Awesome / Super Mario Bros. 3

---

• The first time Mario takes flight in Super Mario Bros. 3. He grabs a power-up called the Super Leaf, grows raccoon ears and a tail, and gains the power to fly. The very first time you obtain it is also carefully set up to guide you in its use, with a long flat area where you can build up speed with a pit that directs you to jump towards a line of coins stretching diagonally up into the sky, where a hidden cloud platform contains more goodies.
• In a few stages in Super Mario Bros. 3, the sun itself drops out of the sky and tries to kill you! When you first begin the level, the game fools you into thinking that the sun is just part of the background, then BAM!!! it starts trying to dive bomb you throughout the whole rest of the stage! It reappears near the end of the game, in, oddly enough, a level that takes place at night. The best part: if you take an invincibility star into the stage or pick up a Koopa shell, you can use it to kill the sun (which the strategy guide refers to as "forc[ing] an early sunset").
• World 5-3 lets you ride around in Goomba's (Kuribo's) Shoe, a giant boot that prevents you from taking damage from spikes and lets you kill any enemy in the game with a single stomp. Sadly, it only appears in one level, you can't keep it past the end of that level, and it hasn't appeared in any of the sequels.
  "One night under heavy doses of narcotics, I was playing Super Mario Brothers 3 and one of my friends thought it would be funny to record what I was saying so I could hear myself later when I was coherent. Here is a transcription of the things I said:

  Oh shit! I got the shoe! I'm so invincible! Oh! Eat it, you bitch! You don't understand! I got the damn SHOE! It's the shoe! And look at how cute I am with my stupid plumber head poking out of the wind up sock! I am the cutest invincible shoe rider ever! Mario! Mario! He's in the ULTRA green SHOOEEE!
  This went on for about 10 more minutes as I kept bouncing back and forth on the level screaming nonsense about the damn shoe until the time ran out. We sent a copy to my mom. I heard she cried."
  —Seanbaby
  • There is a cameo of it in Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story.
  • The "Super Boot" in Paper Mario: Sticker Star is also a blatant reference.
  • In Super Mario Maker, it can be used on the Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3 level choices. The Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros. U levels use Yoshi instead.
• If you think about it, Mario taking on (and defeating) Bowser's entire army, navy, and air force in World 8 single-handedly is pretty awesome. The Angry Video Game Nerd said it best:
  AVGN: And then there's the final world; this part doesn't fuck around. It's like "You got to the end! You dare to play? Welcome to Hell!"
• In statue mode, Tanooki Mario can kill flame spurts. And get points for doing it, too.
  • He can also defeat Bowser instantly using the Hammer Bros. suit.

---