Super Mario Memories
First Impressions
The first time I plugged in the cartridge, I didn't even know the hat-wearing chubby guy I was controlling was called "Mario" — the older kid next door just called him "Super Mario," and that's the name that stuck for me to this day. The screen lit up, that "boop——" startup sound played, blue sky and white clouds and green pipes appeared, and the whole world was made of blocky pixels — yet it captivated me more than any cartoon ever had.
Early on I couldn't even tell "jump" and "run" apart, mashing A and B randomly, until the character walked straight into a pipe and vanished — I thought the console was broken and nearly cried.
The Level I Remember Most
| Most memorable level | 1-2, the underground pipe maze |
|---|---|
| Why | The first time I found the secret passage here, ducked into a pipe, and discovered a screen full of coins — I was so excited I jumped straight off the couch |
| Nightmare level | 8-4, the final maze — lost count of how many times I picked the wrong fire-bar room |
| Track record | Never beat it in one sitting, but never deleted a save either (there was no save feature back then anyway) |
🍄 Eat one mushroom, stay nostalgic for life 🍄