This year, Nintendo’s iconic Super Mario Bros. series celebrates its 35th anniversary. The first legendary game was released in 1985 on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and defined how 2D platforming games would be, as well as saving the North American gaming industry from the video game crash of 1983. Nintendo is celebrating the series’ anniversary in two big ways: Super Mario 3D All-Stars (a collection of three beloved 3D Mario titles: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Galaxy), and the main focus of this article: Super Mario Bros. 35: a battle-royale reimagining of the 1985 classic for the Nintendo Switch. How does this reimagining fare against the original, and what does it bring to the table? Let’s find out.

Super Mario Bros. 35 is a battle-royale game, which is a genre which has blown up in popularity in recent years, with games such as Fortnite having millions of players every month. The premise is that there are 35 players in one game, but only one will reign supreme in the end. In the standard mode, every player starts at World 1-1 of the game. The game plays just like the original at first. However, every time you defeat an enemy, it gets sent to another player’s screen, and vice versa. These enemies can quickly flood your screen if you’re not careful. You can differentiate them from the standard enemies due to their grayish hue. Defeating enemies will give you more time. You will be eliminated from the game if you either die or run out of time, so you have to be on your toes. Collecting coins is also very important: collecting at least twenty will allow you to use your roulette box. The roulette box will give you one power-up:  a mushroom, fire flower, POW block, or invincibility star. Getting a star and running through a flood of enemies like they’re nothing is super satisfying, and gives you a lot of extra time. Although it isn’t essential to play the game, it is very helpful to know the layout of the levels. For example, the hidden 1-up mushrooms will give you 20 coins, which is essentially a free power-up. 

Things can get very chaotic in Super Mario Bros 35., very quickly. A common mistake new players will make is thinking that you have to rush through the levels as fast as you can. If you do this, you’ll get quickly overwhelmed. Instead, you should take your time, collecting as many coins and defeating as many enemies as you can. Of course, you should keep an eye on the timer as you go. When you strategize this way, you will find yourself in the top five, or even the winner, in no time. The game is very fun and easy to pick up and play. It gives Super Mario Bros. a new coat of paint and a new strategy, turning it on its heels. If you’ve never played Super Mario Bros. before, I’d recommend giving it a shot before jumping into Super Mario Bros. 35. 

Alongside the standard mode, there is a new special mode every week. For example, the special mode available at the time of the writing of this article focuses on powerful enemies like Lakitu, Hammer Bros., and even Bowser himself. Aside from its additional challenges, the special modes also begin on a level other than World 1-1, which is nice for variety’s sake. Performing well in both modes will cause you to level up, and different icons from the game will be unlocked as you progress. These icons can be set as your in-game profile picture. The coins you collect in game can also be used to buy power-ups ahead of time, so you can start a game as Super Mario instead of standard Mario, for example.

Overall, Super Mario Bros. 35 is a fun and unique take on both the original game, as well as the battle royale genre as a whole. It is available for free to Nintendo Switch Online members. However, it is only available for a limited time: from now until March 31st, 2021. So if you want to be the last Mario standing, download Super Mario Bros. 35 today!