The combined Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt cartridge on NES, the iconic launch bundle. The two foundational NES games in one. An invaluable historical document of video game history.
Your verdict
Category
Compilation1 player3+
Description
Compilation of Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt on a single cartridge. Published by Nintendo, released in Europe in 1988. Complete Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt on a single NES cartridge. Official Nintendo compilation of the two flagship games.
Super Mario Bros. + Duck Hunt review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
4/5
Music
★★★★★
"Excellent"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
The cartridge brings together two opposed aesthetics: the plumber's world in bright tiles, and the hunting scenery in flat greens under a gradient sky, where only the dog and the ducks are animated. The contrast shows from the selection screen, and moving from one to the other remains one of the machine's most commented shortcuts.
The two repertoires answer each other without resembling one another: on one side constructed melodies carrying whole levels, on the other a few very short signals, take-off, shot, mocking bark, that stand in for the entire score. That radical economy on the second side is no shortfall, it is exactly what the light gun calls for.
Gameplay
"Excellent"
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
Bringing the world's most famous plumber and light-gun shooting together on a single cartridge means offering two complementary pleasures: perfect platforming on one side, sharpshooting on the other. Switching between them as the mood takes you keeps a welcome variety alive. Immediate, convivial and timeless, two monuments united for the best of both worlds.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Alternating the plumber's millimeter-precise run with shooting ducks with a pistol offers two immediate pleasures on the same cartridge. Aiming for a better run or a better hunting tally picks the controller back up like the Zapper without a dull moment. Duck Hunt wears thin faster, but Mario's precision keeps a pulling power that holds up.
The European PAL/Asia NES edition of the Mario + Duck Hunt twin pack, distributed notably bundled with the NES Action Set that included the Zapper. The PAL/Asia cart is noticeably rarer in boxed CIB form than the pack-in version, and collector interest concentrates on the solo cartridge pressing, harder to isolate than the universal bundle version. CIB in the original cardboard box climbs hard, sustained by this pressing specificity.
Is Super Mario Bros. + Duck Hunt still worth playing in 2026?
Super Mario Bros. + Duck Hunt is the combined NES cart, included with the iconic console launch bundle in North America. The two founding NES games in one, an invaluable historical document. The cart remains common, but its symbolic value stays intact. Still a relevant cart to know today.
