🎮 Super Mario Bros ✅
played through SNES Super Mario All Stars on Nintendo Switch Online
Playing Super Mario Bros again brought back very specific memories right away. I still remember the exact pipe to enter in World 1-1, and how to reach the warp zone pipes in 1-2. Experiencing it through the SNES version really stands out visually; the upgraded graphics still hold up remarkably well, and this version of Mario looks so much better than the original NES sprites. I love that Nintendo was like, “You know what, we’ve got these extra pixels, let’s remake our original Mario.” Some of the old mechanics stood out right away, too. If you get hit while powered up, you immediately go back to tiny Mario; there is no middle state. You’re either powered up or you’re not. It makes me wonder when that change was introduced in later games. Also, you can’t go backwards in a level at all, which feels unintuitive after playing modern Mario games for so long. Playing on the SNES version through NSO also makes me wish I had the SNES controller on hand; I don’t think I can go back to the NES visuals after seeing it like this. Even without trying to optimise anything, I ended up flying through the game fairly quickly. After about 10 minutes, I was already at World 5-2 thanks to the warp zones. That design choice really highlights how the original focus of the game was to move through levels, execute platforming well, and reach the castle, which, by the way, there are only four levels per world. I was so surprised when I reached a Bowser castle at 5-4. Compared to more recent Mario titles, which emphasise collecting coins and other items, this feels much more stripped down. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing! Just a different design philosophy that becomes noticeable when revisiting it. And again, I wonder when this collectathon philosophy began. Because there’s no overworld map and no collectibles to track, I never feel guilty using the warp zones and skipping huge chunks of the game. It makes me wonder what the “correct” way to play was supposed to be. If the game gives you shortcuts that easily, is the goal to finish as efficiently as possible, or is it to experience every level? The game doesn’t really push you either way. Moving through World 8 was easily the most challenging and time-consuming part of the experience. There are bottomless pits everywhere, Bullet Bills flying at you nonstop, and those damn Hammer Bros!! I definitely spent most of my total playtime in World 8 alone. Without all the bells and whistles of modern Mario games, all the weight is on the platforming itself, and that’s where the game shines. Also…I kept running out of time in the castle because I hadn’t figured out the maze yet. It’s also interesting to see how many ideas that feel “modern,” like the castle maze, were already present in this very first iteration. I eventually beat Bowser and got the ending with Peach… and I can confidently say I have never finished this game as a kid because I have absolutely no memory of the game looping into a harder second go where enemies get swapped out (goombas turned into the hard shell guys??), and I definitely do not remember Peach kissing Mario at the end. Also, I’m sorry, but I really hate Mario’s face in this shot of her kissing him. Image screenshot from my own playthrough I’ve decided not to continue into the harder loop; instead, I will move on to the next game in All-Stars: Mario the Lost Levels (which apparently was so hard it didn’t originally come out in the west). It was fun to revisit this game, and how focused and effective the original design is, and how these ideas have continued to be built upon in future iterations of Mario.
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