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Super Mario Advance had four games on its list. The “advance” series had all the best platformers from the Nintendo NES and Super Nintendo consoles. The only one missing was one that is considered probably the best game in the series. No other than Super Mario Bros. 3! Being a more than faithful rendition and using the graphics and sounds from the Super Mario All-Stars game, Super Mario Advance 4 takes you to the world of Mario, 8 worlds packed with secrets, items, and mini games that make it the best way to finish the series. 
Paragoomba and Micro Goombas Fighting With Mario
Aside from the normal levels, the Mario Bros. multiplayer option and the chance to play levels as Luigi, we have a lot of extra levels called the e-Levels accessed through the E-Reader device that may be attached to the Gameboy Advance.
The Story
The Mushroom Kingdom has been a peaceful place thanks to the brave deeds of Mario and Luigi. The Mushroom Kingdom forms an entrance to the Mushroom World where all is not well. Bowser has sent his 7 children to make mischief as they please in the normally peaceful Mushroom World.
They stole the royal magic wands from each country in the Mushroom World and used them to turn their kings into animals. Mario and Luigi must recover the royal magic wands from Bowser's 7 kids and return the kings to their true forms. "Goodbye and good luck!," said the Princess and Toad as Mario and Luigi set off on their journey deep into the Mushroom World.
Official Description
The best-selling game of all time, Super Mario Bros. 3, makes its portable debut with all-new features! Bowser and his troublemaking kids have forced the land into complete chaos by transforming all the local kings into animals, and it`s up to Mario and Luigi to stop them. In what many consider to be the best Mario game ever, players have to run, jump and stomp on enemies through eight enormous worlds, as they use new and classic power-ups. Dash past danger, swim treacherous seas and even take to the air, speeding toward a collision course with Bowser.- Jump bottomless pits, stomp familiar foes and use awesome power-ups like the Warp Whistle and the Frog and Tanooki Suit, as you take the flight to Bowser and his kids.
- Open up new levels and game features when you scan special cards through the e-Reader attachment.
- Complete increasingly difficult levels, beating one of Bowser`s kids at the end of each level on your way to the final battle with Bowser.
- Discover multiplayer Mario madness when you link up with any of the other three Super Mario Advance games for frantic fun in the original Mario Bros. game.
Changes from the Allstars version of Super Mario Bros. 3
In essence, Super Mario Advance 4 is the same game as Super Mario Bros. 3, but there are a load of changes:- There are some extra cut scenes if you defeat the game using warps and then go back to the levels you skipped.
- There is an addional cut scene that plays after you use a warp to level 8, as if you have defeated world 7.
- Peach appears on the map after defeating the first part of the world 8, yelling “Mario”.
- Upside Down Spiny shells can be stomped without taking damage.
- Giant Blocks can be swiped with a tail waggle.
- Spade Panels change suits if won, so they give out more lives.
- Mario and Luigi may get up to 999 lives
- The Vs. Mode is gone you since can play it in the super Mario bros. classic mode.
- Mario can hold eight more items, 36 in total.
- Star Mario point chain is the same as kicking a shell or stomping many foes, so you can get lives as in Super Mario World.
- Carrying an item will take it to a new area if Mario or Luigi go through a pipe.
- The P Meter doesn’t run out if Mario Keeps running, and it can be replenished if you land and take off again when you are Tanooki or Raccoon Mario.
- When defeating Bowser, Mario or Luigi take a Super Mushroom
- Most levels were changed to fit the Gameboy Advance screen better.
- All the Super Mario All Star Graphics have a lighter tone.
- The Mario Brothers wear gloves, yay.
- When transforming into Tanooki Luigi you don’t see a Gray Mario but an actual Luigi Statue.
- The Sledge Brothers look like that on world 4, instead of being hammer bros.
- Luigi Scuttles when he jumps.
- Coins Sparkle when collected.
- There is a lot of voice acting on this game.
Gameplay
Jump with A, Run with B, yeah, we’ve heard it all. Run when you grab a Leaf or a Tannoki Suit and shoot when you are Fire Mario or Hammer Bros. Mario, Transform into a statue with Down + B when you are a Tanooki and enjoy the game as if it was the game from your childhood. You can also choose to play as Mario or Luigi with the R Button, Mario and Luigi have different inventories on Mario and Luigi mode, mind you. But you can hold up to 36 items, there are more differences from the original game.
Tanooki Mario The differences come on the little details, listed below:- Mario can have up to 999 lives
- When you finish the game you can warp through worlds by using the R button on the map.
- You can open a replay menu with select.
- You can carry items through stage portions, like ice blocks and koopa shells.
- You can’t save after a game over.
There is a list of e-Cards that can be used to get power ups, new levels and other items such as boomerangs! Never seen before in Super Mario Bros. 3.
Worlds & Maps
The worlds and levels are the same as Super Mario Bros 3, and it's Super Mario All Stars remake, the Koopalings are making mischief in each of the worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom.- World 1: Grass Land: A general, plains world that has easy levels to get familiarized with most of the controllers and new features of Super Mario Bros 3.
- World 2: Desert Land: A desertic land full of new challenges and unique enemies.
- World 3: Water Land: A beachside Land by the ocean full of under water challenges.
The Angry Sun looking angry in desert land (left), Luigi in his frog suit in Water Land (right).
- World 4: Giant Land: The land with giant koopas, goombas and bricks, everything is bigger!
- World 5: Sky Land: A gateway to the sky, filled with bottomless pits and jump challenges.
- World 6: Ice Land: A frozen land, frozen enemies even frozen coins.
Mario in Giant Land (left) and under attack in Ice Land (right).
- World 7: Pipe Land: A Pipe Maze that piranha Plants have overtaken.
- World 8: Dark Land: Bowsers Domain full of shadows and Lava.
The Pipe Maze (left), Mario Battling Bowser on his Doom Ship (Right)
- World e: E-Land: Exclusive to this version it includes a lot of different challenges and items from other Mario games.
- World 9: Warp Zone: 8 pipes that will take you each to a different place.
Videos & Media
Check out these Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 videos including trailers, TV commercials and the games intro video.The Trailer for the Wii U Virtual Console re-release (USA Version)
A Japanese TV Commercial
The Trailer from E3 2003
Reception
Super Mario Advance 4 was positively received by all reviewers. It is one of the best Game Boy Advance games ever made, it has a whopping 94 score on Metacritic, and it’s the third rated game in the Mario series, only followed by the Galaxy Series. The game sold 2.88 million copies on its first release and then it was rereleased on the virtual console, receiving a great reception as well. It won several awards and even a nomination by Gamespot as best platform Game of the year. Metascore: 94, IGN: 9.5/10 , Gamespot: 8.9/10.Super Luigi Bros users scored SMA 4 as follows:-
- Dan Anderson described it as an uninspired port saved only by the e-Reader features and scored it 6 out of 10
- A rather nostalgic EvilHeartBurnMan relived his childhood and scored SMA 4 an impressive 10 out of 10
- Charizard06 weighed in with a strong scoring of 9 out of 10
- Dustin D. Cook was very happy with his copy of the invigorated Super Mario Bros. 3 scoring it 9 out of 10
- Tetzcatilopoca agreed, also scoring SMA 4 with a 9 out of 10
Interesting Facts
- Many of the game Mechanics became the standard for New Super Mario Bros.
- The game uses the same “engine” as Super Mario Advance 2, as some graphics were left free on the game, even unused graphics from the original Super Mario Bros. 3
- Every single e-Reader unlockable is available from the start on the Wii U Virtual Console version since it doesn’t have e-Reader support.
Thwomp missed. He hates it when he misses. Reference / Information
- Super Mario Advance 4 - Cheats / Unlockables / Hints
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Super Mario Advance 4 - Replacement Game Manual (2.62mb PDF)
