The absolute pinnacle of 8-bit platforming. Eight thematic worlds, revolutionary costumes, infinite secrets. Nintendo at maximum creativity. The best NES game and one of the greatest games ever made.
Your verdict
Category
Platformer1 player3+
Description
Action platformer in which Mario crosses seven worlds to save the kings and defeat Bowser. Published by Nintendo, released in Europe in 1990. Mario in side-scrolling view with raccoon leaves, Frog and Tanooki suits, Warp Pipes and the Koopalings. Absolute NES masterpiece with a perfect score.
Super Mario Bros. 3 review
MAX
Art direction
★★★★★
"Iconic"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Dazzling, wildly varied worlds, staged like a theatre play with its curtain and sets: the game unfurls an overflowing visual imagination. The vividness of the colours and the inventiveness of the universes cross the limits of the 8-bit. This art direction, joyful and polished, remains a peak of the platformer.
Rousing and mischievous, the repertoire of Super Mario Bros. 3 signed by Koji Kondo varies its themes with the worlds, from the desert to the sea by way of the skies. Each melody, lively and catchy, perfectly matches the rhythm of the jump and the challenge. This timeless chiptune classic keeps all its joyful power.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
Costumes with varied powers, a world map, and abundant secrets vastly expand the formula without sacrificing any of Mario's perfect momentum. Flying with the leaf or swimming in the frog suit reinvents every level. The peak of the 8-bit platformer, it retains a richness of game design and a handling that remain an absolute.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
A world map, transforming costumes and levels of endless inventiveness: this platforming peak overflows with ideas on every screen. Flying in the Tanooki suit, tearing through fortresses, hunting secrets: everything invites exploration and wonder. Perfect handling, mad generosity and intact joy, arguably one of the greatest games ever devised, as gleeful as ever.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Unfurling a world map, slipping into a tanuki suit and stashing an item for the crucial moment opens a richness that grabs you from the first world. Secrets, mini-games and power-ups constantly reward exploration and revive the urge for the next level. The adventure is dense, sometimes demanding, but this generosity of game design stays a peak of efficiency.
Difficulty
"Balanced"
Lifespan
"Massive"
Crossing its seven worlds is far from a straight line: hidden levels, fortresses, mini-games, Warp Whistles to uncover and power-up suits to master keep stretching the journey. Each world has its own flavour and rewards players who comb every screen, while the replay value stays huge for anyone who skips the shortcuts. That sheer design generosity is why people still come back to it today.
The European PAL NES edition of the creative peak of the 8-bit Mario trilogy, released late with a large but heavily consumed print at the time. PAL boxed CIB in an intact original cardboard box has become a classic grail due to packaging fragility and the compressed shelf life of the game in stores. Graded sealed prices regularly hit WATA/VGA peaks, independent of any cycle speculation.
Is Super Mario Bros. 3 still worth playing in 2026?
Super Mario Bros. 3 is the absolute peak of 8-bit platforming and probably the NES's best game. Eight beautifully designed themed worlds, revolutionary costumes like Tanooki and Frog, endless secrets to find and level design of almost unreal precision, Nintendo at its 8-bit creative peak. Miraculous controls, generous length, eternal replayability. One of the greatest games ever made.
