Retro, side-scrolling Mario fun.
For starters, you can only play as Mario, who looks very much like he did in Super Mario Bros 1985, only in shades of black & white. The lack of Luigi is one thing, but the lack of notable Mario themes are evident throughout the game - koopa troopas explode after you jump on them, UFOs drop Mario off at the start of some levels, Easter Island heads are part of the background, Sphinx creatures that spew fireballs at you, and to top it off, Mario gets to ride in a submarine and an airplane while shooting projectiles at oncoming enemies (which is cool, but not really 'Mario').
Not that these things are bad - after all, Mario isn't in the Mushroom Kingdom this time around, but rather in a land called 'Sarasaland', where a princess by the name of Daisy is held captive by an outer space alien. It plays pretty close to how the 1985 Super Mario game played - defeat the boss only to discover that 'our princess is in another castle' scenario.
The gameplay here is quite challenging at times and thus makes for a fun yet engaging experience. Mario still has the Mushroom, Star, and Fireball power-ups, except this time the Fireball power-up makes the fireball ricochet off the walls, which is good for collecting coins in hard to reach areas as well as make for some sweet enemy take-downs.
The levels are quite long and filled with multiple enemies. Some enemies take a few hits before going down, like the ninjas in the Japan-themed levels, while others require the usual single blow. Mario can also ride on rolling boulders to get across dangerous terrain.
Common enemies here are Goombas, Koopa Troopas, Bullet Bills, and Piranha Plants. The other enemies include a pea-spewing walking plant, a creature that can split into 2 parts, seahorses that spew fireballs at you, jumping bone fish, ninjas, and birds... which you can shoot down with your airplane.
Despite the game's rather dated graphics (for the time) that are similar to the 1985 Super Mario game, it still manages to be fresh and full of new surprises that will test your Mario skillz and make you want to play through the game one more time. It has tough levels, interesting boss battles, and let's face it, Mario can fly an airplane and blast things. You can download the game from your Nintendo 3DS via the eShop's Virtual Console.