Super Mario is one of the most popular video game characters in the world, first being introduced to fans in the 1981 release of Donkey Kong, where he didn’t even have a name, he was simply known as Jumpman. And with over 20 mainline video games dedicated just to Super Mario, it is clear the character is and continues to be a fan favourite.
With new Super Mario games being released almost yearly, and since the release of the new Super Mario Movie, we have decided to take a trip through some of the best Super Mario video games, to see how much the franchise has grown over the last 40 years.
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Super Mario Bros. (1985)
The first Super Mario mainline game in the series was called Super Mario Bros. This was the first ever game dedicated directly to Mario, where in this 2d flat world, players travelled through 8 separate worlds to rescue Princess Peach, who at this time was called Princess Toadstool.
The game had very simple visuals, where a tiny pixelated Mario moved horizontally across the screen collecting blocks and avoiding enemies. Although quite basic, Super Mario Bros. established the series gameplay concept and elements, with some of these elements still being used to this day.
Super Mario Land (1989)
A few years after the original game's debut, the very first Mario game designed for the Gameboy was released called Super Mario Land. This was the first Mario game to be available on a portable console, and following a similar storyline to the original game, Mario had to go on a journey to rescue the Princess who had been kidnapped.
However, this 2d horizontal game differed from the original. At this time, players weren’t trying to rescue Princess Toadstool, they were trying to rescue a new character that was introduced called Princess Daisy. Super Mario Land introduced gamers to Princess Daisy, who shortly after became a recurring character within the Super Mario Universe.
Super Mario World (1990)
1990s Super Mario World was another popular game that gained lots of interest from players. In this 2d built world, like the other two instalments, Mario was led on an adventure to rescue Princess Toadstool, but this time, there were some new characters on hand to help him along the way.
Super Mario World welcomed players to Yoshi, Mario’s colourful dinosaur sidekick, who Mario could ride around the different worlds giving players a new way to travel. Yoshi was so popular with fans that he became one of the first characters to be given his own individual spin-off game series, Yoshi’s Island. As well as this, the character was recognised as one of the main Super Mario Universe characters.
Super Mario 64 (1996)
Super Mario 64 revolutionised the Mario franchise forever, launching the idea of a 3d built world. Now players didn’t have to follow the same horizontal route, they could explore off-path more and gain a better understanding of the world they were in. Plus, Mario was no longer viewed in a 2d format, players could get an entirely different view of how Mario looked.
Whilst this was a major update for the Mario universe, another huge addition was that Princess Toadstool's name was officially changed to Princess Peach. Who, similar to Yoshi, then starred in many more spin-offs, including Super Princess Peach in 2005.
Super Mario Galaxy (2007)
Unlike the previous instalments, Super Mario Galaxy was the first mainline game to be set in another universe. Available on the WII console where players could now play using motion controls, Super Mario Galaxy is set in space where again, Mario is on an adventure to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser.
Super Mario 3D Land (2011)
After the release of the new 3DS console earlier in the year, Super Mario 3D Land was released as the first mainline Mario game on this device. In this single-player game, yet again, players had to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. Not only was this game in 3d, but players could see it in 3d with the console 3d switch option. Again, this made the game much more interactive and allowed players to feel like they were walking around inside the game.
Super Mario Maker (2015)
2015 brought a new concept to the Mario universe. Breaking away from the storylines and characters, in Super Mario Maker players are given the freedom to create their levels and worlds, which can then be shared with other gamers.
Super Mario Run (2016)
With technology becoming more and more popular, it was about time that Nintendo introduced a mobile version of Super Mario. In 2016, Super Mario Run was available from the app store for free, where in this 2d horizontal game, players could play as Mario in different modes, including normal mode, customization mode and battle mode.
Although the app was free, there was the option for in-app purchases as the game progressed to unlock more options.
Bowsers Fury (2021)
One of the more recent adaptations of the Mario universe is Bowser's Fury. In this game, which is different to the other releases, Mario works alongside Bowser instead of against him, trying to help him return to normal after he becomes infected.
The 3D visuals in this game are a lot more realistic in comparison to the original game, with a much more developed storyline and more in-depth characters.
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