Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES) Second Opinion Review

Super Mario Bros. 3 revolutionised the Mario series back when it was released in the early 90s; it added several new elements which have become key features in Mario games and other platformers released after the NES era. The best example would be the world map, which made its début here and is still being used to this day - most recently in the spectacular Super Mario 3D World; by adding such feature, it opened up many possibilities such as mini-games and multiple paths. Something else which was introduced in this game is Mario's upgraded arsenal and mechanics. The Fire Flower is still here, of course, but Mario also dons his fan-favourite Tanooki Suit for the first time ever.

Other new power-ups which enhance Mario's abilities are also present, such as the Frog Suit which turns Mario into an Olympic swimmer, and the Hammer Suit which kits Mario out in a Hammer Bros. outfit and allows him to throw hammers at unsuspecting victims. However, the spotlight item is the Super Leaf, which aids Mario with the power of flight and also lets the moustached plumber whack Goombas with his newly acquainted tail.

Super Mario Bros. 3 plays just like its predecessors; players control Mario through a variety of different environments scattered across the Mushroom Kingdom, invading castles and taking out Bowser's Koopalings (this is their first appearance, too!), only this time there won't be a flagpole awaiting the plumber at the end of the level. Instead, players will have to jump up to hit a box which is cycling through various different items; doing so will award a card, and collecting three cards displaying the same icon rewards a bunch of lives.

As progress is made, levels get significantly harder, but in a sense, that isn't to say that the game is "cheap" or "broken" - to quote Cranky Kong on Twitter, this game was released in an era when falling in a pit in a platformer was called "lack of skill" and not "cheap." Players are responsible for every life lost and that's exactly the way it should be, even if some of the later levels do get quite frustrating.

For a game that was released over twenty years ago, Super Mario Bros. 3 has aged well and it is easy to say that it is one of the better NES games to look at. Featured here are surprisingly detailed sprites and levels which use the limited colour palette to the best of its abilities, coupled with the fact that Koji Kondo's wonderful compositions complement the overall design of the game. It is also quite hard not to help humming along with these infectious tunes!

Super Mario Bros. 3 is perfect in every sense of the word. Sure, it may have its flaws, but they are mostly due to the limitations of Nintendo's 8-bit machine, so in that sense it's actually quite amazing to think that a game that looks and plays so well to this day was released in an era where video games were in their toddler years. In fact, the only way Super Mario Bros. 3 could be made any better would be to release a version which features a more colourful experience and slightly upgraded music. Oh, wait, Nintendo already did this in the form of Super Mario All-Stars and Super Mario Advance 4.