Today, I’m taking a look back at my favorite video game of all-time, Super Mario Bros. 3. In particular, I’m revisiting three of my favorite and most memorable levels. Just a note, though: Even though SMB3 was first a NES game, the videos included here are from the SNES version as seen in Super Mario All-Stars.
First up is World 6-5. Located midway through the ice world, this level seems to be an endless loop of Buster Beetles and ice blocks initially. Those ice blocks are ultra cool though, in more ways than one, as you can pick them up and throw them at enemies. Even if you miss, they keep sliding until they hit something and break. But still, the numerous Buster Beetles can be tricky to deal with in here. There is a small room that has renewable power-ups, and it’s there for a reason: You need to be raccoon Mario (or have other means of flight) to finish the level. A lone Koopa Troopa must be stomped on and his shell flown up through a certain hole in the ceiling to clear a path to the ending. This was the type of level that may have been confusing at first, but it’s very rewarding when you figure it out.
Next up is World 5-3. It is the only level in the game that has a rare power-up known as Kuribo’s Shoe. Some Goombas in this level will be wearing the powerful shoe, and you have to hit the blocks they’re standing on from underneath to defeat the Goombas. Once you do that, you’re free to hop right into the shoe and get stomping! With the shoe, you can jump higher and safely walk across Munchers. Not only that, but you can stomp on Spinys and piranha plants to defeat them! How cool is that? Kuribo’s Shoe makes this level unique and lots of fun. Unfortunately, once you clear this level, you’ll never see it again for the rest of the game.
And last but not least is the first fortress in World 7. The main point of interest in this level is the huge room made up almost entirely of gold bricks. Hidden amongst them is a P-switch that turns all those hundreds of gold bricks into coins! You can run and jump through them for lots of 1-ups! Even better, the room resets when you leave and re-enter it! So you can rack up tons of extra lives by doing this over and over. And if all that wasn’t cool enough, a secret door revealed by the P-switch leads you to a room where you can grab a Tanooki Suit!
So those are three of my favorite and most memorable levels in Super Mario Bros. 3. What are yours?
8-1 and 8-2. The only nighttime overworld “numbered” levels in the game. I never got why they both play underground music. It’s interesting how differently Mario All-Stars (the version I grew up with) and the NES version handle night. SNES 8-1 has a background filled with bushes, with red twinkling stars you can only see if you fly up a screen, and 8-2 has a ‘nighttime’ version of the “plains” background with blue twinkling stars. In NES 8-1 the pipes, hills, etc. are black outlines, while 8-2 is monochrome like 6-3 in the original SMB.