My first experience with the original Super Mario Bros was back when I had that bootleg NES knockoff years ago. I had a blast playing it and a handful of other NES games, but even after emulating it and purchasing it on the 3ds virtual console, I never got around to completing it. In celebration of Mario day, I decided I would play through and finally beat the original version of the game that single-handedly saved the video game industry in 1985.

After nearly 40 years, does it still hold up? Overall yes, it's still very fun traversing through the game's levels but it isn't perfect. There are instances where you aren't in complete control of Mario's movement. Because of the slippery movement, it can lead to some cheap deaths that otherwise would likely not have occurred if you were playing one of the later Mario entries. Even the Super Mario All-Stars version that was released nearly 10 years after has the same issue. Regardless, it's still a timeless classic and a piece of video game history that shall not be forgotten.

Reviewed on Mar 10, 2023


1 Comment


1 year ago

Whoever put that one Hammer Brother in the last level deserves to be fired.