Looking Back at Super Mario Bros. 3

When Super Mario Bros. 3 was released in 1988, it came off the back of one of the most successful and critically acclaimed games of all time – the original Super Mario, not the Doki Doki Panic game that was repackaged as a Mario title. A game that almost single handedly revitalised the video game market. If Nintendo wanted to keep up the momentum, they need to create a sequel that would either be as good as, or better than the original.

Super Mario Bros. 3 managed to achieve this by taking everything that was great about the original and improving each area, creating a game that embodies everything a sequel should aspire to achieve. Regardless of whether you’re talking about level design, gameplay, music or graphics, each aspect was equally well crafted and they complimented each other to create a cohesive world. SMB 3 was a technical wonder and, even when looking back retrospectively, it is still impressive to consider that it was possible to achieve on the limited NES hardware.

Mario not only runs, jumps and bounces off enemies like he did in the original, but he can now slide down slopes, pick up and throw items, bob in water and, through the use of the raccoon tail item, take off into the sky. The array of new abilities – both inherent and through the use of items – enable environments and enemies to be tackled in new, exciting and sometimes unexpected ways, transforming simple objects and scenery into interactive playgrounds that invite exploration.

There are 8 expansive locations within SMB 3 and each one utilises a unique theme that fundamentally changes the gameplay. The brilliantly designed Ice Land, for example, where various hurdles such as hammer throwing enemies, spinning platforms and airborne foes have to be avoided while moving across slippery ice that causes a loss of traction. Another world, Giant Land, transforms simple obstacles and enemies into challenges that require heroic leaps by supersizing everything that isn’t Mario.

However, even though it is commendable that a plethora of unique and interesting gameplay mechanics have been implemented, there are a handful of stages that can quickly become cumbersome. The auto-scrolling levels, which are sporadically encountered, are some of the worst offenders, suffering from the same inherent flaws as most other games which chose to use these types of levels: an inability to progress through environments at a natural speed. Each of the first 7 lands ends with one of these unsatisfying segments that diminishes the overall experience rather than leading to a satisfying crescendo, but like time challenges and other divisive genre tropes, the looming threat of being pushed off an edge may appeal to those who enjoy the added pressure provided by this challenge.

As well as the huge number of levels which fill each land, there are an equal number of unique items that can be found or received during stages or while playing mini-games which, depending on the environment, may either be provide an edge or be nullified. For instance, Mario can effortlessly manoeuvre through water while wearing the frog suit, but it becomes hard to use on dry land. Another item, the tanooki suit, allows Mario to turn into a stone statue to avoid taking damage, fly or perform a spin attack, but it is less effective in close combat or against projectile throwing enemies.

Among the new gameplay mechanics, few are as prominent as the P-Meter. The P-Meter or ‘Power Meter’ is a passive ability that activates when Mario begins to run, converting the momentum gained while running into further and higher jumps or, if the tanooki suit or raccoon tail items are equipped, fly. This momentum will disappear almost as quickly as it is collected if momentum isn’t maintained which can be difficult to accomplish during later, more challenging stages. The mechanic has been beautifully implemented and every time Mario’s animation shows him effortlessly gliding through the air it evokes a child-like joy.

Before and after every stage,the player is thrown back into an easily navigable overworld hub that provides an opportunity to move backwards or forwards across the map, explore warp pipes, play mini-games, collect items from the mushroom houses or skip levels when a fork in the road has been reached. The overworlds are vibrant, detailed and invite exploration, but when combined with the numerous levels, thoroughly exploring Lands or even reach the end of the game can take many hours to reach and those who do not have enough time to reach the end of the game of thoroughly explore worlds may be left frustrated by the lack of a save feature.

Each of the 8 Lands use a graphical style related to a particular theme and it enables a sense of progression as players advance from world to world. For example, Grass Land, uses light, earthy pastel colours and soft backdrops in order to create environments that feel approachable and easy to beat whilst the following world, Sand Land, uses harsh shades of yellows and reds, enemies that look aggressive and stages that feature large, imposing platforms in order to create a jarring contrast.

Many of these levels bring weird and unconventional ideas that somehow come together and feel bizarrely cohesive. Whether it is giant mouthed fish that attempt to swallow anyone that is nearby, hammer throwing turtles or aggressive cinder blocks that slam themselves into walls when approached, these characters work because their designs and colour palettes compliment the worlds in which they exist.

SMB 3 was one of the earliest titles to use the graphical effect known as parallax scrolling – a feature which adds depth to imagery that is occurring in the foreground. Unlike many titles that ineffectively used parallax scrolling around this time, Nintendo didn’t use backgrounds that were gaudy or moved at a nausea inducing pace. The backgrounds compliment foregrounded imagery without ever becoming distracting and continue to appear regardless of whether Mario moves vertically, horizontally or diagonally, adding to the sense that levels are part of a fleshed out worlds.

Unfortunately, due to the limited space that was available on the NES cartridge, creating a large game that didn’t regularly reuse elements or feel limited in one way or another was always going to be either hard to pull off or impossible and in Super Mario 3 the area that suffers is the soundtrack. Tracks are recycled every couple of levels within the 90 or so stages in the game and, even though the reuse of audio doesn’t diminish from the overall experience, nor does it add the same initial vibrancy and energy after hearing the same track three or four times. However, the music is truly excellent and it is to Koji Kondo’s credit that it doesn’t become an encumberment later on in the game. The audio used for the underworld and the first world’s hub are the stand out tracks and have since become synonymous with the Mario series.

It is a testament to SMB 3 that it stands head and shoulders above other titles within the series, inspiring generations of game designers and influencing many modern games, including the recent 2D Mario titles . Regardless of whether it is the gameplay, graphics, audio, every area of the game is well polished, original, and compliments the other content.

There are two areas which have a divisive appeal : the auto-scrolling levels and a lack of an auto-save feature. The former, understandably, is unlikely to appeal to explore environments at their own pace and the latter will frustrate those who do prefer to save progress and play over multiple sittings, but these are both minor issues which can be ignored when every other aspect of SMB 3 can be compared to the best games of all time.