[10] Mario assumes the role of a doctor, tossing two-colored medical capsules into a medicine bottle representing the playing field.

This area is populated by viruses of three colors — red, yellow, and blue — which stay in their starting positions until removed.

In a style similar to Tetris,[11] the player manipulates each capsule as it vertically falls, able to move it left or right and rotate it 90 degrees clockwise or counter-clockwise.

The player chooses a starting level between 0 and 20 that determines the number of viruses to clear, and one of three speeds of the falling capsules.

The player's score is based on the elimination of viruses and the chosen game speed, with bonus points for clearing more than 1 in a single line.

Vs. Dr. Mario was first shown at Nintendo's Seventh Annual Distributor Meeting in San Diego, and both versions were released simultaneously in August 1990.

[13] This was re-released in Japan on 30 March 1997, as a downloadable game for the Super Famicom's Satellaview peripheral, with the name Dr. Mario BS Version.

[19] The NES version was released on the Wii U Virtual Console in 2014[20] and was one of the launch games for Nintendo Switch Online on September 19, 2018.

[2] Dr. Mario received generally positive reviews, although some parents were critical of the premise of medicine in a children's game.

[27] The Game Boy version received positive reviews from Joystick and Zero magazines, the latter comparing it favorably with Tetris and Connect Four while stating it is "easy to play and impossible to master".

[24][26] ACE criticized the uninspiring graphics, repetitive play, and "plagiarism" while comparing it unfavorably with Tetris and Connect Four.

They praised the Mixed Match mode and the SNES enhanced graphics and sounds, and concluded "Sharp controls and absorbing action are what make these two classics even better as a pair than they were alone.

"[23] Next Generation, in contrast, said the compilation was only significant as the SNES debut of Tetris, summarizing that "Yeah, it's great, but chances are you own a copy of one or both of these games already."

[citation needed] Allgame praised the NES version, stating that on its release, "when puzzle games were flooding the market, Dr. Mario stands out as one of the best, combining a smooth learning curve, playful graphics and memorable tunes" and "fundamental concepts may be simple, but the addictive gameplay becomes progressively more complex as the speed increases and additional viruses are added.

[46] The Game Boy Advance re-release in the Classic NES series is rated 66/100 on Metacritic based on 10 reviews.

[33] Most reviews pointed out the game's addictiveness and praise the addition of wireless multiplayer, but some questioned the relevance of the standalone re-release.