After the release of the revolutionary Super Mario Bros. and the off-kilter yet satisfying Super Mario Bros. 2, Nintendo decided to release a third game for the NES. The game received a tremendous amount of hype; the notorious film The Wizard was basically an advertisement for the game. Fans and critics alike all anticipated the release of the latest Mario adventure.
When the title was finally released, it turned out the game wasn’t all hype. Players found a unique, refreshing, and engaging game in Super Mario Bros. 3. The game introduced new elements to the series, elements that have become prominent not just in Mario games, but in platformers of any franchise or console.
The Super Mario Bros. 3 Storyline
Although still simple, the story in Super Mario Bros. 3 is slightly more elaborate than that of its predecessors. Bowser, the King of the Koopas, has returned to the Mushroom Kingdom. He kidnaps Princess Toadstool and has his seven children take over different regions, transforming each region’s king into an animal in the process. It is up to Mario and Luigi to travel through each of the worlds, help the kings, and, ultimately, rescue Princess Toadstool.
Gameplay – 2D Action That Raised the Bar
Unlike its predecessor, the gameplay in Super Mario Bros. 3 is a lot closer to that of the first game, albeit with added features and mechanics. The player can once again stomp on enemies to defeat them. Picking enemies up and using them as weapons can no longer be executed, and there are no vegetables to utilize. There are special blocks, however, which can be picked up and tossed.
The platforming in Super Mario Bros. 3 was considered to be the most varied of its time, and it still feels fresh to this day. There’s the standard left-to-right progression of levels, but the game is not limited to that format. Certain stages require the player to move from right to left and from bottom to top. There are also levels in the game where the screen scrolls automatically, in which case Mario must run and jump to keep up with the action.
Old power-ups have returned, and many new items are also available in the game. The Mushroom, Fire Flower, 1-Up Mushroom, and Starman all retain their abilities. Then there are completely new items which grant Mario varying powers. The Super Leaf grants the player the ability to fly for short periods of time. The Tanooki Suit grants this same ability, and also allows Mario to transform into a statue, thus being invincible for a short time. The Frog Suit makes Mario swim much faster. Then there’s Kuribo’s Shoe, which allows Mario to traverse dangerous terrain and defeat most enemies by stomping on them. These and other power-ups can be found throughout the game.
In between stages, players move around an overworld map. Here, various mini-games can be played to collect power-ups and extra lives. There are a number of stages in each of the eight worlds and a final stage featuring a boss battle with one of Bowser’s Koopaling children which are all accessed through this map. Through the overworld map, two players can also battle one another in a remake of the original Mario Bros. arcade game.
Graphics and Sound
Gameplay isn’t the only aspect Super Mario Bros. 3 has become known for. The game’s presentation was highly lauded at the time of its release. Featuring a more diverse color palette than the previous games, a large assortment of character sprites, and detailed locales, Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the most charming and visually impressive retro platformers ever created.
The sound design is also very satisfying. The game offers more songs than in previous installments as well as varied sound effects. With both new and old themes, the soundtrack for Super Mario Bros. 3 offers catchy beats which aren’t long forgotten.
Lasting Value
The game features eight worlds made up of over 70 levels. Throw in the prize-giving mini-games, the 2-player versus distraction, and the various boss battles found throughout, and Super Mario Bros. 3 is a hefty, impressive, long-lasting package. While the original version didn’t offer a save feature, rereleases have implemented the function into the game, and the Virtual Console version has a suspend-and-restore function. Like its predecessors before it, Super Mario Bros. 3 is a highly addictive game that encourages subsequent play-throughs.
The Impact of Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 went back to the series’ roots and added new gameplay elements, mechanics, and features and took multiple steps forward by doing so. Various elements found in this game have been implemented into later Mario titles. The level design was a blueprint for other installments in the series, and features such as weapons are still seen in more modern spin-offs of the series. Super Mario Bros. 3 not only impacted a series, it inspired a genre.
Score: 9/10
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