“Definitely Mario Galaxy, and not just because it’s the picture. It felt like such a huge improvement over Sunshine (which I liked well enough when it came out but really does not hold up). The orchestral music, new characters, motion controls, a genuine story, and levels that all felt very different. (64 and Sunshine involve repeating levels over and over and over again to get all the stars/shines; Galaxy gives you a different path almost every time through the world.)” – sxp151
“Galaxy 1 just hit a sweet spot for me. Like all the things you listed – the music is phenomenal (one of my favorite video game soundtracks), some of the best use of Wii motion controls, the gravity physics were mindblowing, it had an incredible reward/progression system, and overall it was just fun and addictive in a way few others have matched for me (even other Marios). One of the only games that I’ve gone out of my way to do everything, pitting myself up against its toughest challenges.
Plus, the story is surprisingly melancholy, which just gives a great mood to the whole experience. One of my all-time favorites.” – AmaltheaElanor
“Galaxy 2. Some might argue that it ‘doesn’t have enough moves,’ as if a deep moveset is what put Mario on the map. Some might argue it’s ‘too slow’ as if going speed is the ultimate benchmark of quality by which games are to be judged.
No, what made Mario Mario is neither of those things. What made him is straightforward, crisp movement in impeccably designed levels. Sure, he can’t do a divekick or midair kick or whatever it might be, but crispness of movement is about elegance and the balance between freedom & commitment, not just filling space with new ways to change trajectory for no reason than to fill space. What’s more, he’s doing all of this elegant movement in the hands-down best level design the medium of video games has ever seen. Developed enough to build upon ideas, yet still with enough awareness to know when to move on, these spaces are creativity incarnate. They stretch the bounds of what is possible, take only the best ideas from that thinking, and pares it down to platformer par excellence. It’s hard to not keep comparing it more favorably to other games in the series, so “best level design in the business” will have to do the heavy lifting for now. And with the best level design, you have the best Mario game. Full stop.” – Jakisthe
The Super Mario Bros. series is packed full of outstanding games, which means it’s time to take a look back at them and see which ones were the cream of the crop. Here’s our ranking of all the best Super Mario Bros. games.
Note: Due to the expansive nature of the Super Mario Bros. series, spin-offs have been omitted from the rankings. This includes: Mario Party, Mario & Luigi, Mario Maker, and more.
20. Super Mario Land
Image Source: Nintendo
Nintendo pulled off the impossible when they released Super Mario Land for the Game Boy. Many thought Mario’s gameplay was meant solely for home console releases. Thanks to Gunpei Yokoi, creator of the Game Boy, and the rest of the team at Nintendo’s R&D1, Super Mario Land was a successful port of the traditional Mario gameplay.
While the game didn’t do much to innovate Mario gameplay, it did introduce a fun alternative to traditional underwater levels by giving Mario access to a submarine capable of shooting missiles, transforming Mario into a side-scrolling shooter.
19. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Image Source: Nintendo
The second installment of the Land series saw the introduction of Mario’s infamous rival, Wario.
6 Golden Coins expanded on its predecessor with improved graphics, a save feature, and new power-ups. Unlike the original game, 6 Golden Coins added a significant amount of gameplay. Mario could now explore six new worlds in his quest to thwart Wario’s evil plan.
18. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Image Source: Nintendo
The Wii release of New Super Mario Bros. transplanted the agility of Mario’s DS foray and mixed it beautifully with cooperative gameplay. The resulting game, when played with three other friends, transforms the usual precision of a typical side-scrolling Mario game into a chaotic game of precision and teamwork.
The biggest downside to the game is its difficulty – or lack of it. The game is pretty easy, even allowing players to “bubble” to safety at the tap of a button should they venture off a cliff or come dangerously close to an enemy Koopa.
17. Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels
Image Source: Nintendo
The official sequel to the original Super Mario Bros game didn’t come to the US for quite some time, due to Nintendo believing the game to be too difficult for American audiences.
Fortunately, given the crazy success of Mario in general, they ultimately released this “Super Mario 2,” as The Lost Levels. Instead of walking you around the mechanics of the game, Lost Levels pushes you into the deep end right from world 1-1. This game is meant for people who’ve mastered the original game – the added challenge is nice, but can be discouraging for new players.
16. New Super Mario Bros. 2
Image Source: Nintendo
New Super Mario Bros. 2 holds on to its “new” moniker, and actually means it. The focus of NSMB2 is coins. Lots of coins. The game motivates players to actually collect coins, by making it feel good to actually grab them. The key? Shoving loads of coins in players faces, and giving players access to new power-ups, like the Golden Block, which continues to give Mario coins the faster he runs.
This simple gameplay tweak introduces an interesting new dynamic: throw caution to the wind and collect tons of coins. However, racing towards the end of the level now comes with a risk – death. This gambling-esque gameplay tweak is fun and refreshing. But for all the coins the game manages to shove in players faces, it doesn’t do much to reward greedy players.
15. New Super Mario Bros. (NDS)
Image Source: Nintendo
New Super Mario Bros. breathes a breath of fresh air into the traditional side-scrolling Mario experience. Mario retains his acrobatic abilities first introduced in Super Mario 64, and allows Mario to traverse a 2d landscape with style.
Fun new power-ups like the Propellor Mushroom and the Giant Mushroom force players to approach levels in new ways. And of all the “New” Super Mario games, this original DS title has the most cohesive level design, by forcing players to navigate thoughtfully made worlds.
14. New Super Mario Bros. U/New Super Luigi U
Image Source: Nintendo
New Super Mario Bros U iterates on the cooperative gameplay introduced in the Wii version of New Super Mario Bros, and expands on it by introducing a fifth player to the mix via use of the Wii U gamepad. This fifth player has the ability to draw platforms and stun enemies.
New Super Luigi U ups the difficulty ten-fold, bringing a challenging new take on an otherwise easy game.
13. Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island
Image Source: Nintendo
Despite the confusing name and shift to a more action-oriented gameplay style, Yoshi’s Island features some of the most interesting level design in the series. There’s tons of collectibles and each level has many different routes. If you compare the levels of Yoshi’s Island to Mario World, it’s clear that the former’s levels are much longer and more explorative.
Despite all the excellent level design and charm the game has going for it, there are some annoyances. The game manages to elevate player stress through its clever timer mechanic and crying Baby Mario. Should an enemy manage to land a hit on Yoshi, the little green dinosaur sheds Baby Mario from his back, and players are then forced to scramble their way back towards a crying Mario trapped in a floating bubble threatening to float away. We still hear that crying Mario in our dreams sometimes, and it’s one of the reasons this game isn’t higher than it is on the list.
12. Super Mario Bros. 2
Image Source: Nintendo
This unofficial sequel to the original Super Mario Bros game was actually a completely different game to begin with. Before the Mario title was added to the cartridge, Super Mario Bros 2 was actually a game called Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic.
The resulting game is classic Mario gameplay with an action-adventure twist. Not only does the game introduce a new cast of characters in addition to Mario, each with their own unique abilities, but it also allows players to go on the offensive by throwing items at enemies. The dream-like nature of the levels makes progression interesting and refreshing, ensuring players never grow weary of whatever challenge lies ahead.
11. Super Mario Bros. Wonder
Image Source: Nintendo
The 10-year return of 2D Mario couldn’t have been better. Not only does Super Mario Wonder give Mario fans unique mechanics and gimmicks that surprise at every turn, but the game honors the series’ 30-year legacy with it’s familiar tight control scheme and classic roots. Super Mario Wonder feels like a modern-day Super Mario World; the secret exits, special world, and level design are prevelant in both games.
What sets this title apart is the fresh ideas and concepts across every level. This tremendous variety between levels makes the 2D Platforming genre fresh and exciting again, just when it was starting to feel overdone with Mario Maker 2. The only things keeping Super Mario Wonder from the taking the top spots on this list are its easy difficulty and derivative boss battles.
10. Super Mario 3D Land
Image Source: Nintendo
One of the few rare games to actually make excellent use of the 3DS’ 3D capabilities, Super Mario 3D Land brings the excellent design of 3D Mario games and squishes them into bite-sized chunks perfect for any road trip.
For those who aren’t big fans of New Super Mario’s gameplay, Super Mario 3D Land is intimate and puzzle-heavy. Perfect for player who want to feel invested in the portable world.
9. Super Mario Bros.
Image Source: Nintendo
The game that started a legacy, and provided the gaming industry the shot in the arm it needed to stay alive, Super Mario Bros is a definitive masterpiece.
In terms of design and mechanics, Super Mario Bros reinforces player expectations through thoughtful, unobtrusive “teaching” moments disguised as challenges. Many platformers look to the source for inspiration, even newer Mario games, but few come close to capturing the feel of of loading into world 1-1 for the first time.
8. Super Mario Sunshine
Image Source: Nintendo
Mario’s shift to a higher polygon count came with a fresh new coat of paint – literally. Sunshine introduces a new twist to the standard Mario gameplay by giving Mario access to a new world to play around in and a new tool: F.L.U.D.D.
This super-soaker backpack not only allows Mario to clean up the graffiti-drenched walls of the tropical Delfino Plaza, it also helps Mario traverse the land with new power-ups. Tired of walking from place to place? Slap on the jet, and race around the world at break-neck speeds. Having trouble with a distant platform? Switch nozzles to “hover,” and gracefully glide across the air.
Despite all the new additions to Mario’s repertoire and world, Sunshine falls painfully short of Super Mario 64’s open-world design by forcing players to return to the main hub world after completing any objective, as opposed to SM64’s design that allowed players to freely float from objective to objective at their leisure.
7. Super Mario 64
Image Source: Nintendo
Mario’s first appearance on the N64 shook the gaming world to the core. The 2D franchise was successfully brought into the third dimension, and showcased what a Z-axis provided for video games as a whole.
The brilliance of the game can be seen in the design of the Castle Courtyard seen shortly after Mario’s introduction. Players needed time to adjust to this added dimension of gameplay, and this courtyard served as a playground to see what new moves Mario picked up in the transition.
But Super Mario 64’s appeal isn’t limited to a retrospective glance. Despite being an early 3D hodgepodge of clumpy polygons, SM64 holds up remarkably well thanks to brilliant world design and challenges. Each new world introduced in SM64 adds a new layer of expectations for players, testing their mettle against the rising challenges presented as you progress throughout the game. Good luck acquiring all 120 stars though…
6. Super Mario 3D World
Image Source: Nintendo
Super Mario 3D World is a culmination of the cooperative mechanics introduced in the New Super Mario Bros. console games, with the thoughtful level design of the 3D Mario games.
3D World retains the charm of uncovering secrets strewn about the beautiful environments, while injecting a shot of stressful mania that comes about when one player decides to stray away and do things for themselves. Plus – cat suit power-ups!
5. Super Mario Galaxy 2
Image Source: Nintendo
The original Super Mario Galaxy was the first to bring players to space. Galaxy 2 was the reason for keeping them there. After having time to toy with 3D level design, Galaxy 2 features some of the most inventive level design in any Mario game.
But, the lack of any substantive hub world left the player rather lonely. Cohesion is an important part of tying all the levels together, and for Galaxy 2, it is sorely missed.
4. Super Mario Galaxy
Image Source: Nintendo
While Super Mario Sunshine shied away from the open level design of Super Mario 64, Galaxy retains it and brings it into the next logical representation of 3D space – space itself.
Bringing Mario to space brought with it an ability to overhaul traditional Nintendo level-design. While Galaxy 2 has arguably better level design, the original Galaxy has the luxury of being the first to wow audiences with a novel with a novel world….er, space.
3. Super Mario Odyssey
Image Source: Nintendo
Mario’s tremendous 3D streak reaches a climax with Super Mario Odyssey. This exemplifies the best in 3D platforming. Each stage is filled to the brim with creative challenges and fun collectibles. The hat transformations are a game-changer and completely freshen up the gameplay mechanics as if it were a different genre entierly at times.
There are no less than 50 hat transformations in Super Mario Odyssey, from a ridiculous T-Rex dinosaur to the series classic, Bullet Bill. This game is challenging, has tremendous depth, and has consistent quality through every single level. It’s also one of the very best Mario games of all time, so do yourself a favor and play it.
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
Image Source: Nintendo
In 1988 players all around the world thought that game developers had maximized the potential of what the NES hardware. Then Super Mario Bros. 3 released.
The world first gained a glimpse at the sequel to the beloved Mario Bros. franchise in the 80s film The Wizard, and what they glimpsed was a world of wonder and intrigue. SMB3 was completely different from the Mario games of the past. Sure – it still revolved around platforming, but now, Mario could bank power-ups, traverse floating airships, and utilize a wide variety of crazy new abilities that changed the fundamental nature of a Mario game.
1. Super Mario World
Image Source: Nintendo
Super Mario World debuted on the Super Nintendo in 1991 cementing Nintendo’s position as the premier console of the early 90s. Many games since have attempted at recreating the precise platforming, genuine feel-good momentum, and inventive power-up design, but none have come close to this platforming powerhouse.
Despite being a platformer, Super Mario World subverts the genre expectations by allowing players multiple ways of clearing new levels and old, thus incentivizing players to make their way back to previously completed locations. If you have yet to play this Mario masterpiece, you owe it to yourself to track down a copy.
Matthew Carmosino is a freelance writer for Twinfinite. He started gaming in the mid-90s where his love for SquareSoft RPGs like Chrono Trigger changed him forever. Matthew has been working in the game industry for two years covering everything from story-rich RPGs to puzzle-platformers.
Listening to piano music on a rainy day is his idea of a really good time, which probably explains his unnatural tolerance for level-grinding.
As reported at the time, the commercial’s creators were inspired by, of all things, an Amazon review left under the game’s predecessor, Breath of the Wild. Written by a Japanese user, it told the tale of a “working adult” who spends his days “plainly wondering why I’m still alive”.
Rediscover your sense of adventure with The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
I am a working adult, so-called businessmen.I’m jostled by the commuter rush, bowing down to customers and bosses, being forced to train junior staff and doing many things, and I end up working overtime every day.Even the mountain I see on my way to work, which I don’t even know the name of, irritates me.When I get back home I’m dizzy and have no energy to eat food, so I just drink alcohol and sleep.If I have time to play games I should be going to seminars or looking for a marriage partner, which makes me more impatient than I should be.I spend my days plainly wondering why I’m still alive.
I went to buy alcohol because I ran out and saw the Switch on sale in the shops. Then I remembered the day.When I was a child and really into Mario 64, my friend said, “lame to play Mario nowadays! Now it’s the era of PlayStation!” and I felt embarrassed.At the time, I didn’t want my friend to dislike me, so I also remember that I replied, “Yeah, you’re right. Mario is already old-fashioned!”
The beauty of FF7 at that time and the shock of being able to listen to the CD on TV… the recent kids may not understand these feelings.That’s how attractive and innovative it was for kids back then.
I’m still not sure why I picked up the Switch at the time.I just held a beer in one hand and bought the console and Zelda, thinking I could sell it if it was boring.
Yesterday, my work day, I looked out of the train window at a mountain I didn’t even know the name of and thought, “Looks like I can climb that.” At that moment, I burst into tears and couldn’t stop.The businessmen of the same age who were beside me must have thought, “What the hell is this guy.”
I would recommend it to all my fellow businessmen who are pressed for time and scrambling day after day to maintain the status quo, even if everyone hates you.Don’t say it’s just a game. We were born during the golden age of video games.Have you ever seen your family move their entire body when Mario jumps?Do you remember playing Mario Kart or Smash Bros with your friends bringing their own controllers?Have you ever discussed Chrono Trigger or FF7 strategies with your friends?Now I know. When I was a brat, my parents bought me expensive consoles and software for my birthday, Christmas and something.My parents, who were always nagging me, managed to raise money from their living budget to buy expensive games for me.
I’m touched to belatedly realise many things that I didn’t realise due to the busyness of living my own life.I should have been more filial.
The 5-stars reviews are all good ones, so there’s nothing for me to talk about now.This Zelda gives me the “challenge and reward” I forgot about.I can freely explore the world without maps, it’s an exciting adventure experience.People my age are sick every day to overcome tomorrow. But don’t despair of your life.The adventure I wanted was in such a place.
P. S.I feel like thanking this Zelda and I would like to apologise to the Mario 64 development team and Nintendo.I’d like to apologise for the lies I told that day, saying that Mario 64 was old-fashioned, even though I loved it.I am sincerely looking forward to Mario Odyssey being released this winter.
Postscript, 7 May: after 180 hours of play, I got all “recovered memory” and saw the ending.More than anything, I’d like to thank all the people who read my awful, long, cluttered and embarrassing review written emotionally. I’d also like to thank all the people who gave it a “helpful” rating, not only for reading it. I’ve never been appreciated by so many people even in my job.I really enjoyed my 180 hours spent running around Hyrule. I’d like to thank not only Nintendo but also all the Zelda fans who have continued to support Zelda. Thank you for a great adventure.
For all the similarities between this man’s tale and the commercial, the part where he apologises for abandoning Mario in the face of a PlayStation advertising campaign—I did something similar with Sonic 3 when my friends were playing WipeOut—hit hard.
I watched The Super Mario Bros Movie during its opening week with the intent of writing this Easter eggs and references article, only to realize that the movie is nothing but Easter Eggs and references. A thorough roundup would be indistinguishable from a wholesale rundown of the entire movie.
The plot for The Super Mario Bros Movie is paper-thin. Narratively, the characters are static bordering on inert; there’s no arc or growth to any of them. It’s just one action set piece to the next; your enjoyment is intimately tied to your pre-existing knowledge of these characters and your ability to recognize a parade of homages to Nintendo history.
It is, in other words, narratively identical to a Mario 2D platformer. Critics are complaining about the lack of characterization and depth in the Mario movie. But to paraphrase Gertrude Stein, there is no “there” there. We needn’t be so harsh.
Take that away, and we’re left with a reel of Easter eggs, which is exactly how this movie was intended. Here are 20 of the best ones that we spotted. Which one was your favorite?
