• Top 5 Hardest Levels From Mario 3

  

  Written by Zeromage 21 Comments
  Last Updated:: December 17, 2008

  Remember the time when game designers cared more about making impossibly hard jumps and difficult enemies to get past in video game levels instead of putting all of their effort into making pretty-looking 3D worlds where you wander around aimlessly in? This golden age of video games hit its peak with Super Mario 3. Mario 3 is arguably the best video game ever made. But not many people remember that it also had some of the toughest levels in any video game on the NES. It won’t be surprising to anyone who’s ever played this epic game that World 8 dominates our list of “Top 5 Hardest Levels From Mario 3″. From the insane speed and of the tiny mini-airships, to the confusing maze inside the Mini-Fortress, if you play through World 8 you’re sure to break a few controllers in frustration. Most people would resort to using a P-wing or a Cloud to beat these levels. Those who didn’t are sure to agree that these five levels as the hardest levels from SMB3.

  5. World 8-2

  The most nefarious sun in any video game was the Angry Sun in Super Mario 3. He makes three appearances in the game. The first time we meet the Angry Sun in World 2, getting past him is easy. He looked mean, but he was too slow to catch you. All you had to do was run as fast as you could from beginning of the level to the end, a feat which required almost no skill. In World 8 though, the Angry Sun is back again, and this time he’s a pain in the ass. After world 8-2 you’ll never want to see the Sun again in a video game or in real life. The most impossible part of this level, of course, is getting past the giant pit with the green paratroopa and the two music boxes. There must be hundreds of Mario and Luigi bodies at the bottom of that pit. I can”t even count how many times I’ve fallen in it in the twenty years I’ve been playing this game. For me it remains one of the hardest jumps in any video game ever made.

  4. Super Tanks

  The Super Tanks are Bowser’s last line of defense before reaching his castle in World 8, and they would prove to be one of the hardest obstacles in the game. Each one of the super tanks felt like it was 18 miles long, with what seemed like an unlimited number Rocky Wrenches and cannonballs to fire at Mario. These super tanks probably packed more firepower than the entire US Iraq invasion force, and all of it was directed at Mario. The easiest part about the Super Tanks turned out to the be the boss at the end. After dodging all of those cannons and wrenches, you were probably expecting to face a really hard boss. Instead, all that was waiting for you at the end of the level was a regular Boom Boom, not even a flying one (not like it mattered since all it takes it three quick stomps to beat them anyway). I guess the game designers thought that it would be too frustrating for gamers to have to face a tough boss after getting past the tanks themselves.

  3. World 8 Mini-Fortress

  If we are to consider confusing mazes as one of the most conspicuous aspects of difficult levels, then the mini fortress in World 8 of Mario 3 has to be on this list. There are countless doors in this level all leading to areas that may move you along in the level, or bring you back to earlier parts of the level. Getting inside these doors isn’t easy either. You have to evade Thomps who come at you from all sides. You also have to avoid spinning balls and indestructible bones enemies while trying to find out which door takes where you need to go. Lava and podoboos envelop this level beyond the seemingly endless doors making it hard to move anywhere without dying. Just when you think the endless misleading doors are at an end after passing through the lava portion of the level, your met with even more doors, sometimes two a screen shot to addle you into irritation. As always, the final bosses of these mini fortresses aren’t the most difficult bosses in the video game world. When the player gets to the final screen, they can take a deep breath knowing they have an easy boss to defeat. Getting there would prove to be the most difficult task in Mario 3 though. This mini fortress level is even harder than the last level of Mario 3. It was hard for us to think of a more purposely confusing level than this castle level of Mario 3. For that reason, it deserves its rightful place amongst the hardest levels in Super Mario Brothers 3.

  2. Mini Airships

  After getting past those random candle box levels in world 8, you soon found yourself on a fleet of tiny floating ships of doom, firing outrageous amounts of cannonballs at you, and mischievous little munchkins firing wrenches towards your head with the goal of getting them stuck in your cranium and slowing Mario down. As you press on, massive blasts of fire would come at you, growing longer and longer, attempting to singe the Italian out of Mario. Many experienced gamers who had played world 8 before would save one P-Wing until world 8 just so they could use it on the mini-airships. Without a P-Wing you had to make all those precision jumps the old fashioned way while dodging wrenches and flames as Bowser’s air force sped past you at lightning speed. The second to last jump is one of the hardest jumps in any video game level ever made. Be prepared to lose lots of lives playing this level.

  1. World 8-1

  This level is the reason they made the P-Wing and the Cloud. If you have a P-Wing, this is the time to use it. There’s no better level to fly over than this one. If you don’t have a P-Wing, use a Cloud. And if you don’t have a Cloud, good luck. You’re probably going to end up smashing a bunch of controllers before you beat this level. Not only are there hard jumps, Pirhana Plants, and Bullet Bills in this level, but there’s even a Boo Buddy! Apparently this level wasn’t hard enough with the standard over world enemies, so the game designers decided that it was necessary to put a random ghost in the level as well. Can someone tell me WTF a ghost is doing in this level? Besides the randomly placed Ghost, there are two almost impossible jumps to contend with in this level. The first is the pit you have to jump over with a Red Paratroopa flying in it, and two cannons on the other side. Almost immediately after getting past that jump on your tenth try, you’re faced with yet another leap of faith as you have to jump on a music box to cross another wide chasm. These two jumps alone make World 8-1 the hardest level in Mario 3, and maybe even the hardest level in any Mario game.

21 Comments

1. #1 Sam says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 2:11 am

   You apparently havn’t played Lost levels. Hardest levels I’ve ever seen in my life
2. #2 Zeromage says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 2:28 am

   You apparently didn’t read the title of the list. Hardest levels in “Super Mario Brothers 3″
3. #3 xyz says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:35 am

   ROFL! Sam just got told!
4. #4 George says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 4:40 am

   Wow, this game didn’t fuck around.
5. #5 Bobby Lee says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 6:19 am

   Uh-Oh Hot Dog!
6. #6 Gyb says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 9:25 am

   George, haven’t you gone out yet?
7. #7 Pikminlink says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 11:21 am

   Some levels of sky world seems to be hardest to me, i dont remember well, but there is a level where you must travel by jumping in red-shell things.
8. #8 Kyle says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:08 pm

   Good list. Level 8 of this game is definitely one of the most difficult of any of the Mario games. I remember having a tough enough time just getting past the tanks and airships only to be faced by a whole new section of the level that proved even tougher. While I loved Super Mario World just as much, I was a little disappointed with the lack of challenge from the last level in that game. Mario 3 definitely sets the bar for an intense yet rewarding final level.
9. #9 The Mountain says:
   November 20th, 2009 at 3:58 pm

   Good call on world 8 Minifortress. Could never get past there without a friends help.
10. #10 Tom Immortal says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    I agree with all of these, except number one. It’s been a while, but I don’t remember ever finding that level challenging. I would have given the air ship level that spot. Although, I was never able to beat the minifortress when I was young; I always used a cloud, and thought that was what you were supposed to do. It seemed impossible at the time haha. But I did end up beating it later on, much to my surprise. Worlds 7 and 5 definitely rank there right after 8, if you ask me.
11. #11 DM says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:19 pm

    They don’t make controllers like they used to. I can’t believe I never broke a single nes controller trying to get through the tanks.
12. #12 Geeko says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:42 pm

    I thought you guys were really hardcore Nes fans.
13. #13 Big A2 says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:43 am

    @Geeko: The quicksand level in World 2. It doesn’t have a number for some reason, you just walk onto the quicksand and it take you there. Stupid sun.

    Oh, and you fixed the SNES thing. Good job Zero.
14. #14 Will says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:09 pm

    Meh, this article should be called ‘the 5 hardest levels from world 8 of Super Mario Bros. 3′. I’d say that the second fortress in World 7 was pretty tough, and 7-7 requires almost pinpoint accuracy and running through it at a breakneck pace if you’re going to make it to the end.
15. #15 doug says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 4:10 am

    I still think alot of the levels from world 6 (ice) are way harder then world 8
16. #16 Gyb says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 6:34 am

    SMB 3 was also released for SNES…
17. #17 Alexx says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 7:17 am

    Ya the airship level is the one I used the P wing for it was too fast and those moles wouldnt quit. Hardest level in the game for me.
18. #18 Cirion says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:25 am

    All of those levels are easy, there we much harder levels in iceland and skyland.
19. #19 Razgriz says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 9:10 pm

    Gyb. shut up. the thing with smb3 on nes was that there was no saving. that made it freaking difficult if u used to pull all nighters wit ur dad trying to finish the whole game without using a warp whistle or to make it even harder, not uing any items and only using the power ups from levels. thats why i always went for racoon or tanooki over fireball mario. but i do agree with will. the second fortress was freaking difficult. but i could get past world 8-1 first time on a good run. it was the airships that always got me. only prob when ur doin a no item run is basically one hit and ur dead. so yeah. my fave mario game ever. it was awesome 15 years ago, and its awesome now.
20. #20 Mark says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    8-2 is simple if you know a little secret. Sink in the first quicksand pit and it takes you to an underground tunnel where you can go in a pipe either to the left or right. One is a tail, and the other was 1-ups I believe. Regardless you skip nearly 90 percent of the level and just run down the last hill make the jump and get your card. 8-1 is hands down the most rediculius level ever. I have passed it a few times without the P wing but wtf!!!!!!! that last jump is f’n impossible
21. #21 mariowinnar says:
    November 20th, 2009 at 5:56 am

    Uhh…I dont really understand whats so difficult about 8-1 especially the jumps…

    but then maybe im just to used to kaizo and rom hacks..