Tech Olive

Super Mario Bros. 3, the game I still consider to be possibly the best ever made. My early childhood was dominated by this game, as I spent endless hours in front of the television playing it on my NES. I couldn’t think of a better option for this month’s Retro Review, so lets dive in and go back to gaming circa 1988.

The idea behind the gameplay is quite simple. Playing as either Mario or Luigi, players are to stop Bowser and his Koopalings from plaguing the eight worlds (known together as the Mushroom World) featured in the game at the request of Princess Toadstool. Each world is broken into certain levels. Navigation comes through a map (pictured below) in which the player can select from the levels unlocked. As you progress through the levels you become closer and closer to unlocking the next world, but before so, you must defeat the boss at the end of each world. The first seven are Bowser’s Koopalings, with the eighth and final boss being Bowser himself. After defeating Bowser, you can then give yourself a pat on the back for completing the game.

What is it exactly that makes Super Mario Bros. 3 one of the greatest games ever made?

1. The completely epic soundtrack. (Who could ever forget the amazing Mario theme song?)
2. The fact that the game contained a compelling story line.
3. The most important of all, the replay value! I played this game constantly from when I was first old enough to figure it out until just a couple of years back when my NES’s life finally ended and I still play an emulated version from time to time.

Games have come a long way since the release of Super Mario Bros. 3 in 1988. It may not have had the impact on gaming history that the original did, but to me it is a more enjoyable gaming experience. It’s been over 19 years since this game first hit the shelves in America and it’s crazy to think that my dad owned this game before I was even born. Amazing graphics and sound mean nothing to me when I can take a run through this 2D, 8-bit classic. We can only hope that 19 years from now gaming takes as big of a leap as it has in the past and that gamers somewhere will still be playing Super Mario Bros. 3 on their ancient NES system.