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World 1 - Level 1
Like other games in the series, 2 Player will have the two players alternate between Mario and Luigi.
Welcome to the map screen. Super Mario Bros. 3 introduces the overworld screen, letting you choose where you wish to go. While for the most part this area is linear, there are enough alternate paths that let you skip certain levels or that lead you toward items. Right now, though, our only path is to Level 1.
And of course, this leads to the first level.
The basic mechanics are unchanged from previous Mario games. Running and jumping are Mario's bread and butter, letting him quickly navigate his surroundings and defeat basic enemies.
The opening scene is both a callback to how the original Super Mario Bros starts, and a demonstration of just how much more improved this game is. The background is much more vibrant, the sprites are more detailed, and everything is more animated and colorful. The perfect introduction to this game, really.
Also, meet the Goomba. It moves in only two directions. For now, anyway.
Of course, Super Mushrooms are in this game and give Mario an extra hit to stop him from dying. Ever-important, they're the first step toward getting Mario to more useful abilities.
This enemy is a Venus Fire Trap, and all they do is pop out of pipes and spit a fireball in your general direction. Can be inconvenient at times, but usually not a threat.
There's a much larger variety of platforms Mario can traverse than in previous games. Here alone, you have three different levels you can scale in these blocks. Compare that to the relative flatness of the first game.
Koopa Troopas are largely unchanged in this game, save for one particular new perk.
Mario can now carry their shells by holding the B button, which really improve his combative abilities. Being able to carry a shell and kick it at enemies is something everyone takes for granted these days, but it really opens up how Mario can attack enemies, especially when he can't simply jump on them.
The game places a much larger emphasis on using Koopa shells this time around, as the ? Block on the ground demonstrates. You need the shell to hit the block, and doing so gives us our first major power-up of the game: The Super Leaf.
This item turns Mario into Raccoon Mario, sprouting him a tail and ears. It's major in that this is the first new power-up Mario has besides the Fire Flower, and it really opens up all that he can do.
He makes precise jumping much, much easier. By mashing the A button, Raccoon Mario can use his tail to slow his descent, making landing on platforms and enemies much easier. I use this to great effect here, showing off how you can score more points by successively landing on enemies without hitting the ground.
This little fella is a Red Paragoomba. It's similar to regular Goombas, except it hops around instead of walking. It can't get much air and is easy to avoid, however, so it's barely more threatening than the unwinged fare.
Similar to Parakoopas, this fella takes two jumps to take down, as the first hit merely knocks out his wings. After that, he's simply a red Goomba.
The next area shows off Parakoopas, more blocks, and another ? Block housing a Super Leaf, in case you've been hit before. The game wants you to play with its new toys and will give you plenty of opportunities to use Raccoon Mario for this first bit. It's a great way to ease you into the new features of this game.
Regular old Piranha Plants still exist in this game, even if their fire-breathing brethren outshadow them. Both can be scared away by simply standing next to the pipe they're in, a nifty holdover from the original game.
Of course, Raccoon Mario can also take care of them with a whack of his tail. Pressing the B button lets Mario wave his tail, which is useful for inflicting damage on nearby enemies. Jumping on the Pirahna Plant would hurt Mario, but Raccoon Mario is able to use his special attack to take it out.
This game is all about using what abilities Mario's different forms give you to defeat your foes.
Near the end of the level, we meet this guy.
We whack him with our tail, which knocks the shell upside-down as a neat effect. Then, by kicking the shell into a certain block, it reveals a hidden P block. Super Mario Bros. 3 holds even more secrets than the original, as you'll never know what you'll uncover as you wander through the game.
Unfortunately, we took damage from the shell, losing our raccoon perks. Fortunately, in this version of the game, Mario reverts to his Super Mario form, though in other versions one hit will instantly send him back to Small Mario, much like the original.
The P switch is rather handy in that it turns bricks into coins, the currency Mario likes to take advantage of so he can buy himself some extra lives. 100 coins = 1 life. Likewise, this switch will turn coins into blocks, which can create some useful platforms in the future.
Before we can make it to the end, we must squeeze through these two pipes. Simply jumping and holding right will do the trick, thanks to this game's simple and understandable approach to platforming.
The serrated edge tells us that the level is over.
To end the stage, we must hit the square. Doing this will kill all enemies on screen and give us points. If there's several enemies, we could even get a 1UP.
You can get one of three cards upon completing a level: Mushroom, Flower, Star. I'll explain the system a little later, but it's easier to get Stars when you're rushing full-speed to the end of the level, which you're generally going to want.
Once we finish a level, we can't redo it. Sorry.
That said, I haven't finished showing off the level yet, so let's take a look at what we've missed.
To show off the rest of the level, we're going to need Raccoon Mario again.
We'll want to kill all enemies in this area.
Next comes what really elevates this game beyond its original.
That's right, this game gives us much more room in each level to play with. By holding B down and running long enough, Mario can gain enough momentum to fill his P meter. Once he does this, Raccoon Mario can use this power to fly for a limited time, giving him access to all sorts of wonderful areas Super Mario could only dream of reaching.
Forgive the slow GIF, as I had to show this in its full 60FPS glory compared to the 30FPS GIFs, as otherwise full-speed Mario looks like he's sliding rather than running really fast.
There's a block here, ready to reward us for successfully learning the game's mechanics.
A 1-Up Mushroom! It nets us an extra life, thus giving the player a bit more breathing room.
While some may thing this is it for secrets, letting Mario soar again lets us find one more tasty treasure.
Remember the two pipes at the end of the level? This is the top pipe, and it'll actually take us somewhere.
It's only coins, but it's a really cool way to welcome you to Super Mario Bros. 3. It gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling to get here by quickly picking up on the new mechanics, you know?
And that's it... except for one more cool like detail.
If you duck on the white blocks for a few seconds, you'll suddenly drop into the background.
This lets us bypass enemies as long as we're in the background. If there is no background, Mario can still get hit. Also, this wears off after a few seconds, though Mario has to actually leave the background first before it affects him.
And that's everything there is to show off about Level 1!
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Video (2:29)
