Super Mario Bros. 3
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| Super Mario Bros. 3 | |
| Developer: | Nintendo |
| Publisher: | Nintendo |
| Designer: | Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Release date: | 1990 |
| Genre: | Platform game |
| Game modes: | Single player, multiplayer |
| Platform: | Famicom/NES |
| Media: | 8-megabit cartridge |
Super Mario Bros. 3 was the last major Mario video game made for the Nintendo Family Computer (in Japan) and the Nintendo Entertainment System (in North America and Europe). It was developed through 1988 - December 1989, and it was not released to the world until February 12 1990. It was directed by Shigeru Miyamoto, and the music was composed by Koji Kondo.
It features the first appearances of Bowser's children. Mario and Luigi have to save seven kingdoms of the Mushroom World from the Koopa Kids (or Koopalings) by recovering the wands that they stole from the seven kings, and also save Princess Peach Toadstool from the clutches of King Bowser Koopa.
It is widely regarded as being the best-selling video game of all time, but this is not the case; in actuality the original Super Mario Bros. is, at 40.23 million copies compared to Super Mario Bros 3.'s 17.28 million (as recognized by the Guinness Book of Records[1], based on data given by Nintendo).[2] It is, however, the best-selling "standalone" video game, i.e., not bundled with a console.
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Game mechanics
The game play is a return to the style of Super Mario Bros. after the vast departure of Super Mario Bros. 2. The heroes can again jump on many enemies to destroy them, as well as take on many different forms by acquiring special items.
However, despite the familiar gameplay, Super Mario Bros. 3 is still a different game from its predecessor. More puzzles, enemies and secret areas were added to enhance difficulty.
Furthermore, smaller mechanics are changed; for instance, the player can now travel backwards in a level in case they had missed a special area or item.
Also, due to the increased difficulty, a luxury was given to the player, in the U.S. and European releases: if he had one of the "special" powers: Fire Mario, Raccoon Mario, Hammer Brother Mario, Tanooki Mario etc. - then took a hit, he would revert into Super Mario, allowing for an extra hit. This is contrary to the original Super Mario Bros. and the Japanese release of Super Mario Bros. 3, where if a player had been hit as Fiery Mario (or any other power-up mode), he would revert to regular Mario.
Items
Items that returned from Super Mario Bros.:
- Starman: Mario gains temporary invincibility. He is impervious to death by any means except lava and bottomless pits.
- Super Mushroom: Mario doubles in size and can take one hit without dying.
- Fire Flower: As Fire Mario, he can throw fireballs that bounce across the ground.
Items and forms new to Super Mario Bros. 3:
- Raccoon Mario: A Super Leaf gives Mario raccoon ears and a tail he can use to bat enemies. This power-up, like the "Tanooki" suit, is based on the mythical Japanese tanuki. After getting a running start, Mario can fly for a short time.
- Frog Suit: Movement on land is hindered, but swimming is greatly facilitated and accelerated.
- Tanooki Suit: Allows Mario to fly, just like Raccoon Mario; can also turn into a statue briefly, which renders him temporarily invincible, by pressing down and B. This suit is based on the mythical Japanese beast, the tanuki.
- Hammer Brothers' Suit: Mario can throw hammers, just like the Hammer Brothers from the original Super Mario Bros. Also, crouching renders him invincible to fireball attacks from above.
- Goomba's Shoe (or Kuribo's Shoe, after Goomba's Japanese name): A giant, green boot, Mario can jump inside and stomp on Piranha Plants and Venus Fire Traps to kill them. He can also walk across Munchers (long lines of Piranha Plants acting like spikes). His jumping ability is also augmented. This is available only in level 5-3, and is lost when you clear the level.
- P-Wing: (Map-only item) Short for "Power wing", the P-Wing turns Mario into Raccoon Mario and, for one level, keeps his power meter (normally filled by a running start) constantly filled. Its most basic use is allowing the player to fly over entire levels unthreatened. If Mario is hit by an enemy while in P-wing state, he will lose both the Raccoon power and the filled power meter. If the P-Wing is used while Mario is Tanooki Mario, he will NOT lose the Tanooki power.
- Lakitu's Cloud (or Jugem's Cloud, after Lakitu's Japanese name) (Map-only item): Using this item changes Mario's icon on the world map to a Lakitu cloud. Mario may now move past one uncompleted level. Upon doing so, the icon reverts to Mario. If Mario dies in the next attempted level, he will be sent to the previously completed spot on the world map, and the Lakitu's Cloud will have been wasted.
- Magic Whistle: (Map-only item) Using a Magic Whistle takes Mario to the Warp Zone (World 9) map, where he must then choose a world to warp to. There are three Magic Whistles to be acquired in Super Mario Bros. 3: one in 1-3, one in World 1 Minifortress, and one in a World 2 Fire Brothers duel. When used, the Magic Whistle plays the same tune as The Legend of Zelda's Whistle, and in both games the whistle summons a tornado that sweeps up the hero and dumps him elsewhere.
- Anchor: (Map-only item) Anchors can be found in even-numbered worlds' hidden white Toad houses. When a player dies while attempting a Doomship, it relocates itself to a random vacant spot on the world map. If a player has skipped a level in the world (using Lakitu's Cloud or otherwise), he might find the Doomship's new location inaccessible. Using an anchor prevents the current world's Doomship from relocating.
| Nintendo Items | |
|---|---|
| Bunny Hood | Fire Flower | Freezie | Super Mario Bros. 3 items | Metal Box | Party Ball | Pokéball | Pokédex | Rare Candy | Starman | Super Mushrooms | Super Scope | Warp pipe |
Worlds
In Super Mario Bros. 3 there are 9 different worlds, 8 of which have stages and bosses. The bosses for the first 7 worlds are Koopa Kids, and the 8th has King Bowser Koopa as its boss. In the list below the name of the boss is next to the name of the world.
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Note that the only purpose of World 9 is to get you to other worlds, and players can only get to it by using the magic whistle.
Game popularity
With its expansive gameplay, Super Mario Bros. 3 is often considered Nintendo's masterpiece for the NES, and is routinely voted one of the greatest video games of all time. It sold approximately 30 million copies worldwide (18 million of which in North America alone), a record at the time for video games that were sold separately from their consoles.
Several months before its release, a "sneak peek" of sorts was given to the general public in the movie The Wizard (1989), where the game was featured as the final lap of a video game competition.
Enhanced versions
Super Mario Bros. 3 received a graphical and audio facelift for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) (and in Japan, the Super Famicom) in the Super Mario All-Stars (also Super Mario Collection) cartridge of 1993. A similar version of this version of the game also appears on the Game Boy Advance as Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. On the Super NES version, the Spade panels on the map are animated. The action scene (numbered) panels sparkle. The airships have thunder effects and they are all the same color. The king transformations have also been changed. Most notably, the king of World 7 was transformed into a Yoshi in the Super Famicom/SNES version of the game, but he was transformed into a Piranha Plant in the Famicom/NES version. A save feature was also added for the Super Famicom/SNES version.
