Super Mario Bros. 3

- Reviewed on NES Classic -

Super Mario Bros. 3 released on October 23rd, 1988. 

This title in the Mario Series would go on to become one of the most beloved / popular games of all time, earning releases on other platforms such as the Game Boy Advance and being featured in Arcade Cabinets. 

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

The NES (Nintendo Entertainment System) was the original platform for the third iteration of Super Mario Bros. 

On November 11th, 2016, Nintendo released the NES Classic which was a limited time sale / production. 

This Mini Version of the NES was a small / powerful mini console that held 21 games that are / were related to Nintendo. One of these games being Super Mario Bros. 3. 

I played Super Mario Bros. 3 from beginning to end on the NES Classic and I have never beaten this game throughout my entire childhood, but I recently accomplished that goal before making this blog post. 

The joy I had while playing this title was through the roof, the music was soothing, the levels were fairly easy in the beginning but towards the end I was screaming at the television when that one Piranha Plant would get Mario! 

I did not see this anger as a negative aspect of the game, I saw it as progression, and that Shigeru Miyamoto (Creator of Mario) and his team put a lot of effort and time into making this game feel like a true Mario Adventure! 

Super Mario Bros. 3 has a world map in which Mario (and Luigi if playing in 2 player mode), can travel across to access the levels needed to move on in the world(s). 

Not only do you play the traditional levels, but there are also a handful of side activities on the world map(s). 

You can visit Toad's house to pick one box / chest out of three and get a random item (one time use only).

If playing in 2 player mode, you can play the traditional Mario Bros. game by going to the space on the world map labeled "start". 

After completing certain levels, there is a special activity that pops up on the world map in which you can play memory (2 chances each game) to get items such as a Star, Mushroom, 1-Up, Fire Flower, 10 Coins, etc. 

Hammer Bros. are also present on the world map, and they can't be ignored if you travel in their direction. 

However, if you have a music box, you can put them to sleep for a one-time use. 

I never did this in my play through of Super Mario Bros. 3 because quite frankly the Hammer Bros. aren't really hard at all to get rid of and also on the plus side, you get an item to use after defeating them (sometimes one or two Hammer Bros. at a time). 

There is a special item you get from the previously said Hammer Bros. and that is a hammer. 

You can use this hammer to destroy boulders on the world map and sometimes they have secrets, like a flute to travel to a whole different world, skipping the world you currently were on! 

I hated world seven because of how hard it was, so I used my flute I got from world two and I skipped it entirely and went straight to world eight! 

One final side activity on the world map, is a luck room in which you stop a spinning picture and if you get lucky and get a full three out of three match you get extra lives!

The pictures are of a Mushroom, Star, and Fire Flower. 

I was able to get a match about twice in my whole playthrough so unless there is a strategy about it I have no idea about, don't get your hopes up every time you see these lucky spaces on the world maps. 

Each world in Super Mario Bros. 3 has there own special trait / personality as well. 

I really liked / enjoyed this aspect of Super Mario Bros. 3 and this game aspect went on to be a traditional idea / thing for all the future Super Mario Bros. titles. 

I loved how each world also introduced new game mechanics / enemies as well. They also of course had their own items and their own themes to go along with those items. 

For example, the water world would have water levels spread apart throughout the map and also include a lot of Frog Suits to help Mario (and Luigi) swim faster. 

Then on the sky world, they would have a lot of Leaf Suits to help Mario (and Luigi) fly better / longer. Attention to little details like that really made this game a joy to play!

Enemies were a lot of fun to defeat in Super Mario Bros. 3 and there are a lot of enemies to see in this title. The complete list of enemies include...

    - Angry Sun

    - Baby Cheep

    - Baby Blooper

    - Big Goomba

    - Big Piranha Plant

    - Big Koopa Troopa 

    - Blooper Nanny

    - Boo

    - Boomerang Bro

    - Bull's-Eye Bill

    - Boss Bass

    - Bull's-Eye Blaster

    - Buster Beetle

    - Chain Chomp

    - Colossal Koopa Paratroopa 

    - Dry Bones

    - Fire Bro

    - Fire Nipper Plant

    - Fire Piranha Plant

    - Fire Snake

    - Flame Chomp

    - Hot Foot 

    - Jelectro

    - Lava Lotus

    - Muncher

    - Mini Goomba

    - Nipper Plant

    - Para-Beetle 

    - Paragoomba 

    - Ptooie

    - Rocky Wrench

    - Pile Driver Micro-Goomba

    - Roto-disc

    - Sledge Bro

    - Spike

    - Spiny Cheep Cheep

    - Stretch 

    - Thwomp

As mentioned earlier there are also eight worlds to accomplish and explore, these worlds being...

    - World 1 (Grass Land)

    - World 2 (Desert Land)

    - World 3 (Water Land)

    - World 4 (Giant Land)

    - World 5 (Sky Land)

    - World 6 (Ice Land)

    - World 7 (Pipe Land)

    - World 8 (Dark Land)

There is also a World 9 called Warp Zone which can only be accessed by using the special flute item discussed earlier (by beating Hammer Bros. in secret locations of the World Maps).

Playing through this game I noticed that the progression in difficulty was very balanced between all 8 worlds, however I was disappointed in the final boss battle (SPOILER) with Bowser.  

This was a big disappointment for me with Super Mario Bros. 3. 

Along with the lag I got throughout the game, the final boss battle was very self-explanatory and very easy to beat. 

However, the journey to Bowser (The Previous Worlds and Levels) was harder than the actual Bowser Battle itself!

The ending scene(s) of Super Mario Bros. 3 was not satisfying at all either and it was very short. 

It simply was (SPOILER) Peach saying thank you and making a joke about her being in another castle. 

Afterwards her last words to Mario (or Luigi) are "Bye-Bye". Although humorous, it was very dull, and I was not a fan of this ending. 

I did not walk away satisfied after the Bowser Battle, that's the main issue here, but I did not dislike this game entirely because of this, the whole game / journey was absolutely incredible, and this Mario game is definitely by far, my favorite in the series and rightfully so!

Movement was great and fluid throughout the game, with minor lag in between. Power Ups were a delight and definitely was either the death of me or it would save me from rage quitting. 

This being the most popular Mario game in the Series in general is very appropriate because this is a one of a kind game / experience that I believe everyone should go through. 

Pros: 

    - Perfect Difficulty Balance 

    - Great Music

    - Interesting Enemies 

    - Two Player Capabilities 

    - Mini Games on World Map (With Benefits)

    - Great Movement / Control 

Cons:

    - Easy Final Battle (Harder to Get There, Than Actually Beat)

    - Minor Lag Throughout Game

    - Disappointing Ending Scene(s)

My Rating for Super Mario Bros. 3 (on NES Classic):

4 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.