Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

That immortal jump beep sounds, Mario hops over a Goomba and dashes right toward adventure. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe took one of the most important games in the history of the medium and squeezed it into the palm of your hand without losing any of the original magic.

At its core is a faithful port of the legendary Super Mario Bros. from 1985, a game that in its time rescued the gaming industry and defined what a platformer should look like. Running right, precise jumps, secret pipes, mushrooms, fire flowers, and stars of invincibility, all of it is here in full glory and with the Game Boy Color's color palette. The move to a small screen meant a somewhat narrower view, but Nintendo solved it with clever screen scrolling, so the gameplay stayed fluid.

Deluxe, however, isn't just a dry port. It adds a generous helping of extra content. You'll find a Challenge mode, where in each level you hunt for hidden red coins and a secret Yoshi egg and try to reach a high score. There's also rediscovered content from the original Japanese version, a competitive two-player duel via the Link Cable, a gallery of rewards, and other little extras that extend the shelf life of the old classic.

The game was naturally backed by Nintendo, the legacy of Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka, the creators of the original. Commercially it was a very successful title and one of the best-selling games on the Game Boy Color. For many players of the late nineties it was the very first opportunity to have the legendary first Mario game on hand at any time.

Culturally, Deluxe confirmed Nintendo's power to recycle its gems in a way that doesn't feel cheap but rather like a tribute. It reminded everyone that great game design doesn't age and that a game nearly fifteen years old at the time of release could still entertain even on a brand-new platform. It's a small package with an enormous legacy.

Why play it: An immortal platformer that defined the genre, plus a generous helping of new extra content. A classic you now carry in your pocket.