Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario Bros. 3 (スーパーマリオ ブラザーズ３, Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Surī^?, also known as Mario 3, Super Mario 3 and SMB3) is the third platform video game in the Mario franchise for the Nintendo Entertainment console. System (NES). It went on sale on October 23, 1988 in Japan and on February 12, 1990 in the United States. As with previous titles, SMB3 was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto, while the soundtrack was composed by Kōji Kondō. The game takes up the story of the first title, in which plumbers Mario and Luigi must save Princess Peach from the clutches of Bowser.

Before its sale in the United States, images of the Super Mario Bros. 3 game appeared in the film The Wizard, which helped promote the game among fans. However, SMB3 was already accessible on some PlayChoice-10 machines. Upon its release, the game was a commercial success and has become one of the best-selling video games not only in the industry but also throughout the world. Super Mario Bros. 3 has been praised by critics and has been included in numerous video game lists as one of the best video games of all time.

The success of the game led to an adaptation into an animated series based on its elements and the re-release of the game on other consoles years later. The game was revamped and rereleased in the compilation Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993 and Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Game Boy Advance in 2003. On November 5, 2007 it was re-released for the Wii Virtual Console in its original 8-bit version. Subsequently, the game had other re-releases such as its version for the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and Wii U in 2013, was one of 30 video games included in the NES Classic Edition in 2016 and as one of the games included in the launch of the Nintendo Switch Online service in 2018.

Argument

The Mushroom Kingdom is attacked by the King of the Koopas. This time, Bowser has sent his seven children, known as Koopalings (コクッパ, Ko Kuppa^?, lit. "Koopa Children"), to do whatever they want in each kingdom, stealing the scepters (magic wands) of the seven kings who rule in said kingdom. world and turning them into animals and plants. Mario and Luigi are called again and in each of these worlds they infiltrate the Koopalings' ships, defeating them and recovering the wands they guard, in order to return the kings to normality and their kingdoms. After saving the last kingdom, Mario and Luigi receive a letter from Bowser telling them that he has kidnapped Princess Peach, so they must defeat him to rescue her.

Development

Super Mario Bros. 3 was developed by Team 4 of Nintendo's research and development department in Japan, taking more than two years to complete the game. Developer Shigeru Miyamoto directed designers and programmers, working closely with them during the initial concepts and final phases, encouraging a free exchange of ideas. Miyamoto considers the ideas of his collaborators to be original to create a successful game.

At the beginning of production, the Super Mario Bros. 3 development team wanted the game to use an aerial isometric view. The developers found that it was difficult to balance the platforming around to this perspective, which led them to abandon the idea. Several graphical elements of the latest Super Mario Bros. 3 were influenced by the original direction, such as the black and white checkered floor on the title screen.

The game was designed to appeal to players of various skill levels. To help less skilled players, bonus coins and extra lives are more abundant in the first worlds, while later worlds present more complex challenges for more experienced players. In two-player mode, players alternate turns to balance playing time. The development team included new power-ups and concepts that would give Mario the appearance of different creatures as a means of to give you new skills. The idea of Mario changing into a centaur was initially had, but was scrapped in favor of a raccoon tail that allows him the ability to fly for a limited time. Other suits with different abilities were added to his repertoire and levels. were designed to take advantage of these capabilities. Additionally, new enemies were included to add diversity to the game, along with variants of previous enemies such as the Goombas, Hammer Bros., and Koopa Troopas.

The personal experiences of Miyamoto and his team served as inspiration for new enemies. For example, the idea of Chain Chomp enemies (ワンワン, Wan Wan^?, spherical, dog-like creatures) comes from a bad experience Miyamoto had with a dog when he was a child. Bowser's children were designed to be unique in appearance and personality, based on seven of the programmers, as a tribute to their work and effort. Their names would later be changed to well-known musicians in their English translation. The American version of the game had some small graphical differences and — so that the level of difficulty was a little easier — it was changed so that if Mario was hit by an enemy, he would simply lose any power-ups he had instead of returning to his size, like in the original Super Mario Bros. — is That is, if Fire Mario or Raccoon Mario was hit, he reverted to Super Mario and not the original Mario.

The character graphics were created using a special graphics machine ('Computer Aided Design Character Generator'), which generated a wide collection of all the graphic forms used in the game. The shapes were assigned numbers that the codes used to access during gameplay and combine to form a complete image on the screen in real time. The Super Mario Bros. 3 cartridge uses the MMC3 (Memory Management Controller) chip, which helps improve the capabilities of the NES. The MMC3 allows for animated frames, additional RAM for diagonal scrolling, and a timer for split screen. The game uses these features to split the game screen into two parts, a playfield at the top and a status bar at the bottom. the bottom portion, allowing the top portion to be used for scrolling while the bottom portion remains static as a text display providing information.

A chip shortage in 1988 caused Nintendo to delay the release of some games in the United States, including SMB3. The delay, however, presented an opportunity for Nintendo to promote the game through other means. In 1989, Tom Pollack of Universal Studios informed the marketing department of Nintendo of America about a video game film, inspired by the company's video game competitions, requesting the video games from him and including them in the recording of one for a young audience.. Nintendo gave up the rights, and Universal produced The Wizard. During production, the filmmakers sought and obtained approval from Nintendo regarding the script and depiction of the games. Super Mario Bros. 3 was one of the products shown in the film and was used in a final scene of a video game contest. The film was released in December 1989, a few months before the game's release.

The game

Super Mario Bros. 3 is a 2D side-scrolling platform video game similar to its predecessors: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2 i>, etc. in which the protagonist (Mario or Luigi) is seen from a third-person perspective. However, despite having the classic gameplay, Super Mario Bros. 3 is a different game from its predecessors, with more puzzles, enemies and secret areas, introduced to increase the level of difficulty.

Each region or world is divided into levels and an eighth region is included at the end, this being Bowser's Kingdom. The eight worlds have different visual characteristics. For example, the second world, 'Desert Hill', contains desert levels with pyramids, while the levels in the fourth world, 'Big Island', are filled with obstacles and 3 enemies. times larger than in other worlds.

The player moves through two screens during the game: a map showing the world and its respective levels, and the level's playing field. The world map shows an aerial representation and has several paths leading from the entrance of the world to a castle. Routes connect levels, fortresses and other map icons and will allow players to take different routes to reach the goal of each world. Most of the game takes place in these levels, where the player must traverse them, jumping and dodging or defeating their enemies.

Completing stages allows the player to progress through the world map and advance to the next ones. Each world has as its final stage a boss, Koopaling (one of Bowser's children), who is in an airship, while the player who battles Bowser does so in his castle. Various map icons include large rocks and closed doors that prevent you from following a path, and special mini-games that provide the player with the opportunity to gain power-ups or increase life points. A new feature is the player's option to save items obtained in mini-games for later use through a menu accessible on the world screen. These items, apart from the already known ones (the super mushroom and the fire flower) can allow you to swim better (Frog Suit), fly for a limited period of time (the super leaf, the tanuki suit, which allows you to transform into an invincible statue, and the wing, the only object that allows you to fly unlimitedly), take the appearance of one of the enemies, the Hammer Brother, with the hammer suit and withstand fire attacks. Likewise, you can get (only 3 times in the entire game) the Magic Flute (whose melody is heard in The Legend of Zelda), which allows you to advance to another world (kingdom).

Objects

Just like in Super Mario Bros., in this title Mario can use several different objects that give him special powers. These are obtained at various points in the different levels, in mini-games - such as in Toad's house -, in Princess Peach cards, etc. Extra lives can be obtained by collecting cards you get when you finish a level, finding a panel of spades, or collecting 100 coins like in SMB.

In Super Mario Bros. 3 four items from the original SMB are included, these are: the super star (スーパースター, Sūpā Sutā ^?), which makes Mario temporarily invincible, being immune to death by any means except lava and by a fall into a bottomless pit; the red button mushroom, Sūpā Kinoko^?, or Super mushroom), which doubles Mario's size, transforming him into Super Mario. He can break bricks by hitting them from underneath and take a hit without dying. The Fire Flower >, Faia Furawā^?) span>, with which Super Mario becomes Fire Mario and can throw fireballs that bounce off the ground and help defeat some enemies more easily. And finally, the green mushroom (1UPキノコ, 1UP Kinoko^?, or Mushroom 1-Up). At various points in the levels, Mario and Luigi can find these special mushrooms, with which they gain an extra life.

In addition to those already mentioned, in SMB3 the super sheet is also added (スーパーこのは, Sūpā Konoha^?), which turns Super Mario into Raccoon Mario, with which he can use his tail to hit enemies. By waving his tail, Mario can slowly jump down, and even fly briefly (previously running and filling the P counter). The Frog Suit (カエルスーツ, Kaeru Sūtsu^?) hinders movement on land, but gives the ability to swim safely. faster, allowing you to advance against the current and inside secret underwater pipes. Tanuki's suit (タヌキスーツ, Tanuki Sūtsu ^?) allows Mario to fly, just like Raccoon Mario. It also allows you to turn into a statue, which provides temporary immunity. This suit is inspired by the Tanuki, a Japanese mythical animal. The hammer suit >, Hanmā Sūtsu^?) span>, with which Mario can throw hammers, like the "Hammer Brothers". While the player is crouched, they become invincible to fireball attacks. Goomba's Boot (クリボーの 靴, Kuribō no Kutsu^?) is an object that Mario can enter and thus trample Piranha Plants and Fire Traps to destroy them. The jumping ability also improves. The boot is only available at level 5-3 and is lost when the player finishes it. The P-Wing (Pスイッチ, P Suitchi^?) span>, which turns Mario into "Raccoon Mario", but his P meter is always full, allowing the player to fly an entire level safe from threats.

Finally, exclusive items are also included for the screen of worlds such as: Lakitu's cloud ( ジュゲムの雲, Jugemu no Kumo^?), which when used makes the Mario icon on the map become a cloud and he can complete a level even if has not been finished; The magic flute works in a similar way to warp pipes ("warp pipes", which are the most used in Super Mario Bros.), allowing Mario to transport himself to other worlds. fast. There are only three magic flutes in the game. There is also the Anchor, which prevents the aircraft from moving from one place to another if the boss is not defeated; the music box allows you to put the Hammer Bros. to sleep and, in world 7, the piranha plant levels; and the hammer, which allows you to break stones on the map.

Differences in dialogues

In addition to having small differences in the titles of the worlds, the Japanese and North American versions also differ in the dialogues between Toad and Mario and Princess Toadstool with the latter. Thus, each time a castle level is entered, Toad greets the player with the following message (Japanese and North American versions respectively):

繁體字 Français Español Русский
Русский
◆ consuming 。 。 。の 。 。

It's terrible!
The King has been changed!
Please recover the magic wand.

Oh, it's terrible!

The King has been transformed!

Please find the magic wand so we can change him back.

Oh, it's terrible!
The King has been transformed!
Please find the magic wand so you can return it to the way it was.

Both messages being slightly different. However, after defeating Bowser and meeting the Princess, the versions change significantly. While in the Japanese version the Princess originally says:

¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü ¢Ü
ROMACTY!

Thank you!
At last the Champinian World will be back in peace
That's it!

In the American version it states:

Thank you. But our princess is in another castle!...
Just kidding! Ha ha!
Bye.

Thank you. But our princess is in another castle!...
Just kidding! Ha ha!
Bye!

As a reference to the irritating phrase that Toad says to Mario in Super Mario Bros. when being rescued by the latter after defeating Bowser's crew in the first seven worlds.

Reception

Super Mario Bros. 3 was a sales leader during its launch, being one of the best-selling games of all time. By 1993, the game had sold 4 and 7 million units in Japan and the United States respectively, Nintendo obtaining more than 500 million dollars in revenue. According to writer David Sheff, if SMB3 had been a music album, it would have gone 11 times platinum. In 2008, the Guinness Book of World Records placed SMB3 as the best-selling video game separately from a console, and reported that sales Worldwide sales exceeded 18 million copies. Game Informer reported in October 2009 that the Virtual Console version had sold one million copies.

The title was well received by video game magazines. Julian Rignall of Mean Machines refers to Super Mario Bros. 3 as the "best video game" he has ever played, citing that it is an addictive game that offers intensity and challenge. A second Mean Machines reviewer, Matt Regan, predicted that the game would be a bestseller in the United Kingdom, and echoed Rignall's praise by calling it a "really brilliant game." Regan further said that the game offers elements for players to test their "brains and reflexes", and although the graphics were simple, they were "incredibly varied". In an early review of the game, Nintendo Power gave it a high rating for graphics, audio, challenge, gameplay, and fun. Edge magazine considered Super Mario Bros. 3 as Nintendo's standout title during 1988, and commented that its success eclipsed the first Super Mario Bros. as a sales milestone, since although the first title sold 40 million copies, it was included in packs with the NES console. Additionally, they praised the world map as an elegant alternative to a menu for selecting levels.

Skyler Miller of AllGames praised many of the game's elements: level design, graphics, music, and its non-linear gameplay. Dengeki refers to the game as a popular title and expressed his excitement upon its release on the Game Boy Advance console. About the game, hidden items are very welcome elements. Rignall considers them an addictive component of the game, and Sheffield states that finding the secret items in the game, such as flutes, always brings great satisfaction.

Criticism focused on different aspects of the game. Miller considers the exclusion of a save-progress system, while Rignall describes the audio and graphics as dated compared to games on the then-new Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The game was also criticized for its relatively high level of difficulty.

Due to its popularity, Super Mario Bros. 3 has appeared on numerous video game sales charts. The game debuted on the Nintendo Power chart at number 20 in September 1989. It entered the top 10 a few months later and by May 1990 was in first place. Super Mario Bros. 3remained in the top 20 for more than five years. More than a decade later, the magazine ranked it number six on its "200 Greatest Nintendo Games" The game is ranked 11th, behind Super Mario Bros., on the list of 'The 100 Greatest Nintendo Games of All Time'. from Official Nintendo Magazine. In 2007, Screwattack named Super Mario Bros. 3 the best game in the franchise, as well as the best game on the NES, citing its graphics, power-ups, items and popularity, summarizing that "it's simply incredible" and "if you haven't experienced this greatness, what a shame." In a survey conducted by Dengeki, it tied with Super Mario World as number three in video games that its readers have played for the first time.

The game has been ranked on several "Top Games" from IGN. In 2005, it was ranked 23rd out of 100 games, recognizing its precise and intuitive control. IGN editors in the United States, United Kingdom, and Australia rated Super Mario Bros. 3 number 39 in their "Top 100 Games" 2007, citing Miyamoto for his "ingenious" designs. Likewise, they commented that the game improved with "brilliant concepts" compared to previous titles with new power-ups and enemies. Readers of the website placed it in positions 32 in 2005 and 21 in 2006 of the respective " Top Games'. In 2007, it was included in the Game Canon, a list of the top ten video games selected by a committee to preserve key titles within the industry. In 2009, Game Informer placed Super Mario Bros. 3 at number 9 on its list of 'The Top 200 Games of All Time', stating that it is "a game with lasting power incredible that it is not soon forgotten.

The Viciojuegos.com page also analyzed the game, stating that Super Mario Bros. 3 "offers a substantial improvement over what was seen in Super Mario Bros., and is almost as revolutionary as it" highlighting its "sensational and detailed graphics, full of color and variety that highlight the casual air and freshness of the title." After the launch on the Wii Virtual Console, Dswii.es in turn made its own analysis of the video game, adding that "SMB3 is one of the most influential games of its time, its phases, its platforms and its enemies are an inseparable part of the greats of video games..." also recommending the download of the latter.

Legacy

Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced several elements that were carried over to later Mario games. A similar world map is used in Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros., and Mario's ability to fly has been a feature of games such as Super Mario World and Super Mario Galaxy. The Bowser's red hair was added to the character's design in the game and has since become a part of his normal appearance, although it was originally added inSuper Mario Bros.: Peach-Hime Kyushutsu Dai Sakusen! in 1986. Through a collaboration between NBC and Nintendo America, an animated series titled The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 was created in 1990 by DIC Entertainment. The show aired weekly and featured numerous characters, enemies, and settings from the video game. Other Nintendo products have included various elements from the game. The music from Super Mario Bros. 3 appears as a track in Nintendo Sound Selection Koopa, a collection of songs from Nintendo games. Various phases of the game were used and graphics as a background theme in the 2006 Nintendo DS game, Tetris DS.

A legacy has been in the video game Super Mario 3D Land, in which the Tanooki suit is reincorporated (an improved version of the raccoon suit with the ability to transform into a statue), but this time it is limited to the abilities of the Raccoon suit (only this time he can kick as if he were Yoshi instead of capturing the wind to fly) and a Statue suit was created (same as the Tanooki suit but with a scarf, recovers the original Tanooki ability of the statue).

The super blade is also an item in the video game New Super Mario Bros. 2 where its use is more faithful to the original, even having the P counter. In it there is a golden version in the game which gives invincibility and is optionally awarded when five lives are lost. The aesthetics of the game and the levels of Super Mario Bros. 3 can be recreated in the video game series Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2.

The super leaf icon has been used since Mario Kart DS for the Leaf Cup and was implemented as an item in Mario Kart 7. The current aesthetic of the leaf is recurring in Mario worlds, especially in the forests. It is also as an item in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate transforming the characters into raccoons and allowing them to float in the air.

Alternative versions

Super Mario All-Stars

Similarly to Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2, SMB3 was redesigned and included in the compilation Super Mario All-Stars i>, also including Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, being released in 1993 for the SNES console.

Super Mario Advance 4

It was also adapted for the Game Boy Advance console in the 2003 game Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 which includes several updates. It features similar graphics to the SNES version, along with a palette of wider colors and parallax scrolling, although the latter is not at the same level. The Mario Bros. mini-game allows up to four players instead of two, and the Nintendo e-Reader peripheral gives the player access to tutorials, as well as new themes and levels.

Virtual Console

At the end of 2007, Super Mario Bros. 3 was released through the Wii Virtual Console, but featured the graphics and gameplay of the NES version. It was also released It was republished in 2014 on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console and Wii U. The game was included as one of the minigames in NES Remix 2 for Wii U and NES Remix Pack for 3DS in 2014 and as one of the thirty pre-installed games included. with the NES Classic Edition console in 2016.

As a compensation to the original game, almost all Revivals of said game have included a system to save progress, only in this case it does not save the completed level and sublevels themselves, if not the level where the player had stayed when he saved the game.

References and notes