Software:Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure

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Short description: 2015 video game

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure
Developer(s)Arika
Nintendo SPD
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Takao Nakano
Producer(s)Hitoshi Yamagami
Ichirou Mihara
Designer(s)Tatsuya Ushiroda
Composer(s)Masaru Tajima
SeriesDr. Mario
Platform(s)Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • JP: May 31, 2015
  • WW: June 11-12, 2015
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure[lower-alpha 1] is a 2015 puzzle video game developed by Arika and Nintendo SPD, and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. Announced during a Nintendo Direct in June 2015, it was digitally released on the 3DS eShop in Japan on May 31, 2015, and North America, Europe, and Australia in June 2015. Part of the larger Mario franchise, it is the seventh game in the Dr. Mario series, and the second to be released on handheld consoles.

The game introduces new elements to the Dr. Mario franchise, while also including and improving on mechanics from previous Dr. Mario games, such as bringing back modes and features from Dr. Luigi. It offers several unique game modes, with two including additional online and local multiplayer variants, and introduces the "Miracle Cure" power-ups.

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure received mixed reviews from critics, who praised its new modes and online mode, while subsequently criticizing the lack of unique features and the inferior, simplistic versions of previous modes from other games. In March 2023, the 3DS eShop was shut down, making it impossible to purchase and download the game.

Gameplay

The game is centered around the titular Dr. Mario (top right), and its core gameplay focuses on eliminating viruses by aligning capsules of matching colors to their corresponding virus.

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure is a falling block puzzle video game, starring the titular Dr. Mario. It houses 3 main game modes, each with different types of gameplay.[2] The first mode, "Dr. Mario", has the traditional rules of the Dr. Mario series, where randomly placed viruses must be eliminated by falling capsules placed by the player, with the goal being to match the color of the capsule to the color of the virus.[3] The game ends in a "Game Over" if the capsules reach the top of the screen and the viruses haven't been eliminated in time.[4] In "Dr. Luigi", two different capsules joined into L-shaped configurations are dropped into the playing field, taking from the "Operation L" mode of the game Dr. Luigi for the Wii U, which has similar mechanics; this mode allows the player to play as Mario's brother, Dr. Luigi.[3][5] "Virus Buster", a game mode present in Dr. Mario Online Rx, is played by holding the Nintendo 3DS vertically and using its touchscreen to drag the capsules to the viruses.[2]

All of these modes, except "Virus Buster", can be played in multiplayer, both online and local, alongside single player mode. The online mode allows players to play matches with other players online, utilizing the now-defunct[6] Nintendo Network service.[7] Also available is the "Miracle Cure Laboratory", which makes it debut in the game, and features multiple set challenges. Each getting increasingly difficult, the challenges combine different aspects from the 3 modes, such as the regular capsules and the L-shaped ones.[3][8] Also introduced are the "Miracle Cures", which are new power-ups that enhance gameplay and offer help to the player, being unlocked when a meter seen alongside the game is filled; this mode can be toggled on or off.[3]

Development and release

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure was developed by Arika and Nintendo SPD, and published by Nintendo for the 3DS.[5] The game was originally announced on May 31, 2015, during a Japanese Nintendo Direct, and was made available on the Japanese eShop on the same day; a release date outside of Japan was not announced during the Direct.[9] A Nintendo Direct Micro[9] broadcast on June 1, 2015, unveiled that the game was to be released in North America later in the month on June 11 as a downloadable title exclusive to the eShop, and was made available for pre-order following the announcement.[10][11] The game was subsequently released in the PAL regions of Europe and Australia on June 11, 2015, and June 12, 2015, respectively.[5] The game incorporates various elements from its predecessor, Dr. Luigi, such as bringing over the Operation L mode.[3] The Wii U and 3DS eShop officially shut down in March 2023, rendering every game released exclusively for it, including Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure, impossible to purchase and download.[12] In January 2026, Nintendo renewed the trademark of Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure, sparking rumors that it could get a re-release on future Nintendo platforms.[13]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic69/100[14]
Review scores
PublicationScore
Destructoid7/10[16]
GameSpot7/10[3]
GamesRadar+3.5/5[17]
Nintendo Life8/10[2]
Nintendo World Report7/10[5]
Pocket Gamer3.5/5[18]

Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure received "mixed or average" reviews from critics, according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[14] Fellow review aggregator OpenCritic assessed that the game received fair approval, being recommended by 18% of critics who reviewed the game.[15] Jason Venter of GameSpot rated the game seven out of ten, praising the power-ups new to the series and the subsequent new puzzles, but felt that the "Miracle Cure Laboratory" needed more than 50 stages. He appreciated the return of the "Dr. Luigi" and "Virus Buster" gameplay modes, although he criticized how "slow" the latter mode felt compared to its original iteration in Dr. Luigi.[3] Pocket Gamer reviewer Mark Brown gave the game three and a half stars out of five, highlighting the modes and amount of content present, but finding the game "claustrophobic" in it's gameplay, making it "more frustrating than exciting" without offering enough new material that Brown felt could entice players.[18]

Divided on the game, Bryan Rose of Nintendo World Report highlighted the "Miracle Cures", new gameplay elements, and the "lag free" online mode, while criticizing it for sticking to the series' general formula without adding much and the "lackluster presentation"; he felt the character models looked serviceable, but disliked the lack of movement Mario and Luigi have when on screen, calling everything else related to the game "perfectly average", resulting in the game feeling rushed and unpolished to Brown.[5] GamesRadar+'s Shabana Arif was pleased with the amount of new content that it added, calling the "sheer wealth of content" enough to make the game a "bargain". Despite this, Arif heavily criticized the Dr. Luigi mode as housing "clunky" gameplay with it's L-shaped capsules, feeling it was "[a] bad design shoehorned in as a nod to [Luigi] during his time in the spotlight", referring to the marketing campaign revolving around the character that Nintendo ran the year prior, the Year of Luigi, where he was featured extensively in their games and products. Arif recommended the online and local play modes as alternatives for the AI used in regular match, ending his review by stating: "Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure is solid enough, and while it's not earth-shattering in it’s originality...[it] has certainly lived up to the last [game in the series] in Dr. Mario Express", rating it three and a half stars out of five.[17]

More positively, Marcel van Duyn of Nintendo Life gave the game a "Great" rating of eight out of ten, praising it's "packed" gameplay and amount of content, also calling the use of the "Miracle Cures" a "quite fun" addition to the series. Duyn commended it for having enough content to not bore players who make grow tired of a certain mode, as well as the online battle variants of some modes being "entertaining".[2] Destructoid's Chris Carter was far more critical, especially for the game not expanding on previous gameplay elements and adding unneeded power-ups, a feature Carter felt didn't add to the gameplay, but lauded the online multiplayer as the "smoothest [online mode] of any recent Nintendo game". While he enjoyed the quality of life improvements featured in Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure, Carter asserted that the multiplayer mode was the highlight of the game, leaving the single player experience feeling effortless on Nintendo's part.[16]

Sales

In terms of sales by June 10, 2015, in Japan, Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure was selling well, earning the twelfth spot in eShop sales for the first week of the month, placing it ahead of Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures, but behind The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX.[19]

Notes

  1. ↑ Released in Japan as Dr. Mario Gyakuten! Miracle medicine & germ eradication[1] (Dr. MARIO ギャクテン！特効薬 & 細菌撲滅; lit. Dr. Mario Reverse! Wonder Drug and Bacteria Eradication)

References

  1. ↑ "Dr.MARIO ギャクテン！特効薬 & 細菌撲滅』" (in Japanese). Famitsu. https://www.famitsu.com/news/201506/02079921.html. Retrieved 2025-04-01. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure Review (3DS eShop) | Aces High". 11 September 2021. https://www.nintendolife.com/reviews/3ds-eshop/dr_mario_miracle_cure. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Venter, Jason (June 11, 2015). "Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure Review" (in en-US). https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/dr-mario-miracle-cure-review/1900-6416175/. 
  4. ↑ Nintendo 2015, p. 12.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Rose, Bryan (June 26, 2015). "Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure (3DS) Review". http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/40636/dr-mario-miracle-cure-3ds-review. 
  6. ↑ Harper, Christopher (November 5, 2024). "Over 200 days After Its Official Closure, The Last User of Nintendo Network's Online Servers Finally Disconnected After A 3DS System Crash" (in en-US). https://www.tomshardware.com/video-games/handheld-gaming/over-200-days-after-its-official-closure-the-last-user-of-nintendo-networks-online-servers-finally-disconnected-after-a-3ds-system-crash. 
  7. ↑ Nintendo 2015, p. 9.
  8. ↑ Nintendo 2015, p. 7.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Osborn, Alex (March 31, 2015). "New Dr. Mario For 3DS Available Now In Japan" (in en). https://www.ign.com/articles/2015/05/31/new-dr-mario-game-for-3ds-now-available-in-japan. 
  10. ↑ Vella, Matt (June 1, 2015). "Nintendo Just Revealed a Ton of New Games" (in en). TIME. https://time.com/3904476/nintendo-e3-2015/. 
  11. ↑ Farokhmanesh, Megan (June 1, 2015). "Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure Coming To Nintendo 3DS June 11". https://polygon.com/2015/6/1/8697515/dr-mario-miracle-cure-nintendo-3ds. 
  12. ↑ Reynolds, Ollie; Gray, Kate; Lane, Gavin (February 17, 2022). "When Does 3DS And Wii U Online Shut Down? Nintendo eShop & Online Play Closure Guide" (in en-GB). https://www.nintendolife.com/guides/when-does-3ds-and-wii-u-online-shut-down-nintendo-eshop-and-online-play-closure-guide. 
  13. ↑ rawmeatcowboy (January 25, 2026). "Nintendo Renews For Trademarks Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure and Two Virtual Boy Titles" (in en). https://gonintendo.com/contents/56990-nintendo-renews-for-trademarks-dr-mario-miracle-cure-and-two-virtual-boy-titles. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure". https://www.metacritic.com/game/dr-mario-miracle-cure/critic-reviews/?platform=3ds. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure". https://opencritic.com/game/2275/dr-mario-miracle-cure. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Carter, Chris (September 11, 2021). "Review: Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure". https://www.destructoid.com/reviews/review-dr-mario-miracle-cure/. 
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 Arif, Shabana (June 11, 2015). "Dr Mario: Miracle Cure Review" (in en). https://www.gamesradar.com/dr-mario-miracle-cure-review/. 
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Brown, Mark (June 11, 2015). "Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure - I Want A New Drug" (in en). https://www.pocketgamer.com/dr-mario-miracle-cure/review/. 
  19. ↑ Brian (June 11, 2015). "3DS eShop Charts (6/10/15)" (in en). https://nintendoeverything.com/3ds-eshop-charts-61015/. 

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