Genre: 2d platformer
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo

Super Mario Bros. crosses Donkey Kong's minimalism with some of the richer stage elements from Donkey Kong Jr, such as lush trees and spring boards. Mario's sprite is large and well animated compared to his equivalent in Mario Bros., and the fire flower pickup effect is neat. While board elements and even entire stages are frequently recycled, clever palette swaps keep things varied.

Unlike Miyamoto's trio of arcade predecessors, Super Mario Bros. has a complete sound track that runs during play. This was Koji Kondo's debut with the Mario games, and while there are only three songs in this title, they have become the basic melodies that Kondo and his proteges are still recycling to this day. The sound effects are distinctive, and have gone on to become just as iconic as the music.

With Super Mario Bros., Miyamoto took the stage-based challenges of Donkey Kong, the tricky enemy arrangements from Mario Bros, and mashed them together via stages that scroll, and link together end-to-end. There are even hidden stages, accessible via pipes in a non-linear fashion! The jumping physics aren't quite as nuanced as those from Mario Bros., but are idiosyncratic enough to allow for skillful high speed play, or slow and deliberate progression, according to the player's style.

As one of the first video games that shifted emphasis from high score chasing to progression towards a set finish, Super Mario Bros. was revolutionary. Because it was only once-removed from games like Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Bros., it retains an arcade sensation, which was lost in subsequent releases in the series. Because of its more expansive scope, Super Mario Bros. isn't as water tight as its immediate predecessor. But at the same time, it paved the way for generations of games to come.