Seeing a host of enemies from other entries animated in a 16-bit Mario 3 template is fascinating. 2, or you can fly with a cape from Super Mario World. You can pluck turnips like in Super Mario Bros. Many of the other levels feature surprising crossovers from other Mario games, and this is where it gets interesting. Plus, it fixes some annoying quirks with the original, including allowing you to backtrack when desired. on the NES, and though that makes them not especially novel, it's still neat to see these levels somewhat modernized. The first five levels are remakes of levels from the first Super Mario Bros. There are a number of different types of levels in this package. While this early version of DLC / NFC sounds innovative in theory, in practice it was highly impractical and the device died a quick death.
Then, you could purchase cards linked to certain content for specific games and use those to expand your gaming experience with a particular title. That's right, you had to own (or have access to) a second handheld. Then, you had to use a special cable to connect it to a second GBA in order to be able to use the device. In order to use the e-Reader, you needed to purchase the optional device and hook it up to your GBA. Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, logistically it was a mess.
What was the e-Reader, you ask? It was a peripheral that you could attach to your GBA in order to add content to games you had purchased. This is a big deal, and the main reason to consider purchasing this version of the game. A number of these levels were never available in North America, and none of them were released in Europe (at the time of writing we await this Virtual Console release in the EU). There are a number of other additions, the most notable of which are e-Reader levels you can find a list of all differences here the game also features an updated version of the original Mario Bros., which is a nice bonus.Īs mentioned above, this Wii U Virtual Console version includes all 38 e-Reader levels from the original game without the need for the e-reader peripheral. You can also now save at any point, a feature sorely missing from the original game. The camera is slightly zoomed in on occasion in this updated version - due to the resolution of the Game Boy Advance - and the game controls seem to be a little less floaty than the original, conditions that may upset purists but never significantly impact gameplay. It features updated graphics, colours and audio, including classic Mario voice acting. 3 that was included with Super Mario All-Stars, a collection of NES Mario games on the SNES. SMA 4 is, at its core, a port of the version of Super Mario Bros.
Confused by the title? We'll do our best to make everything clear. 3, released on the Wii U virtual console. Instead, it will focus on the unique features of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. So, this review won't discuss all the merits of the original game. It was a fantastic game worthy of all the praise that it received, and that remains true to this day.