Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure
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Critic Reviews for Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure
The new Miracle Cures add welcome new flourishes to the classic puzzle gameplay, and the sheer wealth of content on offer makes this a bargain. Even once you've ignored the awful Luigi bits.
Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure introduces a fresh new twist on an old formula.
Currently available at $8.99 on the 3DS e-store, Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure felt a little light to me at first, as there aren't nearly as many Miracle Cure advanced puzzle levels as I'd like to flesh it out. However, Virus Buster is the surprising highlight of the game (but doesn't include any of the Miracle Cure capsules) and offers a new gameplay take on the classic puzzler that allows for experimentation and improvisation. It's also certainly worth a buy if you're into Dr. Mario multiplayer, where it can be played locally or online with a ranking system.
If you're a Dr. Mario junkie, you can probably pull the trigger on Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure just to see what the fuss is about in regards to the power-ups. For everyone else, just stick with Dr. Luigi until Nintendo decides to overhaul the formula a bit more.
There's nothing wrong with modernising older games. However, therein lies the problem for Miracle Cure: it's just a modernisation. Over the years Nintendo has continued to innovate with its stable of core franchises, yet this feels more like a simple repackaging. Dr. Mario fans will no doubt jump at the chance to play it on 3DS, but for those used to cheaper, more fulfilling puzzle games on other platforms, Miracle Cure will prove a tough pill to swallow.
Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure doesn't do much to rock the boat that the series has built over the last couple of decades. This is both a good thing and a bad thing, as the game doesn't ruin what fans have loved, but it also doesn't offer much to bring them back either.
Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure doesn't offer too many improvements outside of the Miracle Cures and graphical updates, but that's kind of expected with certain puzzle games. The game still provides a solid Dr. Mario experience with the Dr. Luigi and Virus Buster game modes thrown in and the addition of the Miracle Cures shakes things up a bit, both online and off, but the lack of an overall high score for your game session seems like a step backwards for a standard puzzle game. While not perfect, if you're looking for some Dr. Mario on the go, Miracle Cure is still worth a shot.
