The classic Dr. Mario gets a refresh, with a four-player simultaneous versus mode that's a proper riot. The hundred solo levels are still a fine exercise in method, the soundtrack snaps and the readability is exemplary. A small puzzler that always invites another round.
Your verdict
Category
Puzzle4 players3+
Description
Medical puzzle game with Dr. Mario eliminating viruses by matching colored capsules in bottles. Published by Nintendo, released in North America in April 2001. One hundred progressive solo levels, versus multiplayer for up to 4 simultaneous players, upbeat soundtrack, and deceptively deep gameplay.
Dr. Mario 64 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Dropping pills to line up four colours and wipe out viruses: the clear mechanic hides a split-second thinking that grabs you for hours. The pace speeds up slyly, and the versus mode turns eradication into a twitchy duel. Easy to grasp, hard to drop, this mischievous puzzle stays an ideal companion with several players.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Lining up capsules to surround and clear viruses two by two demands quick thinking that speeds up dangerously as the bottle fills. Clearing one level instantly summons the next, and the versus mode breeds exhilarating reversals. The concept is old, but this marriage of color and tempo keeps an immediate, nervy hook.
Complete: box, manual and disc/cart very clean. Lightly handled.
Q1 damagedQ6 completeQ10 new
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Collector interest
North American retail run from April 2001, one of the very last N64 retail releases as the GameCube approached. Never distributed in PAL, this Dr. Mario remains the sole N64 outcome of a puzzle license otherwise major at Nintendo, making it a sought-after catalogue terminus. Desirability rests on this end-of-cycle position and on a logically reduced run for a console already retreating from shelves.
Better with friends
A pill puzzler where you line up colors to wipe out viruses and bury your rivals under a shower of capsules, up to four. The competition rests on speed and anticipation, each well-placed combo dumping penalties on the opponent. Immediate and snappy, it favors quick fun over seriousness, and last-second reversals set off shouts and laughter.
Is Dr. Mario 64 still worth playing in 2026?
Dr. Mario 64 brings Nintendo's medical puzzler to N64, in which Dr. Mario eliminates colored viruses by stacking matching-colored capsules in jars. The concept, simple and fearsomely addictive, keeps all its effectiveness, and the addition of a story-driven adventure mode and an excellent multiplayer versus pleasantly enriches the formula. The precision of the gameplay and the difficulty ramp stay exemplary. For fans of timeless puzzlers and competitive challenge, it is a safe bet, ideal to savor solo or in a group.
