Overview

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Review

Release Date: 02.12.1990
Platform: Nintendo Entertainment System
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Publisher: Nintendo of America, Inc.

Reviewed by Brian J. Balsan on 4.28.2003

Review Rating: 9/10

User Rating: 9.36/10

Just imagine, if you will, that it was 1989.

As you sat there, watching and waiting for that new Super Mario game to come out for the NES, you are reminded of the last game that came out...coincidentally, Super Mario Brothers 2.

Something was strange with the game...It didn't feel like the original game, with the fire flowers and the koopas and such...no, that particular game felt more...Arabic. Instead of hitting blocks for powerups, you were harvesting plants and looking for doors into alternate dimensions so you can fill out a life-bar. And instead of hitting the boss enemies with fireballs or simply just trying to run by them, you had to toss plants to win the stage.

It was a weird departure from the original game, and only a select few knew that Super Mario 2 wasn't originally a Super Mario game.

Still, you wait for the new Super Mario Bros. 3, having seen it previewed in that new "Wizard" movie starring Fred Savage, and being impressed with the fact that it seems to have returned to its roots.

Then you finally get to play it yourself. After all those months waiting and reading articles in Nintendo Power, you finally get to see what all the hype is about.

And it's the best thing that could ever happen in your young life.

That's the way most people explain the advent of Super Mario 3. The game was leaps and bounds anything that was released at that time, and it offered so much that it literally opened a gate of near-endless possibilities for videogames. For once, a game that didn't feel like it was trapped within the restrictions of limited memory.

While Mario never really strayed from the original gameplay engine in Japan, the original sequel was deemed too similar to the first Mario game, and another game was chosen and given a Mario-ized facelift for US gamers.

Whether Japan or US, however, this makes Super Mario Bros. 3 the first REAL followup to the NES's flagship series. Everything that was found in the original Super Mario Bros. is bigger, better, wider, and much more colorful.

Returning are the Mushroom and Fire Flower powerups, but new ones a new added to the mix. The most popular of these is the Brown Leaf, which turns Mario into "Raccoon Mario". For the first time in the series, Mario can fly, and this opens a realm of new possibilities. Now, instead of just going from left to right, you can fly up, and even backtrack through a stage. Also added to the list of powerups are a Tanooki suit (which allows you to turn into a statue at-will), a Hammer suit (Complete with shell for deflecting fireballs) and a frog suit (Better Swimming!).

Even the worlds have taken a dramatic step up. Colorful areas ranging from normal plains-looking stages, to desert places, to even an entire world where everything is twice as big, including the goombas and koopas. And there are also different types of 'blocks' now. Not only do the simple bring and question blocks return, but now included are wooden blocks, 'bouncing' blocks, and SMB3 also has the dubious honor of introducing the "Donut Lift", among others.

Now you can also 'store' items as you go from stage to stage. Using a new map feature, Mario can travel from stage to stage, and when he reaches certain item houses, he can store powerups for later use, and this includes anything from the suit powerups to the amazing "P-Wing" (A raccoon suit with unlimited flight for one stage). But the extras don't stop there. you can play matching games for extra powerups and lives, stand on certain platforms to make yourself fall into the background, and even make requirements on certain stages to open a floating shipfull of coins.

And speaking of ships, SMB3 marks the introduction of the "Koopa Kids", seven wild, wacky and colorful Koopa bosses whom await you on floating ships at the end of each world.

There are many secrets, powerups and bonuses that can be found througout SMB3, and the game holds up pretty well, even for now. When the game was released as part of the SNES "Super Mario All-stars", it was the one game that went through the least amount of changes. It was simply that good. The only thing that stops this game from getting a 10 is that with so much to do, it's near-impossible to play through the game in one sitting without warping. A save function could've benefitted greatly. Despite this and the huge production run the game received, Super mario Bros. 3 still remains a great find for any NES collector.

And still, after so many years, the reasons why are obvious.

Box art