The Great Giana Sisters - C64 Super Mario NES Clone #retrogaming

Why It Matters

The case underscores how early IP enforcement reshaped game publishing and created a collector’s market that still drives demand for rare retro titles today.

Key Takeaways

• Rainbow Arts created a Mario clone for Commodore 64.
• Development team of three built Great Giana Sisters in seven months.
• Nintendo forced removal after legal pressure, pulling game from shelves.
• Limited release made the title a highly sought-after collector’s item.
• Soundtrack by Chris Hulsbeck remains praised despite the game's controversy.

Summary

The video chronicles the birth of The Great Giana Sisters, a 1987 Commodore 64 platformer engineered to mimic Nintendo’s blockbuster Super Mario Bros. Developed by Germany’s Rainbow Arts, the title was conceived as a legal‑safe homage that would bring the Mario experience to Europe’s dominant home computer.

A three‑person team—Armin Gasset, Manfred Trenz, and composer Chris Hulsbeck—delivered the game in just seven months. Under Mark Ulrich’s directive, they swapped Mario’s iconic sprites for owls, disembodied eyes, wasps and giant ants, and renamed the protagonists from Mario Brothers to Giana Sisters, ensuring visual distinction while preserving gameplay familiarity. The product launched in Germany and later abroad, with a UK box proclaiming, “The Brothers are history.”

Nintendo quickly objected, issuing a cease‑and‑desist that forced retailers to pull the title within a year. Despite the swift removal, the brief shelf life turned the cartridge into a coveted rarity among collectors, and Hulsbeck’s soundtrack continues to earn acclaim for its originality.

The episode illustrates early enforcement of video‑game intellectual property, foreshadowing modern clone disputes, while also highlighting how scarcity can elevate a controversial game into a prized artifact within the retro‑gaming community.

Original Description

When Super Mario Bros. released in 1987 for the NES, the home computer market in Europe wanted the game for the Commodore 64, but Nintendo refused. So Rainbow Arts in Germany would develop a clone known as The Great Giana Sisters and release it in 1988. It was an excellent game in its own right, but Nintendo was not happy and forced the game off the market not long after release.