Today marks the 35th anniversary of “Super Mario Bros. 3”, the third installment of the “Super Mario” series for the Family Computer, released by Nintendo on October 23, 1988.
This is an action game where you control Mario (2P is Luigi) and aim to clear all 8 worlds. The basic rules are the same as the original “Super Mario Bros.” and “Super Mario Bros. 2,” in which you dash and jump through side-scrolling stages, but various actions have been added to Mario, and the visuals and sounds have been completely redesigned. It was a huge hit, selling 3.84 million copies (*numbers quoted from “CESA Game White Paper”).
In this article, we will take a look back at the features of this game, which had a great influence on the later “Super Mario” series.
[“Super Mario Bros. 3” (Family Computer Nintendo Switch Online)]
A masterpiece that remains in history, incorporating many systems and performances that are still familiar today.
The fact that there are many systems, productions, and actions that were first introduced in this game and later became standard in the “Super Mario” series is truly surprising even now.
Speaking of new elements in terms of the system, starting with this game, players can now control Mario on the world map and freely choose the stages and routes they want to take on. In addition to the regular stages, the map also features a fort, a Toad house where you can get items, a hammer broth that switches to a battle scene when you touch it, and a spade panel where you can play mini games (slots).
Mario’s power-ups and action variations have also increased significantly from this work. In addition to making Mario huge with the Super Mushroom and transforming into Fire Mario with the Fire Flower, if you remove the Super Konoha you’ll get Tail Mario, and if you equip the Tanuki Suit, Frog Suit, and Hammer Suit, you’ll get Tanuki Mario, Frog Mario, respectively. You can now transform into Hammer Mario. It’s especially interesting when you transform into a tail or raccoon Mario, not only can you hit enemies and blocks with your tail, but you can also extend your flight time.
And the best part is that if you jump with the power meter full while doing a B-dash, you can now fly in the sky when you are in Tail or Tanuki Mario mode. It was a truly brilliant performance befitting a superhero of justice, and the map expanded vertically, allowing for even more worlds to explore. This game is also the first to allow you to carry around enemy shells such as sawfish in your hands, allowing you to throw them at any time you like.
This game was also the first in the series to introduce a system that allows you to constantly stock up on items obtained during enemy battles, mini-games, and at Toad’s house. I’m really grateful that it’s now possible to stock items like Fire Flower and Super Konoha, so even if I get killed in the middle of a stage, I can restart with a powered up state by using an item while moving around on the world map. .
This game is also the first to feature a large number of enemy types, including Patakuribo, Patamet, Wanwan, and Teresa, as well as the Koopaling brothers, who are Bowser’s children, as boss characters in worlds 1 to 7. The variation in strategy has increased to an extent that is incomparable to the original “Super Mario Bros.” and “Super Mario Bros. 2,” which surprised me as well when I was playing at the time.
Secret tricks and the wonders of two-player play that make your adventure even more fun
This game also includes tricks familiar from the first game in the series, such as infinite 1UP and warp. In this game, the number of stages has increased considerably compared to the previous one, so I was really grateful for the existence of these tricks (although it is difficult to discover them on your own). Other tricks were also available, such as having Mario suddenly move to the other side of the terrain after crouching in a certain spot for a while, and a treasure ship loaded with coins appearing when certain conditions are met.
Since its release, it has not received much attention even in game magazines, but this game was actually the first in the series to introduce simultaneous two-player and cooperative play. The two-player mode of this game is characterized by the fact that both players play on the same world map, and the game starts from 1P (Mario), and from then on, the player changes each time they clear a stage or make a mistake. The fun lies in the fact that two people can work together to complete the strategy.
An interesting idea is that by having Mario and Luigi overlap on the map, you can enjoy a battle game reminiscent of the nostalgic “Mario Brothers”. Players who lose in a battle game will be returned to the position where the winning player was just before, so if you use this, you can have fun competing to see who can advance to the next stage instead of cooperating. During the battle game, you can steal cards that are released by hitting the opponent player (* Normally, you get a reward for clearing a stage, and Mario’s stock increases every time you collect 3 cards). A mechanism was prepared.
The good news is that you can still easily play this game on Nintendo Switch Online or Nintendo Classic Mini Family Computer. With the latest installment in the series, “Super Mario Bros. Wonder,” just being released, it would be fun to enjoy this work at the same time, which is the origin of the series that continues to this day. Especially if you don’t know about the existence of two-player simultaneous play or have never played the game before, please give it a try.
