While most know that Mario is the little guy trying to save the damsel in distress in the 1981 arcade classic Donkey Kong, he is more widely associated with Super Mario Bros., Nintendo’s 1985 side scrolling platformer that helped to make the Nintendo Entertainment System a smash success.

When the NES released in 1985, I was seven years old and my family had an Atari 2600. I wouldn’t get a NES until 1988, when my parents finally relented on my consistent requests (they’d probably view it more as incessant badgering). That doesn’t mean that I didn’t get my hands on Mario before then. In fact I vividly remember a party at a family friend’s house where Uncle Skip (my younger brother’s godfather) took me and some of his nephews up to the game room to play it. I also vividly remember that the other kids were quickly discouraged by their dying in the game but I was ensnared fully. I spent the remainder of that party, and any other time we were over there to get my hands on some more Mario (or whatever new game Uncle Skip was playing at the time).

Fast forward to Christmas 1988 when my parents got me (and I guess my brother but he was five and an idiot) the NES. They got the light gun bundle that came with Super Mario Bros. and Duck Hunt on one cart. I also received the new hotness, Ninja Gaiden (a story for another day). It’s funny that my parents bought the light gun bundle being as we weren’t really allowed to have toy guns but that is beside the point. Anyway, I quickly opened up the system and had it set up on my grandmother’s tiny old television and it was glorious.

This was an era when getting new games wasn’t a regular occurrence and I wouldn’t receive another game for the NES until my birthday, over eight months later. As such, I became very familiar with the two cartridges I had. It got to a point where I was able to consistently finish the game in about 15 minutes (using warp pipes). Not a write-home-about it speed run but at the time I felt it was an impressive feat.

Fast forward again to present day where now Mario and Nintendo are the Mickey Mouse and Disney of the gaming world. I’ve grown from being the kid playing Super Mario Bros. over and over again because he didn’t have much of a choice in games to being the guy that starts off his new year playing Super Mario Bros. because the game is still a masterpiece.

Some of you may be scratching your heads incredulously saying, “Masterpiece?” And I’m going to tell you yes, Super Mario Bros. is a masterpiece.

From the first level, the now iconic Level 1-1, the game showcases itself as something special. For all intents and purposes Level 1-1 is a tutorial level. It starts off slowly, introducing the player to a lone enemy and some ? blocks. There isn’t much to do other than jump over the enemy or on it and punch the ? blocks to see what is in them. A magic mushroom that makes Mario bigger appears and now he advances to see ever increasing obstacles, like larger gaps and more enemies. It is never enough to be truly difficult but just enough to show you how to play and what to expect going forward.

And then the real fun begins as Mario enters the underground for the first time and is presented with trickier design and different enemies. It is also where exploration and actively trying to work outside the box can present you with opportunities to skip ahead in the game.

The World Warp pipes were a big topic of debate amongst my friends and I. Was using them cheating? (BTW, the answer is no.) If you could beat the game beating all the levels were you better at it than someone that did it quicker but warped? (Answer to that one is probably.) Being as I only had Super Mario Bros./Duck Hunt and Ninja Gaiden, I ultimately did both.

It is easy to look at Super Mario Bros. today and think that it’s an overly simple game. I mean, the game has eight words and they all follow a pretty standard overall structure of three levels that could be inside, outside, or underwater, followed by a Castle level where the difficulty spikes in accordance with the world and an ultimate face to face meeting with Bowser. Each world though provides an escalating challenge that tests your gaming skills.

I’ve played through Super Mario Bros. countess times over the years and even today, 30 years after I first received it, the game still works. Despite the muscle memory being there for so much of it and knowing exactly what lies ahead, the game is still able to produce a rush of adrenalin as I hit a tough platforming spot or escape doom of my own making by the skin of my teeth. And most importantly for me, it is still fun and challenging to play.

Ranking the Game

Visuals – 4 of 5

It’s not anywhere close to the best looking Nintendo Entertainment System game but I like the large detailed sprites and the simplistic art design. I do wish that the inside levels though had more than just a plain back background (which is fixed in Super Mario All-Stars).

Sound – 5 of 5

There isn’t a ton of music in Super Mario Bros. but what is there is fantastic and even though it repeats, it never becomes annoying. At this point the music is ingrained in my person.

Gameplay – 5 of 5

While I have issues with certain gameplay aspects of other Mario games, Super Mario Bros. is perfect in its simplicity.

Fun – 5 of 5

I’ve been playing it for over 30 years now and I still consistently come back to experience it and always have a fun time.

Personal Score – 10 of 10

Yes, there is some nostalgia here for sure but ultimately, I think Super Mario Bros. is still a great game that is fun and challenging, even today 34 years after its original release.

Personal Boost – 50

It’s a game I’ll go to bat any day of the week for but also one that if you were to push me to take one 2D Mario game, I’d probably not choose it.

Play Time – 7.5 hours (since 2014)

Finished – 3 times (since 2014)

Last year, I decided that I wanted to kick off my year with a classic game that could set the tone for finishing games throughout the year and I did it within a couple runs. This year it took me a couple more runs to finish and I didn’t complete it until 3 January.

Owned – 6 copies (soon to be 7)

NES standalone cart, NES dual cart with Duck Hunt, Wii disc Super Mario All-Stars , digitally NES Classic, digitally Wii U, digitally 3DS.

Overall Score: 1176.88

Current All-Time Ranking: 7

Sandwiched between Halo: Reach and NHL ’94, Super Mario Bros. currently sits in the my all-time top 10.