The unexpected start of a legacy that continues to expand today, Super Mario Bros. was released 33 years ago today on 13th September 1985.
Super Mario Bros. saw Mario and Luigi go from plumbing sewers to saving princesses. However, the game was released in the middle of a huge crash in the industry. Despite the multi-billion-dollar gaming companies we know today, the ’80s saw them fading to what seemed like nothing. After the excitement surrounding consoles like the Atari died down, and home computers began to grow more popular, video-games were in decline, dismissed as a fad no-one would be interested in for much longer.
Then Nintendo’s legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto began work on a game for release with the company’s upcoming NES console. Full of secrets, power-ups, and a whole new land to discover, Super Mario Bros. was a massive hit – the NES’ release was a success, the gaming industry was brought back from the brink, and it remains one of the best-selling video-games of all time.
Super Mario Bros. introduces the most familiar trademarks of Mario’s world. The Bros. traverse sidescrolling levels, jumping over gaps and onto enemy Goombas and Koopas, and grow stronger thanks to power-ups in the form of mushrooms. These inspired the Mushroom Kingdom, the setting of almost every game to follow in the series. Princess Toadstool, who we know today as Princess Peach, is kidnapped by the villainous Bowser, and so the Bros. must embark on a rescue mission – they’ve never quite seemed to get this right, as Bowser has returned for the princess in nearly every Mario outing since then. Despite this, Super Mario Bros. is the perfect example of Nintendo’s continuing innovations in the video-game industry, and this game has definitely earned the Italian plumber his place as Nintendo’s iconic mascot.
Watch the original trailer for the game below:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9iGuePCobo
