This article is about the game for theNintendo Entertainment System. For other uses, seeSuper Mario Bros. 3 (disambiguation).

Super Mario Bros. 3
For alternate box art, see thegame's gallery.
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Family Computer Nintendo Entertainment System Nintendo PlayChoice-10 Virtual Console (Wii /3DS /Wii U) Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer NES Classic Edition Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online
Release date	Family Computer: October 23, 1988[1] PlayChoice-10: July 15, 1989[2][3][4][5] Nintendo Entertainment System: February 12, 1990[6] August 29, 1991[?] August 29, 1991[7][better source needed] Virtual Console (Wii): November 5, 2007[?] November 9, 2007[?] November 9, 2007[?] December 11, 2007[?] May 26, 2008[8][better source needed] Virtual Console (3DS): January 1, 2013[?] December 26, 2013[?] December 26, 2013[?] April 17, 2014[?] April 6, 2016[?] Virtual Console (Wii U): December 25, 2013[?] December 26, 2013[?] December 26, 2013[?] April 17, 2014[?] Nintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer November 10, 2016[?] NES Classic Edition: November 10, 2016[?] November 11, 2016[?] November 11, 2016[?] Nintendo Entertainment System - Nintendo Switch Online: September 18, 2018[?] September 19, 2018[?] September 19, 2018[?] September 19, 2018[?] April 23, 2019[?] April 23, 2019[?] Mario, the quick-change artist!: July 28, 2021[?] July 28, 2021[?] July 28, 2021[?] July 28, 2021[?]
Languages	English Japanese
Genre	2Dplatformer, action-adventure
Rating	ESRB: - Everyone[?] PEGI: - Three years and older[?] CERO: - All ages[?] ACB: - General[?] USK: - All ages[?] ClassInd: - General audience[?] GRAC: - All ages[?]
Mode	Single player, multiplayer
Format	Famicom: Cartridge NES: Game Pak Wii: Digital download Wii U: Digital download Nintendo Switch: Digital download Nintendo 3DS: Digital download NES Classic Edition: Built-in
Input	Arcade: Joystick Famicom: Famicom Controller NES: NES Controller Wii: Wii Remote (horizontal) Classic Controller Nintendo GameCube Controller Wii U: Wii U GamePad Wii Remote (horizontal) Classic Controller Wii U Pro Controller Nintendo Switch: Joy-Con Joy-Con (horizontal) Nintendo Switch Pro Controller Famicom Controller (NSO) NES Controller (NSO) Super NES Controller (NSO) Nintendo 3DS: Gamepad NES Classic Edition: NES Classic Controller Classic Controller
Serial codes	Famicom: HVC-UM PlayChoice-10: PCH1-R-UM NES: NES-UM-USA NES-UM-CAN NES-UM-ESP NES-UM-GBR NES-UM-NOE NES-UM-AUS NES-UM-KOR

Super Mario Bros. 3 is a 2D action-adventureplatform game for theFamily Computer andNintendo Entertainment System. It is the fourth installment in theSuper Mario series and is recognized as the third in Japan.^[9][10] It was released for consoles in Japan on October 23, 1988; in North America on February 12, 1990; and in Europe and Australia on August 29, 1991. Prior to its North American release on the NES,Super Mario Bros. 3 was ported to theNintendo PlayChoice-10.^[5] Being the first game in the series sinceSuper Mario Bros. not to derive its gameplay from another game as well as to release in all regions,Super Mario Bros. 3 retains the samelevel-based platformer mechanics of previous titles. These core mechanics are iterated upon, featuring greatly expanded levels, several new power-ups, new enemies and bosses, a more fleshed-out multiplayer mode, aworld map, and many optional levels and secrets. The game has gone on to become one of the most influential titles for theSuper Mario franchise, and several elements introduced in this title have since become mainstays in the 2D games, including landscape-themed worlds, theKoopalings,airships, andToad's Houses.

The game features a unique stage play-esque aesthetic, with objects being bolted to the background or suspended by ropes and castingdrop shadows. Additionally, the ends of most levels featureMario traveling "offstage" on a black backdrop to complete them. This led toa long-standing rumor that the game was a stage play put on by theSuper Mario cast, an idea later confirmed by series creatorShigeru Miyamoto.^[11] Some of these aesthetic choices were changed or removed in remakes of the game.

Super Mario Bros. 3 has received near-universal critical acclaim since its release, and it is one of the best-selling NES andSuper Mario games of all time.^[12] The game has received several re-releases on other platforms, including full remakes for theSNES compilation gameSuper Mario All-Stars and on theGame Boy Advance asSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. It is also featured on all ofNintendo'sVirtual Console services, as well asNintendo Switch Online.

A cartoon adaptation of the game known asThe Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 started airing shortly after release of the game. In the cartoon,King Koopa and the Koopalings attempt to take over both thereal world and theMushroom Kingdom. The series was produced byDIC Entertainment in association with Nintendo.

Story

The following text is taken directly from the instruction booklet.

TheMushroom Kingdom has been a peaceful place thanks to the brave deeds ofMario andLuigi. The Mushroom Kingdom forms an entrance to theMushroom World where all is not well.

Bowser sent hisseven children to make mischief as they please in the normally peaceful Mushroom World. They stole royalmagic wands from each country in the Mushroom World and used them to turn theirkings into animals. Mario and Luigi must recover the royal magic wands from Bowser's seven kids to return the kings to their true forms.

"Goodbye and good luck!" said thePrincess andToad as Mario and Luigi set off on their journey deep into the Mushroom World.

Peace has returned to theMushroom Kingdom thanks to the efforts ofMario andLuigi; however,Bowser sent his own seven children (Larry,Morton,Wendy,Iggy,Roy,Lemmy, andLudwig) to the other countries of theMushroom World, which the Mushroom Kingdom forms a gateway to. TheLittle Koopas stole the royalMagic Wands of the sevenkings, using them to transform the kings into various helpless creatures.Mario andLuigi vow to go and stop the Little Koopas' mischief, and change the kings back into their normal form. At the end of each world, Mario and Luigi fight one of the Little Koopas, and after the match is over, retrieve the wand from the Little Koopa to turn the king back to normal. While the brothers are out in their adventure, Bowser kidnapsPrincess Toadstool and takes her tohis lair inDark Land. The brothers go to Dark Land and fight Bowser. After defeating Bowser, they save the princess and restore peace once again.

Gameplay

Super Mario Bros. 3 plays similarly toSuper Mario Bros., with several additions. The game features a world map where the player can choose which path to take and which level to play. Toad's Houses and Spade Panels are also found on the world map. Midway through each world, Mario or Luigi enter afortress, where they fightBoom Boom. At the end of each world, they enter the world'sairship, where one of the sevenLittle Koopas is fought. After defeating the Little Koopa, Mario or Luigi restores theking back to his normal state and moves onto the next world.

The first player controls Mario, while the second player controls his brother, Luigi, with the two players taking turns. After one brother completes a level or loses a life, the other brother plays. If one brother interacts with the other brother's icon on the world map, they enterBattle Mode in their Small forms. Whoever wins is immediately given a turn to play in the main game.

New moves include picking up objects and kicking them, as well assliding down hills, moves which have carried over in futureSuper Mario games. TheFire Flower returns in this game, where it acts as it does inSuper Mario Bros., allowing Mario or Luigi to transform into theirFire forms and shootfireballs. Several new power-ups are also introduced, including theSuper Leaf, a leaf power-up that transforms Mario or Luigi into theirRaccoon forms, allowing them to fly into the sky, and theHammer Suit, which transforms the brothers into theirHammer forms, letting them throw hammers at enemies.

Controls

Characters

Playable characters

• 

  Mario

• 

  Luigi

Non-playable characters

Image	Name	Description
	Princess Toadstool	The ruler of theMushroom Kingdom who directed Mario to help liberate theMushroom World from theLittle Koopas. She periodically sendsletters of advice and items to Mario. After defeatingLudwig von Koopa, Mario receives a letter fromBowser, informing him that he has kidnapped Princess Toadstool.
	Toads	Retainers who runToad's Houses andSpade Panels, where Mario can obtain power-ups or play minigames. A Toad can be found alongside the king of each world.
	Kings	With the exception of Bowser'sDark Land, eachworld is ruled by awand-wielding king. Their wands are stolen by the Little Koopas, who use them to transform the kings into other creatures and take over their kingdoms. Defeating the Little Koopa of the visited land returns the wand to its king and turns him back to normal.

Enemies and obstacles

Enemies

Image	Name	Description	Levels		New
			First	Last
	Little Goomba	Little Goombas wander in whatever direction they happen to be going, mindlessly falling off platforms as they go.	World 1-1	World 7-9	—
	Para-Goomba	Para-Goombas are winged Goombas. They become regular Goombas after just one stomp. Brown Para-Goombas fly around, dropping Micro-Goombas onto Mario.	World 1-2	World 8-2
	Red Para-Goomba	Red Para-Goombas hop along the ground in small arches, chasing Mario.	World 1-1	World 7-9
	Mugger Micro-Goomba	Mugger Micro-Goombas are small Goombas. They are dropped by brown Para-Goombas. They drag Mario down if touched. Mashing will get rid of them.	World 1-2	World 8-2
	Pile Driver Micro-Goomba	Pile Driver Micro-Goombas are Micro-Goombas inside dullbricks. They like to hide near other brick, jumping when Mario gets close.	World 2-1	World 5-7
	Grand Goomba	Grand Goombas are twice the size of Little Goombas. Other than their large size, they are identical to them Goombas, and can be defeated with one stomp.	World 4-1	World 4-6
	Kuribo's Goomba	Kuribo's Goomba is a Goomba wearing a special shoe; they try to stomp Mario with it. If Mario can bump the Goomba from under a block, then he can use the displaced shoe. Any other attack, however, will destroy the shoe as well.	World 5-3
	Green Koopa Troopa	Koopa Troopas are found throughout the Mushroom World. One stomp will send it hiding in its shell, a usable projectile. Green-shelled Koopa Troopas walk in one direction and fall over any edge they encounter.	World 1-1	World 8-1	—
	Red Koopa Troopa	Red-shelled Koopa Troopas will turn about if they come to a gap.	World 1-1	World 8-1	—
	Green Koopa Paratroopa	Koopa Paratroopas are winged Koopa Troopas. A stomp removes their wings and turns them into normal Koopa Troopas. However, if Mario hits the block under a Paratroopa, it will tuck into its shell. Other attacks will defeat it completely. Like their wingless cousins, there are two versions of Koopa Paratroopa: green and red shelled Koopas. The green kind tend fly back and forth or hop forwards.	World 1-1	World 8-2	—
	Red Koopa Paratroopa	Red Koopa Paratroopas fly up and down	World 1-4	World 8-1	—
	Green Gargantua Koopa Troopa	Koopa Troopas come in tremendous sizes. They have the same vulnerabilities of normal Koopa Troopas, but their larger size makes them a more dangerous opponent to deal with. Like normal-sized Green Koopa Troopas, Green Gargantua Koopa Troopas walk off the edge of platforms.	World 4-1	World 4-6
	Red Giant Koopa Troopa	Like the smaller ones, Red Giant Koopa Troopas turn around when they reach the edge of a platform.	World 4-1	World 4-6
	Colossal Koopa Paratroopa	Colossal Koopa Paratroopas are winged Green Gargantua Koopa Troopas. They only follow the hopping behavior. One stomp will make them lose their wings, reverting them to Green Gargantua Koopa Troopas.	World 4-1	World 4-6
	Dry Bones	Dry Bones is the animated skeleton of a Koopa Troopa, usually found in fortresses. If they are stomped, they collapse into a pile of bones. Moments later, however, the bones will rise back up off the ground and come back to life.	World 1-Fortress	World 8-Bowser's Castle
	Hammer Brother	Hammer Brothers are the Koopa Troops's elite forces that attack Mario by throwing hammers in an upward arc. While not very common in traditional stages, they wander around the maps of Worlds 1, 3, 5, and 6. They tend to appear in pairs, which can make it difficult to find an opening to attack.	World 1-	World 8-Hand Trap	—
	Boomerang Brother	Boomerang Brothers are like Hammer Brothers, except that their weapon of choice is the Boomerang. When they attack, the boomerangs they throw will double back for a second attack from the opposite direction. They appear as map enemies in World 2.	World 1-3	World 8-Hand Trap
	Fire Brother	Fire Brothers are the least common type of the Hammer Brother family. Only a few Fire Brothers appear in the entire game; two are found in a secret part of World 2, and another one appears in the first Hand Trap level of World 8. They have red skin and they spit fireballs at Mario.	World 2-	World 8-Hand Trap
	Sledge Brother	Sledge Brothers are larger Hammer Brothers. These tubby turtles have green skin and they throw hammers, albeit slower than Hammer Brothers. Sledge Brothers make big jumps, and if Mario is standing when a Sledge Brother lands, he will be stunned. They appear mostly in Giant Land, where they are mostly map enemies.	World 4-3	World 8-Hand Trap
	Buzzy Beetle	Buzzy Beetles are turtles with fire-resistant shells. Otherwise, they act like green Koopa Troopas when on the ground.	World 1-5	World 4-3	—
	Upside-down Buzzy Beetle	These Buzzy Beetles walk on the ceilings of caves. They fall from them while spinning in their shells when Mario approaches.	World 2-Pyramid	World 4-3
	Buster Beetle	Buster Beetles are Buzzy Beetles that can pick upWhite Blocks and throw them at Mario. However, they can be beaten by any attack, even by fireballs.	World 5-1	World 6-10
	Para-Beetle	Para-Beetles are winged Buzzy Beetles. However, Mario can hop on their back for a ride, unlike with other winged foes.	World 5-6
	Lakitu	Lakitus are cloud-riding Koopas. They hover back and forth in the air above Mario, tossing a never-ending supply Spiny's Eggs to the ground.	World 3-4	World 7-3	—
	Green Spiny Egg	Eggs tossed by Lakitu that bounce off of walls. The Green ones roll along the ground after Mario.	World 3-4
	Spiny Egg	The red Spiny Eggs hatch into Spinies upon hitting the ground.	World 4-4	World 7-3	—
	Spiny	Spinies are small turtles with spikes all over their shells; they cannot be stomped. However, if Mario bumps a block under a Spiny, or attacks it with a raccoon tail, it will tuck into its shell, letting Mario pick them up. They can also drop from the ceiling. Spinies also appear in the Battle Mode but with a different sprite and behavior.	World 4-3	World 7-5	—
	Upside-down Spiny	Some Spinies climb on the ceilings of underground areas. Like Upside-down Buzzy Beetles, these Spinies recede into shells and drop when Mario is detected underneath.	World 4-3
	Rocky Wrench	Rocky Wrenches are mole-like turtles. Upon sighting Mario, a Rocky Wrench will pop out of its hole in an airship or vehicle, and chuck wrenches at him before descending back into its hole.	World 2-Airship	World 8-Tank
	Spike	Spikes are small green turtles which pull spiked balls out of their mouths before throwing them at Mario.	World 3-7	World 6-8
	Piranha Plant	Piranha Plants are carnivorous plants that live in pipes and quicksand. However, Piranha Plants will not emerge from their pipe if Mario is touching or standing directly on top of it, unless the pipe is sideways or upside down. Red Piranha Plants have two segments of leaves, while green ones have only one, though the sideways ones are red with one segment.	World 1-1	World 8-1	—
	Venus Fire Trap	Venus Fire Traps are Piranha Plants that spit one or two fireballs at Mario. Like normal Piranha Plants, they reside in pipes or quicksand, and they will not appear if Mario is near or on their pipe unless the pipe is upside down, and appear in two colored varieties depending on their height.	World 1-1	World 8-2
	Piranhacus Giganticus	Giant Piranha Plants only reside in Giant Land. They will rise in and out of pipes, regardless of whether Mario is standing next to them or not.	World 4-1	World 4-6
	Green Piranhacus Giganticus	The green-headed Piranhacus Giganticuses do not emerge if Mario is next to their pipes, like the normal-sized Piranha Plants.	World 4-6
	Ptooie	Ptooies are Piranha Plants that blowspiked balls and usually have legs. Occasionally, Ptooies will blow the spiked ball high into the air, allowing Mario to jump past them.	World 6-1	World 7-8
	Walking Piranha	Nipper Plants are little, white Piranha Plants. They sit still or patrol an area and leap up at Mario when he tries to pass them.	World 5-1	World 7-8
	Fiery Walking Piranha	This special Walking Piranha can spit multiple fireballs. Only one is found in the game.	World 7-8
	Muncher	Munchers are invincible, black Walking Piranha-like flowers. They tend to grow in large clusters. The only way to defeat a Muncher is turn it into a coin with aSwitch Block and collect it. Invincible Mario can walk on Munchers. Some of them are frozen in Ice Blocks.	World 5-3	World 7-8
	Podoboo	Podoboos are large fireballs that leap from lava.	World 1-Fortress	World 8-Bowser's Castle	—
	Roto-Disc	Roto-Discs are shining discs that spin around an orb or block. They sometimes appear in pairs known as Duo-Roto-Discs. Mario can only destroy them as Statue Mario.	World 1-Fortress	World 8-Bowser's Castle
	Bullet Bill	Bullet Bills are large black bullets launched by Turtle Cannons.	World 1-Airship	World 8-1	—
	Missile Bill	Missile Bills are flashing red Bullet Bills that turn around once if it misses Mario.	World 4-5
	Firesnake	The Firesnake is a flame with four fireballs behind it. Firesnakes chase Mario in an effort to hurt him. They hop towards Mario.	World 2-1	World 2-3
	Cheep-Cheep	Cheep-Cheeps are fish foes that patrol shallow water. They come in red and green. The red variety jumps from the water in various ways and can swim quite fast while doing so.	World 3-2	World 8-Hand Trap	—
	Green Cheep-Cheep	The green Cheep-Cheeps slowly swim back and forth.	World 2-2	World 6-9
	Boss Bass	Boss Basses are giant Cheep-Cheeps that swim on the surface of the water. When Mario gets too close, they lunge out of the water to eat him. Boss Bass can defeat Mario in one gulp, even if he transforms into Statue Mario. In the levels that they appear in, the tide rises and falls, making Mario an easy target.	World 3-3	World 3-8
	Big Bertha	Big Berthas are giant Cheep-Cheeps who carryBaby Cheeps in their mouths. Occasionally, they stop to open their mouths and let their babies briefly swim out before resuming their movement.	World 3-5	World 7-4
	Spiny Cheep-Cheep	Spiny Cheep-Cheeps swim even faster than red Cheep-Cheeps and can appear from both sides of the screen.	World 7-4
	"Boo" Diddly	"Boo" Diddlies are small white ghosts. They are shy, stopping when Mario looks at them. Once Mario looks away, they will resume their chase.	World 2-Fortress	World 8-1
	Stretch	Stretches are Boos attached to platforms. They are found exclusively in fortresses and are more of an obstacle than a true enemy. As Mario attempts to pass, a Boo will rise from the top and/or bottom of the platform and move along the surface. Stretches are usually found in groups.	World 3-Fortress	World 6-Fortress
	Thwomp	Thwomps are living rectangular rocks. They try to squash Mario under their weight whenever he gets near or under them.	World 2-Fortress	World 8-Bowser's Castle
	Angry Sun	The Angry Sun is a small Sun with an angry face. It only appears in two levels. To attack Mario, the Angry Sun swoops down in an attempt to hit him before returning to the sky.	World 2-Desert	World 8-2
	Chain Chomp	Chain Chomps are dog-like ball and chain creatures. They generally lunge towards Mario. They are usually attached to a block, but if 160 seconds go by, they will break free.	World 2-5	World 5-1
	Bloober	Bloobers are common underwater foes. They swim diagonally and follow Mario.	World 3-1	World 7-4	—
	Bloober with kids	These Bloobers have fourchildren following them. They follow the adult Bloober, but there is a delay between its movements and those of the children, making the enemy harder to avoid.	World 3-1	World 3-5
	Scattering Bloober	These Bloobers with kids have a unique move: when the adult begins to glow, the children form a circle around it and radiate outward. More babies appear to replace the ones it lost a few seconds later.	World 6-9	World 7-4
	Lava Lotus	Lava Lotuses are large artificial flowers that live underwater. They are capable of generating up to five fireballs (which can go through platforms) and releasing them.	World 3-1	World 7-4
	Jelectro	Jelectros are glowing electric jellyfish that remain stationary in the water. They are invincible, their touch is lethal, and they tend to hang out in groups.	World 3-5	World 7-4
	Bob-omb	Bob-ombs are living bombs. They typically appear walking on the ground. If Mario stomps on one, it will become stationary and capable of being picked up and used as a weapon. However, it will explode in a few seconds, even if Mario is still holding it. Keyless Bob-ombs are launched from certain cannons, and explode on their own after a few seconds.	World 3-9	World 8-Tank	—
	Hot Foot	Hot Foots are animated candle flames. Their behavior is similar to Boos. If Mario faces one, it will stand still. Once Mario looks away, it will resume walking towards him.	World 4-Fortress	World 8-Bowser's Castle
	Fire Chomp	Fire Chomps are floating creatures resembling Chain Chomps with four fireballs for a chain. They fly freely and spit fireballs at Mario. When they run out of fireballs, they chase Mario before they explode.	World 5-5	World 6-7
	Bowser Statue	Bowser Statues are sculptures of King Bowser himself found in his castle. They are more than just egotistical decoration; many of them are capable of firing lasers downward in a 45° angle.	World 8-Bowser's Castle
	Crab	Crabs require two hits in order to flip them upside-down. The first hit only makes them angry and speeds them up.	Battle Mode		—
	Fighter Fly	Fighter Flies constantly hop their way across the screen, only briefly vulnerable.	Battle Mode		—
	Fireball	There are three types: the first travels horizontally in a wavy pattern, the second bounces around diagonally, and the last is shot out of a pipe in a bonus stage. The former two emerges from the sides when enough time has passed. All share the same red sprite.	Battle Mode		—

Obstacles

Image	Name	Description	Levels
			First	Last
	Cannon	Cannons usually shootcannonballs, but some fire Bob-ombs. There are several different types of cannons. The small ones on airships are angled and the same size as a normal block. Cannonballs fire in straight trajectories and can be hopped on like enemies to cross gaps or reach hidden areas. They are unaffected by fireballs.	World 1-Airship	World 8-Tank
	Diagonal cannon	Double-barreled cannons that launch cannonballs in both directions. Most are fastened to overhanging background elements.	World 2-Jet	World 5-Jet
	Giant cannon	Giant cannons are fastened to tanks and look like pipes. They firegiant cannonballs.	World 8-Tank	World 8-Jet
	Gun barrel	Small tank turrets that only fire cannonballs. They resemble blackpipes.	World 8-Tank	World 8-Tank
	Koopa's fireball	Fireballs from Bowser that are summoned offscreen.	World 8-Bowser's Castle
	Lava	Molten rock that can cause the player to instantly lose a life.	World 1-Fortress	World 8-Bowser's Castle
	Quartet-cannon	Four-gunned cannons. They are fastened to the ceiling and turn between fires. They shoot four cannonballs at once.	World 1-Jet	World 5-Jet
	Quicksand	Sand that sinks the player.	World 2-2	World 8-2
	Rocket Engine	Rocket Engines are cylindrical blocks that expel flames found on airships. Tanooki Mario can actually defeat the flame jets by transforming into a statue above them. However, a new flame will appear after a few seconds.	World 3-Airship	World 8-Jet
	Spikes	Pointy obstacles that damage the player.	World 2-Fortress	World 8-Fortress
	Tornado	This whirlwind sends Mario backwards. He can pass them by running and jumping through the center.	World 2-Desert
	Turtle Cannon	Turtle Cannons shoot Bullet Bills. They are placed strategically throughout many levels, even on the ground, where Mario cannot duck beneath the bullets flying his way.	World 1-Airship	World 8-1

Bosses

Bosses are listed in the order that they are first encountered.

Image	Name	Description	Levels
			First	Last
	Boom Boom	A Koopa miniboss who guards every fort. He attacks by walking, flying or jumping, ducking under spikes when he holds still.	World 1-Fortress	World 8-Tank
	Larry Koopa	The boss of Grass Land. He only attacks by shooting magic blasts and jumping.	World 1-Airship
	Morton Koopa Jr.	The boss of Desert Land. He attacks like Larry.	World 2-Airship
	Wendy O. Koopa	The boss of Water Land. She attacks by shootingcandy rings (up to three) that bounce while jumping high.	World 3-Airship
	Iggy Koopa	The boss of Giant Land. He attacks by shooting magic blasts while jumping high.	World 4-Airship
	Roy Koopa	The boss of Sky Land. He shoots magic blasts and can stun Mario by landing on the floor if Mario is grounded. This also goes for his shell attack.	World 5-Airship
	Lemmy Koopa	The boss of Ice Land. He simply moves back and forth on hismagical ball, while attacking with smaller balls.	World 6-Airship
	Ludwig von Koopa	The boss of Pipe Land. He attacks like Roy.	World 7-Airship
	Bowser	The boss of Dark Land. Hebreathes fire and tries toGround Pound on Mario, causing the floor to break.	World 8-Bowser's Castle

Items and objects

Items

These are collectibles, pickups, and health-restoring objects.

Image	Name	Description
	Coins	Collecting 100 coins grant an extra life.
	Blue Coins	Blue Coins have the same value as regular coins and appear when aSwitch Block is activated in certain areas. They disappear when the effect wears off.
	1-Up Mushrooms	Grabbing a 1-Up Mushroom awards anextra life.One mushroomMedia:SMB3 Pure White 1up Mushroom.png inWorld 6-3 appears white due to a glitch.
	Koopa Shells	Koopa Shells can be used to defeat enemies, break empty bricks and hit blocks with items. Hitting one with a fireball destroys it.
	Giant Shells	Despite their size, Mario can hold Giant Shells and send them flying. They have a greaterhitbox than the normal-sized Koopa Shells.
	Buzzy Shells	Shells fromBuzzy Beetles. They work the same as Koopa Shells, but they are impervious to fire.
	Spiny Shells	Shells fromSpinies. They work the same as Koopa Shells, but cannot be jumped on, despite being upside down.
	White Blocks	A white brick made of ice that can be carried and thrown.
	Goomba's shoes (Kuribo's shoes)	The Goomba's shoe is obtainable only inWorld 5-3. This item allows Mario to safely hop across dangerous objects and jump on spiky enemies, such asPiranha Plants andSpinies. It is acquired by bumping aKuribo's Goomba off a block from below. Since it is not a power-up, it does not overtake any previous powers the player may have had. For example, if Fire Mario mounts a Goomba's shoe, then loses it, he will still retain his Fire form.
	P-Wing	The P-Wing not only grants the Raccoon form's abilities, but also allows for indefinite flight for one level and adds a large "P" on Mario's chest (on the map only). In levels, Mario appears as Raccoon Mario, but thePower Meter will be completely filled until Mario gets damaged or completes the level. After a level is cleared with this form, Mario will revert to normal Raccoon Mario.
	Jugem's Clouds	This item is used on the world map to skip a level.
	Hammers	This item is used on the world map to break boulders and reveal secret areas or shortcuts.
	Music Boxes	This item is used on the world map to put certain enemies to sleep.
	Magic Whistles	This item is used on the world map to travel to theWarp Zone.
	Anchors	This item is used on the world map to lock anairship in place.
	Cards	Players are given a card for touching thegoal. Collecting three cards award an extra life. If the cards are identical, more extra lives are awarded. Cards can be exchanged or lost in the 2-player Battle Mode.
	Magic balls	The magic ball appears afterBoom Boom is defeated. It must be touched to complete the level.
	Magic Wands	After the defeat of eachLittle Koopa, a Magic Wand must be collected to complete the level.

Power-ups

Items that transform Mario's appearance and give him unique abilities. Forms that share a column look the same for Mario and Luigi.

Power-up	Form		Description
N/A	Small Mario	Small Luigi	Mario's weakest form; he starts each life in this form. If Mario touches an enemy in damaging areas or damaging obstacles while in this form, he loses one life.
Super Mushroom	Super Mario	Super Luigi	The form Mario turns into after obtaining a Super Mushroom in Small form. Mario gains the ability to breakbricks in this state. If Mario touches an enemy while in this form, he shrinks back to his Small form.
Fire Flower	Fire Mario / Luigi		After utilizing a Fire Flower, Mario will turn into Fire Mario, letting him throwfireballs.
Super Leaf	Raccoon Mario	Raccoon Luigi	After using the Super Leaf, Mario will transform into Raccoon Mario. In this state, Mario can tail whip most enemies and blocks, slow his falls, and fly for a short period of time after gaining enough speed.
Starman	Invincible Mario	Invincible Luigi	After getting a Starman, Mario will become invincible, and thus cannot be harmed by any enemies or obstacles; he can also defeat most enemies without jumping on or throwing projectiles at them. This will only last for a short period of time (considerably shorter than in most otherSuper Mario games), and Mario will still lose a life if he falls into a pit, a pool of lava, or runs out of time. If Mario is not in Small or Frog forms, he will frontflip as he jumps.
Frog Suit	Frog Mario / Luigi		Mario will turn into Frog Mario after retrieving the Frog Suit. The Frog Suit allows Mario to swim much easier, but impedes his movement on land drastically.
Tanooki Suit	Tanooki Mario / Luigi		After obtaining the Tanooki Suit, Mario transforms into Tanooki Mario. Along with the abilities to glide, fly, and attack with his tail, Mario can brieflyturn into a statue to avoid or defeat enemies.
Hammer Suit	Hammer Mario / Luigi		Upon obtaining the Hammer Suit, Mario will turn into Hammer Mario. In this state, Mario can defeat enemies by throwing hammers, and can shield himself from fireballs by using his shell, but cannot slide down hills.

Objects

Objects are interactable elements of the environment that cannot be picked up or collected.

Image	Name	Description
Blocks and containers
	? Block	Produces coins or an item when hit. Some areHidden Blocks that only become viewable once interacted with.
	Big Block	A large variant of a brick.
	Brick	When a brick is hit, it either breaks or produces coins.
	Cloud Block	Clouds that serve as platforms.
	Coral	Coral form varyingly sized columns in underwater levels that obstruct movement. InGiant Land, there are large branching corals.
	Empty Block	A block that cannot be broken. When ? Blocks or certain bricks are hit, they turn into Empty Blocks.
	Empty Block (big)	A large variant of an Empty Block.
	Floor	Blocks that make up thefloor in Battle Mode. Knocking into them from below attacks enemies that stand above.
	Frozen Coin	A coin encased in solid ice that can be melted by fire to be collected.
	Ice Block	A block made of ice that can make the player slide when walking over it. They appear in small and large sizes.
	Jump Block	A block that makes the player jump higher. The player can also time their jump to reach greater heights.
	Magic Note Block	A block that transports the player toCoin Heaven when jumped on.
	Mega ? Block	A large variant of a ? Block.
	POW	A block found in Battle Mode. Striking it causes a quake that attacks all enemies on screen at once. A POW can be hit three times before disappearing.
	Switch Block	When a Switch Block is pressed, bricks temporarily turn into coins, and vice versa. Pressing a Switch Block can also revealBlue Coins, which are hidden otherwise.
	Wood Block	A block that cannot be destroyed. Some of these blocks release items if hit from the side.
Doorways
	Magic Door	Special doors that appear only inWorld 4-6. Teleports players to explore different segments of the level in both sizes to find additional bonuses.
	P Warp Door	A door that is visible only if a Switch Block is active. Black P Warp Doors are always invisible, but can always be entered, while red P Warp Doors do not appear until a Switch Block is pressed and cannot be entered otherwise.
	Warp Door	A door found in fortresses and castles that take the player to another portion of the level.
Pipes
	Bubble-jet pipe	Blue pipes that expelcurrents. They push Mario as he swims unless he is in hisFrog form.
	Giant pipe	A large variant of a Warp Pipe that serves as a platform, rather than transporting the player.
	Small pipe	A small variant of a Warp Pipe that serves as a platform, rather than transporting the player.
	Warp Pipe	Pipes going through the ground that transport the player to new areas.
Platforms
	Bolt Lift	A set of nuts that are screwed onto a very long bolt that serve as platforms. The player must continually jump to avoid falling.
	Brick floor	The bricks that make upBowser's Castle. In the boss room,Bowser breaks through them with aground pound. This ultimately makes him fall through the floor, defeating him.
	Cloud Lift	Clouds that serve as platforms. They only appear inWorld 6-2 and move to the left.
	Conveyor belt	Moving platforms that carry the player from one place to another without them having to move at all.
	Directional Lift	A lift that changes direction when stepped on.
	Donut Lift	A platform that falls under weight if the player stays there for too long.
	Elevator block	These paired blocks rise straight up when Mario steps on them. They otherwise lie on the ground, unmoving.
	Island	Terrain of varying heights and widths that occur in athletic courses.
	Lift	Platforms that move in any direction. Some calledRail Lifts move alongrails strung through the sky. Others calledFlimsy Lifts drop down pits shortly after being stood on.
	Rotary Lift	Platforms that spin. There are three kinds of Rotary Lifts: those that spin for a short time and then stop before they resume spinning shortly afterward, those that spin endlessly, and those that tilt based on where the player is standing on them.
	Semisolid Platform	A platform that can be passed through from underneath, but acts as solid ground from above.
	Tank	Military vehicles that travel in platoons along the ground, covered in various types ofcannons.
	Waterfall	Rapids that flow from above. Mario can swim up waterfalls to reach overhead bodies of water.
	White Block	A unique type of Semisolid Platform.Crouching on a White Block brings Mario to the background, allowing him to avoid enemies and access secret areas.
Other objects
	Goal	The Goal is a block-like object at the end of the level that cycles through threecards. Striking it ends the current level and rewards Mario with whichever card is displayed.
	Fireworks	When Mario strikes the Goal on the same panel three times in a row, fireworks appear and reward him with a certain number ofextra lives.
	Tide	Water that rises up and down.
	Vine	Vines grow out of certain blocks after they are hit, giving players access to upper parts of a level.

Worlds

UnlikeSuper Mario Bros. andSuper Mario Bros. 2, this game has a world map, a feature that has been carried over into every subsequent title in the series. LikeSuper Mario Bros., the game features eight total worlds spread out across eight different maps, each one featuring a different name, theme, and boss; the inclusion of thematic worlds would also be carried over into future titles in the series, though some of the worlds of later installments differ from the ones established in this one. In the original NTSC release of this game, most of the worlds were given different names (indicated in parentheses in the table below), which are largely carried over to remakes. There is a total of 88 levels inSuper Mario Bros. 3. According to the Japanese manual, the map designs were deliberately modeled after that of a board game.^[13]

World	Image	Levels				Boss
World 1 Grass Land		World 1-1	World 1-2	World 1-3	World 1-4	Larry Koopa
		World 1-Fortress	World 1-5	World 1-6	World 1-Airship
World 2 Desert Land (Desert Hill)		World 2-1	World 2-2	World 2-Fortress	World 2-3	Morton Koopa Jr.
		World 2-Desert	World 2-4	World 2-5	World 2-Pyramid
		World 2-Airship
World 3 Water Land (Ocean Side)		World 3-1	World 3-2	World 3-3	World 3-Fortress	Wendy O. Koopa
		World 3-4	World 3-5	World 3-6	World 3-7
		World 3-Fortress	World 3-8	World 3-9	World 3-Airship
World 4 Giant Land (Big Island)		World 4-1	World 4-2	World 4-3	World 4-Fortress	Iggy Koopa
		World 4-4	World 4-5	World 4-6	World 4-Fortress
		World 4-Airship
World 5 Sky Land (The Sky)		World 5-1	World 5-2	World 5-3	World 5-Fortress	Roy Koopa
		World 5-Tower	World 5-4	World 5-5	World 5-6
		World 5-7	World 5-Fortress	World 5-8	World 5-9
		World 5-Airship
World 6 Ice Land (Iced Land)		World 6-1	World 6-2	World 6-3	World 6-Fortress	Lemmy Koopa
		World 6-4	World 6-5	World 6-6	World 6-7
		World 6-Fortress	World 6-8	World 6-9	World 6-10
		World 6-Fortress		World 6-Airship
World 7 Pipe Land (Pipe Maze)		World 7-1	World 7-2	World 7-3	World 7-4	Ludwig von Koopa
		World 7-5	World 7-Piranha Plant	World 7-Fortress	World 7-6
		World 7-7	World 7-8	World 7-9	World 7-Fortress
		World 7-Piranha Plant		World 7-Airship
World 8 Dark Land (Castle of Koopa)		World 8-Tank	World 8-Ship	World 8-Hand Trap	World 8-Jet	Bowser
		World 8-1	World 8-2	World 8-Fortress	World 8-Tank
		World 8-Bowser's Castle
World 9 Warp Zone		World 2	World 3	World 4	World 5	None
		World 6	World 7	World 8

Development

Game designerShigeru Miyamoto working onSuper Mario Bros. 3.

Development forSuper Mario Bros. 3 began shortly afterSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels was finished in the Spring of 1986. Originally, the game was developed with a bird's-eye view in mind, similar toThe Legend of Zelda, where the player would be looking down at the characters from above. With jumping as one of Mario's main moves, this overhead view made it difficult to determine whether Mario was touching the ground or not, so the view was switched to the side-view used in earlier titles. However, relics of the overhead view can still be found in the final game, such as the black-and-white checkerboard seen at the title screen.^[14]

WhenTakashi Tezuka was designing concepts for the game, he did not want it to be likeSuper Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels where only the levels and difficulty was changed. Instead, he wanted to rework everything, from giving Mario an improved moveset to overhauling the character sprites. Programmers also had what they called a "Map Room", which was a long, narrow meeting room where they looked at sheet papers and programmed map data all day. There were 20 to 30 people working onSuper Mario Bros. 3, compared toSuper Mario Bros.'s seven or eight. However,Koji Kondo was completely alone on sound design, and he claims it was difficult to come up with music to fit the genre of the game. Additional sounds were possible to use duringSuper Mario Bros. 3's development which weren't able to be used duringSuper Mario Bros.'s. The Japanese version of the game was originally planned to release in Spring of 1988, but because of the developers wanting to add so many new features, the game ended up getting pushed back another six months.^[14]

The hard part of creating a video game with old characters is making the old characters seem fresh and new.^{[15][better source needed][16]} In many ways,Super Mario Bros. 3 revived the series and brought many new young and old fans back to the adventures of the Mario Bros. The game also appeared in the 1989 movieThe Wizard as a way to advertise it; this also marked the first time that aSuper Mario game was advertised in a movie.

Remakes and ports

Super Mario Bros. 3 was later remade and included inSuper Mario All-Stars with updated graphics and sound for theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System, which was later reissued asSuper Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World and ported to theWii asSuper Mario All-Stars Limited Edition. A notable addition to theAll-Stars version ofSuper Mario Bros. 3 was a save feature which allow players to save the progress and continue the world where they left off. Additionally, there's aBattle Game feature in the title screen that works differently from the ones featured from the maps in the 2-Player Game mode. Other than that, retaining some localization changes and certainglitches fixed, gameplay was not altered.

The original game is also one of the 30 titles included in theNES Classic Edition andNintendo Classic Mini: Family Computer, and was made available as one of the 20 NES titles with added online play at theNintendo Switch Online subscription service's launch in September 2018.^[17] It later received a special version on July 28, 2021, known asSuper Mario Bros. 3: Mario, the quick-change artist!, where the player would start on World 8 with 35 lives and the inventory full of every power-up in the game.

Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

Main article:Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario Bros. 3 was ported to theGame Boy Advance handheld system as the fourth and final installation in theSuper Mario Advance series,Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3. It used the same graphics and sounds as theSuper Mario All-Stars version, and also incorporated the use of thee-Reader: by scanning incertain cards, players could unlock new items and levels, including content originally from the other classicSuper Mario platformers.

Reception

The game has received critical acclaim and is considered to be one of the greatest games of all time. IGN placed it at the number one spot of their top 100 NES games of all time list.^[18]

Release

Merchandise

Among the merchandise based on the game are aNelsonic Game Watch, and chocolate chip swirl cookies manufactured by Salerno, which features a maze on the box.^[19]

Multimedia

For a complete list of media files for this subject, seeMultimedia:Super Mario Bros. 3.

Super Mario Bros. 3 - Ground Theme

File infoMedia:Overworld 1 Super Mario Bros 3.oga 0:29

Super Mario Bros. 3 - Athletic Theme

File infoMedia:Overworld Theme 2 Super Mario Bros 3.oga 0:30

Super Mario Bros. 3 - Gameplay of World 1-1.

File infoMedia:SMB3 W1-1.ogv ​

Help:Media •Having trouble playing?

References to other games

• Mario Bros. -Battle Mode is very similar to the multiplayer in this game.
• Super Mario Bros. -Buzzy Beetles reuse their sprites from this game but witha few differences.Spinies in the Battle Mode also reuse their sprites from this game. When Princess Toadstool is saved from Bowser (in English versions exceptSuper Mario Advance 4), she says "Thank you. But our princess is in another castle!...Just kidding! Ha ha ha! Bye bye." This is a reference to themushroom retainers' line "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!" from this game. Several sound effects from this game are reused. An arrangement of theUnderground Theme from this game is used for the underground levels. Also, theMusic Box plays an arrangement of theGround Theme from this game.
• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels - The skidding sound effect and redPiranha Plants return.
• Super Mario Bros. 2 - Princess Toadstool's appearance is almost identical to how she appeared in this game, though it more closely resembles her appearance from theprototype version as there is no white coloring in her eyes. Bob-ombs, as well as desert, sky and ice-themed levels/worlds also return.
• The Legend of Zelda series - The "Magic Whistle" item is theRecorder fromThe Legend of Zelda; it summons a whirlwind to warp the player character to another location and plays the same tune when used, which has become a reoccurring melody in the original series.
• The Mysterious Murasame Castle - TheRaccoon Mario transformation sound effect originated from this game.^[20]

References in later media

• Super Mario World - TheKoopalings return in this game. TheSunken Ghost Ship was once an airship inSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past - The music for Water Land was recreated as the background music for theFairy Fountain/Great Fairy Fountains, including the music that plays on the file select screen, which would be used in manyZelda games throughout the subsequent generations of that franchise's history.
• Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins - Water Land's music can be heard in the background of the music for stage 3 ofTree Zone, as well as inMario Zone.
• Super Metroid - The sound effect for when Crocomire fully dies is taken from the Dry Bones inSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars - The music heard inGrate Guy's Casino is a rendition of the music that plays during theminigames ofSuper Mario Bros. 3, the theme heard during the battle with Bowser is an arrangement of that fromSuper Mario Bros. 3, the music forBowser's Keep also contains part of the same theme, and the music heard fromMario's Pad as well as the Flower Garden cutscene is an arrangement ofGrass Land's theme fromSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Super Mario 64 - Many levels inGiant Land resembleTiny-Huge Island inSuper Mario 64 andits DS remake. Changing sizes by using doors also resembles using pipes to go from tiny to huge in Tiny-Huge Island.
• Mario Party - The music heard inGhost Guess andPedal Power is an arrangement of the music forIce Land. A few other themes fromSuper Mario Bros. 3, namely versions of Giant Land and Dark Land, are also arranged in this game.
• Mario Party 2 - The jingle that plays when a single player wins in a minigame is a version of the jingle that plays when the player clears a level.
• Paper Mario - The jingle that plays when Mario rescues a Star Spirit is an arrangement of the theme that plays when Mario recovers a king'sMagic Wand, which also plays when Mario wins theStar Rod back from Bowser. An arrangement of the fortress theme plays in theKoopa Bros. Fortress. The theme of theKoopa Bros. is an arrangement of the theme for the Hammer Bros. battles. Also, the music that plays when Mario levels up is an arrangement of Grass Land's music fromSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Super Mario Bros. Deluxe - The opening for the game features a letter from Princess Peach in a similar manner toSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Luigi's Mansion - One of the other songs played onMelody's piano is a version of theSuper Mario Bros. 3 athletic theme.
• Super Smash Bros. Melee - The Ground and Grass Land themes are heard in a new version named afterSuper Mario Bros. 3. Bowser's down special move,Bowser Bomb, is based on the ground pound he uses inSuper Mario Bros. 3. Raccoon Mario, Boo and Thwomp also appear as trophies.
• Super Mario Fushigi no Janjan Land - Several sprites fromSuper Mario Bros. 3 are reused in this game.
• Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - The theme for Ice Land plays when Jolene calls Mario. In addition, Peach also provides vital clues to Mario via (e-)mail, and her last message ends up being intercepted by the main villain (Grodus, in this game's case), similar to inSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Animal Crossing series: InAnimal Crossing: Wild World,City Folk, andNew Leaf, the player can receive and send stationery called "SMB3 Paper", whose design is a direct reference to the opening title sequence ofSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker - Like before, the musical themes for the Fairy Fountain/Great Fairy Fountains are derived from Water Land's theme. In addition, another version played with the Fairy Queen, with its melody most closely resembling the original Water Land theme.
• Tetris DS - Levels 4, 5, and 6 in Marathon mode usesSuper Mario Bros. 3 gameplay on the top screen, along with theRaccoon,Frog andTanooki Mario sprites on the touch screen. Also, an arrangement of the Ground theme plays.
• Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix - Music fromSuper Mario Bros. 3 is part of a song in this game.
• WarioWare: Twisted! - TheSuper Mario Bros. 3 microgame, along with theSuper Mario Bros. 3-Lift microgame, are based onSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Super Mario 64 DS - TheRec Room theme is an arrangement of Grass Land's theme. TheWanted!,Connect the Characters, andMario's Slides minigames uses the minigame music.
• Mario Party Advance - The music played after Mario beats a Boom Boom/Koopaling is heard after the player completes a quest. Also, in the minigameDrop 'Em, the background has a similar design to the levels fromSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Mario Kart DS - The trackAirship Fortress is based on the airship levels fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. Another track,Desert Hills, is based on Desert Land fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. A few of the Mission Mode arenas are based on the Fortress levels inSuper Mario Bros. 3. The background ofShroom Ridge is based on Giant Land fromSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• New Super Mario Bros. - Many concepts started inSuper Mario Bros. 3 are features in this game, such asToad Houses. Most of the worlds have similar themes. Thefortress theme is an arrangement of theSuper Mario Bros. 3 fortress theme. The "Fortress Boss" theme returns as an arrangement. A new version of Toad House's music was as the theme forBob-omb Reverse, a minigame in this game. Bowser's theme fromSuper Mario Bros. 3 also has a version in this game.
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games - A new version of the Ground theme fromSuper Mario Bros. 3 is available as a track that can be heard in the music gallery in theWii version of the game.
• Super Mario Galaxy - Arrangements of the airship and athletic themes appear in this game.
• Super Paper Mario - The theme that plays whenBig Blooper appears is an arrangement of the underwater theme fromSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl - The "Super Mario Bros. 3" theme fromSuper Smash Bros. Melee is re-used in this game. The music that plays during Peach'sFinal Smash,Peach Blossom, is a sped-up arrangement of the music that plays inCoin Heavens and the second portion ofSky Land, as well as theWarp Zone. The airship theme is redone and can be heard on the stageLuigi's Mansion. Also, a medley of the boss theme ofSuper Mario Bros. 3 (alongside theSuper Mario World Castle theme) can be heard on the Luigi's Mansion stage. Raccoon Mario, Boo, Thwomp, and Ludwig von Koopa appear in the form of stickers. Also, Boo, Chain Chomp, and Dry Bones appear as trophies and stickers.
• Mario Kart Wii - A license plate which reads "SMB3" can be found on one of the trucks onMoonview Highway.
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games - In the Wiiversion, a version of the athletic theme is available as a track that can be played during events. In theNintendo DSversion, an arrangement of the athletic theme is used as the first part of the Mario & Sonic Medley inUltimate Figure Skating.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii - ThePenguin Suit is based on theFrog Suit fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. TheKoopalings' battle theme is arranged twice and once again played when fighting against them. The airship theme is an arrangement and can be heard on airship levels. The map model of theTowers are based on the fortress map sprites ofSuper Mario Bros. 3. The Enemy Courses are similar to the levels when fighting against a Hammer Bro, Fire Bro, Boomerang Bro, or Sledge Bro, and even use an arrangement of the song. Also, players can store reserve power-ups like inSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console NES games: The sound effect when selecting an NES game is the coin sound effect startup sound forSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 -Supermassive Galaxy is similar toGiant Land.
• Mario Sports Mix - In the underwater theme inHarmony Hustle, a recreated part of theSuper Mario Bros. 3 underwater theme can be heard.
• Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games - The athletic theme inSuper Mario Bros. 3 is available in the Wii version of this game as one of the optional music tracks that can be heard.
• Super Mario 3D Land - ManySuper Mario Bros. 3 elements, like Boom Boom, Tanooki Mario,Note Blocks, and Super Leaves appear in this game. The Airships and Boom Boom battles return, and the arrangements of the Airship and athletic themes fromSuper Mario Galaxy play in certain stages.
• Mario Kart 7 - The Super Leaf appears as an item.
• Fortune Street - A new version ofPipe Land's theme is used as the stocks menu music. Also, theToad House theme is used as the music for auctions. A version of the "3 Matching Cards" fanfare plays whenever a line is made in Round The Blocks on a Mario board or when the Super Mario tour is completed in Tour mode, as well as a version of the "World Clear" fanfare playing when a line of lucky 7's is made in Round The Blocks on a Mario board.
• New Super Mario Bros. 2 - Some levels in this game contain the same colorful blocks asSuper Mario Bros. 3. Also, Super Leaves, Raccoon Mario, and thePower Meter returns. The loading chime sometimes plays a small part of theSuper Mario Bros. 3 Ground theme. The theme for Toad Houses was reused as that of Toad Houses in this game. World 1-1 and 1-5 are remade as part of theGold Classics Pack.
• New Super Mario Bros. U - TheP-Acorn sounds and acts like theP-Wing. Also, the first part of theSoda Jungle is based onGiant Land.
• Mario Tennis Open - A costume and racket of Tanooki Mario can be unlocked in this game.
• Paper Mario: Sticker Star - Goomba's shoes (known as the Super Boot), a version of Raccoon Mario with only the tail, and Frog Suits return asstickers in this game. The music that plays when riding the ski lift inWhiteout Valley is a version of the athletic theme fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. Also, the Kings' theme is recreated for the afterward to aRoyal Sticker boss battle in this game. When the hostSnifit explains the rules toSnifit or Whiffit, a new version of the Spade Panel music plays.
• Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games - Part of the boss theme is arranged as part of the music inMario's Figure Skating Spectacular in this game.
• Super Mario 3D World - A version of the death jingle inSuper Mario Bros. 3 is referenced in this game. Spikes and Super Leaves also return.
• NES Remix 2 /Ultimate NES Remix -Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the games that are remixed.
• Mario Golf: World Tour - The music forSky Island is an arrangement of theSuper Mario Bros. 3 athletic theme. Golf clubs, a golf ball, and a clothing combo appear based on the Super Leaf. There are also golf clubs, a golf ball, and a costume available based on Tanooki Mario.
• Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Tanooki Mario is a playable character in the downloadable content packThe Legend of Zelda ×Mario Kart 8, but is available from the start inMario Kart 8 Deluxe.Rocky Wrenches inMario Kart 8 Deluxe resemble their appearance inSuper Mario Bros. 3.
• Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - Music was used in this game as a medley of the athletic, stage clear theme,Giant Land's theme, Hammer Bros. battle theme, and the player miss theme. The Super Leaf is also a usable item, turning fighters into the Raccoon form and allowing them to glide for a while. The Koopalings appear as playable characters as alternate costumes forBowser Jr.
• Mario Party 10 - Toad'samiibo Party theme is a version of the theme for Toad Houses from this game. After a Bowser Party is finished, the results music is the lullaby that makes the Hammer, Boomerang, Fire, and Sledge Bros. fall asleep.
• Super Mario Maker/Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS -Super Mario Bros. 3 is one of the game styles for these games. The Course World menu music and 100 Mario Challenge map music are both arrangements of the Grass Land map theme. TheEnemy Course theme plays when the Bowser emblem sound effect is activated in theSuper Mario Bros. style, and the Fortress Boss theme plays when it is activated in theSuper Mario Bros. 3 style.
• Paper Mario: Color Splash - The 8-bit Recorder and Hammer return in theSuper Mario Bros. 3-themed course inGreen Energy Plant and can be squeezed into realisticThing Cards; when the Recorder is used, the original notes are played by the flute itself, and it has the same effect of summoning a whirlwind, while three other flutes play the "Coin Heaven" theme in the background. Additionally, to board an airship carrying a giant bucket of paint, Mario hangs on theAnchor as he does inSuper Mario Bros. 3. Raccoon and Frog Mario also appear as usable card effects. Larry also, like in the Japanese manual for the game, states before fighting Mario, that he is doing his actions specifically to avoid upsetting Bowser. In addition, similar to inSuper Mario Bros. 3, after completing a level, Peach will supply Mario with advice viaHolo-Peaches, although before the final level, her final message ends up intercepted by the main villain (Black Bowser in this case), although in this case, this resulted in her color being drained rather than being kidnapped.
• Super Mario Run - The background music for Remix 10 features a version of the Ground theme fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. One of the minigames available heavily resembles the Battle Mode stage where coins and fireballs spew out of a vertical pipe.
• Super Mario Odyssey - The music that plays in the slot rooms and the picture-matching mini-game areas is a version of the minigame theme fromSuper Mario Bros. 3. A scene of Mario fighting Bowser, accompanied by the final boss theme fromSuper Mario Bros. 3, plays when Mario captures Bowser.
• WarioWare Gold - The Super Mario Bros. 3-Lift microgame fromWarioWare: Twisted! reappears, referred to as simply "Super Mario Bros. 3".
• Super Smash Bros. Ultimate - New arrangements of the Ground Theme (which features the level clear theme and Grass Land's theme), Fortress Boss theme (featuring Ice Land and Dark Land's themes), and Bowser battle theme (also featuring Dark Land's theme) are available as tracks.
• Super Mario Maker 2 -Super Mario Bros. 3 returns as a course style. The Enemy Course theme plays when the "Boss Music" sound effect is activated in theSuper Mario Bros. style, the Fortress Boss theme plays when it is activated in theSuper Mario Bros. 3 style, and the Bowser battle theme plays when the "Final Boss" sound effect is activated in theSuper Mario Bros. andSuper Mario Bros. 3 style.
• The Super Mario Bros. Movie - The Brooklyn couple's house features a framed piece of artwork resembling the green triangular texture patterns used for hills inSuper Mario Bros. 3.Music Boxes,P Switches,P-Wings,Lakitu's Clouds,Anchors,treasure chests as they appear inSuper Mario Bros. 3's Toad Houses, and aHammer can be seen in the antique store. On the back wall of the store is a picture of Princess Peach as she appears in theletters. When Mario runs from some Toad guards inPeach's Castle, the sound he makes when skidding across the hallway is identical to theP-Meter sound effect. This sound effect and the drum sample are also used in the track "Press Start". The Ground Theme, Athletic Theme, Toad House/P Switch music,Spade Panel minigame music,Airship Theme, andHammer Bro mini-boss music are also arranged in the film's score. TheTanooki Suit also appears. The sign above the verticallift Mario and Toad use resembles the world maps. Bowser's territory is theDark Lands. The voxel map Peach uses makes the "world map start" sound effect when the Mushroom Kingdom forms.
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder - The minigame music is reused for the Wonder Effect inTaily's Toxic Pond, and the Hammer Bro music is reused for the Break Time! levelTrottin' Piranha Plants.
• WarioWare: Move It! - Amicrogame based onSuper Mario Bros. 3 appears in this game, in which the player controls a flyingRaccoon Mario.

Version differences

TCRF article:Super Mario Bros. 3

There are four versions ofSuper Mario Bros. 3 released forFamily Computer andNintendo Entertainment System: the original Japanese version, the North American PRG0 and PRG1 versions (NES cartridges will displayNES-UM-USA andNES-UM-USA-1 next to theNintendo Seal of Quality respectively), and the PAL version. During the two year release gap between the Japanese version and the worldwide release ofSuper Mario Bros. 3, many changes were made while localizing the game for the international market. Many of the gameplay and level design changes for the international release were kept in the future remakes, while other changes were reverted to make the game closer to the original Japanese version.

Gameplay changes

• In the Japanese version, getting hit while powered-up causes the player to automatically shrink to Small Mario like inSuper Mario Bros. In the international versions, powered-up Mario is reverted to Super Mario when hit, then shrinks to Small Mario when hit again. This also applies for the Goomba's shoe. In the Japanese version, the shoe is red as it flies offscreen, and the player is also reverted to Small Mario; the shoe retains its green color as it is removed for the international versions, and the player keeps any power-ups they had before entering the shoe. Despite these changes, the short demo that plays on the title screen still shows Mario being reduced to Small Mario when being hit by a shell when he is Raccoon Mario. This oversight was not fixed for eitherAll-Stars orAdvance 4.
• In Toad's Houses, the player can move while Toad is speaking in the Japanese version. In the international versions, the player must wait until the message is completely displayed.
• The timing for the credits sequence was altered for the international versions.
• After the credits end in the international versions, the player can press any button to return to the title screen and start another game in which the inventory is filled with 28 P-Wings. In the Japanese version, the player cannot do this as the game remains on the ending screen indefinitely and must be restarted. This is one of the few international gameplay changes not retained in the later remakes.

Level design changes

• In the second room of World 1-Fortress in the international versions, the door to Boom Boom is at the very end of the room, with the spikes above the door slightly above the rest. Comparatively in the Japanese version, the room is two blocks wider to the right, and the door is one block to the left of the gap in ceiling spikes.
• The castle interiors when entering and finishing an airship stage were redesigned for the international versions. Mario is standing in the center of the room rather than on the very left, a third pillar next to the very left one was removed, the column on the right is in front of the stairs rather than behind, the throne and stairs are colored golden rather than being blue like the background wall, the stairs are made slightly longer, and the shadow shading was put on the right of each pillar rather than on the left.
• In World 8-Ship, a block was removed off the end of the final ship, allowing players to more easily jump onto the ship should they swim under the fleet.
• The end of World 5-1 was moved to the end of the main area of the level rather than having a Warp Pipe that takes the player to the end of the stage. A Buster Beetle at that part was also removed for the international versions. This was likely done to remove a glitch allowing thetreasure box that appears in the secret area in this level to appear at the end of the level.

Graphical changes

Top is Japanese, bottom is international

• When the player is hit as Tanooki, Hammer, or Frog Mario or while wearing Goomba's Shoe, the item comes off (outlined for the suits, colored red for the shoe) and a sound effect plays in the Japanese version. In the international versions, the costume disappears in apuff of smokeMedia:SMB3 Puff normal.gif, like Raccoon Mario.
• In the Japanese version, when entering a stage, it wipes in to black, then wipes out the stage. In the international versions, it wipes in, then the stage fades in slightly more quickly.
• In the Japanese version, there is a single transparent pixel on the "R" outline in "WORLD" on the heads-up display, causing it to reflect the current background color. This is filled in with solid black in the international versions.
• In the PRG1 version, a bug was fixed that caused the player's heldCards to not display on the HUD during the vertical scrolling sections ofWorld 4-Fortress 2,World 5-2,World 7-1 andWorld 7-6.^[21]

Textual changes

• In the PRG1 version, the names of each world as shown in-game minus Grass Land were further altered; Desert Hill became Desert Land, Ocean Side became Water Land, Big Island became Giant Land, The Sky became Sky Land, Iced Land became simply Ice Land, Pipe Maze became Pipe Land, and Castle of Koopa became Dark Land. This actually makes it closer to how they were originally written in the instruction manuals, including the Japanese one. TheSuper Nintendo andGame Boy Advance ports, however, reverted back to the original pre-revision names.
• In the PRG0 version, Toad says "Miss twice and your out!" in theN-Mark Spade Panels. The US PRG1 version changes Toad's line to "You can only miss twice!" to get rid of the typo in the PRG0 version.
• Princess Peach mentions in her letter received in World 2 "Kuribo's shoe" in the PRG0 version and "Goomba's shoe" in PRG1 version.

PAL version changes

• The PAL version is based on the US PRG1 version, featuring most of its changes. It was optimized for PAL NES to have its gameplay and music match the Japanese and US versions. Some of the music sounds different as the result, such as the Airship music, where the percussion in the first part is not cut off.
• Bowser's letter is inexplicably signed as "Koopa Troopa" instead of "King of the Koopa" from the US versions.

Staff

Main article:List of Super Mario Bros. 3 staff

Directors

• Shigeru Miyamoto
• Takashi Tezuka

Game Designers

• Shigeru Miyamoto
• Takashi Tezuka

Main Programmer

• Toshihiko Nakago

Sound Composer

• Koji Kondo

Producer

• Shigeru Miyamoto

Pre-release and unused content

Main article:List of Super Mario Bros. 3 pre-release and unused content

One of the early ideas was a power-up to turn Mario into aCentaur (half-man, half-horse), although this was rejected before being implemented into the game. (Tilden 1990, 21)

Additionally,Cheep-Cheeps andPara-Beetles respectively have unused tan and green variations, which would have moved faster than their ordinary counterparts.

Glitches

Main article:List of Super Mario Bros. 3 glitches

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Super Mario Bros. 3.

• 

  Raccoon Mario

• 

  Princess Toadstool,Toad, andLuigi

• 

  Para-Goomba

• 

  Bowser

• 

  Boom Boom

• 

  Main cast

Quotes

See also:List of Super Mario Bros. 3 quotes

• "The Tanooki Suit turns into a statue! Even though I knew it wouldn't make sense to some non-Japanese players...I was so excited about it that I left it in." -Shigeru Miyamoto,Super Mario History 1985-2010 booklet
• "We were helped by many people when developing this game. But even with a larger team, I was still the worst gamer of the bunch." -Takashi Tezuka, Super Mario History 1985-2010 booklet
• "This time around, I added a lot of percussion and was able to create tracks that sounded like there were three or more sounds playing at once, resulting in much richer-sounding music." -Koji Kondo, Super Mario History 1985-2010 booklet

Names in other languages

Super Mario Bros. 3: Mario, the quick-change artist!

Notes

• Super Mario Bros. 3 isTakashi Tezuka's favorite game in the series,^[25] as he feels that it is his first masterpiece.
• According to theGuinness Book of World Records 2008,Super Mario Bros. 3 was the world's best-selling video game, a title which at the time belonged toSuper Mario Bros. based off known data.
  • Also, the image used in the book was ofSuper Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, the remake, which made the same mistake on the back of its box.

References

External links

Super Mario Bros. 3 coverage on otherNIWA wikis:

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NintendoWiki

StrategyWiki

The Cutting Room Floor has an article onSuper Mario Bros. 3.

• Famicom 40th Anniversary Webpage (JP)
• Mario Portal Game Archive (EN)(archive)
• Mario Portal Game Archive (JP)
• Program Details forSuper Mario Bros. 3 - Time Attack
• Nintendo Power Special: The making ofSuper Mario Bros. 3
• Nintendo Power Special:Super Mario Bros. 3 Strategy Guide
• The Mushroom Kingdom - pre-release and unused content fromSuper Mario Bros. 3
• Japanese Famicom manual
• North American manual

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