Mario's Cement Factory Explained

Developer:Nintendo R&D1
Publisher:Nintendo
Series:Mario
Genre:Platform
Modes:Single-player

is a 1983 LCD game developed and published by Nintendo under their Game & Watch series. It follows earlier Mario games, like the arcade and Game & Watch versions of Donkey Kong. Players control Mario as he navigates elevators and funnels cement through a factory, while trying to prevent the cement from crushing his fellow workers. Two versions of the game were released — a Table Top unit and a handheld game akin to most other Game & Watch titles. Development was headed by Nintendo R&D1, led by engineer Gunpei Yokoi.

The game has been re-released several times; it was featured as part of Game Boy Gallery for the Game Boy, Game & Watch Gallery 4 for the Game Boy Advance, and as a digital download for the Nintendo DSi. It has been described by critics as one of the strangest games in the Mario franchise.

Gameplay

Mario's Cement Factory puts players in control of Mario, who works at a cement factory where he funnels cement into cement trucks. Mario must navigate two dangerous elevators and avoid falling or being crushed and losing a life. He must also continually empty cement into the trucks, or else the cement will overflow and crush one of the workers below, which costs players a life. There are two game modes: A and B, the latter being faster paced and more difficult.[1]

Development

Mario's Cement Factory was developed by Nintendo R&D1, which at the time was led by Gunpei Yokoi, and published by Nintendo.[2] Like all Game & Watch releases, each unit is a standalone portable device that doubles as a clock and can only play the one game. Hirokazu Tanaka composed the game sounds.[3]

Two versions of the game were released. The first is part of the Game & Watch Table Top series and debuted on April 28, 1983. It has a full color illuminated screen, and approximately 250,000 models were produced.[4] The Table Top series did not sell as well, leading to Mario's Cement Factory being one of only four Table Top units ever produced.[5] A smaller handheld version was later released on June 8 that year as part of the New Wide Screen series. It has a monochrome screen with a color overlay, and approximately 750,000 units were produced.[6] [7] [8]

The game was released the same year that Nintendo's Famicom system debuted in Japan, and two years after the first Mario title (the arcade game Donkey Kong).[9]

Re-releases

Mario's Cement Factory has been re-released in various forms. It was included in the 1995 Game Boy Gallery for Game Boy, featuring updated graphics.[10] It was also re-released in the Nintendo Mini Classics line, which repackaged Game & Watch games in small Game Boy-like devices.[11] [12] Both the New Wide Screen and an updated version were included in the 2002 Game & Watch Gallery 4 for the Game Boy Advance.[13] In 2009, the game was re-released for the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare download service (along with other Game & Watch games).[14] [15] The DSi version was released in Japan on August 18.[16] It was released in North America and Europe in March 2010.[14] [17] The DSi version was also given as a reward on Nintendo's now-defunct Club Nintendo service.[18]

Reception

Mario's Cement Factory received generally positive reception, called one of the best Game & Watch games, and praised for its relative complexity and fun factor.[19] [20] [21] It was identified as a favorite by Wired writer Andy Robertson, and in a preview of Game & Watch Gallery 4, NintendoWorldReport writer Ben Kosmina expressed that he loved Mario's Cement Factory.[22] [23] Staff for the magazine Video Games regarded it as a more difficult game than many before it.[24] It was also named the 10th best Game & Watch game in a survey of ITMedia readers.[25] Despite this positive reception, it received some criticism, considered primitive by the standards of today,[26] In a review by IGN writer Lucas M. Thomas felt that the controls were too "picky and precise".[27] NintendoLife writer Corbie Dillard noted it as being among the most popular Game & Watch titles, feeling that it's more playable and enjoyable thanks to the diversity of its gameplay. He noted that there may be nostalgia involved in the enjoyment of Game & Watch games, he legitimately had fun with the game.[28] It has been called one of the stranger entries in the Mario series.[29] [30] [31] Mario's role as a cement factory worker has been mentioned in multiple articles that cover the array of professions Mario has undertaken.[32] [33]

The original units have become collector's items and, like many Game & Watch titles, a complete-in-box unit can sell for over US$100.[29] [21] The game was featured in a Gunpei Yokoi exhibit in Harajuku in 2010.[34]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Game & Watch™ Mario's Cement Factory . Nintendo of Europe . en-GB . August 28, 2019 . August 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240816153844/https://www.nintendo.com/en-gb/Games/Nintendo-DSiWare/Game-Watch-Mario-s-Cement-Factory-263357.html . live .
  2. Web site: The History of Game Boy (Revised for 2019) . Marrujo . Robert . August 2, 2018 . Nintendojo . en-US . August 27, 2019 . August 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190827043034/http://www.nintendojo.com/features/the-history-of-game-boy-revised-for-2019 . live .
  3. Web site: Tanaka. Hirokazu. Nintendo Archive - Works. Sporadic Vacuum. November 1, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140808171105/http://www.hirokazutanaka.com/works/nintendo/. August 8, 2014. ja.
  4. Web site: Game & Watch: A Retrospective: Just add table . https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111303/http://www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/881015/ . DS Fanboy . May 26, 2019. Panayiotakis. Michael. June 24, 2008 . July 5, 2008.
  5. Web site: Feature: How Nintendo's Game & Watch Took "Withered Technology" And Turned It Into A Million-Seller . . McFerran . Damien . January 1, 2021 . July 25, 2021 . July 1, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210701155306/https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/01/feature_how_nintendos_game_and_watch_took_withered_technology_and_turned_it_into_a_million-seller . live .
  6. Web site: Game & Watch: A Retrospective: Not just any old Wide Screen .... https://web.archive.org/web/20080705111217/http://www.dsfanboy.com/photos/game-and-watch-a-retrospective-2/878873/ . DS Fanboy . May 26, 2019. Panayiotakis. Michael. June 24, 2008 . July 5, 2008.
  7. Web site: Mario, This Is Your Life . Nintendo World Report . Powers . Rick . August 29, 2002 . August 24, 2019 . August 25, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190825014928/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/7699/mario-this-is-your-life . live .
  8. Web site: Mario's Cement Factory. (Registration Number PA0000180908) . . 6 June 2021 . 31 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210531152425/https://cocatalog.loc.gov/ . live .
  9. Book: Nintendo . Super Mario Encyclopedia: The Official Guide to the First 30 Years . October 23, 2018 . Dark Horse Comics . 9781630089450 . 237–238 . en . September 14, 2019 . August 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240816152830/https://books.google.com/books?id=qzdcDwAAQBAJ . live .
  10. Web site: Game & Watch Gallery Review . Thomas . Lucas M. . July 17, 2011 . IGN . en . August 27, 2019 . May 27, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190527014848/https://www.ign.com/articles/2011/07/17/game-watch-gallery-review . live .
  11. Web site: Nintendo's Game & Watch come back as Mini Classics . . North . Dale . August 5, 2009 . May 17, 2019 . October 8, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20091008214937/http://www.destructoid.com/nintendo-s-game-watch-come-back-as-mini-classics-142927.phtml . dead .
  12. Web site: Nintendo Mini Classics resurrects Game & Watch titles . Arstechnica . Thompson . Michael . August 5, 2009 . August 25, 2019.
  13. Web site: Game & Watch Gallery Advance Review (Wii U eShop / GBA) . . Frear . Dave . January 4, 2016 . May 17, 2019 . August 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240816153902/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/wiiu-eshop/game_and_watch_gallery_advance_gba . live .
  14. Web site: Nintendo Download: 22nd March 2010 (North America) . . Aaron . Sean . March 22, 2010 . May 15, 2019 . May 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526225351/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/03/nintendo_download_22nd_march_2010_north_america . live .
  15. Web site: Game & Watch Games to be Released on DSiWare . . Van Duyn . Marcel . July 10, 2009 . May 15, 2019 . May 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526203923/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2009/07/game_and_watch_games_to_be_released_on_dsiware . live .
  16. Web site: Game & Watch Mario's Cement Factory (2010) . . 15 April 2010 . May 15, 2019.
  17. Web site: Nintendo Download: 26th March 2010 (Europe) . . Van Duyn . Marcel . March 25, 2019 . May 15, 2019 . May 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526225351/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2010/03/nintendo_download_26th_march_2010_europe . live .
  18. Web site: Club Nintendo Rewards Updated for January . . Whitehead . Thomas . January 14, 2014 . May 15, 2019 . May 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526225352/http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2014/01/club_nintendo_rewards_updated_for_january . live .
  19. Web site: The 8 best Game & Watch games . . Gilbert . Henry . March 20, 2011 . May 17, 2019 . August 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240816153905/https://www.gamesradar.com/best-switch-games/ . live .
  20. Web site: Portable Plumber: The Complete History of Mario in Handheld Games . Complex . Knight . Rich . November 28, 2011 . May 17, 2019.
  21. Web site: Game & Watch Revival - 30 Years Later And Still Ringin' . https://web.archive.org/web/20190527003237/http://www.mtv.com/news/2461028/game-watch-revival-30-years-later-and-still-ringin/ . dead . May 27, 2019 . MTV.com . Cipriano . Jason . May 3, 2010 . May 26, 2019.
  22. DSi Ware's Game and What? . . Robertson . Andy . April 23, 2010 . May 17, 2019 . September 22, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210922155416/https://www.wired.com/2010/04/dsi-wares-game-and-what/ . live .
  23. Web site: Game & Watch Gallery 4 . Nintendo World Report . Kosmina . Ben . July 16, 2002 . January 24, 2024 . January 24, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240124125536/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/3603/game-namp-watch-gallery-4-game-boy-advance . live .
  24. Video Games . 76 . October 1983 . Pumpkin Press . Video Games . 1 . 2.
  25. Web site: 【任天堂ゲーム＆ウオッチ】人気のタイトルランキングTOP10！1位は「オクトパス」【2021年最新投票結果】 . ITMedia . February 9, 2021 . January 24, 2024 . January 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240125034600/https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/research/articles/114740/ . live .
  26. Web site: Game & Watch: Mario's Cement Factory (Nintendo DS) Review . Cubed3 . Riley . Adam . April 11, 2010 . May 17, 2019 . May 17, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190517181500/http://www.cubed3.com/review/829/1/game-and-watch-marios-cement-factory-nintendo-ds.html . live .
  27. Web site: DSiWare Capsule Reviews: Third Week of July . . Thomas . Lucas M. . July 27, 2010 . May 26, 2019 . May 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526225349/https://www.ign.com/articles/2010/07/27/dsiware-capsule-reviews-third-week-of-july%3Fpage%3D13 . live .
  28. Web site: Game & Watch Mario's Cement Factory Review (DSiWare) . NintendoLife . Dillard . Corbie . March 22, 2010 . January 24, 2024 . August 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240816154025/https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/2010/03/game_and_watch_marios_cement_factory_dsiware . live .
  29. Web site: The weirdest Super Mario games ever . . Lynch . Gerald . March 11, 2017 . May 15, 2019 . May 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526225349/https://www.techradar.com/news/gaming/the-weirdest-super-mario-games-ever-1328333 . live .
  30. Web site: 10 Mario Games You've Probably Never Heard Of . . Rouner . Jeff . August 29, 2013 . May 17, 2019 . November 11, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201111145438/https://www.houstonpress.com/arts/10-mario-games-youve-probably-never-heard-of-6392755 . live .
  31. Web site: The 7 Weirdest MARIO Spin-Off Games . https://web.archive.org/web/20180616033632/https://nerdist.com/the-7-weirdest-mario-spin-off-games/ . . Gaspin . Ben . June 30, 2017 . May 26, 2019 . June 16, 2018.
  32. Web site: 26 jobs that Mario is inexplicably qualified for . . Houghton . David . October 9, 2017 . May 26, 2019 . May 26, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190526210027/https://www.gamesradar.com/26-jobs-mario-inexplicably-qualified/ . live .
  33. Book: Ryan, Jeff . Super Mario: How Nintendo Conquered America . 61 . 2012 . Penguin . 978-1591845638 . May 26, 2019 . August 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240816153443/https://books.google.com/books?id=9_JvDwAAQBAJ . live .
  34. Web site: Gunpei Yokoi Exhibit in Harakuju: "The Man Who Was Called the God of Games" . Nintendo World Report . Walker . Matt . August 24, 2010 . May 26, 2019 . August 16, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240816154033/http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/23911/gunpei-yokoi-exhibit-in-harakuju-the-man-who-was-called-the-god-of-games . live .

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