Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario Bros. 3, released in 1988 in Japan and 1990 in Europe for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), is considered one of the best and most influential video games of all time. Developed by Nintendo under the direction of Shigeru Miyamoto, it took the Mario series into completely new dimensions - with more variety, more creativity and more depth of gameplay than ever before.

In Super Mario Bros. 3, Mario and Luigi must once again save the Mushroom Kingdom. This time, Bowser is not only threatening Princess Peach, but also seven neighboring kingdoms whose rulers he has turned into animals with the help of his children, the Koopalings. To break the spell, the brothers travel through a total of eight huge worlds, each with its own theme - from deserts and icy landscapes to a menacing dark world.

Super Mario Bros. 3 shines with its clever level design, its enormous variety and many new game elements:

• New power-ups such as the Tanooki suit, the frog suit and the hammer suit significantly expand Mario's abilities.

• The world map allows you to freely select levels for the first time and shows how big the game world actually is.

• Secrets, alternative paths and mini-games (such as memory or houses of fortune) provide constant variety.

Super Mario Bros. 3 looks impressive by NES standards: Colorful, smoothly animated and with great attention to detail. The soundtrack is also legendary - from the cheerful overworld music to the gloomy fortress themes. Everything seems well thought out and implemented with great creativity.

Super Mario Bros. 3 is a milestone in video game history. With its enormous scope, playful variety and perfect mix of challenge, reward and fun, it set new standards for platformers - and remains one of the most popular Mario games ever to this day.