A plumber, some mushrooms, and a jump everyone has done at least once.

On gut choice, this SNES remaster of Super Mario Bros. only edges ahead of about a fifth of all games, on few votes, so take it lightly. And the detail draws a split profile. Desert island and fun file it low, ahead of only two or three games in ten. But rediscovery climbs hard, ahead of nearly eight titles in ten, on slightly more votes so a touch firmer, and both art and soundtrack land above the middle, on very few votes. There is the tension, a classic you might not pack along, yet one you would dream of rediscovering fresh, like a first memory.

Against platformers, this original Mario wears its age. The motion stays clean, but questions of attachment and endless sessions often favor newer games, more generous with content. That is less a weakness than a gap with criteria built for today.

So who is it for? For you if you love the foundations of the genre, the purity of a level you know by heart and would love to forget just to live it again. Much less if you want the game that grips you three hours straight, here others hold the night better.