Super Mario Bros on NES: A Quick Look

Most people know this game. It is the standard for side-scrolling platformers. You play as Mario, a plumber who has to save Princess Toadstool from Bowser. The story is simple: Bowser invaded the Mushroom Kingdom and turned the people into blocks. You have to travel through eight worlds to fix it.

How Super Mario Bros Plays

The game is all about running and jumping. You move from left to right. You cannot go back to the left once the screen scrolls. The controls have a bit of momentum, meaning Mario slides a little when you stop running. You have to get used to this physics system to land jumps on small platforms.

Each world has four stages. The first three are usually outside or underground. The fourth stage is always a castle with a boss fight against Bowser or one of his decoys at the end.

Power-Ups in Super Mario Bros

You start as regular Mario. If you get hit once, you lose a life. To make the game easier, you need to find power-ups hidden in the blocks with question marks.

Enemies and Hazards in Super Mario Bros

There are a lot of enemies trying to stop you. Goombas are the little brown mushrooms; you just stomp on them. Koopa Troopas are turtles; if you jump on them, they hide in their shells. You can kick the shell to kill other enemies.

The hardest parts of the game are usually the jumps. There are bottomless pits everywhere. Later levels have Hammer Bros, who throw hammers at you constantly. They are very annoying and hard to get past without a Fire Flower.

Tips and Tricks for Super Mario Bros

• Hold the B button to run. You cannot make the long jumps over wide pits if you are just walking.
• Look for Warp Zones: In World 1-2, you can run on the ceiling past the exit pipe to find a secret area. This lets you skip levels and beat the game faster.

• Don't rush in the castle levels. The spinning firebars have a pattern. Watch them for a second before you run past.

It is an old game, but it still works. The controls are tight, and beating it feels good.

Secrets and Cheats Hidden in Super Mario Bros

Before you use external codes, you should know the secrets Nintendo hid inside the game itself. These require skill, not a Game Genie.

The Infinite Lives Trick (Turtle Tipping)

This is the most famous trick in Super Mario Bros. Go to World 3-1. Near the end of the stage, two Koopa Troopas come down the stairs.

• Let the first turtle pass you.
• Jump on the second one just as it steps onto the edge.
• If you time your jump perfectly, Mario will bounce on the shell repeatedly against the stairs.
• Do not touch the controller. The points will rack up, and soon you will start gaining a 1-Up for every bounce.

The Secret Continue Code

Did you get a Game Over in World 8? Do not restart from the beginning! Wait for the title screen to appear, hold the A Button, and then press Start. You will respawn at the beginning of the World where you died.

Warp Zone Locations

You can beat Super Mario Bros in under 10 minutes if you know where these shortcuts are.

• Warp to World 2, 3, or 4: In World 1-2, run to the end of the level. Jump on the blocks above the exit pipe and run across the ceiling. You will find three pipes that let you skip ahead.
• Warp to World 6, 7, or 8: In World 4-2, finding the beanstalk is the key. Go past the first elevator platforms. There are hidden blocks under the ceiling setup. Reveal them to make a staircase, hit the block to grow a vine, and climb it to reach the daylight area with the three Warp Pipes.

The Minus World Glitch

This is a legendary bug in Super Mario Bros. It creates a never-ending water level. To reach it, go to the end of World 1-2 but do not enter the pipe. Break the blocks on the ceiling but leave the one directly next to the pipe intact.

Face left, duck, and jump backward toward the brick. If you hit the pixel perfect spot, Mario pulls himself through the wall. Enter the first pipe immediately to see "World -1."

Game Genie Codes for Super Mario Bros

If you are playing on an emulator or have the old Game Genie hardware, you can change the game completely with these codes. For example, check out what the YYTOZA code does to your life counter in the images below. It glitches out because you have so many!

Be careful using these, as some codes might make the levels behave strangely.