Super Mario Bros. 3 was a truly influential Mario game to have on the NES. This game introduced tons of things to the the Mario series like enemies and music, but most of all it was the first to use overworld maps to navigate between levels. Since then, nearly every Mario platformer from the SNES to the Nintendo Switch have had equally diverse worlds.
This helped make the original games eight worlds greatly iconic, and set the tone for the world themes of future Mario titles. Some of them are better than others, though, and it’s time to put them against each other. These are the worlds that feel like a waste of time, and the ones that make the game a pleasure to play.
8 World 2: Desert Land
After the fun romp that is the first world of the game, Desert Land brings the game to a massive halt. Deserts in Mario games aren't inherently unpleasant, but this one comes with a far less colorful environment, an astonishingly larger map, and an angry sun that’s exceptionally confusing to evade.
It certainly isn’t unplayable, and there are a lot of fun levels that revolve around quickly breaking tons of blocks. But most people who want to give Super Mario Bros. 3 another shot will likely only ever complete the first world, as this this dry and exhausting place is sure to drain all of their enthusiasm.
7 World 7: Pipe Land
At the very least, this world is certainly more fun than Desert Land. The Piranha Plant forests and masses of pipes are a unique look to the rest of the game, and feel like a clever throwback to the original Mario Bros. arcade game.
The reason it’s one of the worst worlds, though, is that it’s painfully difficult in a lot of tedious ways. Not only are the world’s several islands confusing to navigate, but there are tons of vertical levels where you can fall to the bottom without dying and need to repeatedly reclimb.
6 World 5: Sky Land
Sky Land is where the levels go from mostly bad to mostly good, in this instance with a greatly unique level gimmick. After starting on the ground, the first waypoint you reach is a gigantic tower which leads you to a cloud level full of aerial and jump-heavy levels.
Unfortunately, this world is far less fun in practice than it is on paper. The ground levels are extremely boring and indistinct from the other worlds, and the challenging sky levels are full of slow and awkward auto-scrolling levels that take forever to retry any time you die. It’s an interesting world, but not necessarily an enjoyable one.
5 World 6: Ice Land
Winter-themed levels from the NES days are far from popular, and this world is no exception. With its slippery blocks and densely populated levels, it can result in more deaths than any of the other worlds, alongside a long horizontal world map that can feel endless.
Aesthetically, though, this world stands strong among the green and brown pastures you’ve experienced so far. Shifting the color palette of the grassy levels gives a gorgeous change to the wooden block themes you’ve explored so far. Its other big perk is the theme song on the map, which is uniquely sharp and spooky compared to the other tunes of the game.
4 World 3: Water Land
If you manage to make it through Desert World with some energy left, you’ll be rewarded with a world full of unique level gimmicks and enemies. The signature levels are centered on swimming segments, but there’s plenty of others with rising tides and moving platforms that make it surprisingly diverse.
What makes this world sensational, though, is its great use of the world map. This series of large islands is full of secrets and changing paths that make it interesting just to wander, and each time you play it could be significantly different depending on which route you choose to take.
3 World 8: Dark Land
Super Mario Bros. 3 is far from original by having a lava fortress at the very end, but the rest of the world makes a more lasting impact than most other final Mario worlds. A huge amount of these levels are vehicle-based, where you’re climbing across tanks and airships with different speeds and a terrifying dark background.
This world can be frustrating, but as the last world in the game, its high difficulty feels deserving. Thanks to these tank and plane levels not respawning after a game over, this world is also significantly more forgiving than the unfairly hard worlds before it, making it feel less like a chore and more like a climactic challenge.
2 World 1: Grass Land
If there’s anything that the first world in this game does great, it’s that it gives players a taste of everything that Super Mario Bros. 3 has to offer. While this level is centered on its green grassy levels you still get several extra paths, some beautiful cloud and fortress levels, and the first airship level to introduce a completely new environment to the series.
What adds to this world is its huge list of secrets. From a magic flute you get from going behind the walls, to a secret P-Wing you get from collecting all of a level's coins, there are tons of extra challenges and things to do here than just skip through it. This set of levels is the envy of every other first world in a platformer.
1 World 4: Giant Land
Giant Land is home to the best-executed gimmick in the game, both regular-sized and inflated levels with larger enemies, massive blocks, and more difficult levels that stick to the memorable themes of the wonderful first world.
There’s no world in any Mario platformer that matches the silliness of these levels. While Super Mario 64’s Tiny Huge Island is reminiscent of it, it’s a relatively small space compared to the large variety of levels in Giant Land. Playing this level, and seeing the beautiful blown up sprites, is some of the most fun you’ll have throughout Super Mario Bros. 3.