Super Mario Bros 3 (1989/1993) [SNES]

Super Mario Bros. 3 (スーパーマリオブラザーズ3 Sūpā Mario Burazāzu Surī?), also referred to as Super Mario 3 and SMB3, is a platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), and is the third game in the Super Mario series. The game was released in Japan in 1988, in the United States in 1990, and in Europe in 1991. Development was handled by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, led by Shigeru Miyamoto, who directed the game along with Takashi Tezuka. The game centers on the quest of Mario and Luigi to save the rulers of seven kingdoms from Bowser, the series' antagonist. The two brothers must travel across eight worlds to restore order to the Mushroom World. It built on the game play of previous Mario games by introducing new power-ups that augment character abilities, and established conventions that were carried over to future games in the series. Prior to its private consumer North American release, game play footage from Super Mario Bros. 3 appeared in the Universal Studios film The Wizard, which helped fuel the game's anticipation among fans. Upon its release, the game was commercially successful and has since become one of the best-selling video games in the industry. Super Mario Bros. 3 was well received by critics and has been included in numerous lists of top 100 video games. The success of the game resulted in an animated television show based on its elements, and the game's re-release on later Nintendo consoles. Super Mario Bros. 3 is a two-dimensional platform game in which the player controls the on-screen protagonist (either Mario or Luigi) from a third-person perspective. The game shares similar game mechanics with previous titles in the series—Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, and Super Mario Bros. 2—but introduces several new elements. In addition to the running and jumping moves found in past games, the player can fly and float with the aid of special items, slide down slopes, and execute new types of jumps.[2] Super Mario Bros. 3 is set after the events of previous games. Mario and Luigi embark on a mission on behalf of Princess Toadstool to stop Bowser and his children—the Koopalings—from terrorizing the kings of seven regions in the Mushroom World. The Koopalings stole the kings' magic wands and transformed them into animals.[3] Each region serves as a game world that is divided into stage levels, and an eighth region is included as the final world, Dark Land. The eight worlds feature distinct visual themes; for example, the second world, "Desert Land", contains sand-covered levels with pyramids, while the levels in the fourth world, "Giant Land", are populated with obstacles and enemies four times as large as other worlds.[4] Super Mario Bros. 3 introduced several suits to alter the character's abilities. For example, Mario can use the "Frog Suit" to swim more easily in water, but will move more slowly on land. The player navigates through the game via two game screens: an overworld map and a level playfield. The overworld map displays an overhead representation of the current world and has several paths leading from the world's entrance to a castle. Paths connect to action panels, fortresses and other map icons, and allow players to take different routes to reach the world's goal. Moving the on-screen character to an action panel or fortress will allow access to that level's playfield, a linear stage populated with obstacles and enemies. The majority of the game takes place in these levels, with the player traversing the stage by running, jumping, and dodging or defeating enemies.[5][6][7] Completing stages allows the player to progress through the overworld map and to succeeding worlds. Each world features a final stage with a boss to defeat; the first seven worlds feature an airship controlled by one of the Koopalings, while the player battles Bowser in his castle in the eighth world. Other map icons include large boulders and locked doors that impede paths, and special minigames that provide the player a chance to obtain special power-ups. A new feature is the player's option to save power-up items obtained in minigames for later use via a menu accessible at the overworld screen.[5][6] In addition to special items from previous games like the "Super Mushroom" and "Fire Flower", new power-ups are introduced that provide the player with new options. Items vary in scarcity; for example, 1-up mushrooms, which give the player an extra attempt to play after the character dies, are abundant, while the "magic whistle", which enables the player to bypass certain worlds, only appears three times in the game.[8] The "Super Leaf" and "Tanooki Suit" give Mario tanuki and Jizo Bosatsu appearances respectively and allow him to fly or turn into stone to avoid enemies for a short period of time.