Super Mario Bros.

A side-scrolling platformer about Mario jumping through the Mushroom Kingdom to rescue Princess Peach.

Nintendo R&D4 · Nintendo · 2–6 hrs

Difficulty

The NES platformer that still hides warp zones above the pipes and a minus world if you miss the seam. Fire flower, star, and a Koopa on the 3-1 stairs are the whole economy.

Tips

Start here
Hold run, tap jump
The run button is the real jump-height modifier. A walking jump will not clear the 1-3 gaps that a running jump makes look trivial.
Start here
Flagpole height is lives
Hitting the top of the flagpole is a 5,000-point bonus that turns into extra lives if you chain it. The last brick before the pole is a staircase, not decoration.
Advanced
Koopa shell stairs in 3-1
Kick a Koopa on the 3-1 staircase and stand on the right block so the shell bounces forever. That is the infinite 1-up; everything after world 4 is optional if you came for lives.
Secrets
1-2 warp zone
At the end of 1-2, break the blocks and walk the pipe ceiling to the warp zone for worlds 3 and 4. 4-2 has a second ceiling warp that can send you to 8 if you take the farther pipe.
Secrets
Minus world is a seam
The 1-2 pipe trick into the warp-zone wall can drop you into world -1, an underwater loop with no exit. It is a glitch, not a second quest; World 8 is the intended last castle.
Secrets
1-1 hidden 1-up
The third question-block row after the first pipe hides a 1-up if you jump from the right height. Fire flower over star unless a long run of enemies is already on screen.

Walkthrough

Walkthroughs that already exist

Written guides and videos are listed separately. The first time a game is opened, the web is searched once. Later visits reuse that result. Six of each show here.

The first visit searches the web. Rate a result from 1 to 5 so the next person can skip the wait.