Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Super Mario Bros. 3, as included in Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo, is Nintendo’s 1993 16-bit remake of one of the greatest platform games ever made. Originally released for the Famicom in 1988 and the NES in 1990, the game was already remarkably advanced for its time. The SNES version leaves the core design largely intact while completely rebuilding the graphics and sound and, most importantly, adding a proper save system.
Rating: 9.5/10
At its heart, Super Mario Bros. 3 is still a masterclass in 2D platform design. Mario and Luigi travel through eight themed worlds, each presented on an overworld map filled with stages, fortresses, Toad Houses, Hammer Bros. encounters and optional routes. This structure gives the adventure far more variety and freedom than the earlier Mario games, while still keeping the individual stages short and tightly designed.
The level variety is exceptional. One stage might revolve around moving platforms, another around giant enemies, underwater exploration, ice physics or vertical climbing. The famous airship stages introduce forced scrolling and heavy cannon fire, while later worlds become increasingly elaborate without abandoning the game's simple control scheme. New mechanics are introduced constantly and then replaced before they have time to become repetitive.
Power-ups are another major strength. The Super Leaf gives Mario his iconic raccoon tail and the ability to fly after building enough speed, while the Tanooki, Frog and Hammer suits dramatically alter how certain situations can be approached. Some of these suits are fairly specialized, but discovering and experimenting with them is part of the game's appeal. Items can also be stored on the overworld map and used before entering stages, adding a small strategic element to progression.
The SNES remake completely redraws the presentation with larger color palettes, detailed backgrounds, additional animation and richer environmental effects. Areas that were relatively plain on the NES now feature clouds, mountains, storms and layered scenery. It looks excellent, although the difference is arguably less transformative than in the other Super Mario All-Stars remakes. Super Mario Bros. 3 had already pushed the NES so hard that it almost resembled an early 16-bit game to begin with.
The same is true of the soundtrack. Koji Kondo’s music receives fuller SNES arrangements with richer instrumentation and cleaner sound effects. The new versions fit the upgraded visuals well, though some players will understandably prefer the sharper and more immediate chiptune sound of the NES original.
The biggest practical improvement is the battery-backed save system. The NES version expected players either to complete the adventure in a long session or use Warp Whistles to skip large sections of the game. Super Mario All-Stars allows progress to be saved, making a full run through every world much more convenient.
Controls remain responsive and satisfying, although players intimately familiar with the NES release may notice small differences in physics and collision behavior. They are minor enough that they rarely interfere with normal play.
There are a few imperfections. Some late-game fortresses and stages can become trial-and-error heavy, certain suits have limited usefulness, and the more polished SNES artwork occasionally loses some of the strange, stark atmosphere of the original. These are small complaints in a game with such consistently strong design.
Super Mario Bros. 3 was already a masterpiece before receiving its 16-bit makeover, and that is perhaps the best way to describe this version. It does not reinvent the game because it never needed to. Instead, Super Mario All-Stars gives it attractive new graphics, excellent remixed music and the convenience of saving progress while preserving almost everything that made the original special. Whether the NES or SNES presentation is preferable comes down largely to taste, but this remains one of the finest 2D platformers ever created.
Super Mario Bros. 3, as included in Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo, is Nintendo’s 1993 16-bit remake of one of the greatest platform games ever made. Originally released for the Famicom in 1988 and the NES in 1990, the game was already remarkably advanced for its time. The SNES version leaves the core design largely intact while completely rebuilding the graphics and sound and, most importantly, adding a proper save system.
Rating: 9.5/10
At its heart, Super Mario Bros. 3 is still a masterclass in 2D platform design. Mario and Luigi travel through eight themed worlds, each presented on an overworld map filled with stages, fortresses, Toad Houses, Hammer Bros. encounters and optional routes. This structure gives the adventure far more variety and freedom than the earlier Mario games, while still keeping the individual stages short and tightly designed.
The level variety is exceptional. One stage might revolve around moving platforms, another around giant enemies, underwater exploration, ice physics or vertical climbing. The famous airship stages introduce forced scrolling and heavy cannon fire, while later worlds become increasingly elaborate without abandoning the game's simple control scheme. New mechanics are introduced constantly and then replaced before they have time to become repetitive.
Power-ups are another major strength. The Super Leaf gives Mario his iconic raccoon tail and the ability to fly after building enough speed, while the Tanooki, Frog and Hammer suits dramatically alter how certain situations can be approached. Some of these suits are fairly specialized, but discovering and experimenting with them is part of the game's appeal. Items can also be stored on the overworld map and used before entering stages, adding a small strategic element to progression.
The SNES remake completely redraws the presentation with larger color palettes, detailed backgrounds, additional animation and richer environmental effects. Areas that were relatively plain on the NES now feature clouds, mountains, storms and layered scenery. It looks excellent, although the difference is arguably less transformative than in the other Super Mario All-Stars remakes. Super Mario Bros. 3 had already pushed the NES so hard that it almost resembled an early 16-bit game to begin with.
The same is true of the soundtrack. Koji Kondo’s music receives fuller SNES arrangements with richer instrumentation and cleaner sound effects. The new versions fit the upgraded visuals well, though some players will understandably prefer the sharper and more immediate chiptune sound of the NES original.
The biggest practical improvement is the battery-backed save system. The NES version expected players either to complete the adventure in a long session or use Warp Whistles to skip large sections of the game. Super Mario All-Stars allows progress to be saved, making a full run through every world much more convenient.
Controls remain responsive and satisfying, although players intimately familiar with the NES release may notice small differences in physics and collision behavior. They are minor enough that they rarely interfere with normal play.
There are a few imperfections. Some late-game fortresses and stages can become trial-and-error heavy, certain suits have limited usefulness, and the more polished SNES artwork occasionally loses some of the strange, stark atmosphere of the original. These are small complaints in a game with such consistently strong design.
Super Mario Bros. 3 was already a masterpiece before receiving its 16-bit makeover, and that is perhaps the best way to describe this version. It does not reinvent the game because it never needed to. Instead, Super Mario All-Stars gives it attractive new graphics, excellent remixed music and the convenience of saving progress while preserving almost everything that made the original special. Whether the NES or SNES presentation is preferable comes down largely to taste, but this remains one of the finest 2D platformers ever created.
