Mario 3 Pro plays the e-Reader Levels for the first time

Watch the full unedited playthrough: • Mitch plays the e-Read...
Nintendo just released this on the Switch, so I had to finally play it.
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[@oil5darling]

This is what I wanted for Mario maker…. A smashing of different elements of all the games but within the same level, these levels look really fun.

[@duffman18]

Yeah that's what I loved about the e-reader levels when I first played them years ago when someone made a romhack of the GBA version of SMB 3 with them added (cos fuck trying to find a second hand e-reader and the cards necessary to load the levels into the cart), it had elements from all the first 4 SMB games (5 if you include lost levels) that were out at that point (just not yoshis Island for whatever reason, even though that was called Super Mario World 2). It's a combination of items and abilities and enemies and level layouts from all the games, sometimes all of them in one level at a time. I was very pleasantly surprised when the GBA Nintendo online app for switch had the e-reader levels on. Cos I didn't see that mentioned anywhere in any articles about it on places like Nintendo Life for example. But I thought they must surely have added them because otherwise why bother adding the game to it yet again when there was already SMB 3 twice on Nintendo online, one in the NES app and one as part of Allstars in the SNES app? So I checked, and then yeah low and behold they were there. I just hope they do release the GBA port of SMB 2 on there too though. Because that's the definitive version of the game. It doesn't have extra levels, per se (though some of the bosses have been changed to different ones, like one Birdo became mecha Birdo). But it just seemed to have the most extra stuff and the most extra polish of all the GBA ports, maybe because it was the first one released, and with the other ones they just got a bit lazy with adding new stuff to them. It's the best way to play SMB 2, that's for sure, and I already love that game to bits, I much prefer it to SMB 1 and lost levels, and it just slightly edges Yoshis Island for me cos while I love that game quite a lot, it doesn't feel like a Mario game at all really, which is probably why they spun it off into its own series called Yoshis Island instead of it continuing on as the SMB mainline 2D platformer series.

[@Scrubermensch]

@@duffman18 6 if you include Yoshi's Island

[@tamerkoh]

@@duffman18 I think the GBA versions of SMW and SMB3 are the definitive versions too. Like yes, I would like to have the SNES resolution (and colours, since they got washed out on GBA XD), but the extra features and polish are nice on these versions. Luigi actually playing like himself in GBA SMW, rather than a Green Mario, so there's replay value there. SMB3 having these eReader levels, etc. I would honestly love an HD 2D handdrawn remake of all of these games, in a collection like Super Mario All Stars, where we get the SNES game view size, but made 16:9, and get more new features/extra levels ^^

[@ZonalJump97]

​@@tamerkoh I'm not a fan of the washed out colors either, but I understand why they did it

[@swordlunge]

@@duffman18 There are elements of Yoshi's Island on these e-Reader levels. The penguins and the big ice blocks both come from there.

[@JD-mz1rl]

The reason why there is only one floor the in e coin castle is because Nintendo never released any additional levels. The thing that was cool about the e-reader is that the levels literally did not exist on the gba cart -- they were scanned in by the ereader card. So a theoretical maximum of 3 floors with 24 e coins were allowed to be released by Nintendo, but they only ever released 8. Theoretically, fan made levels could be made to utilize the extra floors

[@ym2612girl]

That would be sick, honestly. Imagine being able to make and implement a stage without needing to hack the ROM to add them in, someone would just need to scan a card and they'd be playing your stage. Thing is, I think that'd require a lot of reverse engineering of both the E-Reader and SMA4 to be possible, but I'm holding my breath for something within the next few decades!

[@MrCheeze]

-This comment is wrong. The ereader for this game (and I assume most others) exclusively unlocks on-cart data.- This was me being confidently incorrect, sorry.

[@Blaumagier]

​​@@MrCheeze I don't believe that is entirely correct. For all the other things e-reader can do, yes it's data on the cart. However, the levels are a different matter. On the original cart, you could only save 24 levels to the cart simultaneously, despite the fact it can hold records for up to 70 some odd levels in total. The Wii U and Switch versions of Super Mario Advance have always been an oddity in that they hold all the levels simultaneously because this is not possible on an original cart, even when hacking the levels into the game - the data for the levels is not actually on the cart. This is something I had to contend with when I made videos of all these levels before the Wii U version first brought us a version with all the levels present and playable. (Note: my numbers probably aren't accurate, but the point was you could only store playable level data for a certain number of stages and that number is less than the total number of e-reader stages that exist)

[@MrCheeze]

Sorry, you were right and I was wrong! I don't know why I mistakenly thought otherwise.

[@JacobNintendoNerd99]

​​​​@@MrCheezes actually the case that it's true DLC for the case of 90% of e reader titles. The Pokemon GBA games in particular had true DLC in this same fashion, as well as Colosseum. Interestingly, in most cases after the e reader was discontinued internationally though, Nintendo would put some of the e reader content in the localized versions. For example, FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald all have about 75% of e reader content (everything released up until their English release, but Japan released more cards after the English release which obviously aren't present.) Then there's of course e reader cards that indeed are just unlocks, like the Cape Feather and Vegetables for main game levels in Mario 3, the Eon Ticket in RSE, or the NES titles for Animal Crossing

[@tacticaljunk1608]

A lot of people find it annoying but the Mario voice clips in this game are actually very endearing lmao

[@MatchaFoxx]

For sure. It’s one of the many reasons I much prefer this version of Super Mario Bros 3 compared to any other version. I legit don’t like to play yoshi’s island on SNES because I love the voice clips on the gba version so much. I think every Super Mario advanced game did voice clips great, but I think the one that affects me the most is yoshi’s island though because Yoshi just feels wrong with only sound effects. 😂 smb3 is one of my all time favorite games but this one beats it due to all of the extra content and “hoo hoo, just what I needed!” Plus so many more voice clips that will live in my head FOREVER. 😂❤️

[@KyleDavis328]

Growing up with SMA3 and SMA4, I'm completely used to it and playing SMB3 and SMW without them just seem wrong at this point, even if they are corny as hell.

[@waverazor]

Its annoying.. mario doesnt stfu on these

[@TelPhi_]

@@MatchaFoxx I completely agree, Yoshi's Island just feels wrong without voice clips! It's weird so many people hate the voice clips in that one as well considering that like, every later Yoshi game featured all these voice clips as well. I don't think they're annoying in Advance 1, 2 and 3 as well like other people say they are, but I do wish that they were implemented differently (like adding short, quiet voice clips to the jumps and no voice clips for power-ups, similarly to other Mario games)

[@warl0ch]

Yes, you should definitely speed run this.

[@restoredandrecovered7380]

That would be epic

[@jrcolonial98]

Agreed!

[@luis-sophus-8227]

💀

[@IanZWhite00]

41:50 why do I feel like this entire sequence is _exactly_ how making decisions in “random” situations feels every time. Great to have an example like this recorded, it was so perfect lol

[@stapler942]

Wow, these are some pretty clever variations on SMB3 gameplay. Being built on a remake means the new mechanics are often a lot more polished than your typical ROM hack, AND more faithful to SMB3 physics than Mario Maker. It's not kaizo-hard but a nice increased challenge design. Coin collecting gives it that extra Metroidvania and Donkey Kong Country exploration incentive while still maintaining a Mario feel.

[@PhantomOfficial07]

This video made me want an actual Mario metroidvania lol

[@biskitvixxn]

28:36 Luigi only has the Smb2jp/tll sliding physics in world-e. In the base game, the jump animation is only there for aesthetic purposes. 36:46 the PR levels were levels that were only available through promotional campaigns. In North America, you would get Airship’s Revenge through a promotion with Walmart I believe, and in Japan, they got the other two, I forget where you’d get them. 43:02 The “1F” on the top left is there because there were plans for more levels with possibly more e+ coins if I recall correctly. Also, initially North America only had access to a third of the levels and half of the cards Japan got. PAL regions just didn’t have world-e at all. All levels were officially made available in all regions in the Wii-U VC release.

[@paularized1]

Really happy to see Mitch starring in Salt’s latest vid. SS is the Christopher Nolan of speedrunning channels. And Mitch is the Kardashians of something actually worth watching.

[@Mister_Clean]

Mitch and Kirua are like the Michael Jordan and Kobe of SMB3

[@Thinker77]

1.) Unlike the Kardashians, Mitch is true to himself and his fans love and respect him. 2. Mitch is the Chuck Norris of SMB 3

[@duffman18]

Summoning Salt is like the Jon Bois of video game documentaries. And that's incredibly high praise. Boisian style documentary filmmaking has really taken over the Internet, he's inspired so many people who make videos in all sorts of different categories and not just sports like he himself does. In a couple of decades, there'll be entire textbooks about the impact Bois has had on documentary filmmaking, he's that big of a deal IMO. To more SS, and to more Bois, forever more!

[@mattydips2887]

Interesting analogy to compare mitch to a kardashian lol

[@PronatorTendon]

Dude it's inspiring. I haven't been watching much Mario content lately but it makes me want to go back and watch those legendary runs again

[@FightingAurora]

1:12 LMAO so excited for new levels and it just instantly turns into an auto-scroll 😂

[@CometMedalChavez]

His disappointment is immeasurable and his day is ruined

[@Lacusto]

Hey I saw your part in the Summoning Salt video! Just from the way you always casually swooped in and took the record I knew you were one of the best. Also you seem to be very sympathetic. Congrats on your WR and keep up the good work!

[@jacekmw]

Glad to see you finally play these! Played them back when these were all first unlocked in the Wii U version, was surprised more folks weren't as excited back then. Some of these levels are excellent, though I'm still salty about that that jump through the spikes in Castle Dash

[@kenji6492]

I don’t think they weren’t excited, the Wii U just has a very small install base compared to the Switch. The World e rom has circulated since and you can play it on emulators and flash carts!

[@Suichimo]

25:48 "Blind fall garbage." It's literally not, though. They gave increasing rewards as you went down levels. First coins, then a leaf(which also helps you get down to the next level, if you need it), and then the door.

[@emmettturner9452]

36:40 “PR” is presumed to mean “Promotional Release” since you only see it on the Wal-Mart exclusive Airship’s Revenge level card that was only included with launch copies. Walmart had five exclusive e-Reader cards that weren’t part of Series 1 or 2 but the items cards were numbered normally. There seemed to be no official mention of this promotion anywhere until the box variant landed on store shelves. When my local Wal-Mart broke the street date I posted about it on Anandtech Hot Deals forums (before the game was even released) so, yes, I am demonstrably familiar with all of these levels. ;) I seemed to be the first to publicly notice that Walmart was getting exclusive cards at launch and we later learned that the restock did not have them. Most collectors didn’t stand a chance!

[@inthefade]

Best combination of Mario 3 and SMW. Some really amazing mechanics put together in a really fun way! I can't believe I've never seen these before.

[@MatchaFoxx]

And super Mario bros 2 and maybe even a little yoshi’s island if I’m not mistaken?? It’s basically a collection of features from every Super Mario Advanced game, which I REALLY love. (If there’s yoshi’s island stuff though it’s definitely the rarest of the 4 games’ assets)

[@olsonbryce777]

@@MatchaFoxx I think the one-way switches are from YI

[@magicalsleeper]

It’s wonderful seeing Mario fans experience these e-reader levels for the first time in 20 years. They were not super accessible back then but boy are they fun.

[@CralexKokiri]

As someone that loved classic mario, but never played enough to get good at it, the fact that you *have* is obvious, even just going off of this one video. Your reactions and problem-solving skills are quick and efficient. Bravo!

[@KremBotop]

I wanted Mitch to play these levels for ages, that SMB3 port was my childhood and learning about (and playing) those extra levels back in the early days of YT was so fascinating. Glad he finally tried them out!

[@JD-mz1rl]

I know I literally used my printer to make homebrew e reader scans back in the day to get all the levels on my gba

[@JD-mz1rl]

These levels are dope they go beyond what can be done in MM, they were developed internally by Nintendo EAD

[@therealjeromeo4366]

Fun fact: it says 1F in the castle because there was supposed to be more levels and, important in this case, a second floor for more e-coins to show up, but this couldn't happen because the gameboy advance cartridge could only normally store 32 of these levels, meaning that we're lucky to even be able to play all 37 now

[@JakeRazorClawson]

Really cool and creative levels. Surprisingly trolly but still seems to be lots of fun. Mitch also had me laughing more than usual, the smug ending is too hilarious 😂

[@WorldofFood]

Had no idea these existed!! As someone that loves Mario 3 this a very cool discovery. I like how it incorporates stuff from other games, and there are a ton of levels!

[@null_state]

Super entertaining video Mitch. I had no idea the e-reader levels were this intricate and comprehensive.

[@keith8758]

I actually got an e-reader just for the Mario 3 cards back in 2004, only ended up with a few of the level cards. Also had Donkey Kong Jr. and Mario Bros. which were both spread across 5 cards if I remember right. Very glad to see them get a wider release with Nintendo Switch Online.

[@Doodle1678]

5:24 he’s playing it on the switch Online GBA so he could of just rewinded but he didn’t I respect that

[@greenluck10]

YO MITCH, I just wanna say I had no idea who you were until I watched the summoning salt video on the 100% mario 3 speedruns through the years a d you WORKED HARD FOR IT! Imma be here to stay. New sub!

[@Sokobansolver]

I can't quite decide if the e-reader world feels more like a world of brutal bonus levels akin to SMW's special world, a DLC, or a 2D equivalent of Bowser's Fury.

[@phypesmash6154]

NSMBDS prequel, atleast that's the vibe I got when I first played it

[@npesta]

These levels are fantastic and remind me of a time long gone in terms of Nintendo level design! Never thought I’d see anything like these levels again. Thanks for the upload.

[@jay7bah]

These were very enjoyable to watch. Loved the Tanuki extra features. Thank you.

[@mikya9611]

Those levels were awesome. Someone needs to make some ROM hacks using this engine with all the crossover power-ups and enemies!

[@BlinksAwakening]

The reason it says 1F is because the levels they released was only supposed to be the start of it all with more waves to come including a 2F, but the e-cards just never took off in the way that Nintendo had hoped they would.

[@SpringySpring04]

I used to have a Gameboy Advance YEARS ago in my childhood (unfortunately lost now) and this was one of the games I had on it. Never got the chance to play these levels specifically but just the noises this game made brought a wave of nostalgia to me.

[@paularized1]

41:45 Got a lot of sadistic pleasure watching this game screw you over. 1 in 4 chance takes 14 tries. I died laughing.

[@dudujencarelli]

No wonder Nintendo introduced save states during the 3DS/Wii U era. It's the only way I could clear this digging insanity of a minigame. Casino-type minigames have no place in a skill-based platformer and deserve to be cheated.

[@JD-mz1rl]

​@@dudujencarelli dude you literally have a 1 in 4 chance. Save stating that is the most laughably pathetic thing I've heard of in a long time

[@feathdev]

2:34 I like how he and Mario said “OHH!” In sync

[@SupremeDirt]

god i had forgotten how cool these levels were, haven't played them in an eternity.

[@Mister_Clean]

I'm interested to see how you might route that World-e level with all the doors.

[@DanielDapple]

It's interesting to see how much stuff from the e-reader levels - like the snake block, the one-ways (they were in Yoshi's Island) and the random item block, were put into New Super Mario Bros (for the DS.) NSMB also took the jump and large coin sound effects, for the new star coins. I never knew how innovative the e-reader levels were, now knowing it influenced some of NSMB's levels and sound bank.

[@bend7726]

I'm really glad to see that these E reader levels are getting some attention now. For what they were they really added alot of cool mechanics inside of the mario 3 engine (mario advance 4). It's just a shame the e reader concept didn't sell very well as the cards were extremely rare to find in stores. Makes me wonder to this day what additional levels and content that Nintendo planned for this game !

[@MatchaFoxx]

The e reader levels are some of the best levels in the entire classic Mario games. So happy I grew up with (I think) every card released in America, these are so amazing. I might not have played them all, but I was obsessed with the boomerang in slidin’ the slopes and was always mad we never got the boomerang card that was released in Japan. (And could be added to your inventory.) the cape feather always blew my mind being in this game too as I grew up with the NES version too and seeing the cape here was just so epic.

[@GuardianDiancie]

You should speed run these levels. Can’t wait

[@Dreeza68955]

Was definitely a welcome addition I'm glad they through in there. I already played through the game with the new Luigi Physics and have played 2 pages of he eReader games.

[@Oh-Ben]

It's neat to see him casually have fun with what these levels offer

[@professorparabeetle]

43:00 fun fact, graphics for “2F” and “3F” are in the game’s files but are unused because the e-reader world is incomplete due to its failure.

[@Saint_Dan132]

just watched the world record video , class act all the way keep up that nostalgia, love it my brother

[@DavidRay39]

Those spikes at 27:52 are one-hit kill spikes, even when you're big.

[@krisfrederick5001]

Mitch: "Lets A GO!" Mario: "I don't KNOW!"

[@MattCraftDotDerp]

I love how these levels incorporate elements from all 3 previous Super Mario Advance games, even though they're all wildly different being SMB2, SMW, and Yoshi's Island. And even some Lost Levels stuff.

[@r100curtaincall]

I'm so glad they kept the level data for these. I actually have all the american cards and levels released on my original cartridge. but alot of them never made it to the usa, and there's more than can fit on one cartridge. you had to beat it to keep it on the cart too. they were fun and a few are quite tough! It's nice all the digital emulated copy has all the levels saved on it.

[@rovalin6300]

I've never actually seen these levels either until know and they are sick AS HELL.

[@ScrambledAndBenedict]

This is really interesting. This is what DLC should actually be: actually adding NEW content to an existing game. I didn't realize they put as much as they actually did into these levels.

[@Oakshield2]

1:00 - Whenever a speedrunner starts feeling a little bit of confidence, something happens.

[@AaronPriceColby]

Mitch just here to say congrats on the big feature in Summoning Salt! Was stoked to see a vid with you in it!

[@giovanniherrera6037]

That was a clean shell Jump. I hope for Mario maker 3 they can combine some of these things

[@EthanMiguelScott]

The mushroom numbers are the number of the collectible e-reader card the level was originally on. PR means it's from a promo pack card.

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

40:37 made me bust out laughing because I can relate to how it's hard to stay calm and focused when something that amazing happens without mistakes lol 🤣

[@MikeJr9284]

As someone who played this version of Mario Bros 3 growing up, this is my first time seeing the e-Reader stages. I didn't own any e-Reader cards when I played this as a 6 year old.

[@dylanwicklund5129]

I was playing these yesterday just randomly came across your vid now

[@nickrayer3776]

I kinda wish Nintendo would do more stuff like this with the new super mario bros game

[@greenknight9000]

I'd like to think that the e-Reader levels are essentially the "Lost Levels" equivalent of Mario 3 - basically made to challenge those who have mastered the original game

[@peenurmobile]

i would have loved this as a kid, i would have been going crazy recognizing all the assets mixed together from other games. i heard of this back then but didn't know it went this hard

[@universalperson]

The eReader levels are a case where you see the genesis of a future Nintendo game buried in a somewhat obscure earlier game. In this case, we have the prototype of Mario Maker. It happens more often than you might expect. There's a Japan only N64 game where you make 3D models...and it also has the prototype for WarioWare's microgames.

[@TetrisMaster512]

I always wanted to play these levels as a kid. I had SMA4 and an e-Reader, just didn't have the cards, or a second GBA and link cable to actually unlock any of them.

[@ThePharphis]

1:30 I do know exactly about the level he's talking about but I think that's the one that came with the game packaging, lol

[@MechaOracle]

This came out for the Wii U on the same month as Mario Maker 1, it got severely overlooked.

[@nathanvekovius465]

Came by because of Poo’s Mario Park video. Always heard of you and your content but hadn’t known much really besides the infamous poo stomp 😂

[@AxelFluff]

I used to play a lot of super mario advance 4 on my WiiU and the "ooh.. Mamma Mia" brings trauma from when I started collecting all the e-coins

[@therealjeromeo4366]

Knew about these before, they were actually on the Wii U virtual console version of this game, and man do I love them

[@universalperson]

36:45 The "PR" stands for "Promotional". As in the eReader cards were originally released as promos.

[@ExiledBowser]

They came with the game boxed, but I only got PR 1.

[@universalperson]

@@ExiledBowser America only got PR 1. The rest were Japan only.

[@DavidRay39]

I saw The Game Display (then called Andrewgamesdisplay) play these levels several years ago. I re-watch them every year.

[@CreamerOfTheDairySquad]

I had the e-reader specifically for this game as a kid

[@importaku]

Been enjoying these levels since the ereader cards were first released the clever twists they added were amazing back then as there was nothing like it. We are used to this stuff post mario maker they were one of the coolest uses of the ereader.

[@cougar2013]

Dude, if you ever decide to use a catch phrase, it needs to be “I’m fired up!” 😆🔥🌼

[@apollolux]

Bwhoa, this was the first time with the e-Reader levels? Groovy stuff!

[@rabiroden]

I played some of these levels back in the day but was disappointed Nintendo didn't bring them all over. I think we got less than half of them. Only one of the Toad houses was even unlockable. There was actually a program where you could print the dot codes to scan, but the codes were so dense and finely detailed, most printers couldn't print them accurately, so I only got errors trying. This release is like a miracle package, considering the original version didn't have the space to hold every single level made.

[@denischen8196]

2:00 I wish the pink triangle was used more often in 2D Mario games.

[@luis-sophus-8227]

It is so hilarious to see him raging

[@user-wt1lq8vk7u]

There are some clearly notable assets that was used in Mario Maker 2, that's cool.

[@TommyVinMI]

I bought a 2nd advance, e-reader and cards in 2006 on EBay to play these. These are probably minimum work for developers and fun. Funny they could cross Mario 1/3 with 2 back then but Mario maker struggles ?

[@threehead99]

I think it's more that quality over quantity is what Nintendo goes for, plus better tools, whereas Mario Maker is a generic tool emphasizing quantity of levels.

[@ViIvaNunner]

this reminds me a lot of super mario 3mix honestly; i feel like 3dmix would have to have had been inspired by this with the mixing up of elements from different games into mario 3

[@btarg1]

This game reminds me so much of New Super Mario Bros, 2 specifically. You can really see where the seed was planted for the later games!

[@jaysefgames1155]

35:07 Mario Go Fish voice lines?!In Mario 3? What madman made these? I doubt Miyamoto himself played Mario Go Fish.

[@yordansic]

6:26 All these years I’ve played this level, and I had no idea there was a star there. 😳

[@jackbandit2114]

30:43 Yoooo, that's a buncha Sonics

[@AS34N]

30:56 mitch's weekend catchphrase

[@The_Mister_E]

Man, I knew the e-reader cards gave bonus levels, but I didn't know they injected custom mechanics!

[@Th1s230]

Dude these levels are better than the ones we got in vanilla mario

[@BlueMageWithSoulEdge]

Oh! I would love to see a speedrun of this. Do it. Be the best around. Don't let anyone get you down.

[@BiggestSniff]

lol quickly went from dissing to loving the levels

[@BrVendan]

Nintendo was like: So we have all these assets in-engine already… screw it!

[@Snaftt]

I believe these are the e-reader cards the, back in the day you could scan a card into your Gameboy with the e-reader to unlock special levels inside of your game

[@WingedEspeon]

My first game ever was the gba version of smb3. I wanted to play the e reader levels so badly.

[@devastatheseeker9967]

It's crazy how these were all done with a device nobody used

[@Xainthejust]

It is crazy how many parallels there are between these e-reader level designs and your average Mario Maker level design.

[@Kaisarfire]

I had the E-reader and some cards for it. It was so cheaty. Like you had a card for a shroom, scan it, it would add a shroom to your inventory. There was also a three shroom one, etc. There wasn't a limit on how many times you could use them, either. Every time you scanned, you got the item. Made the multiple item ones kinda pointless.

[@williamhicks7807]

> Mario 3 Pro > "for the first time" > Indicates he never played the GBA version

[@phypesmash6154]

If you really think about it this is the prequel to New Super Mario Bros DS. When I played it at the time it gave me those vibes. They aren't even that apart from each other, I assume they were already working on the DS game by the time this one released

[@chiri4782]

this game is dope as fuck, never heard of it before but it's awesome lol

[@JaMaMaa1]

Hey what was that documentary you were talking about in zfg's most recent video? Also never seen your content before, really good stuff, probably the best first runthrough I'm gonna see of these levels

[@noble_wine]

The new features in SMB3 Advance does look interesting.

[@duffman18]

They're not new features, these extra levels existed back in 2001 and 2002. You just had to buy physical DLC to access them. The physical DLC being these little cards that you'd scan with an e-reader that was plugged into the GBA, and then it'd add the levels to your SMB 3 cartridge so you could continue to play them and save your level completion and coin collection stats for them to the cartridge. Think of it like a very very early proto-Amiibo sort of thing. Nintendo were already doing amiibos at the turn of the millennium, they were just these cards that you had to scan, instead of plastic physical toys that you scan. And you needed to buy an extra device (the e-reader itself) to use them which was very annoying because it was extremely difficult to find one for sale either in shops or second hand on auction websites or Craig's Liszt, so very very few people got to play these new extra levels back in the day sadly. But that meant that for many years now, probably at least 15 years, there have been romhacks for SMB 3 for GBA that add in all these e-reader levels onto the standard ROM so that you could play them in an emulator or load them onto a flash cart to slot into the GBA to play it on the real hardware, without having to try and track down an extremely hard to find e-reader and pay an exorbitant amount of money on it. This way you could play it for free instead. Also on the Wii and Wii U virtual console stores, you could buy SMB 3 for GBA on there and it was essentially an official version of those romhacks, it had the base game _AND_ came with the e-reader levels already installed, as well. So when Nintendo recently introduced the GBA app for Nintendo online subscribers on the switch and added the 3rd unique version of SMB 3 to it (since they already had the NES SMB 3 and the SNES SMB 3 that was part of Allstars on the NES and SNES apps), it's not surprising that they decided again to add the e-reader levels, so that there's a good actual reason to play this version even if you've already played the nes and snes ones to death. It helps that you don't have to play the rest of the game it you don't want to, you can just use it to play the e-reader levels and nothing else. But either way it was a fantastic port of SMB 3, regardless, even when not considering the e-reader levels, so it's fun to play sometimes, as a bit of a change from the older versions of the game.

[@Kaisarfire]

"Why does it say 1F?" Because they thought there would be more, too.

[@lutherkitty278]

19:22 Oh yeeaahh, I forgot that this game had vibration support if you played it on the GBA player on the Gamecube, surprised that they brought it back for the Switch version!