Punch Ball Mario Bros. is very similar to Mario Bros., but with new objects called Punch Balls that could now be thrown to stun enemies. Once stunned, the hit enemy could be hit like normal. The details of the licensing of this game are not clear, but Punch Ball Mario Bros. is probably one of the earliest licensed Mario games. It is unknown why Hudson Soft was permitted the rights to and chose to make the game.

While humanity has evolved throughout the ages, mastering fire and developing advanced technology, some people such as Mario and Luigi are primitive people who do not know of modern society and must use "stone balls" and their jumping abilities to defend themselves from outsiders.