Originally written September 14, 2015

Played on Wii Virtual Console

Super Mario Bros. 3 will always be remembered as one of the best games in the Mario series, simply because of the impact that it made. Aside from making Mario into a cultural landmark, Mario 3 introduced so many new elements into the series, which have become commonplace things in future entries.

Not to downplay the greatness of its predecessors, but the first few Mario games were simple 2D platforming sidescrollers. You ran and jumped your way to the end of the level. It worked really well for those games, but the series would have become stale if Mario 3 didn’t inject some much needed depth in its gameplay. Rather than just running and jumping, Mario (or Luigi if you prefer to play as him) can now slide down hills, pick up and throw blocks, and climb vines.

Also, the game adds more power-ups than just the simple mushroom, fire flower, and star that was found in the original game. In this game, Mario now gets different suits, an element we’ve seen in many Mario games since then. An example of one of the most fun suits is the raccoon suit, which allows Mario to float through the air. This added some much needed additions to the gameplay and makes for a much more fun experience.

Another element introduced in Mario 3 that has since become commonplace is an overworld map screen. While you can’t replay levels you’ve already beaten (unless you get a game over or restart the game), you move Mario around the map screen and choose the level you want to go to. Often times there’s multiple paths on the map screen to get you to the world’s castle. You could play every level if you wanted to, but it’s not necessary if you don’t want to. In addition to stages, there’s also other things to do on the map screen, such as mini-games that give the player the opportunity to earn extra lives and things like that. This was a fun little addition, I thought. Also, for the first time you can now hold on to power-ups that you earn, and you can select them on the map screen to give Mario an ability (like the aforementioned raccoon suit).

The game is divided into eight worlds, and each world has its own theme. For example, there’s a desert world, an ice world, and even a giant world. While some people might be tired of these typical worlds in Mario games, this is where the idea originated, so it can’t really be held against Mario 3. At the end of each world, Mario must battle one of the Koopalings (who are also introduced here and have now become commonplace in Mario games), who are Bowser’s children. The Koopalings have invaded the seven kingdoms of the Mushroom World, and it’s up to Mario and Luigi to rescue each kingdom from the Koopaling that possesses it. Then, after beating each of those seven worlds, it’s time to take on Bowser in the final world. It’s typical fashion for a Mario game, so no surprises there. As far as story aspects go, I should also mention that it was recently confirmed that the entire game is actually just one big stage play, a theory that’s been common for years.

Put it this way, everything about the game is just fantastic. The graphics and sounds are top-notch for an NES era game. There’s so much color in this game, and it still holds up today. I guess I did feel that the character design for Mario could have been slightly better, but the levels all look really good. Also, the music is some of the most memorable that you’ll find in a Mario game.

All of this being said, Super Mario Bros. 3 is definitely a game worth playing if you never have. It’s not one of my absolute favorite Mario games (for me, Super Mario 64 is still the best of the series), but it is pretty high up there regardless. It’s one of those games that I loved playing, but it didn’t quite hold that special place in my heart like Super Mario World or Super Mario 64 did, probably because I didn’t play Super Mario Bros. 3 until many years later. For some, it’s still considered the best Mario game ever made. For me, I just consider it an amazing entry in the series that held a ton of influences for future games in the franchise.

4.5/5