Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros 3 Review - GBA

Gameplay

As with all Mario games, the plot is quite basic: Bowser has sent his seven children to make mischief in the Mushroom Kingdom (for which reason is unknown), the peaceful world in which Mario, Luigi and all of their other famous friends reside. Bowser's children have stolen the magic wands from the Kings of each land, and used these to turn the Kings into various animals. It's up to Mario and Luigi to recover the magic wands and use them to restore the Kings back to their original forms.
The main "hub" of Super Mario Advance 4: Mario Bros. 3 is the world map. From a bird's-eye view, you're able to see various icons that represent levels or special mini-games, and you can move to them along the set paths. The paths are sometimes blocked with obstacles (rocks, plants etcetera), but there are ways around these in the form of hidden paths and pipes. You'll also encounter different types of obstacles, such as the Hammer Bros. - running into them results in a battle similar to a fight with a boss, where you'll need to dodge hammers and defeat them, unblocking the path on the world map once again. If you die during a level you'll be placed back at the last level or mini-game you've completed on the world map, which is pointless and can become annoying; most of the time you'll want to have another go at the level and not have to make your way back there again - even worse when you're placed on the other side of the map.

After completing a world by obtaining the magic wand and returning the King to his original form, you'll be moved on to the next world. Some of the level themes you come across include forest, water and desert-based worlds, keeping the gameplay consistently varied.

The levels in Mario Bros. 3 are, as most of the Mario games have been, played from a side-on, two-dimensional view of the level. Your objective is simple, and it's this that makes the Mario games so fun and addictive: you simply have to make your way to the end of the level without dying. This isn't always as easy as it sounds, however; the most hits you'll ever be able to take is three, and that's only by obtaining the power-ups (the all powerful mushroom), which don't appear too ... (continued next page)