People commonly play video games for one of two reasons: to be challenged, and overcome an obstacle through practice, trial and error, and skill; or for escapism, to lose touch with one reality and join another, leaving yourself behind and becoming an involved party in whichever sort of situation the game calls for. Personally, I tend to lean more towards the escapism side of things (with games like Dr. Mario or Planet Puzzle League, among others, obviously being exceptions to the rule), and no game encapsulates this train of thought better than Super Mario Bros. 3. Combining breathtakingly gorgeous and inspired levels that are a marvel of the 8-bit era (and still hold up especially well today), perfect controls, and a design that flows so elegantly from one stage to the next with a difficulty curve that scales wonderfully.

We all know by now the story of Mario’s creation. Our portly plumber’s conception was due to hardware limitations on old 8-bit machines; his mustache exists so we know where his face is, he wears a hat so the programmers didn’t have to animate flowing hair, his suspenders show us where his arms are moving, etc. However, no matter how utilitarian his style was, what it’s become is something magical. We’re talking about a character who’s become more recognizable to children today than marketing and consumerism incarnate, Mickey Mouse.

I don’t know if it’s partly nostalgia or if it’s all founded, but there is a pure feeling of joy that one gets when playing through what is widely considered Miyamoto’s apex of game design. Mario 3 was one of the pioneering games to introduce an overworld map, a hub for all of the levels available to the player. And boy, what levels there are! Each stage is unique, from the beginning World 1-1 which showcases the colorful, pastel backgrounds that Mario has become known for (and has largely perfected), to the intimidating World 8-8, which leads the player though a frightening and dangerous ship filled to bursting with Bullet Bills and death traps (playing World 8-8 as a child was one of the first times I was ever scared by a video game). And if there was ever a level that you just didn’t enjoy, there were the whistles. Generously scattered throughout the game, using a whistle allowed the player to fly to further worlds, usually only available by advancing through each stage and finishing the world’s castle. If a played was so inclined, he could technically beat the game playing less than ten total stages. But who would want to do that, and who could honestly say they weren’t blown away the first time they played the Big World?

Unequivocably ranked as one of the most masterful works of art of our time, Super Mario Bros. 3 is genius. Perfect at its inception and even more so when revisited decades later.