But Mario 3?!
This article is part 1 of the “hackademics” series by Finch.
Mario 3 — a game that many know and love from their childhood. And maybe that’s you!
But also, maybe you didn’t grow up with it, but have seen some romhacks that stoked your curiosity about this curious hobby.
Well, welcome, regardless of your reason!
The documentary below is actually the best place to start with Mario 3 hacking, so watch this either now or later, but definitely watch it!
Mario 3 was developed by Research and Development Team 4 in Nintendo of Japan for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and was released in 1988 (Japan) and 1990 (North America and Europe). It is a classic platforming game, which has paved the way for the genre since its inception. Mario 3 significantly expanded the gameplay mechanics and world design that fans had associated with Mario games until then. Many of those things were both retained and improved upon within the Mario franchise in the years that would follow.
The technological component which made Mario 3 possible is also likely what ended up making it so beloved. Utilizing the MMC3 chip on its board, Mario 3 was super-charged to now handle screen-splitting, diagonal scrolling, more graphics, and more program memory as well. This allowed for more complex enemy animations and attacks, as well as variety within the enemies present.
All of these boons abounded to the game’s depth and replayability. In all, Mario 3 is rightly celebrated for its innovative design, challenging gameplay, and significant impact on the platforming genre, and it’s often referred to as one of the greatest video games of all time.
Certainly, we can appreciate it as an accolade well-deserved in its context, even if modern video gamers might scratch their heads to understand what makes it so special. To be clear, it is so special because it was so early, cast a great vision for what a video game can be, then executed it so well.
Now it is your turn.
You can make something: shorter or longer; easier or harder; familiar or different; pleasurable or brutal.
You can mix it all up. Rearrange it! KAIZO.
You can make it grade from easy to hard, or from hard to brutal. You can even make it easy the entire game! (Who needs a Bowser fight at all?!)
You can make it using conventional design aesthetics or go avant garde and make something that will challenge the palate of the most adventurous.
You can make Super Depressed Bros like Slothbear Millionaire as a philosophical musing, or you can make SMB PHD like Slothbear Millionaire as a doctoral thesis in Romhacking.
You can make Econo as a cutting-edge kaizo with a lot of personality and distinction, like Neb Simmons.
You can make United Mario Bros like Alan Jacobs and explore the charm of reimagining a traditional Mario 3 game with plenty of exploration and sense of scale.
You can make one hack and disappear from the community, or you can go on like many to make series of hacks from one year to the next, like Blue Crush with her Rainbow Realms 1 and 2.
You can pass on your knowledge or simply keep on developing it until you feel able to assist someone else.
You can do it. And we all can help.
So welcome to SMB3 Prime. Happy hacking.
FINCH