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| I always found Bowser's cape here to be really cool, and was a little disappointed he never wore it in the games. |
“Oh, it's terrible!
The king has been transformed!
Please find the Magic Wand so we can change him back.”
- Toad
"So, I give you... SUPER! MARIO BROTHERS! THREE!!"
-Video Armageddon announcer, The Wizard
The Facts
Release Date: October 23, 1988 (Japan) February 12, 1990 (USA)
Original Platform: Famicom (Japan), Nintendo Entertainment System (USA)
Director: Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka
Producer: Shigeru Miyamoto
Also Playable On: PlayChoice-10, SNES (remake), GBA (remake),Virtual Console (Wii, 3DS, Wii U), NES Classic Edition, Nintendo Switch Online
What's the Deal
Thanks to the efforts of the Super Mario Bros., the Mushroom Kingdom is safe. However, in the greater Mushroom World, trouble is brewing. Bowser has sent his seven children (maybe. More on that later) to the eight neighboring countries to steal the Magic Wands belonging to each king and transform them into animals.
Now, Mario and Luigi must venture out into the eight kingdoms of the Mushroom World to take back the Magic Wands, undo the kings' transformation, and restore order.
Background/Development
Development started in 1986, after the release of The Lost Levels
The original idea was for the game to have an overhead perspective, like The Legend of Zelda, but due to jumping being Mario's main gameplay mechanic, the idea was scrapped because the camera angle made it difficult to judge where Mario would land.
I've also heard that an isometric perspective was considered.
Miyamoto had done a concept drawing of Mario riding a dinosaur, wanting it to happen in this game (since they were unable to fit it into the previous ones), but...not this time.
Takashi Tezuka wanted to avoid another “expansion pack” sequel like The Lost Levels, so he instead set out to rework pretty much everything, from Mario's moveset to the graphical style.
Programmers had a long, narrow meeting room known as the “Map Room” where they spent the day programming map data.
An idea for a power-up was for Mario to become an centaur, but it was felt that a raccoon/tanuki was moreso Mario's style.
In addition to the Spade Panel and N-Mark Spade minigames, two other minigames were considered, with a Koopa Troopa and Hammer Bro hosting the game instead of Toad. Graphics were made for this (marking the first time a Koopa Troopa was shown standing on two legs instead of four), but were removed.
As a way of paying tribute for their hard work, Miyamoto based the Koopalings' design on seven of his programmers.
A combination of the 1988 chip shortage and taking a while to get a Super Mario Bros. 2 to replace The Lost Levels in the West caused the game's release to be delayed nearly two years.
Around this time, Tom Pollack of Universal Studios approached Nintendo of America with a pitch for a movie, an NES-themed take on Tommy.
This film, titled The Wizard, was released in 1989, starring Fred Savage, Luke Edwards. Jenny Lewis, Beau Bridges, and Christian Slater. The climax of the movie is the “Video Armageddon” tournament, where Jimmy (Edwards) makes it to the finals, where the game played is the never-before-seen-by-Americans Super Mario Bros. 3.
It's an interesting little movie. I didn't say it was good, though. But it is a fun snapshot of when the NES ruled the world in the late 80s.
My History With It
Like the other NES Super Marios, I first encountered this as part of the SNES Super Mario All-Stars remake compilation in the late 90s.
I feel like I was more enamored with the original Super Mario Bros. due to its historical value, but I quickly came to realize how great SMB3 is.
My best friend at the time owned an NES and this game, and we'd frequently talk about it.
In '98, I got a copy of the Nintendo Power Player's Guide for this game, which my grandmother had found in her house. I wondered if it belonged to my dad, but didn't know for sure.
Around this time, I had finally managed to make it to World 8 (thanks to the Magic Whistle), and even to Bowser's Castle, but was unable to get through it.
In 2003, I used my Christmas money to buy Super Mario Advance 4, which contained a slightly-updated version of the All-Stars remake. This was the first version of the game I'd ever finished.
Two years later, I'd accidentally stepped on a sharpened pencil and broke the point off in my foot. I was playing the World 8 Fortress in Super Mario Advance 4 on my GBA as a distraction while my grandmother used ice, rubbing alcohol, and a sewing needle to do some improvised home surgery to remove the point from my foot. The surgery was successful.
Not really related to the game, but this was around the same time that I fell into a manhole while walking around my hometown. It was not a good period for my safety.
Around 2011 or so, my youngest brother and I got into the habit of playing through the old Super Mario games together. This (All-Stars version) was the one we put the most time into. I have fond memories of us making breadsticks from canned biscuit dough and just staying up all night playing Super Mario Bros. 3, having deep conversations like brothers tend to do.
A year later, I'd invited my best friend over to hang out with me and try to play through the NES version of the game in one sitting (since there's no save function).
We made it to World 7. I was watching him play 7-1, when Luigi just...stopped in his tracks. The game was still running, but Luigi was standing still. I looked over at my friend, who'd fallen asleep with the controller in his hand. It was somewhere around 5:00 AM, and I'd decided that we should probably call it a night.
Somewhere in 2012, I was telling my then 6-year-old cousin about how awesome the game is, and decided to show him by playing it...and ended up playing the whole thing in one sitting.
Aside from dabbling in it here and there (such as casually playing the All-Stars version when it hit Nintendo Switch Online), I haven't put a ton of time into SMB3 in quite a while.
Last summer, I was invited to give a talk at my local library on Free Comic Book Day. Among the geeky activities they had were various video games, such as a Nintendo Switch with an NSO subscription. Whoever was there before me had opened SMB3, so I decided to kill a few minutes by playing it. As I was doing the infinite 1-Up trick in 1-2, a small child walked up and stood next to me, watching me play. I turned to him and asked “Hey, how ya doin'?” and he suddenly sneezed in my face, then asked “Can I play?” I handed him the controller, and went to go wash and disinfect my face.
Playthrough
Played On: NES
The first two games opened with the title and Mario standing in 1-1. SMB2 opened with a silent movie title card explaining the story, which was an improvement.
This game, however, opens with a curtain raising on Mario and Luigi on a stage, about to do some kind of act, but it goes wrong, with Luigi jumping off his brother's head, knocking the title and various enemies and items from the rafters above. Mario tries to clean it up, and accidentally kicks a Shell at Luigi, who kicks it back at him, causing him to take damage and run backstage, presumably deciding that the show isn't worth salvaging. Then three Koopa Troopas wander past, with a fourth one hurriedly rushing to catch up.
Now THAT'S an intro. Creative and funny, with our heroes trying to put on a show for us, and everything going wrong.
I'll admit, as a kid, I saw this game as having an underlying theme of the Mario Bros. bickering with each other. I read Luigi jumping on Mario and kicking the shell at him as being malicious, as was Mario kicking it back. The inclusion of the “Battle Mode” didn't help. Wasn't until well into adulthood that I realized that wasn't the case.
My first time seeing the map for World 1, and the castle calling “HELP!” had me thinking that this game was very, very short, since I believed that the castle belonged to Bowser, and Princess Toadstool was being held there.
I've mentioned before that World 1-1 of Super Mario Bros. teaches you how to play the game by how it's laid out. SMB3, however, seems to assume you've already played the first game, and starts introducing new elements almost right out of the gate.
There's a Goomba and some ? Blocks...but also some semisolid platforms, and soon the first fire-breathing Piranha Plant, then a ? Block on the ground containing a Super Leaf allowing Mario to fly for the first time, after taking out the first Para-Goomba.
"Pick a box", you say...?
Man, that first flight as Raccoon Mario is something special. Once you take out the Goombas, there's a runway and a trail of coins leading upwards, subtly instructing the player on what to do.
By using Raccoon Mario's tail to slow your descent near the Goomba-spawning pipes in World 1-2, you can rack up infinite 1-Ups by bouncing off of the Goombas without hitting the ground. It's what I spend the most time doing in this level, to be honest.
This is also where the first Starman in the game appears. In this game, when invincible, Mario and Luigi will somersault through the air instead of jumping. This is the origin of their backwards double jump animation in the Super Smash Bros. games.
World 1-3 has the first white block platform, which your Mario Bro. can crouch on for five seconds and drop into the background. Doing so allows the player to run behind the level goal and collect the first Recorder item.
Until about an hour ago (when I looked it up), I always assumed the Recorder was officially named the “Warp Whistle”, despite Princess Toadstool referring to it as the “Magic Whistle” in one of her letters. It seems like “Magic Whistle” was the most commonly-used official name until 2016, where Paper Mario: Color Splash officially named it the “Recorder”.
World 1-4 is completely optional, and my brothers and I would often just skip it when we played.
The Roto-Disc enemies are weird. I don't remember if I grabbed the Recorder in the World 1 Fortress on this playthrough.
The Nintendo Power comic, Howard & Nester, had an entry devoted to the title characters going through this Fortress. Howard Phillips flew upwards to grab the Recorder, while Nester pressed onwards, knocking himself unconscious on the lowering spikes in the next room (which always felt weird to me, since the dialogue calls them spikes, but they're drawn as stalactites and Nester is knocked out as if he hit a blunt object)
Howard & Nester is a fun comic, by the way. Especially if you're nostalgic for the NES era (Source: the "Howard & Nester Comics Archive" at http://hn.iodized.net/)
The Note Blocks are neat and all, but I wish they'd taken cues from the later games and make them actually play musical notes when jumped on.
The slope at the start of 1-5 doesn't seem to serve any purpose but to have Mario enter the level with style. I can appreciate that.
I really like the animation for jumping off a slope after sliding off of it, where Mario holds out his arms and kicks his feet. Too bad you can't do it when Raccoon or Tanooki Mario.
The brain of a child can be weird. I've always known they were hammers, but the design of the Hammer Bros' weapons in this game looked like VHS tapes on sticks.
The King has been transformed into a dog! But in the SNES and GBA remakes, he's a Cobrat (from Super Mario Bros. 2) instead.
Everyone grabs the Magic Wand in mid-air. I'm not even gonna ask. I know you do.
The question here is: do you grab it as it's falling, or do you grab it when it bounces off the floor? I do the latter. It's more stylish.
As a kid, I found the cutscene of the Airship disappearing and Mario falling through the clouds to be such an awesome effect. Still looks pretty cool.
After defeating Larry Koopa, Princess Toadstool has sent me a P-Wing.
If you're playing the All-Stars version, Princess Toadstool's name isn't capitalized. Oops.
World 1, Grass Land, is finished! Now, onto World 2: Desert Hill!
Some versions of the game call it Desert Land, and the 1990 Player's Guide calls it the “Koopahari Desert”, which was later used in the 1993 live-action movie as the name of the barren wasteland covering most of the planet.
The Pile Driver Micro-Goombas (what a name) don't shine like normal brick blocks in the NES version of the game. They do in the remakes, which makes them harder to spot.
In our youth, my brothers and I saw the Fire Snake enemies as looking somewhat catlike. I'm not sure why.
The World 2 Fortress introduces Thwomps and Boos! Very important.
Y'know that room where the things covered in spikes are moving up and down? Don't fly upwards as Raccoon Mario. The ceiling is also covered in spikes, despite being off-screen. Maybe as a punishment for using the P-Wing?
World 2-Quicksand is the big one. The one where Mario has to deal with the Angry Sun. Without a doubt, one of the most memorable levels in the game, and one of the most iconic NES levels.
I know it's possible to take out the Angry Sun with a Koopa Shell, but I wasn't able to in this playthrough. The collision detection seemed off. I can do it just fine on the SNES and GBA versions.
Yes, this is the level that Facebook meme is referencing every hot summer day
World 2-5 introduces the Chain Chomp! And if they tug on their chain 50 times (or if the timer reaches 160 seconds), they'll break loose.
The guide I had as a kid referred to the non-standard types of coins as “Silver Coins”, but apparently they're officially “Blue Coins”, and have always been. Huh.
The team was really excited about reaching the third game in this series. Aside from that coin formation in the shape of an Arabic numeral 3 in 1-1, there's also a lake in the shape of a Roman numeral III on the right side of World 2, behind a rock.
That area introduces the Frog Suit in the Toad House, as well as the Fire Bros.
I'm glad this is the only game to have map screen-only items like the Hammer, Music Box, Lakitu's Cloud, and Anchor. I never use 'em, aside from the Hammer in this particular World.
I do think it's neat how the Music Box plays the Super Mario Bros. Ground Theme, though.
Music Boxes are very important in Wario Land 3, but I'm not gonna be covering that game in this blog. You should definitely play it, though. Wario Lands II-4 are AWESOME.
The King of Desert Hill was turned into a spider! In the SNES and GBA versions, he became a Hoopster (again from SMB2), specifically.
Rocky Wrenches are the worst, man. They're not so bad in the World 2 Airship, but if memory serves, they're a real pain in World 8.
Morton Koopa Jr. is defeated, and Princess Toadstool has given me a Lakitu's Cloud.
World 3 is next!
Depending on which version you're playing or looking up, it's called “Water Land”, “Sea Side”, or “Ocean Side”.
The coral reminds me of Froot Loops cereal.
Maybe Apple Jacks?
World 3-2 is the return of the “Cheep Cheeps jumping at you from below” levels from the first two games.
There seems to be a “scout” in the water at all times, though. It's constantly following Mario, and while it will jump from the water, it doesn't go very high. Interesting.
Boss Bass, of course, is terrifying.
I learned today that Boss Bass is nowadays known as "Big Cheep Cheep". That's lame. (image source: this YouTube playthrough)
The first Fortress in World 3 is fun because there's a light puzzle element, with trying to figure out which door leads to Boom Boom, since the others drop Mario or Luigi into a pool.
World 3-4 introduces us to a Lakitu throwing Spiny Eggs that don't hatch, instead they roll around, chasing Mario.
World 3-4, 3-6, and 3-7 don't feel like they belong here, instead being more at home in World 1.
3-7 introduces us to the enemy known as Spike (not to be confused with Foreman Spike from Wrecking Crew). Who is an interesting enemy, but with a really uncreative name.
The second World 3 Fortress is entirely underwater (hence I brought along the Frog Suit for this one), and brings us Stretch, a variant of Boo that is stuck to a platform.
I believe my friend and I used to refer to Stretches as “Ghost Bars”, but recent appearances have gotten rid of the white bar they emerge from, and just have them stick to normal platforms instead.
World 3-9 has a neat theme of going both above ground and underwater.
There's a fun glitch you can do here to turn your Mario Bro invisible.
Bob-ombs appear here, making them the first Doki-Doki Panic enemy to appear in a Super Mario game.
There's a canoe on the map that Mario can use to gain access to islands with Toad Houses and Spade Panel games.
It's worth mentioning that the island where this World's castle is located is shaped like Japan, with the castle located about where Kyoto, Nintendo's headquarters, is.
If you run into the Wandering Hammer Bro on the map, make sure it's on one of the islands. If you initiate the battle while on a part of the map that's on the water, the battlefield will be flooded.
The King has been transformed into a kappa (a Dino-Rhino from Super Mario World in the SNES and GBA remakes)!
Wendy O. Koopa's Airship is green. Neat.
Going back to the castle representing Nintendo's headquarters, the King, after having been turned back to normal, resembles...Mario.
Also, by completing the Airship as Frog Mario, I got this Easter Egg. The Princess has sent me a Music Box! Yay.
So, while the first three Worlds of the game are introducing new elements against themes we've seen before, World 4 is where we start getting some new locales. Welcome to World 4, “Giant Land”, or “Big Island”!
I'm of mixed opinions about Big Island. On one hand, when it leans into the theme and has everything gigantic (like in 4-1, 4-2, 4-5, and 4-6), it's great! One of my favorite areas in the game! But when everything's normal-sized (apart from maybe a few scenery bits), it just feels like wasted potential.
Though I'll admit that some of those “wasted potential” still do interesting things, like having Lakitu hovering above an underwater course, or the first Fortress including the Hot Foot enemies, and horizontally-moving Thwomps.
World 4-6 is cool because of the Magic Doors that change the size of the level, with certain things being hidden in the “big” side that aren't in the normal-sized side...and vice-versa!
The Directional Lifts and maze of Warp Pipes in World 4-Fortress 2 seem to be foreshadowing World 7.
Tanooki Time!
The king has been transformed into a small dinosaur (and Donkey Kong Jr. in the SNES and GBA version!)
Managed to make it through Iggy Koopa's Airship as Tanooki Mario, and got another Easter Egg from the King, as well as a P-Wing from Princess Toadstool.
Now, for World 5, which appears to be another variation of Grass Land, but even shorter?
Admittedly, the levels have a different vibe, with enemies like Buster Beetles and Nipper Plants feeling like weird variations on Buzzy Beetles and Piranha Plants.
This form doesn't last very long. It's a Statue of Limitations. 5-2 is neat because there's two different paths to complete the level depending on what choices you make at the very beginning.
World 5-3, baby! Goomba's Shoe!
This sorta-power-up takes what would've been a slightly unusual level (since the first part has the player moving left instead of right), and makes it the stuff of legend.
Looking adorable hopping around in a giant shoe that allows Mario to jump on stuff that ordinarily would harm him...what's not to love?
The spiral Tower Level is themed like a Fortress, but with some outdoor segments that depict Mario/Luigi ascending up into the clouds, and doesn't end with the card roulette or a Boom Boom battle. Instead, the level ends up going up a Warp Pipe, taking you to...
...the rest of World 5, “Sky Land” or simply “The Sky”.
The rest of the World kinda blurs together to me. It's all good stuff, but nothing really sticks out. Lots of clouds, a few of 'em have Lakitu to deal with, there's that one stage with the Para-Beetles to ride on...all feels the same.
The King here has been, appropriately enough, turned into a bird (specifically an Albatoss from Super Mario Bros. 2 in the remakes).
He's got a weird design in the NES version. The one in the remakes looks better.
Princess Toadstool has sent me a Lakitu's Cloud, and I'm off to World 6, “Ice Land”/”Iced Land”!
The Ptooie enemies are a nuisance, because it's hard to time the jump between them and the spiked ball they're blowing on since I'm sliding around on the ground, and because they don't seem to be actively attacking me, and are just playing, so I don't wanna bother 'em.
I wonder how many playthroughs back in the day were cut short by World 6-5, where the player has to fly towards the ceiling with a Koopa Shell to break away blocks in order to finish the level? Really obtuse, and requires some dexterity.
I'd consider this a really awesome level if I encountered it in either Super Mario Maker, though.
6-8's grassy theme really clashes with the winter wonderland of the rest of this World.
Does World 6 have the most levels of any World in the game?
Ten regular courses, three Fortresses, two Toad Houses, and a partridge in a pear tree.
All these years later, and the idea of thawing coins and enemies out with Fireballs is still a super-cool concept to me.
The King is a seal (a Monty Mole in the remakes).
Finished Lemmy Koopa's Airship as Hammer Mario, and got all three Easter Eggs! Princess Toadstool's letter contains another P-Wing.
Off to World 7: Pipe Maze (or “Pipe Land”, of course)
Is anyone still reading at this point? If you are, thank you.
7-1 is where my best friend fell asleep when we pulled that all-nighter playing this game.
"Somebody, call me a plumber!"
"Okay, you're a plumber."
Always found the directional lifts annoying.
I like how these types of levels are centered around moving upwards, with the sides wrapping around, like in Mario Bros., or Super Mario Bros. 2/Doki-Doki Panic.
Y'know, I have yet to summon a White Toad House or Treasure Ship in this playthrough. Maybe I won't..
The first Fortress in World 7 is very weird, and kinda unsettling.
It's just empty. There are no enemies in it at all, save for Boom Boom.
You can see the balls that Roto-Discs rotate around, the bars that Stretches emerge from, candles for Hot Foots, but those enemies aren't there. I don't even think Lava Bubbles jump out.
You kinda get the impression that this was going to be a standard level, but everyone had to leave suddenly. Except for Boom Boom. Why did he have to stay behind?
There's also a puzzle element. Unless you find the P-Switch that reveals a hidden door, the Fortress just loops around infinitely.
It's also one of the few levels that requires a power-up in order to complete it. Specifically, a tail for flight. Luckily, there's a giant ? Block with a Tanooki Suit inside.
Very odd stuff. And I think it's my favorite Fortress in the game. I'm a very odd person, I guess.
The level layouts in World 7 are unconventional by this game's standards. Some puzzle-solving, mazes, and neat gimmicks (like having to stay invincible in 7-7). The theme for this world doesn't do much for me, but the layouts make up for it.
The king has been transformed into (appropriately enough) a Venus Fire Trap!
In the remakes, he's been instead turned into...Yoshi?! (really blew my mind seeing that as a kid, since I knew that SMB3 was released before Yoshi's debut in Super Mario World. Wasn't til later that I learned that the kings' transformations were changed from the NES version. What's really interesting was realizing this is still a sneak preview of sorts, since Yoshi here is how he appears in Yoshi's Island, which was released two years after All-Stars).
No, seriously. I was practically scandalized by this.
Ludwig von Koopa was my favorite Koopaling as a kid. Not sure why. Maybe it's because I'm the oldest of my mom's children, and it was implied that Ludwig is the oldest Koopaling?
Anyway, I beat him, and restored the King (who appears to be a stereotypical Viking, which is neat), and Princess Toadstool has sent me a...wait...
In her defense, this is only the second or third time she's been kidnapped by him, depending on how one counts it. (and the last time was either five, two, or four years ago). Time for World 8, Dark Land (or “Bowser's Castle”)!
There IS a World 9, but it's Warp Zone, and has no actual levels, so I didn't go there this time.
I admittedly never thought much about the name “Dark Land”, but I realized this playthrough that it's fairly literal. The backgrounds for every stage are pitch black, and the second part of the map screen is in perfect darkness, with Mario only being able to see the immediate area around him.
So, it was confirmed by Miyamoto several years back that this game depicts a stage play, hence the opening cutscene, why some platforms can be seen bolted onto the background or hanging from wires, and the end of each level has Mario/Luigi going backstage. What if World 8 is so Dark because it's located entirely backstage?
(for the record, I think the events of the game are canon, but they're being presented to us as a stage play, similarly to how Paper Mario is set in a storybook. Doesn't mean it didn't happen.)
Mario and Luigi may look adorable, but remember that they fought off Bowser's entire army of airships, tanks, and battleships. ON THEIR OWN.
Of course, the best way to navigate the Battleship fleet is to swim underneath the whole level.
It's possible to go through Dark Land without actually activating the Hand Traps. But, I want the whole Super Mario Bros. 3 experience, so I let myself be taken by 'em. All three are short anyway.
I had been saving one of my P-Wings for the World 8 Airship.
The remakes giving actual backgrounds to 8-1 and 8-2 doesn't feel right to me. I understand what they're going for, but I prefer the pitch-blackness of the NES version, especially since this is the part of the map that's not visible because of darkness.
The Angry Sun makes its only other appearance in World 8-2, but if you sink into the quicksand at the start of the level and make your way through one of the two secret passageways at the bottom of the quicksand, you can prevent the Sun from appearing.
When my brother and I played this level, I remember him (as Luigi), just barely making a long jump. We both know that it didn't actually happen, but we both still remember seeing Luigi's foot kick some dirt off of the edge of the platform when he landed, due to how close it was.
I know I said I want the full SMB3 experience, but...I've always hated the World 8 Fortress. I'm just gonna use Lakitu's Cloud to skip it.
I do like the background added to the final Tank level in the remakes, because the outside of Bowser's Castle is visible, and we know how much I like that.
Bowser's Castle itself on the map screen looks like a creepy face, which wasn't carried over into the remakes, unfortunately.
Then again, maybe it's for the best. That's uh...yikes.
The laser-spitting Bowser Statues are annoying.
I'm kinda curious as to what's on the lower levels of the castle, since I always take the top route after learning that's the correct path.
Time to face off against the Koopa King himself! This battle was kinda infamous back in the day for being easy, but that's not necessarily true. It's simple, sure. But easy? Not really. Took me a few tries.
That said, what makes it easier is the fact that (in the NES version, it was fixed in the remakes) Bowser's lower body has no collision detection. So, Mario can crouch and Bowser can land on him without taking damage.
Thus begins the trend of every Bowser battle being more epic than the previous.
Princess Toadstool's kind of a troll in the English version on NES and All-Stars. I like it.
This was still the era before game developers were properly credited, so we get scenes of Mario's adventure in each World (with some new graphics) as a kind of final bow before the curtain drops.
Oh, you!
Power-Ups
Returning:
Super Mushroom
Fire Flower
Starman
New:
Super Leaf
P-Wing
Frog Suit
Tanooki Suit
Hammer Bros Suit
P-Switch
Milestones
Debut appearance of the Koopalings: Larry, Morton, Wendy O., Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig.
First use of a World Map.
First appearance of the greater Mushroom World.
Technically the first appearance of new power-ups besides the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Star.
Debut of Note Blocks and slopes
Mario & Luigi are able to pick up and carry objects for the first time
First autoscrolling levels.
SMB3 is also the first game to allow the player to jump into and out of water.
Debut appearance of P-Switches.
The player is able to keep items in reserve for the first time, but only on the map.
First power-up to enable flight.
Toad Houses make their debut.
First animal-themed costumes for Mario and Luigi.
First mid-World fortresses.
Debut of Boom-Boom, Boos, Thwomps, Chain Chomps, Dry Bones, Boomerang Bros, Munchers, Rocky Wrenches, Fire Bros, Spikes, and Nipper Plants, all of which become Super Mario mainstays.
First appearances of giant versions of enemies, in World 4.
First appearance of Airships.
Trivia
The Recorder item originates from The Legend of Zelda. Link can use the Recorder to summon a tornado to take him somewhere else, much like Mario does here. The same tune is played on the instrument in both games.
In Japanese folklore, tanuki are known for being a form taken by a type of yōkai known as “bake-danuki”, who are able to shapeshift through use of a magic leaf. See where this is going?
Tanooki Mario's ability to transform into a statue is a reference to bake-danuki. And the fact that Raccoon Mario is achieved via the Super Leaf and is known as “Tail Mario” in Japan indicates that he's not actually supposed to be a raccoon after all, but is actually supposed to be a disguised tanuki.
In addition to Japan being on the map for World 3, some argue that Big Island from World 4 is shaped like a Koopa Troopa (I kinda see it, but I'm not sure if it's intentional), and the islands on the World 7 map form the shape of three Warp Pipes (which is definitely intentional).
In the PAL version of the game, the letter at the end of World 7 is signed by a regular Koopa Troopa, for some reason. Not Bowser, the “King of the Koopa” like in every other version.
I guess in Europe, Bowser's too busy to be writing letters.
Conclusion
I'm gonna be honest with you here. Super Mario Bros. 3 is the best game on NES.
Yeah, I know, big surprise.
It's massive, with ninety levels! And almost all of them are unique in gimmick or layout that makes them memorable. Case in point, the “playthrough” section of this post is my longest yet because there was just so much cool stuff to point out.
Each World has its own theme and motif that gives every section of the game its own personality, which, in my opinion, makes up for the short length of the levels themselves.
Takes the gameplay of the first two Super Mario Bros. and expands on 'em greatly. New powerups, new moves (being able to pick up and carry stuff was a big deal, man), new NPCs and enemies, the ability to hold onto items in reserve, the first use of a map screen which opened up a bunch of stuff...
all while sticking with the basics that the first game established.
The game is never content with resting on its laurels and is constantly throwing new experiences at the player: in this level, the sun itself is after you! You've got a giant shoe that can bounce off anything! These Para-Beetles can harm you, but you can also safely ride on their backs! There's no enemies in this fortress! You can change the size of all the enemies here! These coins are frozen and you can thaw them out with a Fireball!
Absolutely recommended. The definite high point of the series thus far. Is it possible for anything to top this one?
“You got so many heroes from coast to coast
But then, Superman won't even come close
So for Koopa and his villainous crew
I ain't got nothing except for bad news '
Cause it's official, and every test that passes
Mario Bros. are cool like sunglasses”
- Ambassadors of Funk, “King of the Koopas”
Next time: Something tops this one. Open the door, get on the floor, and everybody walk the dinosaur as we go to Super Mario World!
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