Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 is a 2003 platform game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was released in Japan, and later released in Europe, North America, and Australia. It is an enhanced remake of the NES video game Super Mario Bros. 3, and is based on the remake found in Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Players control either Mario or Luigi as they travel through the eight kingdoms of the Mushroom World to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. The game was revealed at Nintendo's conference at the E3 2003 convention. It contains several enhancements, including the addition of Mario and Luigi's voices by Charles Martinet, the ability to scan e-Cards into Nintendo's e-Reader to add certain content, and a multiplayer mode based on the original arcade game Mario Bros.. The game also allows players to save replays of their gameplay.
The e-Reader compatibility received some interest from critics before the game's release; however, the e-Reader itself proved to be a failure. This led to two of the four e-Reader card series to only be released in Japan, and for the game to get a new version that does not market e-Reader capability. Critics generally felt that the e-Reader connectivity was sub-optimal, but that the content offered through it was high quality. Super Mario Advance 4 was critically acclaimed, and the game sold 2.88 million copies in North America. This version was eventually re-released on the Wii U's eShop and later on the Nintendo Switch's Nintendo Classics service. Both versions featured all e-Reader levels, including levels originally only available in Japan.
Gameplay
The gameplay is the same as in the original version of Super Mario Bros. 3 for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Players take control of either Mario or Luigi, adventuring through eight kingdoms of the Mushroom World to defeat the seven Koopa Kids and Bowser, who have taken the seven magic rods from the kings of these seven kingdoms, transforming them into various creatures. Players are able to make use of several basic techniques such as running, jumping, and swimming. The objective of each stage is to reach a certain goal, which is typically a black background with a rotating box containing either a mushroom, flower, or star. Players access the levels by exploring various maps; once a level is complete, players may not replay it until they beat the game. This map has several features on it, such as bridges that lower after completing a level or Hammer Bros. that wander around the map. There are several kinds of levels, including a dungeon level and an airship level. Outside of the main mode of play, players may also play a remake of the Mario Bros. game, which has been included in all Super Mario Advance games previous to it. It supports anywhere from one to four players.
It retains the power-ups from Super Mario Bros. 3, including the basic power-ups of the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Starman, as well as the Super Leaf, Tanooki Suit, Frog Suit, and Hammer Bros. Suit, all introduced in the original release. The Super Mushroom increases the player-character's size; the Fire Flower gives him a fireball attack; the Starman makes him invincible; the Super Leaf gives him a tail that lets him attack enemies by spinning and allows him to fly; the Tanooki Suit is a modified Super Leaf, giving him the ability to turn into a statue; the Frog Suit allows him to jump high and swim faster; and the Hammer Bros. Suit gives Mario a hammer projectile. Less common power-ups include these: a whistle, which allows players to go to other lands; a hammer, which allows them to gain access to new areas; and a cloud, which allows them to skip one level. It was first revealed at the E3 2003 conference for the Game Boy Advance. Its graphics and engine are based on the Super Mario All-Stars version of Super Mario Bros. 3, not the original version for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka were involved as producers and supervisors with this game; out of all Mario remakes up to that point, this is the one they were most involved in. It adds voice acting as contributed by Charles Martinet, and features the Mario Bros. mini-game also contained in other Super Mario Advance remakes. It introduces compatibility with Nintendo's e-Reader device, allowing players to add or view various things, including power-ups, stages, upgrades, and demonstration videos. It also allows players to create their own videos, with the game automatically recording players' progress through each level, erasing whatever is not saved.
Release
It was shown at several video game trade shows, including E3, the Nintendo Gamers Summit, the Games Conference, and the European Computer Trade Show. It has had multiple North American release dates planned, including September 11 and September 22, 2003, but was delayed both times. It was first released in Japan on July 11, 2003, followed by Europe on October 17, North America on October 21, and Australia on October 24. The release of Super Mario Advance 4 was accompanied by four series of e-Cards, with only the first two series released outside Japan due to the failure of the e-Reader. Originally, the game was bundled with two or seven e-Cards with the extra five being exclusive to the version sold at Walmart early in its North American release before a version was released that removed any mention of e-Cards or inclusion thereof. including the PAL release, which did not originally feature e-Reader support due to the accessory not being released in those regions. The game was later re-released on the Nintendo Classics service on February 8, 2023, and once again included the e-Reader stages.