Super Mario Bros. 3

The Good
The original Super Mario Bros. came out in 1985 and it was a flagship title for the NES. Its huge success meant that a sequel appeared three years later. The Western release of the game was very different from its Japanese counterpart (which was released in 1986), due to Nintendo of America’s objections that the true sequel to SMB was harder and that NoA should frame the game around Yume Kōjō: Dokidoki Panic. Although the game was successful as well, this didn’t stop Nintendo going back to their roots.

It has been some time since Mario defeated Bowser. He infiltrated eight of his castles looking for Princess Toadstool, and he was disappointed that seven of them only contained an impostor. He was more disappointed when Toad told him that the “princess is in another castle”. Eventually, Mario managed to find the real Bowser and the princess, and peace was finally returned to the Mushroom Kingdom. Three years on, and Bowser is not happy that his adversary tossed him into a pool of lava, so he sends his seven offspring to conquer the Mushroom Kingdom, stealing each of the wands belonging to the kings of the seven kingdoms and transforming them into animals. SMB3 expands upon the original game in a number of ways.

SMB3 includes eight world maps complete with dancing vegetation and other scenery, and you can do many things beside entering levels. You can, for example, run across a Spade Panel, a memory game in which you are awarded an extra life or bonus points if you play your cards right. There are also fortresses in which you need to find and defeat the Koopaling inside to get further into the map.

The levels behave the same as the first game, and the heads-up display is similar to the first game, with score, time, lives, etc. but a “power meter” has been added. This only applies to certain power-ups such as Raccoon Mario and Tanooki Mario; with these activated, you can run through the level until your power meter is full, pressing B to fly upwards onto any platforms in the air. Other power-ups include the Super Leaf, Magic Wing, Frog Suit, and Hammer Suit. Also, there is no checkpoint at the end of the level, rather a black area where you need to get a card to advance. You can get some extra lives if you collect more than one of the same card, and a spectacular display if you manage to get all three of the same.

Once you have conquered all ten levels on a map, you can proceed to the castle where you find out what animal the kings have turned into, and board an airship before it flies off without you. The airships contain only cannonballs and flame-jets which have to be avoided before you reach the only pipe on the airship. You go down and defeat the Koopaling inside to get the wand. You see the King transformed (you don’t get to see the transformation taking place), and get a letter from the Princess.

SMB3 excels in both graphics and sound. Both the maps and levels are colorful. I like the appearance of Ice World and how everything is enlarged in Giant World. The music is excellent, with tunes ranging from happy melodies to sinister ones. I like how the later levels also pose quite a challenge. One of the last few levels of the game has you walking across nipper plants while putting several Starman power-ups to good use. Another one has you negotiating a level containing nothing but pipes and the few odd enemies, and you have to stand on special lifts that will hoist you up, making sure not to bump into anything.

The Bad
Similar to SMB, Nintendo expects you to complete the game in one sitting.

The Bottom Line
It's easy to see why most reviewers here list Super Mario Bros. 3 as their favorite Mario game. It features the same gameplay as the original game that came out in '85, while adding new elements such as world maps, mini-games, and character transformations. Anyone who has played the original game should get their hands on a copy of SMB3. It just shows how amazing games on the NES were capable of being.