Super Mario Bros.

Overview

Super Mario Bros. wasn’t just a game—it was a rescue mission. When Nintendo launched the NES in North America in 1985, retailers were sceptical after the 1983 crash. The pack-in game needed to prove that console gaming was worth another chance. Shigeru Miyamoto delivered something that didn’t just prove the case—it set the standard every platformer has followed since.

Fast facts

Developer: Nintendo R&D4.
Director/Designer: Shigeru Miyamoto.
Release: September 1985 (Japan), October 1985 (North America).
Sales: over 40 million copies (pack-in + standalone).
Innovation: horizontal scrolling through a persistent world; power-ups that changed gameplay.
Cultural impact: Mario became more recognisable than Mickey Mouse.

World 1-1

The first level is a masterclass in teaching through play:

Safe start: ground to the left, no immediate threat.
First enemy: a Goomba walks toward you. Jump or die. Lesson learned.
Mystery block: hit it, get a mushroom. Now you’re bigger.
Bigger means different: you can break bricks now. New possibilities.
The pipe: some are just decoration. Some take you underground.
The flagpole: touch it to win. Simple, satisfying.

No manual needed. The level design is the tutorial.

The formula

Super Mario Bros. codified platform game conventions:

Momentum physics Mario accelerates and decelerates. Running and jumping are physical—you feel the weight.

Power-up progression

Small Mario: one hit kills
Super Mario: take a hit, shrink instead
Fire Mario: shoot fireballs, plus the shrink buffer

Higher states mean more capability but more to lose.

Secret worlds Warp zones. Hidden 1-ups. Vine blocks leading to coin heavens. Exploration is rewarded.

Lives and continues Enough challenge to feel accomplishment, enough forgiveness to encourage persistence.

Technical achievement

On NES hardware, Super Mario Bros. pushed limits:

Smooth scrolling: horizontal movement at 60fps, unprecedented for home consoles.
Memory efficiency: level data compressed cleverly; the entire game fit in 32KB.
Music: Koji Kondo’s theme became the most recognisable video game music ever written.

Legacy

Every 2D platformer since 1985 exists in dialogue with Super Mario Bros. The physics feel, the power-up structure, the level design philosophy—it all traces back to this one game. When people say “gaming grammar,” they mean the language Miyamoto invented here.

The game that defined gaming