Super Mario Advance 4 is the Gameboy Advance remake of the popular Super Mario Bros. 3. It is basically the Super Mario All-Stars version ported to the handheld Gameboy Advance. There isn't a whole lot of new content added to this remake. The player has the option of playing as Mario and Luigi or just play solo as Mario. SMB3 is a beloved game from my childhood that I was a big fan of. I got it as a Christmas gift along with an NES in 1992. I also got to play it when I got my SNES a year later for Christmas in '93 on Mario All-Stars. I liked both versions but probably preferred the All-Stars version. The GBA version, like with all the other Mario remakes is another disappointment, even though it is still a good game.

Graphics 9/10: Super Mario Advance 4 is an enhancement over the NES Super Mario Bros. 3, but it is not as good as the version that was already done in 1993 with Super Mario All-Stars. This game looks almost identical to that version, but there is a little bit of screen crunch. There is still a lot of detail put into the sprites and backgrounds, but like with all the other SMA games, the color is pretty faded. I rate SMA4 the same as I did the first game. It is mainly just the SNES version of SMB3 ported to a handheld GBA which looks nice but nothing like that version did.

Music 6/10: I can't say anything different about the music for Advance 4 that I haven't already said about the other games in this series. There is nothing new about it. Players get a soundtrack that has just been ported over from the All-Stars version. The sound effects are weak, and the songs are very bland when compared to the original NES game. There is too much variety in all 3 versions, but this one has speaker limitations that give the game the same muddy sound that the other Mario Advance games have. I rate the music/sound the same as I did for the other ones. 

Gameplay 6/10: Super Mario Advance 4 has about the same number of levels that SMB3 had. Not all of the levels had to be played in order to beat the game. Mario and Luigi can earn items in the Toad Houses, matching games, and from fighting the Hammer Bros. The player can also earn infinite lives which are also pretty plentiful in this game. Additionally, you take more than one hit after getting the Fire Flower, Super Leaf, Tanooki Suit, or Frog Suit. There are more save points in this version of SMB3, but it works no better than on the SNES. It isn't as good as in the previous SMA games either. In those, you could save after a level at any time as long as remembered to hit Start and Save and Continue.

This port contains the same 8 worlds with their overworld maps and the same item system as before. You cannot go back to levels in the original game or this game either. There are also no secret exits or special coins to collect like in the other Super Mario Advance games. You do have the option of playing as Mario and Luigi which is pretty nice because you can hold more items. This is a fairly long game, but not all the levels have to be played to beat it. The Super Leaf, Tanooki Suit, Hammer Suit and Frog Suit are all cool items. The Mario Bros. arcade game from 1983 is also included in this port and plays the same as it did in the other games.

Super Mario Advance 4 is basically just a remake of SMB3 ported over from the SNES. It has been enhanced some, but it is not all that much different. In my opinion, the save system works no better than it did in All-Stars. I did like how it included Luigi, but other than that it is the same game unlike with Advance 2. I don't know what it was, but I enjoyed the GBA version of SMB3 the least. The controls still felt off, and the layout and design of the game was no different from the original. You're just playing a cheap version of a classic game from my childhood. After playing it again, I don't like how there is no element of surprise. The game feels like it takes longer than it should and is not all that memorable or catchy with its levels or content.

Story 10/10: The story was kept the same for the Gameboy Advance remake. Bowser has sent his 7 children to steal the magic wands from each of the 7 kings of the Mushroom Kingdom. Larry Koopa is shown stealing the wand from the king of Grass Land at the beginning of the game in this version. Mario and Luigi set out to get back the magic wands from the Koopalings, turn the kings back into their human forms, and restore peace to the Mushroom World. While the Mario Bros. are off doing this, Bowser kidnaps the Princess yet again and takes her to his castle in Dark Land.

The story for Super Mario Bros. 3 was something different from the first game and probably even more well thought out then the one for Super Mario World. It is probably my favorite out of the whole series. These characters would be used again in the SMB3 cartoons which I liked the best out of the cartoon trilogy as well. Everything here stays faithful to the original.

Content 10/10: Players get the same 8 worlds: Grass Land, Desert Land, Water Land, Giant Land, Sky Land, Ice Land, Pipe Land, and Dark Land, that they got before with the NES and SNES versions. However, the GBA version takes up more time for some reason. Why is this?! I spend 2 and 1/2 to 3 hours on those versions, but here, I find myself spending well over 3 hours trying to complete this game. Sometimes, I even go to almost 3 and 1/2! Nonetheless, after completing the game, there is nothing else to do unless you want to play the Mario Bros. arcade game, and I think I'll pass on that.  

Difficulty 9/10: As far as the way this game played, it is the hardest out of the Advance series. It does nothing to make the game easier than any other version. I find it harder than the All-Stars and NES games. The save system sucks when compared to other Mario games on the system. It only saves you up to the Fortresses unless you hit Save and Quit on the rest of the game. Why not give players the option the Save and Continue like before? Not only that, but the controls and jumping feel off. The problem with screen crunch still exists. The challenge of the original game is still there, but for this port it isn't a fun type of challenge where you want to keep playing.

This time, I can't wait to finish the game because it just seems to drag on longer than it should. There is nothing different and just feels harder than it should be. The save system isn't much of an improvement over the other games, and it really isn't a very rewarding to play. It's still a playable game, but it gets very long and tedious towards the end without much of a way to avoid playing levels you've already played. Playing as Luigi does give players more of an item selection, but after you use that item, it's gone so be careful. Advance 4 can be a pretty frustrating game at times. 

Overall 8.2/10: Super Mario Advance 4, overall, is a decent game but not near as good as the other versions for NES or SNES. For me, Advance 2 was my favorite, but here it seems Nintendo ran out of steam. It is the last game of the Mario Advance series, and I think Nintendo was just burned out at this point. There just feels like there wasn't as much effort put into this game like there was with the other ones. Knowing what I know about Super Mario Bros. 3, this port should have been better. Anyway, this completes my review of the GBA Mario series. Overall, none of the games gave me the same experience I got as a kid, and I guess this one is no worse than the others. Some players may disagree with me, but it all depends on the individual.