Play Mario's Epic Adventure Online

I first played Mario's Epic Adventure on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System back when Nintendo was publishing most of their own major titles. It came out during a time when platformers were really pushing what the SNES could do, with bigger worlds and more complex levels than what we saw on the NES.

You control Mario, of course, and your main goal is to rescue Princess Toadstool from Bowser's latest fortress. The game is built around screen by screen exploration; you move through themed worlds, jumping on enemies and breaking blocks. A key mechanic is collecting three magical coins in each stage to unlock the path to the boss. You also find power ups that change your abilities, like a cape that lets you glide or a flower for shooting fireballs. The pacing is brisk, but some of the later levels get quite tricky with their platforming challenges. It feels satisfying to finally nail a difficult jump sequence and see the flagpole at the end.