The blue sky and green plains left the strongest impression, so I composed a track that felt like a gentle, relaxing stroll under the sun, but then I saw Mario run and jump around, so the rhythm of that song didn’t really match. Before that, games only had tiny characters moving around on a dark screen, so seeing a character that was larger than in most games at the time move around, with a blue sky and green plains that left a strong impression, I thought it seemed really fun. What was your first impression of Super Mario Bros.?Īt first, I saw the game when the graphics were finished to an extent and it was playable, then I was asked to provide a soundtrack and sound effects for it. That theme is known as the iconic Ground Theme. He said that the second track he made, based on the gameplay he saw, made the cut and fit perfectly. This was due to the fact that when he saw the actual game, finally playable and in motion, he and the team didn’t feel it was the right fit.

Kondo said that his first attempt was scrapped.

on the Nintendo Entertainment System, specifically the Ground Theme. Legendary video game composer Koji Kondo has sat down with NHK to discuss what it was like making the music for the original Super Mario Bros.