1980s
Super Mario Bros. 3
1988 · Platform · NES / Famicom
Overview
Super Mario Bros. 3 is a classic 1980s platform game developed by Shigeru Miyamoto for NES / Famicom.
Deep Dive
Super Mario Bros. 3 is a classic 1980s platform game developed by Shigeru Miyamoto for NES / Famicom.
Developer Story
Super Mario Bros. 3 was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka at Nintendo in 1988. The game introduced the world map, power-up inventory, and a variety of new suits — Raccoon (flight), Frog (swimming), Tanooki (stone form), Hammer Brother (throwing hammers). The development team structured each of the eight worlds around a distinct theme, treating them as separate experiences rather than a single escalating progression.
Did You Know?
- Super Mario Bros. 3 was revealed to American audiences in the 1989 film The Wizard, months before its US release — generating extraordinary anticipation.
- The game appeared to take place on a stage set — certain elements looked like theatrical props, and the ending credits confirmed this staging metaphor.
- Miyamoto designed the Raccoon suit to give players flight capability but limited its duration to prevent the whole game being skipped by air.
- Super Mario Bros. 3 sold 17 million copies worldwide and is consistently ranked among the greatest video games ever made.
- Each of the eight worlds had a distinct theme: giant enemies, ice, water, giant (again), sky, ice (again), pipes, and the final castle world.
