Before I say this, promise you won’t shoot me. Okay? Here we go. I’ve never played a Mario game before. Ow, ow, ow! Stop that! I know, I’ve sinned, I’m sorry. But growing up, I never understood the appeal. What’s so great about this midget with a funny moustache? Throughout the years, I never shook off this impression, so I never played a Mario game. However, over time, I saw how beloved and highly regarded the franchise was, and my fear of missing out crept in.

And so, I decided to give it a try. But the first obstacle was where to start. In fact, this was one of the biggest obstacles in getting into it to begin with. The franchise is just a tiny bit daunting with over 200 games, more games than I’ve ever played, and I didn’t want to pay 50 pounds for one of the modern ones. So, naturally, I pulled out the classic reddit search of where to start and read to play from the beginning. The very beginning. Which brought me to this game.

Unsurprisingly, this 40 year old game is the oldest I’ve ever played—even the thought it existing so long ago is hard to fathom—meaning that the million dollar question is: has it aged well? Now, I’m a bit of a baby, so I haven’t played many oldies at all, meaning I have few frames of reference for old games. So when I thought about this game being 40 years old, I assumed it would be a single linear level, with only angry mushrooms for enemies, one solid colour background, and that it would end in 20 minutes. Sufficed to say, my expectations were low. I mean, Pacman and Tetris came out around the same time period, so I assumed it would be rudimentary with a very simple and repetitive gameplay loop. Thus, discovering that there were 80 levels, a huge cast of enemies, a bunch of different environments and that it would take me around 5 hours to finish was a massive shock.

It’s fascinating to see mechanics that I’m so used to today be used in such an old game, and perhaps even originating from it. And I’ve heard that this game in particular is one of the most important games in history, so it really is interesting to see how it has shaped the future of gaming. Not only that, but it is iconic. Hearing the soundtrack, that I’ve heard so often outside the game, seeing Mario’s original design or even seeing Bowser as a boss are things that shouldn’t have such an effect on me since I’ve never played a Mario game, but because of the reach and influence of this game, it’s reached even my knowledge.

In terms of the actual gameplay, it is surprisingly smooth and playable. I’d heard complaints of Mario being “slippery”, or something like that, but I felt that the controls were easy to manage. The gameplay loop of stomping enemies and traversing platforms is eternally enjoyable, with the sound effects making it super satisfying to do so. I could listen to that silly little plumber jump up and down and squash mobs for ages without getting bored. The game also has a bunch of small features that make it especially exciting. Like how mushrooms can be hidden within blocks, and those blocks can be hidden until hit, or how a balloon can fall from the sky, taking you to a mini-level. Little details like that show how much love and attention went into the game, which is something I appreciate. I’m not actually a big fan of platformers. Well, I like them but I wouldn’t call myself a platformer guy. But somehow playing this one just made me feel good. Sure, when I go to jump over a gap and an invisible block above my head knocks me into the gap it sucks, but it gave me such a great feeling of accomplishment. Maybe it’s the big ass flag at the end. But I really did enjoy the feeling of getting through those levels.

Now, being such an old game, it isn’t without issues. To begin with, the visuals are a little dated. Even the sprite for Mario is very simplistic. Actually, something I found really funny was how some of the sprites weren’t cropped properly, as far as I could tell. Their outlines would be sticking out a little further than their body should be. But, overall, the game still looked pretty good. However, I ran into gameplay issues too. Enemies would get stuck on top of each other, or simply stop moving for no reason; I would start floating mid-air; I died to enemies before their sprites even touched me and the list goes on. Of course, there are limitations with the age of the game, but some of these were really annoying. The design of each individual level was good but I think the it could have ended earlier. Halfway through, they didn’t introduced new mechanics and were just rehashing them in slightly different maps. Also, the screen not being able to go backwards is an irritating implementation. Another issue I have is that, despite making everything else in the game cute and interesting, they decided to make the bosses…bugs? Not cute bugs or stylised bugs—just bugs (apart from Bowser, of course). Realistic ones too. Even the fights themselves were too straightforward, involving the same repetitive actions over and over until you win.

In the end, my expectations were rock-bottom and I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a game with so much history and influence, and was overall a great experience. Despite some shortcomings and annoyances here and there, I’m shocked with how good it is. But most importantly, I can now confidently say: I’ve played a Mario game (so you can lower your gun now, please?).