List of Super Mario Bros. 3 pre-release and unused content
This is a list of pre-release and unused content for the game Super Mario Bros. 3. For pre-release and unused content pertaining to the remake, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3, see List of Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 pre-release and unused content.
Early ideas[edit]
At the beginning of production, the development team of Super Mario Bros. 3 wanted the game to use an overhead, isometric view.[1] The developers found that it was difficult to balance the platforming gameplay around this perspective, leading them to abandon the idea. Several graphical elements of the final Super Mario Bros. 3 were influenced by the original direction, such as the black and white checkered floor on the title screen[1].
Designers considered a power-up to turn Mario into a Centaur (half-man, half-horse), although this was rejected before being implemented into the game.[2]
Early builds[edit]
As seen in early screenshots, Koopa Troopas and Hammer Brothers were going to host two mini-games. The minigames were a Question Block and a dice game respectively, which also would have marked the first Super Mario game to have the Koopas standing on two feet instead of all fours. These minigames and their hosts seem to have been replaced by Toad. An early build of the game was previewed in a promotional VHS tape coming with the September 1988 edition of the magazine Famimaga.[3] The preview shows several levels unused in the final game, a different sprite for the Wood Block and a slightly different status bar.
The back of the box of some early copies of Super Mario Bros. 3 depicts Mario traversing a hilly grassland stage with many Para-Beetles and two Note Blocks. This particular stage is not any of the lost ones present on the cartridge, nor is it in the final game. These boxes also feature an early map of Grass Land.
These are the differences between the early and final map of Grass Land:
- World 1-3's level tile is in where the level tile of World 1-4 is in the final version, and World 1-4's level tile is lined up with the Toad House in the early map and not World 1-3's level tile.
- The Spade Panel tile is on the left of the fortress, instead of being on the right of the fortress in the final version.
Unused data[edit]
Levels[edit]
Fifteen unused levels exist within Super Mario Bros. 3. Some of these are unique, while others bear much resemblance to levels seen in the final version. They can be accessed via Game Genie codes/cheats.
The first unused level resembles a plainer version of World 5-3. The only enemies found are Kuribo's Goombas and Spinies. It has multiple colored semisolid platforms and more Brick Blocks.
The second unused level slightly looks like World 3-9. The enemies found are Piranha Plants, Koopa Troopas, Cheep-Cheeps, and Bloobers with kids. The level can only be cleared with a Lakitu's Cloud, found inside a chest in Coin Heaven. The player must then use the Lakitu's Cloud to fly over the Hard Blocks.
The third unused level is similar to World 7-3. The enemies found are a Kuribo's Goomba, Lakitus, and Pile Driver Micro-Goombas. Coin Heaven can be accessed by hitting a pink Note Block. There is a single stray coin floating in the sky.
The fourth unused level resembles World 1-5 although slightly harder. The enemies found are Buzzy Beetles, Piranha Plants, Venus Fire Traps, and Koopa Troopas. All Warp Pipes contain either a Piranha Plant or a Venus Fire Trap.
The fifth unused level is a collection of Tanooki Suit bonus rooms. It does not have any enemies.
The sixth unused level does not resemble anything in particular. The enemies found are Cheep-Cheeps, Fire Chomps, Lil Sparkies, and Koopa Paratroopas. There is a lift and a floating semisolid platform near the end.
The seventh unused level slightly looks like World 7-4. The enemies found are Jelectros, Cheep-Cheeps, Bloobers with kids, Koopa Troopas, Koopa Paratroopas, Munchers, and Boomerang Bros. The power-up at the beginning is impossible to collect. This level includes the unused tan versions of Cheep-Cheeps.
The eighth unused level does not resemble anything in particular. The player must swim up the waterfalls to reach to end, although the level has no proper ending. No enemies can be found in this level.
The ninth unused level does not resemble anything in particular. The enemies found are Koopa Troopas, Fire Chomps, and a Lakitu.
The tenth unused level resembles a Coin Heaven. The only enemies there are Koopa Troopas.
The eleventh unused level heavily resembles World 1-6. The enemies found are Koopa Troopas, Koopa Paratroopas, Paragoombas, Goombas, and Micro Goombas. It does not have any lifts on tracks.
The twelfth unused level also is similar to World 1-6, but more unfinished. The enemies found are Koopa Troopas and Koopa Paratroopas.
The thirteenth unused level is exactly the same as the twelfth except everything is one block lower.
The fourteenth unused level does not resemble anything in particular. It does not have any enemies. There is an unused starry background at the top.
The fifteenth unused level is most likely a test level. The only enemy found is a Hammer Bro. There is an inactive Bill Blaster and unused stacked clouds. The level is ended by opening the chest.
This level is most likely intended for two-player versus mode.
World 7 has an unused Hammer Bro level with two Hammer Bros.
An unused secret exit exists towards the right of World 4-5's Tanooki Suit room.
Graphics[edit]
Mario sprites intended for minigames
A frame of Hammer Mario sliding; this can be seen in-game with a glitch
An alternate front-facing frame of Frog Mario
An alternate sprite of Toad
A tan version of a Cheep-Cheep
A green version of a Para-Beetle
An unused "P-Ball" sprite
A sprite of an open Treasure Chest
Map animation of Mario walking to the side
Map animation of Mario walking up
Unused Castle sprite
Unused defeated Castle sprite
A question mark meant for the world map
A skull meant for the world map
A clump of bushes
An early sprite for the clouds
A breakable pipe connector found in the desert tileset
The broken version of the pipe connector
A light blue platform found in the desert tileset
A background pillar found in the desert tileset
A chain object found in the desert tileset
A sandstone block found in the desert tileset
A ladder and brick design found in the desert tileset
An unused propeller found in the underwater tileset
An unused frame of some sort found in the castle tileset, possibly meant for the top of the door in the Bowser fight
Unused sprites of spikes and a wheel found in the Dark Land tileset
An unused block found in the versus mode tileset
A Goomba with closed eyes that was meant to appear in the ending sequence
Mechanics[edit]
The Spade card minigame originally featured an invisible wild card which would match one of the cards already drawn by the player.[4] If matched with itself, the wild card acts as a 20-coins card. On boards with an uneven number of wild card, the mechanic would make the minigame unwinnable as the wild card leave one card unmatchable[4] The code for the wild card was retained in Super Mario All-Stars.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b Brian (November 6, 2016). Miyamoto, Tezuka, Kondo on Super Mario Bros. 3 – scrapped overhead perspective, power-ups, music, more. Nintendo Everything (English). Page 2. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ^ "Designing a game in the Super Mario Bros. series is certainly different than creating one based on all new characters, but it is just as challenging. The difficult task is to make familiar characters seem fresh.
In each of the previous SMB games, Mario gained new power-ups. So in SMB 3, Mr. Miyamoto and the other designers wanted to invent another new, interesting way for Mario to power-up. Their initial ideas tended toward having Mario turn into some sort of creature. A concept that was rejected was having Mario power-up as a Centaur (half man, half horse). The idea that they finally settled on was to give Mario a tail and the ability of flight. Their first tail concept, that of a Racoon tail, was the one that finally stuck.
″I′m sorry to say there isn′t a funny story behind why we chose the Racoon tail,″ Miyamoto remarked. ″We thought the Racoon tail worked best from a practical point of view and it fit right in with Mario′s style. It also created some great new game play possibilities.″" – Tilden, Gail, et al. (January/February 1990). Nintendo Power Volume 10. Nintendo of America (American English). Page 21. - ^ OKeijiDragon (June 7, 2011). Super Mario Bros. 3 | Early Prototype Footage | Famimaga Sept. 1988. YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved August 15, 2024.
- ^ a b c The Cutting Room Floor (June 9, 2017). The Unused Wild Card in Super Mario Bros. 3. YouTube (English). Retrieved June 9, 2017.
