Super Mario Bros. 3

"A definite challenger for the title of best game of all time"

Super Mario Brothers 3 is the third game in the famous NES series, and unquestionably the best one. It offers the best platform action there is on any system, and even today does not show its age one bit. Sporting superior NES graphics, pinpoint play control, legendary level design, and so much more, Super Mario Brothers 3 is a definite candidate for the best overall game of all time, even though it came out ten years ago. Your objective is to run and jump through countless levels to save Princess Toadstool who has been kidnapped by Bowser. This has got to be the best, most creative, and best thought out plot of any game ever made. (Note: The last sentence was the only use of sarcasm in this review.) Simply reach the end of each level to clear it. Wait, that’s not so easy because there’s obstacles and Bowser’s baddies in the way. Doesn’t seem that good, but it is. Why? Well,

What makes Super Mario Brothers 3 so good?
First of all, the graphics are outstanding. The creativity that went into this game tops all others. The richly designed worlds are beautiful to look at and play in. Next, the level design is flat out incredible. Each level is done so well, and it’s such a great experience playing through each and every one. And unlike SMB and SMB 2, there is no shortage of levels, on the contrary, there are 8 worlds with an average of 8 levels in each one, not including lots of goodies, and surprises. Which brings me to another thing, there are so many surprises in this game, which makes it all the much better. For example, in World 6 (The Ice World), I beat a level, and on the world map, a hammer brother, whom you ordinarily have to face, turned into a ship! I entered, and it was filled with coins galore, although at the end, I finally had to fight the Hammer Brothers anyway. There are tons of items, with one of the best a Hammer Brothers suit which lets you throw hammers at enemies! So many elements are beyond cool. And now, to the individual scores…

Graphics: 95/100
The graphics of SMB3 are extremely improved over SMB 2, which makes the experience even better. Both characters, Mario and Luigi, look outstanding and the animation is exceptional, especially for an NES game. The worlds and levels are what also help give the graphics such a high score. Each one is beautifully drawn, they have their own unique look, and they are varied and wonderful. The creativity and effort that went into each level is obvious. The developers put in lots of details, colored the worlds so that everything is bright and merry…well…not the ones in the Dark World, but what do you expect? Anyway, an exceptional job is done with the graphics.

Play Control: 82/100
Classic Mario controls resurface in this game. The B button is for running, the A button is for jumping, but there are many, many new things. As usual, you can throw fireballs with the B button, but you can also gain a Raccoon suit, which gives you the ability to float slowly in air, and if you build enough speed, to fly. There are other suits too, including one that lets you both fly and turn into a statue! Nothing is awkward, and jumping is excellent. You won’t slip up due to the control. Everything is perfectly drawn out and extremely intuitive.

Sound/Music: 75/100
Both the sounds and music are done very, very well. The sounds are much more varied than in many NES games, and much effort was undertaken here. The music is excellent, and many tunes are definitely memorable and worth listening to. There is plenty of variety in the music too, as it doesn’t repeat nearly as often as the first two SMB games.

Gameplay: 97/100
An extremely high score is given to gameplay, for several reasons. First, the level design is spectacular, from obstacles to impossible leaps, to moving levels to enemy placement. There’s grass, sand, ice, water, underground caves, and much more, including a world in the sky! The boss of each world is one of the Koopa Kids, and although they aren’t too chalenging, you must go through a difficult level to get to them, and they’re fun to beat. Every single level is fun, extremely well designed, and is packed full of surprises. Enemies are plentiful, and there are many of them to dodge or destroy. The obstacles range from traps to impossible leaps to tough enemies. A minor complaint is that the levels seem kind of imbalanced, in that some are more difficult than others. For example, you may just beat an extremely difficult one, and move forward to an easy one. Also, some levels don’t seem long enough, but that’s okay because they’re so many of them and they’re so well designed. Several minigames appear throughout, and the best one is the matching game. Jumping, running, and defeating enemies in each level never gets repetitive because the levels are unique, varied, and fun.

Replay Value: Extremely High
With so many levels, and being so great, and each one being such a wonderful experience in itself, it’ll be difficult not to get addicted. You’ll want to play this one over and over and over.

Challenge: Medium
This game is not easy, even if you take warps. Several levels are extremely difficult which will just make you desire to succeed, but others are pretty easy.

Good Points:
Incredible level design.
Excellent graphics.
Very, very good replay value.
Extremely challenging at times.
Great minigames.
Legendary game.
Bad Points:
Some levels aren’t long enough.
Challenge is kind of unbalanced.
Not many other games are this good…(wait, that’s a good point!)

Overall: 94/100
If you play this game, you will remember it forever. So what are you waiting for? Find it somewhere! It’s worth it, and I don’t think I need to repeat all of my praises for this game. Eh, why not? Anyway, this is a must have game and it will keep you busy for a really long time. Why you ask? Because the levels are just sooooooo good, and soooooooo fun!

Rounded to fit GameFaqs score: 9/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/16/01, Updated 02/16/01