Super Mario Bros. 3
This review is for Super Mario Bros. 3. It’s Super Mario Bros. 3. What else do I have to say? A review, that’s what, so go read it.
Name: Super Mario Bros. 3
Game Ownership: Yes
Game Status: Beat Bowser on SNES/NES version. Beat every level in SNES version. (without saving)
How it was Acquired: Birthday Gift
Condition when Bought: Used
Preliminary Comments:
Fact: About one year before this game came out, this game (and its secrets) were revealed in the movie, “The Wizard”
Rant: I DON’T CARE IF IT WAS A GIANT COMMERCIAL! THE WIZARD ROCKS!!!
Fact: Many consider this to be the best Mario game of all time.
Fact: The idea of the Tanooki suit came from Japanese Mythology.
Fact: This game is one of the highest selling stand-alone games of all time.
Rant: READ NOW!
Graphics - 8.0
If you consider the system that this game came out on, this game’s graphics were godly. Perhaps this game perhaps doesn’t have the graphical prowless of other NES games like Kirby’s Adventure, but in comparison to the original Super Mario Bros. and the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, graphics have improved immensely. Enemies now have some noticeable detail! Mario looks better than ever before! Not only that, but one of the revolutionary things in this game is that for the first time, you can go backward in a level! Now, if that 1-up scrolls off to the left, you can actually go get it! Perhaps the best thing about it is that even with all of these improvements, the game had very little slowdown. Compared to a game like Kirby’s Adventure, this game ran great. Realistically speaking, the graphics couldn’t have gotten much better.
Sound - 7.5
The music in the game is some of the best in the Mario series. As is common with Koji Kondo, the music is very catchy and fits well with the level that the music is assigned to. Both the slow and faster overworld themes work great with the overworld setting, the classic underground music has been greatly updated to have some more form, and the theme of the airship has a great sense of atmosphere and forboding. However, I do have to say that not every song was a winner. For example, I thought the song when fighting Bowser could have been done better. Excluding the fact that it is good that the last boss has a theme, the song didn’t really go with the battle. Also, I am a little let down with the theme for fortresses. It’s a good theme, but it’s missing that certain something to make it special.
Story - 6.0
Contrary to what many people think, the story isn’t really “Save the Princess!” Bowser and his kids, the Koopalings (which suddenly appeared somehow), have gone out and wreaked havoc on the Mushroom World. Princess Toadstool sends out Mario and Luigi to go fix the problem. Later on in the game after world 7, Bowser does kidnap the Princess and sends you a ransom note. Mario and Luigi then go to Dark Land (which looks like hell…really!) to save her. Yes, the last part was spoilers but if you don’t know what happens by now, you are no gamer. Although the game does do a little more variation on story than the average Mario game, it still isn’t that remarkably great. However, anyone that is actually playing this game for story has serious issues.
Fun - 8.0
A lot of things have been implemented since Super Mario Bros. (the preceeding “official” Mario Bros. in America since Super Mario Bros. 2 was a remake of Doki Doki Panic). First off, instead of going through a constant string of levels, you now have a world map. You can now choose which levels to beat and which path to take. By doing certain things on parts of the map or taking certain routes, special parts of the map with items can be found. Another new feature that was never used before was that you can get power-ups and store them for use whenever you like! Upset that that one enemy in the very beginning of that one level keeps killing you? With this new item-saving feature, you can just grab a helpful item, like a Starman, and get through.
Speaking of power-ups, there are many new power ups to use. There is the Raccoon leaf which makes Mario fly after getting a running start. There is the Tanooki suit which also makes Mario fly as well as allows Mario to turn into an invincible statue. There is a Hammer Suit which allows Mario to throw hammers which kill almost anything. There is a Frog suit which although sucks on land, gives unparalleled control underwater. Other than power-ups, there are numerous secrets all over the game to find. You could look for the N-Spade mini-game, play the Match-Em up roulette, find the white Mushroom houses, find the Hammer Bros. Treasure Ship, find Warp Whistles, and many other things. Also, for those with two players, the makers have included a special mini-game which is actually the Mario Bros. arcade game. Don’t want to do that one level? Fight the other player in Mario Bros. and make him do it! You can fight each other to take their place, steal their end-of-level cards, or just play for fun.
Even with all the great stuff in this game, there is one criticism that I have. I never really liked how short some of the levels were. This doesn’t necessarily mean the levels were easy or not fun, just too short. If some of the levels were made to be longer, it would make the game’s fun that much higher.
Difficulty - 7.5
I’d say that other than the original Super Mario Bros. 2, this game would probably be the second hardest in the series. It would make the young gamers of today want to run back to their Mario Sunshines or their Wario Worlds. However, once you’ve beaten the game once, you know what obstacle is coming up in each level and how to avoid them, so the game would be most difficult on your first playthrough.
Replayable - 7.0
Many people think that this game is the greatest Mario game (if not the greatest game) ever made. Also, this game is very good for a nostalgic rush of emotion. If you ever had a friend that had this game, you should invite them and take a trip down memory lane. If you are the type that plays alone, the game is still a great game. If you really want to extend your playtime, there have been various hacks made of Super Mario Bros. 3 that can be found online. Of course, I cannot link them to you, but they shouldn’t be too hard to find.
