Collection essentials #104 and #105: Super Mario Bros. 3 (NES, American and Japanese versions)

Here it is, the magnum opus of the NES. Super Mario Bros. 3 is the game that took all the great concepts from Super Mario Bros. 1 and masterfully evolved and implemented them with masterful level design to create one of the most revered video game classics. It had such a strong reception that it set a record for most copies sold without being bundled with a console, which it held for a long time even though the gaming player base still had a lot of growing to do back then.

One new thing that Super Mario Bros. 3 has is the “world map”. In Mario’s previous games, you simply played the levels in sequence. When you finished one, the next one would begin. But in SMB3, you navigate Mario (or Luigi) on a map where you can select what level you play next, though your choice is limited a bit because you can’t move past levels you haven’t beaten. But there are still instances where the pathway branches in a way that lets you pick between multiple levels. Also, there are many cool little things on the map other than levels, such as mini-games to win prizes with and places where you can get reserve power-ups that you can consume while on the map.

The game is compatible with two players, but Mario and Luigi cannot take on a level together. Normally the two players take turns, with one person playing a level and then the other player taking control after either a death or a clear. But SMB3 throws something interesting into the mix, and that is, if one player crosses the other one on the world map, they can be challenged to a simultaneous “battle mode” reminiscent of the (non-Super) Mario Bros. arcade game in which the winner gets to play the next level!

The game features eight worlds to traverse, each with their own very distinct theme. Ask anyone who has played this game and they will clearly remember them all, because they’re so well done and memorable. There are a wide variety of power-ups, such as the Super Leaf that lets you fly for a short time, a frog suit that makes you much more agile in the water, and plenty more. Level design is highly varied, with pretty much every level feeling somewhat unique and never dull. This incredible variety in gameplay prevents the game from ever feeling dull. The difficulty curve is also marvelous, with the first stage welcoming to newcomers, while the final world is tough as nails in a way that helps keep more experienced players engaged while making you really feel like you earned your victory march when you finally take down Bowser.

There’s barely any real criticism to be had with Super Mario Bros. 3, honestly. The only thing is that I think the game could have used a save or password system (something that would be remedied in future remakes). But even that’s not too big a complaint because there are “warp whistle” items that can transport you further in the game rather quickly once you know where to find them.

You’ll notice I’m including the original Japanese Famicom release here too. There are a few minor differences between the releases, but also one that is very significant that makes it worth owning for me. In the American release, if you have a “second-tier” power-up like the fire flower or Super Leaf, you lose that power-up and go back to being plain big Mario, and then you can get hit an additional time to shrink down to small Mario, and another hit while small means you’re dead. But in the Famicom version, if you get hit with one of those power-ups, you are shrunk ALL THE WAY DOWN to small Mario! So it’s a harder version of the game, which I’ll prefer if I’m looking for a challenge.

Since I didn’t have an NES as a young child, sadly I went too long growing up without actually owning Super Mario Bros. 3. The game actually came out in the U.S. a mere few days after I was born, which is pretty cool, but it also meant that by the time I was playing video games, it wasn’t the newest big game anymore. But I certainly played and always enjoyed it when visiting friends and family. There’s actually a remake that came out only a couple years later (we’ll get to that) that I played much more often back then. Later on I would play both the original NES and then Famicom versions too. 

I’ve seen much more of the NES’s library than the average person, and seen a lot of quality games for the system that largely flew under the radar. So I’d like to be able to introduce you all to some little-known diamond in the rough that you’ve never heard of that’s actually the true best NES game, only…I can’t, because this is a case where the most popular game really is the best one. Super Mario Bros. 3 is not just “good for its time” and good because of nostalgia, it is one of the greatest video game experiences, period, comparing favorably to 2D platformers released in the present day. If you can’t enjoy it, then video games probably just aren’t for you. If you’ve somehow never played it, go fix that ASAP. If you’ve played it a million times, go make it a million and one after reading this. It’s that good.