Who hasn't heard of Mario and the mushrooms he ate to grow in size?

Super Mario is simply one of the best-selling video game franchises. As of 2021, it sold more than 380 million units worldwide.

Ranking among the best-selling video games of all time, the games in the Super Mario series have had consistently strong sales.

There has been tremendous critical acclaim from both critics and audiences for the Super Mario series. In 2006, the series was ranked as the best game franchise by IGN.

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But among the Super Mario games, Super Mario Bros. 3 was so groundbreaking and it stands out as one of the best Mario games for so many fans, according to the Gamer.

According to Games Radar, the Super Mario Bros. 3 is the best Mario game ever because it encompasses everything that we love about Mario games: the exploration, the creativity, the colorful worlds, the challenge.

Here's why Super Mario Bros. 3 is the best Mario game made ever.

Great Gameplay

Super Mario Bros. 3 was an utmost upgrade from Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 2 because of the sheer change in scale and level design. 

The third game has 88 levels, while the original Super Mario Bros. had only 32. Moreover, Super Mario Bros. 3 was the first in the series to include an interesting overworld map, which opened up the game and allowed for players to experience some sense of non-linearity, according to the Gamer.

With the overworld map, players could select between different levels at certain points on the map. They could also find other routes to take through pipes or other landmarks to get to another area, as per the Gamer.

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Great Story

Super Mario Bros. 3 has a great story. In the game, the Mushroom World is invaded by the Koopalings, Bowser's seven children. Each Koopalings conquers each of the seven kingdoms. They stole the king's magical wand and used it to transform him into an animal. 

To retrieve the stolen wand, and restore its king to normal, Princess Toadstool sent Mario and Luigi to travel to each kingdom.

After rescuing each of the first six kings, Mario and Luigi received notes and special items from Princess Toadstool. But once they rescued the seventh king, they received a note from Bowser, saying that he has kidnapped Toadstool and imprisoned her within the Dark Land, a castle of his own realm. 

Mario and Luigi travel through Dark Land, entered his castle, and defeated Bowser in a battle. The game ended with Princess Toadstool being freed from the castle.

Tons of Fun Secrets To Discover

According to the Gamer, the best part of the game was its hidden content. Super Mario Bros. 3 was the first game have secret rooms and items littered across the levels. 

From being able to hide behind the scenery to uncovering the whistles in the hidden rooms within the castles, there's so much to discover in the game. 

Instead of being the simple adventure, the levels in Super Mario Bros. 3 included times when the player had to move up, down, or figure out the correct path through a variety of doors, said the Gamer.

Six new power ups were also introduced, which include the Super Leaf, the Tanooki Suit, the Magic Wing, the Frog Suit, the Hammer Suit, and Goomba's Shoe. There are also new moves, items, and characters that were introduced.

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