If you’re to be pedantic, Mario, the most iconic gaming character has different birthdays. Created by Shigeru Miyamoto, he first appeared as an unnamed character in Nintendo’s arcade hit Donkey Kong in 1981 (later named Jumpman in US arcades) before spinning off with his own arcade game Mario Bros. in 1983. But it wasn’t until Super Mario Bros. on the NES console, released in Japan 40 years ago today that he really became the platforming plumber we all know and love.
What better way to celebrate this milestone anniversary than to rank the ten best Super Mario games that have redefined gaming over these four decades? Of course, being such an enormous franchise, Mario has spun off into other directions too, from kart racing to RPGs, but the focus is purely on his platforming adventures (both 2D and 3D) because, let’s be honest, those are the best anyway.
With so many of these available on Nintendo Switch, including its classic library available to those with an online membership, it also shouldn’t be hard to pick one up to play right afterwards.
10. Super Mario Bros. (1985, NES)
You can’t really make this list without including the 2D platformer that started it all. This remains a total classic that has all the hallmarks of a Mario game, from Fire Flowers to Koopa Shells, and composer Koji Kondo’s timeless music. World 1-1 is a masterclass in onboarding compared to our age of handholding tutorials, while still finding ways to surprise and delight with secrets like hidden blocks and warp pipes. Sure, later games added more features while it also got spruced up with an all-stars remaster on the SNES (also playable via NSO), but It’s no wonder it’s the OG that still has hardcore gamers speedrunning this to this very day.
Playable via Nintendo Switch Online membership.
9. Super Mario Maker (2015, Wii U)
There have been all kinds of mods of Mario levels over the years (most infamously Kaizen Mario World) so it was something of a masterstroke that Nintendo decided to release it own official game letting you create and share online your own Mario levels using the assets and mechanics from Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U. It would’ve been easier to stick in the Switch sequel in this slot given that the OG has lost its online functionality, but the original is the best one, where designing levels on the Wii U gamepad just felt better and there were better features such as unlocking new avatars and costumes with Amiibo. Plus, you have to hand it to the community for coming together to ensure every single of the game’s 7.2 million+ courses were beaten before the servers turned off last year.
8. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (2021, Switch)
Of all the power-ups you’ve been able to get from a question block, is there one any more adorable, silly and useful than a bell that turns you into Cat Mario? That’s not all that this has going for it, as there’s such a sheer abundance of creative design in its mix of fixed 3D perspective and 2D conventions (including a timer and flagpole at the end) that felt a breath of fresh air from the overly conservative New Super Mario Bros. games, not to mention some very manic local multiplayer that can result in a lot of rivalry and shenanigans. But besides giving 3D World a larger audience than the Wii U, what makes the Switch version all the more special is standalone adventure Bowser’s Fury, which despite its brevity, is a terrific showcase of what an open world 3D Mario game could be.
7. Super Mario Bros. Wonder (2023, Switch)
Arguably the best 2D Mario in years with nary a flaw (minus the annoying talking flower, but you can mute him), Wonder feels like what you get when the typically traditional sidescroller gets a heavy dose of the creativity from the 3D games, resulting in every level and world just absolutely brimming with inventive ideas, especially once you trigger a Wonder Flower, which leads to all kinds of weird and, well, wonderful set pieces. Some might say there’s just so much that it almost feels a bit too throwaway but you’d have to be a curmudgeon to complain. Its large cast of playable characters (with the exception of Yoshi and Nabbit are also equal in move set, nixing the dated idea of princesses being easy mode) have also never looked so expressive.
6. Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988, NES)
If the sequel to the original Super Mario Bros. was a bit weird – either the merely harder Japan-only iteration later re-released as The Lost Levels, or the curio that involved you picking up and throwing enemies and vegetables – then the third time was the charm. This sequel really took Mario to new heights, introducing many features that have become a series staple, such as a non-linear world map, Bowser’s seven Koopalings, and a leaf power-up that transforms Mario into a raccoon that can also fly. Even on the NES, it was a graphical step-up from the first game, though what makes it most charming is the theatrical aesthetic that gives the impression that besides you playing the game, the game is also actually a play.
Playable via Nintendo Switch Online membership.
5. Super Mario Galaxy (2007, Wii)
Proof that the Wii could still deliver Nintendo hits instead of just casual waggle fare, it might irk purists that you need to shake your wrist to get Mario to perform his very useful spin move (the Switch All-Stars port does at least give you a button option) but it’s frankly a minor gripe compared to the riches that this 3D platformer offers. Forget levels or worlds, when a single Galaxy level can have you flying across space and a host of ‘planetoids’ with some breathtaking ways of navigating spherical 3D spaces with different gravitational pulls, and still making perfect sense. But while the gameplay is outstanding, it’s also full of heart thanks to a surprisingly emotional storybook gradually told by new character Rosalina, a personal franchise fave of mine.
Coming to Switch on 2 October.
4. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (2010, Wii)
Personally, it’s tough to separate the two Galaxy games, especially as the follow-up started out as a mere expansion that ended up becoming its own game. And while the predecessor is incredible for its hub and story, if you’re going on pure gameplay, then Galaxy 2 just knocks it out of the park, and is the reason the one that always pips the first one for replays. Yes, it is basically a sequel that does more, but when that means more interesting level design, more inventive power-ups, more challenging gameplay that makes you want to get every star and comet, and also the return of Yoshi, who’s going to complain?
Coming to Switch on 2 October.
3. Super Mario 64 (1996, N64)
3D games may have existed before, but it is still extraordinary that Nintendo basically perfected and set the standard for 3D platformers on the first try with its launch title for the N64, and making concepts like a 3D camera palatable in a very Nintendo way, by having Lakitu follow you around like a cameraman. Peach’s Castle wasn’t just an ingenious hub with worlds hidden behind paintings you leapt through, it was the perfect training ground to test out Mario’s rich move set, including wall jumps and the glorious triple jump. And then once you were in those levels, it was far from one and done as each gradually revealed itself to have more inventive objectives, and new ways to test your skills if you want all those Power Stars. Don’t call it a collectathon, simply playing and moving in this world is reward enough alone.
Playable via Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
2. Super Mario World (1990, SNES)
There’s plenty here that feels like a direct follow-up to Super Mario Bros. 3 that came a couple years earlier, including the Koopaling bosses, a flying power-up (this time a cape rather than a raccoon tail) and a non-linear world map, but if you’re going to pick just one, it just has to be Super Mario World. Largely, it’s such a leap from the NES era in presentation, from the more colourful palettes to the more memorable soundtrack, but it’s also the game that introduced us to Yoshi as the best companion and power-up rolled into one (believe me, I was tempted to include Yoshi’s Island into this list as well). If you’re to only have one 2D Mario game, then this is the one that is at the absolute peak in terms of character, charm, challenge, secrets, and delights.
Playable via Nintendo Switch Online membership.
1. Super Mario Odyssey (2017, Switch)
Just taking Super Mario 64’s freewheeling 3D movement but making it smoother and with a modern camera is already an achievement considering how other 3D platformers still fail to meet this standard. But then Super Mario Odyssey goes further by giving you even more crazy abilities by way of a talking cap that can capture enemies, animals, humans(!) and even inanimate objects in hilarious and ingenious ways, some deep enough to warrant their own standalone game. The Power Moons may be in such abundance that they might almost feel trivial compared to 64’s Power Stars, but it also gives you a dopamine hit for every little discovery that you make. Odyssey doesn’t just celebrate Mario, from side-scrolling sections where he also appears in 8-bit form to a vast array of costumes that reference his history, it’s a game that effortlessly encapsulates joy.
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