I first played this game when I was very young, around 4. It was at the time the first or perhaps second video game I had ever played. At the time I played the GBA version and could hardly get past the second world before I would reset the game and start over. I picked up the VC release on Wii when I was around 10 years old and felt the same sense of wonder and joy I felt when I was preschool age. Of course, by now I could more easily progress to later worlds and eventually beat the game for my first time. A genuine milestone for me as a young gamer.

The game is genuinely magical. Finding secrets is a joy and the game presents what was at the time a very fresh selection of world themes and level ideas. Lots of the series foundation is found here, you can find a piece of Mario 3 in Super Mario World through Super Mario Wonder. I never quite get tired of revisiting the game. The level design holds up, some levels still presenting a decent challenge even as I've aged and played many other Mario platformers.

Although the sprite work is wonderful for the NES it has certainly aged, albeit rather beautifully. Characters are distinct and plainly iconic. I especially prefer Mario's more rotund look in this game, something unfortunately lost in Mario's modern design. Music is catchy to this day, I find myself humming world themes absentmindedly while I do other things. A particularly intrusive one for me is the World 1 theme. I'm sure hearing it constantly as a child has genuinely reformed neurons in my brain. It is energetic and fun. The game has such a pleasant charm, consistently bringing a smile to my face.

Super Mario Bros. 3 remains one of my favorite games of all time. Perhaps not quite up in my top selection but still decently up there. An excellent foundation for the future of the series. Simple yet effective. There frankly isn't much to say. It's a video game, and a damn good one at that.