Sentences written about this title, gathered by type from the Japanese and English Wikipedia articles (as of 2026-8-30).
Nintendo of America named the Koopalings after well-known musicians: for example, the characters "Ludwig von Koopa" and "Roy Koopa" are named after Ludwig van Beethoven and Roy Orbison respectively.
Boone said it was nearly flawless in its utterly "stupendous incredibility and absolutely impossible to put down for anything less than a fire alarm and even then you find yourself weighing down the odds.
O'Connor said it "makes Sonic the Hedgehog look like a wet Sunday morning and even gives the Super Famicom's Super Mario World a run for its money".
One said that while it borrows elements from previous Super Mario games it was still full of diversity and challenge.
In , the two reviewers gave enthusiastic reviews; one said it pushed the limits of side-scrolling action games and the other that they had never seen a game with so many ideas that has been thought out so well.
Julian Rignall of Mean Machines said Super Mario Bros. 3 was the finest game he had ever played, citing its addictiveness, depth, and challenge.
Regan said it offered elements which tested the player's "brains and reflexes", and that though the graphics were simple, they were "incredibly varied".
The hidden items, such as the warp whistles, were well-received: Rignall regarded them as part of the addictiveness, and Sheff stated that finding them provided a sense of satisfaction.
By 1993, author David Sheff said it had sold 11 million unbundled units in Japan and the United States, the equivalent of a record being certified platinum 11 times.
It placed 11th, behind Super Mario Bros., in Official Nintendo Magazines "100 greatest Nintendo games of all time".
In 2007, ScrewAttack called Super Mario Bros. 3 the best Mario game in the series as well as the best game on the NES, citing the graphics, power-ups, secrets, and popularity, summing it up as "just incredible" and stating, "If you haven't experienced this greatness, we pity you".
They said it improved on the "already-brilliant concepts" of the previous games with new power-ups and enemies.
In 2009, Game Informer put Super Mario Bros. 3 9th on their list of "The Top 200 Games of All Time", saying that it is "a game with incredible lasting power that we won't soon forget".
Super Mario Bros. 3 ranked 34th on Warp Zoned's "Scientifically Proven Best Video Games of All Time" list, a statistical meta-analysis of 44 "top games" lists published between 1995 and 2016.
Barnholt criticized its extremely short length, "atrocious" controls leading him to liken Mario's movement to "a drunken Sonic", poor level design, coloring, and music, and lack of a proper ending.
The "Super Leaf" item has returned in more recent Mario games for the Nintendo 3DS, like Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and New Super Mario Bros. 2.
The New York Times reported Grant said its inclusion was due to the nonlinear play being a "mainstay of contemporary games", and how it allows the player to move backward and forward in levels.
The FC version earned a place in the Platinum Hall of Fame in the "Cross Review" of the game magazine Famitsu, and in the "ROM Cartridge Section" of the "Game Report Card" in the game magazine Family Computer Magazine it took 2nd place for character, 3rd for controls, 4th for addictiveness and 3rd for overall rating.
In the "Cross Review" feature of the magazine Famitsu,the game scored a total of 35 out of 40, earning a place in the Platinum Hall of Fame.
In the "Game Report Card" reader poll run by the magazine Family Computer Magazine,it scored 26.67 out of 30, as shown below.
In the "ROM Cartridge Category BEST 5" carried at the end of the "Famicom ROM Cartridge All Catalog", a special supplement to the 1991-5-10 issue of Family Computer Magazine, it took 2nd place for character, 4th for addictiveness, 3rd for controls and 3rd for overall rating.
Sales in Japan were about 3,840,000 copies, which made it the 2nd highest for a Famicom title, after Super Mario Bros.
It is the third-bestselling NES game, with more than 17 million copies sold worldwide.
Computer and Video Games editors Paul Rand, Tim Boone and Frank O'Connor awarded it a 98% score, praising it for its gameplay, replayability, sound, and graphics.
Each reviewer criticized the high price of 6500 yen and felt it might be too difficult for a game aimed at a wide audience.
Super Mario Bros. 3 sold 250,000 copies in its first two days, according to a spokeswoman for Nintendo.
By 1993, author David Sheff said it had sold 11 million unbundled units in Japan and the United States, the equivalent of a record being certified platinum 11 times.
By 2000, it had sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, and held the record for the best-selling non-bundled video game for a long time.
Edge considered Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo's standout game of 1989, and commented that its success outshone the first Super Mario Bros.s sales milestone; the first game sold 40 million copies, but was bundled with the NES.
Super Mario Bros. 3, released in 10, was also a hit thanks to added elements such as Mario's transformations.
Released for the 15th anniversary of Mario 3, this game can be called the culmination of 2D Mario up to that point; besides letting players enjoy every transformation action from all the Mario games released in colour, it greatly increased its new elements, and the staff of this game were also deeply involved in producing New Super Mario Bros., which later became a big hit on the Nintendo DS.
Super Mario Bros. 3 was praised for its challenging gameplay.
In the Japanese publication Famitsu, the four reviewers all praised the game.
Each reviewer criticized the high price of 6500 yen and felt it might be too difficult for a game aimed at a wide audience.
In Japan, it appeared at the top of the Famitsu sales charts in December 1988 and January 1989, and became the second best-selling game of 1988 after Dragon Quest III.
By mid-1989, Super Mario Bros. 3 had become the second best-selling game in Japan (non-bundled) up until then, after Dragon Quest III.
Super Mario Bros. 3 went on to become the overall best-selling game of 1989 in Japan, just above Tetris in second place.
By 2000, it had sold more than 17 million copies worldwide, and held the record for the best-selling non-bundled video game for a long time.
In 2005, they rated it 23rd among their Top 100 Games, and praised the precise and intuitive controls.
Barnholt criticized its extremely short length, "atrocious" controls leading him to liken Mario's movement to "a drunken Sonic", poor level design, coloring, and music, and lack of a proper ending.
Super Mario Bros. 3 sold 250,000 copies in its first two days, according to a spokeswoman for Nintendo.
Edge considered Super Mario Bros. 3 Nintendo's standout game of 1989, and commented that its success outshone the first Super Mario Bros.s sales milestone; the first game sold 40 million copies, but was bundled with the NES.
In 1997, Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked the All-Stars edition the 2nd best console game of all time (behind only Tetris), saying it "took the series back to its roots, but expanded upon the original game in every way imaginable.
This version was developed in Hong Kong and is truncated to only five levels.
Nintendo of America named the Koopalings after well-known musicians: for example, the characters "Ludwig von Koopa" and "Roy Koopa" are named after Ludwig van Beethoven and Roy Orbison respectively.
During 1988, a shortage of ROM chips, along with Nintendo's preparation of Super Mario Bros. 2, prevented Nintendo from performing various North American game releases according to their original schedules.
Each reviewer criticized the high price of 6500 yen and felt it might be too difficult for a game aimed at a wide audience.
Game Informer reported in their October 2009 issue that the Virtual Console version had sold one million copies.
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