flipped by Mario from below. If that's the case, it seems Mario wouldn't get 10 points by hitting enemies from below.

Prerelease	Final

Here the co-op version of Classic Mode is shown with the HUD's placements being reminiscent of the arcade version. Strangely, Player 2's life count isn't seen.

Prerelease	Final

Changes to note in this screenshot are:

• An angry Crab with an early sprite can be seen here. This early sprite is similar to the original arcade sprite.
• Mario is in his victory pose midair, which never happens in the final game as he only gets in that pose when he's touching the ground. The victory pose sprite also differs from the final game; his head looks much closer to how it does in Super Mario All-Stars.
• Furthermore, the "1P WIN!" text uses a different font that's colored gray instead of the player's color and is written in English instead of Japanese.
• Lastly, the "1P リーチ" (1P CLOSE!) text uses a different, smaller font that is colored red instead of green, considering another screenshot shows Player 2's version with green text, it's possible the text's color was player dependant instead of always being green.

Prerelease	Final

The larger arena and the early Crab sprite can also be seen here. The differences in the latter are more apparent here.

A screenshot showing two Shellcreepers, implying they were intended to appear alongside Spinies in the final product. The early Crab sprite can once again be seen here.

Mario's face is stretched vertically in this screenshot. Super Mario's head uses a squash and stretch effect when hitting objects from below in this build.

Prerelease	Final

Mario appears to be dead in this screenshot, as he is transparent and has a halo over his head. Apparently, dead players could still play at one point. The "2P リーチ" (2P CLOSE!) text can once again be seen here; it's smaller, thinner, and isn't italicized.

Prerelease	Final

This screenshot shows what appears to be an early winning/losing screen, with many changes to note:

• Only the player using the console is shown in this screen. Additionally, Player 1's sprite has a different palette here, and his glove has blue shading, instead of the final game's gray shading.
• The font used for the "ROUND 2" text lacks its outline, and the shadows are harder to make out.
• The rectangular frame around that same text uses a different design, with a thicker border and a bluer color.
• The text that shows the player number is red instead of black, and the square brackets that highlight it have a different, rounder look.
• The HUD showing the players' coin counts isn't seen on this screen; instead, there's a "PUSH START" prompt at the bottom, which in the final game only shows up in the total screen. The font for that prompt is used in the final game, but only for the Mario Bros. Classic/Battle title screens, and colored blue instead of red.
• Lastly, the "YOU LOSE" text is seen in this screen, written in English instead of Japanese and also colored gray instead of the player's color.

Prerelease	Final (No player has won)	Final (A player has won)

This screenshot shows an early version of the total screen. Once again, drastic changes to document here, but changes that were already documented previously won't be mentioned here:

• The unique striped yellow background isn't present, and the text at the top says "ROUND x", like the results screen, instead of "TOTAL".
• The neutral Mario sprite is noticeably rougher-looking and is smiling.
• The players are celebrating their win or loss, something which in the final game only happens the last time this screen is shown when a player wins five rounds. In the early version, they'll emote regardless if any player has won or not. The same applies to the "YOU LOSE" text, once again in English, and colored gray.
• The win counter below each player has two digits instead of one, and the total number of wins required to end the match isn't shown.
• Instead of having a separate frame with their respective color, the four players are inside of a single frame that's colored blue. The order of the players is different too: "1P, 2P, 3P, 4P" in the early version and "1P, 3P, 4P, 2P" in the final version.

Once again, the neutral sprite is seen here. It appears a tie has happened, as all 4 players are neutral.

Prerelease	Final

The Mario Bros. Classic multiplayer title screen uses a different color for the "MARIO BROS." text, which is also more separated, matching its depiction elsewhere in this build. Additionally, the order of the players, like the results screen, is different here too; they seem to use the same order as that screen, "1P, 2P, 3P, 4P". The two players are also closer together horizontally.

Commercial Build

The previously mentioned Japanese Commercial for Super Mario Advance also shows differences in its Mario Bros. Battle footage. Most changes are carried over from the previous build like the early palettes for the players and HUD positions. Though the mode has been updated, the arena has been changed to have the smaller size of the retail game and the player's dying animation has been updated to match retail as well (seen at around 0:22), it also seems like Koopa Troopas have been removed from this mode as they're not seen in any of the clips.

Early Build #2	Commercial Build	Final

Here's a comparison of the arena. While it has the smaller size of the retail game, the garbage can is placed on the middle of the arena like the previous build. The HUD font's color has been updated from blue to gray, matching the final game.

At 0:20 it can be seen that Spinies have a different animation when left flipped over for too long, instead of turning green and shaking sideways, they'd just get mirrored vertically quickly.

Early Build #3

There aren't any big changes to note in this one, as it's very close to the retail version.

Prerelease	Final

The Battle Mode options menu has a subtle change, all menu text is missing its outline. Additionally, the "リ" symbol has a different shape.

Prerelease	Final

This screenshot shows an early results screen where a tie has happened, changes here include:

• Like the previous build, the players' coin counters aren't shown in this screen.
• The tears of the crying Marios are placed lower and there are 5 of them.
• Although hard to notice at first, the background shown here is tiled differently.
• Lastly, there was no unique text when a tie occurred (ひきわけ), instead, the normal losing text (まけ・・・) was used.

Prerelease	Final

The Total screen has some subtle changes, these changes are:

• The "Total" text and the 4 Mario heads are placed lower, 1 and 3 pixels respectively.
• Like the previous build, the total number of wins required to end the match isn't shown.
• While it also applies to the previous screenshot, here it's more noticeable - the Mario heads have a subtle palette change: their mustache, and eyebrows are of a more gray-ish shade of black.

Prerelease	Final

The 1-Up icon is missing here.

Prerelease	Final

The "dead Mario" icon is missing here. It appears as if that icon didn't show up when a player got a game over in Classic Mode.

References

• IGN's Super Mario Advance page. A Google Drive folder containing the IGN screenshots for easy access can be found here.
• Super Mario Advance's official Japanese website.
• MaXoEGAMES' Super Mario Advance review. A Google Drive folder containing this website's screenshots for easy access can be found here.
• GBX Game Boy Xtreme Magazine Issue 01.
• Nintendo World Report's Super Mario Advance page.