There's something about Super Mario Bros. 3 that resonates with me and I don't exactly know what it is. I feel like the first Mario game gave the idea of what this franchise could do and also saved gaming in America back in the 80s, however Mario 3 fully shows what the franchise is all about and how fun it can be. The game is packed with so much new content that gave this franchise more of an identity and I love it for that alone.
But the game itself is also a great time as well and has aged so well after all of these years. Mario's controls feel identical to how he controls in later 2D games which shows how quickly Nintendo was able to hit it on the head. I love all the power ups. The Raccoon Leaf along with it's better, but rare Tanooki Suit have become some of the most iconic power ups in the franchise, and for good reason. They're the first power ups in Mario to allow you to fly, and to do it, you need momentum which can I just say feels really good to get in this game. I love how if you know the layout and know how to get a running start, you can blitz through some levels. I was able to do one myself in the playthrough and was so shocked with what I just did. With the other power ups though, you have the frog suit which can make traversing through water levels much easier and also pretty fun. There's the goomba shoe that let's you walk on rather unsafe enemies & objects, or what about the hammer suit which lets you throw a hammer out in an arc while also being able to spam it. The fire flower returns and I just love how there is so much variety, but it doesn't feel overwhelming. No, they all feel right at home here and I appreciate that. Along with your own inventory where you can stuff things in from the world map.
Speaking of the world map, I think it's done well here, especially for the first time in 1988. It's nonlinear and you can use things like the whistle to skip worlds, or the music box to make enemies on the world fall asleep, or the cloud to skip a level if it's too hard or you know you can easily progress somewhere else. The levels themselves are a joy and there's something about them that comforts me. I think it's how fast paced they are, along with how well they manage to convey a theme with what the level is about. Autoscrolls are introduced and I didn't dislike any of them, but I do feel that there were a little too many of them. Especially in the last world which is kind of weird. Be warned that there are a lot of maze levels in world 7 and you'll probably end up with a time up or two like I did if it's your first time. Also, the music is way too catchy. Any song feels like it could get stuck in your head.
At the end of the day, I feel like Mario 3 is just one of those games that had all the kids going crazy back then. I could just imagine conversations at a playground about someone finding out about how they found out about the whistles and being able to skip a world with it, or how they're stuck on some random level. The game itself has so much charm, and only strived to be bigger and better than it's predecessor's, and succeeded in doing so. I think it's easy to say that this is definitely one of the best if not the best game from that generation with what it did.
But the game itself is also a great time as well and has aged so well after all of these years. Mario's controls feel identical to how he controls in later 2D games which shows how quickly Nintendo was able to hit it on the head. I love all the power ups. The Raccoon Leaf along with it's better, but rare Tanooki Suit have become some of the most iconic power ups in the franchise, and for good reason. They're the first power ups in Mario to allow you to fly, and to do it, you need momentum which can I just say feels really good to get in this game. I love how if you know the layout and know how to get a running start, you can blitz through some levels. I was able to do one myself in the playthrough and was so shocked with what I just did. With the other power ups though, you have the frog suit which can make traversing through water levels much easier and also pretty fun. There's the goomba shoe that let's you walk on rather unsafe enemies & objects, or what about the hammer suit which lets you throw a hammer out in an arc while also being able to spam it. The fire flower returns and I just love how there is so much variety, but it doesn't feel overwhelming. No, they all feel right at home here and I appreciate that. Along with your own inventory where you can stuff things in from the world map.
Speaking of the world map, I think it's done well here, especially for the first time in 1988. It's nonlinear and you can use things like the whistle to skip worlds, or the music box to make enemies on the world fall asleep, or the cloud to skip a level if it's too hard or you know you can easily progress somewhere else. The levels themselves are a joy and there's something about them that comforts me. I think it's how fast paced they are, along with how well they manage to convey a theme with what the level is about. Autoscrolls are introduced and I didn't dislike any of them, but I do feel that there were a little too many of them. Especially in the last world which is kind of weird. Be warned that there are a lot of maze levels in world 7 and you'll probably end up with a time up or two like I did if it's your first time. Also, the music is way too catchy. Any song feels like it could get stuck in your head.
At the end of the day, I feel like Mario 3 is just one of those games that had all the kids going crazy back then. I could just imagine conversations at a playground about someone finding out about how they found out about the whistles and being able to skip a world with it, or how they're stuck on some random level. The game itself has so much charm, and only strived to be bigger and better than it's predecessor's, and succeeded in doing so. I think it's easy to say that this is definitely one of the best if not the best game from that generation with what it did.