Super Mario Bros. 3

Super Mario Bros. 3 doesn't have cheat codes. The tips and secrets below are the next best thing.

1. Save the P-Wing and Warp Whistles in your item box for the hardest stages instead of using them early.
2. Run on a flat stretch to fill the P meter, then jump with the Raccoon tail to fly over whole sections.
3. The N-Spade card-matching game uses a small set of fixed layouts, so memorise them for free items and lives.
4. Toad Houses give an item every time; Hammer Bros on the map drop items like the Hammer Suit or Music Box.
5. The Tanooki Suit lets you turn into an invincible statue by holding down and pressing B.
6. On airships, keep moving; standing still is how cannons and bolts get you.

Tap a secret to reveal it.

• Before release in the US, footage appeared in the 1989 movie The Wizard, which turned it into a must-have.
• The whole adventure is framed as a stage play, with a curtain rising at the start and objects bolted to the background.
• It sold over 17 million copies on the NES alone.
• The Koopalings each got names inspired by real musicians, like Ludwig von Koopa and Iggy Koopa.