Super Mario Advance 3

Super Mario Advance 3 is a port of one of the most popular platforming games of the 1990s, featuring the beloved dinosaur Yoshi as he escorts an infant Mario across the dangerous yet colorful Yoshi's Island. Unlike other games in this classic platforming series, the player controls Yoshi instead of Mario, and there is a bigger focus on collecting items and solving puzzles than making tough jumps. This version of the fantastic Super Nintendo game even adds in a few exclusive levels to enjoy, but players must obtain 100% completion before attempting them. Despite the lack of any other improvements or changes, Super Mario Advance 3 is a great way for beginners or Nintendo veterans to enjoy an iconic 90s title.

Main Game Features

• Play as Yoshi in this classic Nintendo platformer
• Six bonus stages exclusive to this port
• Lots of movement mechanics and power-ups

Story

As a part of the Super Mario Advance franchise, which adapts older Super Mario Bros games for handheld enjoyment, Super Mario Advance 3 is a direct port of the Super Nintendo game, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. As such, the game's story is exactly the same, featuring a small setup that serves as the foundation for the platforming gameplay. At the start of the story, a stork carries the twin babies Mario and Luigi over the vast sea near Yoshi's Island. Suddenly, the villainous Kamek swoops in, stealing away Baby Luigi while Baby Mario and the Stork fall from the clouds. On the nearby Yoshi's Island, Yoshi is enjoying a leisurely stroll, when Baby Mario plummets from the sky with a thud. After informing the other Yoshis about the newfound newborn, they all agree to escort Baby Mario across the island to defeat Kamek and reunite him with Baby Luigi.

As expected, this journey leads Yoshi and Baby Mario through a slew of unique themed worlds, where they must battle against bosses, dodge obstacles, and more. Although the story really isn't anything spectacular, it fits nicely within the established world of Super Mario Bros. Super Mario Advance 3 also perfectly recreates the original game's cartoon-style artwork, which adds a playful aspect to the presentation. Despite its predictable plot, Super Mario Advance 3 is another joyful adventure through the world of Mario and friends.

Gameplay

When compared to other games in the Super Mario franchise, such as Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World, Super Mario Advance 3 is more about taking your time and exploring rather than clearing levels as quickly as possible. Instead of controlling Mario, players hop into the dinosaur shoes of several Yoshis as they pass Baby Mario in a relay across the island. Each level still requires you to move to the right-hand side of the screen and reach a goal, but the stage design is much more intricate than expected, with tons of hidden secrets to find. You'll scour for hidden red coins and bouncing flowers, and if you're lucky enough to find them all in a given world, you'll unlock an exclusive bonus level. You can also expect to find plenty of power-ups, some of which transform Yoshi into various vehicles including a helicopter, car, and submarine.

Yoshi has a much more diverse set of moves than Mario and Luigi, with the ability to flutter in the air, grab enemies and objects with his tongue, and throw eggs. Yoshi can also earn power-ups by eating certain enemies and items, granting abilities like rapid-fire seed shooting, flamethrower, and more. While this is all fantastic to play around with, there's one defining feature that might cause players to dislike Super Mario Advance 3. While Yoshi is mostly impervious to attacks and obstacles, any hit you take will cause Baby Mario to fall off of Yoshi and start slowly floating away in a bubble. If you are unable to retrieve Baby Mario before the timer runs out, you'll lose a life. This can be rather frustrating at times, especially as levels become more complex. However, this is one of the few detracting elements from an otherwise masterful game.

Conclusion

If you played Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island on Super Nintendo and are looking for another excuse to explore the tropical land of dinosaurs, Super Mario Advance 3 is a great way to do so. The new levels offered in this handheld port are fun as well, giving experts a new treasure to hunt.

Pros

• Excellent port of a SNES classic
• Colorful cartoon-style graphics
• Fluid movement and platforming

Cons

• Retrieving Baby Mario can be a hassle
• Not a ton of updates or refinements
• Obtaining 100% completion is tough