I can’t say about this masterpiece that is Super Mario Bros 3 that hasn’t already been said a million times over. Super Mario Brothers 3 is simply one of the best video games ever made. Much like the antagonist of a superhero comic Super Mario 3 is eternally locked in combat with its slightly younger, more aesthetically pleasing, sibling Super Mario World, released a few years later on more advanced hardware. However that doesn’t mean Super Mario 3 can’t hold its own, quite the contrary, it punches above its weight class. This is the video game that made me the gamer I am today. This is the first game I can remember playing with my mom on our old 24-inch CRT for HOURS at a time. The nostalgia I have for this game is honestly immeasurable. While I like other games and genres more Super Mario Bros. 3 is the G.O.A.T. hands down.

Overview

Being released at the end of the NES/Famicom’s life span simply meant that Nintendo developers knew how to squeeze every drop out of the Famicom’s hardware and this game shows what that potential was. Super Mario Bros. 3 is essentially an SNES game crammed into an oversized NES cart.

Super Mario Bros 3 is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo. It was released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The game is widely regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time, known for its innovative gameplay, memorable levels, and iconic power-ups such as the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower. Super Mario Bros 3 introduced many new features to the series, including the ability to fly and slide down slopes. It remains a beloved classic that has left a lasting impact on the gaming industry. Even now, Thirty-Five years later, this is still my quintessential and, go-to Super Mario title.

Super Mario Bros 3 is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo. It was released in 1988 for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). The game is widely regarded as one of the greatest video games of all time, known for its innovative gameplay, memorable levels, and iconic power-ups such as the Super Mushroom and Fire Flower. Super Mario Bros 3 introduced many new features to the series, including the ability to fly and slide down slopes. It remains a beloved classic that has left a lasting impact on the gaming industry.

Design

Super Mario Bros 3 is often praised for its level design, which is both challenging and rewarding. Each world in the game offers a unique theme and set of obstacles, keeping players engaged and entertained. The game is divided into 8 different “worlds” that are all uniquely themed: Level 1 is “Grass World”, 2 is “Desert World”, etc. My personal favorite is Level 4 “Giant World”. In that level, a vast majority of the enemies and breakable objects are, well, Giant Sized, and make Mario feel smaller and more vulnerable than normal.

The power-ups in the game also add a layer of strategy to the gameplay, allowing players to approach levels in different ways. You still have the staple Super Mushroom to make Mario into Super Mario, The Fire Flower, and the Invincibility Star that will grant Mario invincibility and an instant kill perk for a few seconds. The developers, however, went all out in this title giving Mario a Super Leaf that gives him a raccoon tail (as on the box art) that lets him swat at enemies and also will allow him to fly for a set time. In addition to these Mario also has access to many different suits that can turn him into anything from a frog to deal with water levels, to a raccoon that can turn into a statue to stomp enemies, to series staple hammer-throwing Hammer Brother. The addition of these extra power-ups pushes Super Mario Bros 3 into the annals of gaming legend.

Gameplay

One of the standout features of Super Mario Bros 3 is the inclusion of mini-games. These mini-games provide a fun diversion from the main quest and offer rewards such as extra lives or power-ups. They add an extra layer of depth to the game and keep players coming back for more. The different mini-games in Super Mario Bros 3 are Card Flip, where you have to match two cards but you get whatever rewards you see on the cards. Could be extra lives, power-ups, or simply coins. The Second is a picture-matching game, in which you have to stop three roulette wheels to make a picture of either a Super Mushroom, a Fire Flower, or an Invincibility Star. Whichever picture you can generate gives you random amounts of extra lives.

I’m including this as a minigame even though technically it’s mandatory but at the end of each level, you have to jump and hit a box that flashes either the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, or Invincibility Star and get a corresponding card. When you get three cards you get extra lives, however, if you match all three cards the three combinations will give you varying amounts of lives. It’s fairly easy to scam this one for stars to consistently get five extra lives but it’s still satisfying to see the animations and hear the music when you do.

Graphics

The graphics and sound design in Super Mario Bros 3 are also noteworthy. The game features vibrant and colorful visuals, bringing the Mushroom Kingdom to life. The music is catchy and memorable, with each level having its own unique theme. Super Mario Bros 3 was able to craft such myriad worlds and monster sprites because it was one of the largest NES cartridges made. At 222kb it had almost TEN TIMES the storage space than the original Super Mario Bros. and the developers used every bit of it. No assets were reused from either Super Mario Bros, or the Japanese Super Mario Bros 2, so every sprite, background, and piece of music was made originally for THIS GAME. The dev team intentionally did this to make the game unique amongst its peers and lineage.

Conclusion

Overall, Super Mario Bros 3 is a timeless classic that has stood the test of time. Its innovative gameplay, memorable levels, and iconic power-ups continue to captivate players to this day. Whether you’re a long-time fan or new to the series, Super Mario Bros 3 is a must-play game that showcases the best of what the platforming genre has to offer. In conclusion, thank you Mom for buying this and an NES for “yourself” and letting me experience this and so many more worlds thanks to gaming. If you would like to read more on the history of the Super Mario franchise click HERE.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Bros._3