Super Mario Bros. -NES- 9.5

September 24, 2024

Super Mario Bros is arguably the most important and culturally significant videogame ever made. This was the first videogame I ever played when I was five years old, and I’ve been passionate about the hobby ever since. Super Mario Bros needs no introduction as the grandfather of mascot platformers. This iconic classic is a household name for its catchy music, simple but precise controls, hidden secrets, family friendly characters, and endless replayability.

I wanted to revisit Super Mario Bros, because I remember playing it a lot in my childhood and later beating the All Stars version in high school, but I am not sure if I ever actually beat the game on the original NES cart. So after a couple days of practice on the authentic cartridge, I beat all 8 worlds without using warps last night. I will admit I did have to use the secret continue option (holding A and pressing start at the title screen after losing all your lives) a few times in World 7 and World 8, though. And this morning, I beat the game a second time using the warps to quickly reach World 8, but not using any continues.

Super Mario Bros is a lot harder than I remember! The platforming gets especially demanding towards the end with certain high jumps you need to nail and quick enemies you need to dodge. Thankfully, the controls are perfect. Once he starts running, Mario gathers speed very quickly. If you change direction, Mario slides a bit forward, mimicking real life kinesthetics. And when leaping into the air, you can gently guide Mario with some pressure on the on the D-pad and B button. Everything feels really responsive, which it needs to be for some of the game’s tighter jumping segments.

You never knew what to expect when you first played Super Mario Bros back in 1985. You transverse through the pipes into outdoor vistas and underground sewers, swim underwater, and even climb vines reaching up above the clouds. And each world ends with a spooky trip into one of Bowser’s castles. The enemies had great variety for the time, too. The goomba’s, koopa troopa’s, and pirana plants are amongst the many memorable foes. But the hammer brothers were always the most annoying to deal with!

Finding all the concealed power-ups and coins added immensely to the replay value. Smashing blocks would reveal mushrooms to make you big and flowers to let you shoot fireballs. There were also special green mushrooms that gave you extra lives. Discovering the secret warp locations was the biggest surprise when I played this as a child.

Super Mario Bros is a timeless gem with universal appeal. The personality and depth this offered back in 1985 was unlike anything gamers had seen before. With this game, Nintendo really showed off what their 8bit NES was capable of, compared to the previous generation of Atari games. I had a wonderful time playing Super Mario Bros again after all these years. I doubt I ever finished it as a child, but I am proud to have finished it now. The pinpoint controls, assorted levels, motley crew of enemies, challenging platforming, and plethora of secrets captivated me all over again. I rate Super Mario Bros a 9.5 out of ten.