A few of the new power-ups aren’t quite as fun as the ones they replace, for example. Thank God.Īs much as I admire and enjoy what Southbird accomplished here, 3Mix isn’t without its flaws. It feels like it was carefully tailored for everyday gamers with fond memories of Mario 3. I’m always on the lookout for well made fan games you don’t need to be an ace speedrunner to appreciate. This save feature, along with those mid-stage checkpoints, makes this one of the rare ROM hacks that’s arguably a little easier than the game it’s based on. No more leaving the system powered on for days at a time or relying on hidden warp whistles to make up for lost progress. Best of all, 3Mix patches one of vanilla SMB3’s few holes by allowing you to save your game at any time. A Star Road map serves as a hub to let you transition between any world you’ve already visited. Mid-level checkpoints have been added to every stage. Toad appears as a playable character (although he controls identically to Mario and Luigi). The innovation extends beyond the level design proper. It’s almost unrecognizable at times, and I mean that in the best possible way. Even a bare bones list of every meaningful deviation from the standard SMB3 experience would take up an absurd amount of space.

Novel power-ups like the Penguin Suit, bunny ears, and Boomerang Suit replace old standbys. New boss fights pit you against the likes of Birdo, Wart, and Bowser Jr. The asteroids in the Galaxy zone have their own simulated gravity. The SMW stages include a fully functioning Yoshi. The Shy Guys in 3Mix’s SMB2 world can be picked up and thrown. These aren’t mere cosmetic tweaks to sprites and backgrounds, either. titles, Super Mario World, the Mario Land series on Game Boy, and even some of the later 3-D entries like Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy. It showcases characters and locations drawn from the first two Super Mario Bros. 3 of ROM hacks.ģMix is one big love letter to the entire franchise. The result is…well, the Super Mario Bros. Southbird actually disassembled the game’s code in order to gain the deep understanding required to implement hundreds of changes and additions that wouldn’t have been possible if he’d been restricted to run-of-the-mill level editing utilities. 3Mix! While amateur edits of SMB3 have been popular for decades, 3Mix here is in a class all by itself. You know what’s not very exciting? Breathing.Įnter ROM hacker Southbird with his 2014 magnum opus, Super Mario Bros. No, I simply poured so many hours into the game back in the early ’90s that playing it now feels as natural as breathing. Not because there’s anything wrong with it per se. That said, it’s one I rarely revisit these days. Regardless of whether it’s your own personal favorite, no one can deny the brilliant design, epic scope, and massive cultural impact of this instant platforming classic. 3 is the perennial people’s choice for the greatest NES game of all time.

Super mario bros 3 mix