Super Mario (series)

The Super Mario (スーパーマリオ^?) video game series, alternatively called the Super Mario Bros. (スーパーマリオブラザーズ, Sūpā Mario Burazāzu^?) series or simply the Mario (マリオ^?) series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed^[1] video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. The first Super Mario game was 1985's Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and defeating enemies. The games usually feature simple plots; the most common theme is that of Bowser, the primary antagonist, kidnapping Princess Peach, whom Mario saves. The series is central to a greater Mario franchise that includes other genres of video game as well as other media such as television, printed media and merchandise.

Gameplay

In the 2D games of the Super Mario series, gameplay primarily involves jumping on enemies and avoiding enemy attacks. In later 3D games, close quarters fights were incorporated. Intense emphasis on reaching various goals permeates the series; such goals include defeating enemies, reaching specific points, or solving puzzles. Throughout the series, collecting power-ups has been an integral part of the gameplay.^[2]

In 2D games, the levels are linear, and are usually divided into different worlds, each with a certain number of hidden items and secret warp pipes. Early 2D games used levels with only one exit, then forcing the player to advance to the next sequential level. Super Mario Bros. 3 was the first game to use an overworld. In the game, levels are shown on a map, and the player can take different paths through the game. The order in which all these elements are arranged is not necessarily linear, which often allows the player to skip them or play them in different order. Super Mario World introduced levels with multiple exits. Unlike in Super Mario Bros. 3, where once a level is cleared, the player can choose the next level in the overworld, in Super Mario World, the way the player exits the level dictates which path opens to player in the overworld. Also, Super Mario World allows players to play completed levels more than once, while Super Mario Bros. 3 forces you to continue and the level will not be playable until a new game is begun.

Until Super Mario 3D Land, 3D games of the series all had a non-linear, free-roaming layout. In Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy, an overworld connects levels in the game; more areas of the overworld and thus more levels become accessible as the game progresses. Super Mario Galaxy 2 uses a map like the one found in Super Mario World. Each course is an enclosed world in which the player is free to wander in all directions and discover the environment without time limits. The player gathers Power Stars or Shine Sprites in each course; some only appear after completing certain tasks, often hinted at by the name of the course. As more Power Stars or Shine Sprites are collected, more areas of the overworld become accessible and thus more stages are available.

Recurring gameplay elements

Item blocks originated from the game Super Mario Bros. In that game and many of its sequels, such blocks contain either coins or power-ups, which aid the player's progress.

The Super Mushroom is a power-up in the series. Usually, it's about the size of Mario, and has an ivory stalk below a red and white (originally red and orange) spotted cap. Collecting one of these increases Mario's size, allowing him to break certain blocks and take an extra hit of damage (upon which he reverts to his small size.) Whilst in Super form, most blocks that would contain a Super Mushroom will instead offer a more powerful power-up, such as the Fire Flower. Originally, it was shaped after a common mushroom, but since Super Mario Bros. 2 it gained a more cartoonish shape, becoming round and stubby, with a smiling face on the stalk. Shigeru Miyamoto stated in an interview that the Super Mushroom was created by chance. The first sketches of Mario turned out to be too big, and they were forced to shrink them. Then the development team thought it would be interesting to have Mario grow and shrink by eating a magic mushroom. In the RPGs, these mushrooms replenish health, whilst in the Mario Kart series, they provide a turbo boost.^[3] In Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, a similar looking mushroom called the Poison Mushroom was featured; when touched, it caused damage equivalent to that from an enemy.

1-Up Mushrooms are common items that appear in the games and were introduced in Super Mario Bros. These mushrooms have green caps with white spots (originally orange caps with green spots). When Mario picks up one of these mushrooms, he is given an extra life. In Super Mario Bros., 1-Up Mushrooms are sometimes hidden in invisible item blocks. 3D games feature mushrooms that only appear if Mario walks over a certain spot, along with stationary 1-Up Mushrooms. In the Paper Mario games, there are similar-looking mushrooms called "Ultra Shrooms", which replenish large amounts of health.

A Fire Flower, introduced in Super Mario Bros., transforms Mario into Fire Mario. Fire Mario can throw bouncing fireballs at enemies, using them as weapons. Super Mario Galaxy is the first 3D platform game to have this power-up. Its design has changed little since the beginning, aside from a smiling face that was eventually part of the design. An opposite of the Fire Flower was introduced in Super Mario Galaxy that would turn Mario into ice and let him go so far as to walk on lava or water for a time by freezing its surface. Similarly, an Ice Flower was introduced into New Super Mario Bros. Wii, allowing players to freeze enemies and use them as platforms, or throw them at other enemies as weapons.

The Starman (or Super Star) is a smiling, flashing star in 2D Super Mario games and was introduced in Super Mario Bros. When Mario touches it, it temporarily grants him invincibility from enemies and, in some titles, increased speed. Super Mario Bros. 3 was the first game in which Mario did a somersault while jumping if he had touched a Starman. A similar item, the Rainbow Star, appears in Super Mario Galaxy and more or less gives the same ability, but gives Mario a rainbow-colored texture.

The Super Leaf is an item that made its debut in Super Mario Bros. 3. When collected, Mario has the unique ability to fly when running at full power and can also swat enemies and blocks with his raccoon tail. This power-up has a counterpart called the Tanooki Suit. In Super Mario 3D Land the Super Leaf makes a reappearance, allowing Mario to still swat enemies and blocks with his tail, but instead of flying Mario this time uses it to slow his descent as he falls.^[4]

The Tanooki Suit is an item that also debuted in Super Mario Bros. 3. It has the same powers as the Super Leaf, but Mario has the ability to change into an invincible statue for about 5 seconds. In Super Mario 3D Land this item makes a reappearance.^[2]

Coins first appeared in Mario Bros. as flashing coins that rolled across platforms. Super Mario Bros. added the effect that when Mario collects 100 coins he is awarded an extra life. This feature is continued in many other games. In Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Mario Galaxy 2 coins replenish health (and air, when Mario is underwater). In Super Mario 64, Mario is awarded an extra life for every 50 coins and, once per level, a Power Star for collecting 100 coins. In Super Mario Sunshine, when Mario collects 50 coins he is awarded an extra life, and at 100 coins is awarded a Shine Sprite. In Super Mario Galaxy, Mario is awarded an extra life at 50 coins, but no star for 100 coins; however, after beating the game once, stages are unlocked in which Mario can collect a certain amount of purple coins to earn a Power Star. In Super Mario Galaxy 2 bringing 100 coins to Starship Mario will give Mario an extra life, and they can also be used to feed some hungry Lumas. In various other games, such as the RPGs and the Mario Party series, coins can be used as currency.

The Warp Pipe is a common method of transportation used in many of the games in the Mario series. Warp Pipes are most often green but also appear in other colors, and have many uses in the series. Along with providing transport to different areas within games, Warp Pipes can also contain enemies, usually Piranha Plants, and launch the player into the air. They are also featured as items in some of the Mario Party games, allowing players to swap places or be moved around the board.The Warp Pipe first appeared in Mario Bros.

Settings

The Mushroom Kingdom (キノコ王国, Kinoko Ōkoku^?) is the setting in the Super Mario series where most of the games take place. It is a monarchy and its heir is Princess Peach. The chancellor of the kingdom is its head of government in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars; however, he has not appeared since. Its capital, first appearing in Paper Mario, is Toad Town. Surrounding Toad Town are several territories, such as Dry Dry Desert. Though Princess Peach and the Mario brothers are human, the citizens of this area are the mushroom-like Toads. Super Mario Bros. 3 is set in the Mushroom World, a collection of eight kingdoms. Seven of these are "Mushroom Kingdoms", and are ruled by independent Mushroom World kings. The eighth world is referred to as "Dark Land", and is ruled by Bowser, King of the Koopas. The instruction manual for the game states Bowser had taken over the Mushroom Kingdom, and the Mushroom Kingdom is a gateway to the Mushroom World, but this is never elaborated upon in Super Mario Bros. 3 or any other game.

Super Mario World introduced Dinosaur Land, a separate continent where Mario, Luigi and Princess Toadstool go for a vacation after the events of Super Mario Bros. 3.^[5] Yoshi's Island, home of the Yoshis, is located within Dinosaur Land.

Super Mario 64 introduced Peach's Castle, which serves as a hub world. The worlds in the game are reached by jumping into paintings, which are portals to imaginary worlds created by Bowser. As such, the game is largely not set in the Mushroom Kingdom.

Music

Much of the original Super Mario Bros. music and sound effects have become iconic to the series and incorporated into modern games. The Super Mario Bros. theme has become world renowned.

Origins

Games

Super Mario Bros., for the NES, is the first traditional linear 2D platform game featuring Mario, where gameplay consists of a sidescrolling level. In this game, it is established that Mario and Luigi live in the Mushroom Kingdom, where they must rescue Princess Toadstool (later called Princess Peach) from Bowser. The game consists of eight worlds with four sub-levels in each world. Though each world is different, the fourth sub-world is always a fortress or castle. At the end of each castle level, Mario or Luigi fights Bowser (though if one of the brothers throws five fireballs at Bowser during the first seven battles, it is revealed that he is actually a different enemy in disguise).^[6] The game was immensely successful, and is the second best-selling video game to date.

The brothers returned in the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 (known as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels outside Japan) reuses gameplay elements from Super Mario Bros.; however, the game is much more difficult than its predecessor. For these reasons, Nintendo did not release it outside Japan in this time period.^[7] The main game follows the same style of level progression as Super Mario Bros., with eight initial worlds containing four levels each. The player enters a lava-filled castle at the end of each World, culminating in a battle against Bowser. The game later debuted outside of Japan in the SNES compilation, Super Mario All-Stars, whilst the original NES version was not released until September 2007, when it was released for the Virtual Console service for the Wii. Also, a remake of Super Mario All-Stars was released for the Wii titled Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition. It features the exact gameplay on the SNES, but with the controlling ability of the Wii.

In the non-Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario and his companions are out to stop the evil frog Wart in the dream land of SubCon. In Japan, Super Mario Bros. 2 was originally made as Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic, and later converted into a Mario game for the rest of the world. (The game was later released as a Mario game under the name Super Mario USA in Japan.) For this reason, the game is significantly different than other games in the series. One of the game's most defining aspects is the ability to pluck vegetables from the ground to throw at enemies. This is also the first Super Mario game to use a life meter, which allows Mario and the other playable characters to be hit up to four times before dying.

In Super Mario Bros. 3, the game is divided into eight playable worlds, and each world contains between 8–10 levels and several bonus stages. The worlds are themed, with each level containing characteristics of that theme. All of the levels are shown on a map, which allows the player to take different paths through the game. The order in which all these elements are arranged are not necessarily linear, and the player is thus permitted at times to skip a level or play it out of order. Once a level is cleared, it cannot be replayed. Super Mario Bros. 3 has multiple levels in every world featuring a boss at the end. At the end of all but the last world is an airship called a Doom Ship, featuring a scrolling level and one of Bowsers's Koopalings at the end. The game introduced a diverse array of new power ups, allowing Mario to take flight for the first time by becoming Raccoon Mario. The final boss is again Bowser.

Super Mario Land, for the Game Boy, uses gameplay similar to that of Super Mario Bros. and its successors for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Like in the previous games, the player takes over the role of Mario. The ultimate objective is to defeat Tatanga the "Mysterious Spaceman" and save Princess Daisy. The game consists of twelve levels split across four worlds.

Super Mario World, for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System and later the Game Boy Advance, consists of seven main worlds and two secret worlds. Super Mario World contains an overworld, which provides a passive overview of all the game's levels. Each of the game's 72 levels is accessed individually from the world map. Most levels have one exit, though some have a second exit which is usually hidden. In total the game has 96 exits. Mario is capable of a variety of new moves, including a "spin jump". He can pick up and throw items, but is now also able to throw them upwards or set them down gently. He is also able to ride Yoshi, who is able to eat enemies and either swallow or spit them back out. In addition to the classic size-growing Super Mushroom, Fire Flower ability to project fireballs and Starman, game introduces the Cape Feather, based on Super Mario Bros. 3’s Super Leaf, which allows Mario and Luigi to fly with a cape.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins introduced Mario's rival, Wario, who takes over Mario's castle during the events of Super Mario Land and forces Mario to collect the six golden coins to reclaim his castle. While its predecessor was similar to the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land 2 has more in common with later games. The player is no longer restricted to moving right in a level. At the end of a level is a bell, which if touched, activates a mini-game at the end, where the player can try to get extra lives. There are 32 levels in total, based in several different themed worlds. Each world has its own boss. Super Mario Land 2 features three returning power-ups—the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Starman. The game introduces one new power-up called the Carrot, which gives Mario large rabbit ears, allowing him to glide for a limited time and descend at a slower rate.

Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 is the only game in the Super Mario series to date not to feature Mario as a playable character (although it is possible to play through Super Mario Bros. 2 without Mario). The player takes control of Wario, who is jealous of Mario's castle and sets out to steal a golden statue of Princess Toadstool in order to acquire enough wealth to buy his own castle. Wario's power ups include the Bull Hat, which gives greater strength, the Jet Hat, which allows him to fly briefly, and the Dragon Hat, which serves as a flamethrower. He can also perform the horizontal Body Slam move and vertical Stomp move. Wario Land later became a series that broke off from the Super Mario series.

In Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island, the player takes control of Yoshi (with the exception of brief instances in which Mario is controlled) who is carrying the infant Mario across Yoshi's Island to find Luigi. It is a prequel to all other Super Mario games. The main goal for each level to reach the end with Baby Mario safely on Yoshi's back. Baby Mario is then transferred to the back of a differently-colored Yoshi, who will carry him through the next level. If Yoshi is struck by an enemy, Baby Mario will be sprung from Yoshi's back and float around in a bubble crying while a timer counts down; if Yoshi does not reunite with Baby Mario before the timer reaches 0, Baby Bowser's minions will fly on screen and kidnap him, ending the level and reducing the player's chances to retry by one. The game has a childlike aesthetic, with environments that appear to have been drawn with crayons. Yoshi's Island received two sequels that spun-off from the Super Mario series: Yoshi's Story and Yoshi's Island DS.

Super Mario 64 was a launch game for Nintendo's next home console, the Nintendo 64, and is the first 3D game in the series. The game was not as linear as the previous installments. Each course is an enclosed world in which the player is free to wander in all directions and discover the environment without time limits. The player gathers stars in each course; some stars only appear after completing certain tasks, often hinted at by the name of the course. As more stars are collected, more areas of the castle become accessible.^[8] The analog stick made an extensive repertoire of precise movements in all directions possible. The game introduced new moves such as punching, performing a triple jump, using a Wing Cap, and more. It is also the first game in the Super Mario series to feature the voice acting of Charles Martinet for Mario. Mario must once again save Princess Peach from Bowser, and collect up to 120 Power Stars from the paintings and return them to her castle (there are a total of 105 Power Stars in the paintings, with 15 hidden in the castle). Each level's stars can be obtained in different ways. The game also uses the power-up element from the original games. However, instead of power-ups from previous games, three different Caps with different effects are used as power-ups: the Wing Cap, Metal Cap, and Vanish Cap, which temporarily allow Mario to fly, become metal, and walk through obstacles, respectively.

In Super Mario Sunshine on the Nintendo GameCube, Mario and Peach travel to Isle Delfino for a vacation. However, a Mario doppelgänger appears and vandalizes the entire island. Mario is sentenced to clean up the island. Super Mario Sunshine shares many similar gameplay elements with its predecessor, Super Mario 64, but it also introduces new features, like the ability to spin while jumping. FLUDD, a water-squirting accessory, is a new element in Super Mario Sunshine, which Mario uses to complete his mission. The game contains a number of independent levels, which can be reached from the hub, Delfino Plaza. Gameplay is based on collecting "Shine Sprites" by completing various tasks in the levels. Once the player has collected enough Shine Sprites, a new level is available at Delfino Plaza, either by the acquisition of a new ability or a plot-related event.^[9] This game also introduces Bowser's eighth child, Bowser Jr.

In New Super Mario Bros. on the Nintendo DS, Mario and Luigi have to save Peach from Bowser Jr. While the gameplay is 2D, most of the characters and objects are 3D polygonal renderings on 2-dimensional backgrounds, resulting in a 2.5D effect. The game uses an overworld map similar to the ones from Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. Levels can have multiple exits. All the classic power-ups (Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Starman) return, with the addition of three new ones - the Mega Mushroom, Shell and Mini Mushroom. The Mega Mushroom briefly turns Mario (or Luigi) into an invincible giant who can destroy everything in the way, the Shell protects Mario from harm and allows him to slide (depending on speed), and the Mini Mushroom shrinks Mario to very small size—which allows him to fit through tight spaces.

Super Mario Galaxy is set in outer space, where Mario travels between "galaxies" to collect Power Stars, which are earned by completing quests or defeating enemies. Each galaxy contains a number of planets and other space matter for the player to explore. The game uses a new physics system that allows for a unique feature: each celestial object has its own gravitational force, allowing the player to completely circumnavigate rounded or irregular planetoids, walking sideways or upside down. The player is usually able to jump from one independent object and then fall towards another one close by. Though the main gameplay and physics are in 3D, there are several points in the game in which the player's movements are restricted to a 2D axis.

New Super Mario Bros Wii is the sequel to New Super Mario Bros. At Peach's birthday party in her castle, she is captured by Bowser's children (Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings), and Mario, Luigi, and two Toads (blue and yellow) spring into action to save her. The game features 4-player co-op and new power-ups^[10] - the Propellor Mushroom, the Ice Flower, and the Penguin Suit. The Propellor Mushroom allows players to soar high above the ground when shaking the Wii Remote. The Ice Flower is similar to the Fire Flower, in that it allows the player to shoot out projectiles at enemies, in this case being balls of ice.^[10] The Penguin Suit gives the player enhanced sliding and swimming abilities,^[10] as well as the power to shoot ice balls. Yoshi returns to the Mario platformer, and players can ride either a green, yellow, pink, or light blue Yoshi in certain levels. There are three star coins on each level, and they can also be used to unlock helpful tip movies back at Peach's castle on World One's map screen. It was released on November 15, 2009 in North America and November 20, 2009 in Europe.^[11]

Super Mario Galaxy 2 is the sequel to Super Mario Galaxy and was released on May 23, 2010. It retains the basic premise of its predecessor, but includes new items and power-ups; also, Mario has the ability to ride Yoshi. It was released to universal critical acclaim.

Super Mario 3D Land is a Super Mario title released for Nintendo 3DS in November and December 2011. It is an attempt to translate the gameplay of the 2D games into a 3D environment. It was released to critical acclaim.

Remakes and rereleases

The Super Mario series includes many remakes. All four NES games of the series were remade in a 4-in-1 package named Super Mario All-Stars; later, a Super Mario All-Stars + Super Mario World package was released, which included a mildly altered version of Super Mario World. Super Mario Bros. was re-released with added features as Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color, while Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World and Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island have all been ported separately on the Game Boy Advance, as the Super Mario Advance series; all four also include a remade version of Mario Bros. Super Mario 64 has also been remade for the DS with added features such as additional stars (objectives) and minigames.

Some games have been re-released through Virtual Console, and Super Mario Bros. in the Classic NES Series .

Reception

The Super Mario series is one of the most popular and enduring series of all time. The series is ranked as the best game franchise by IGN.^[44] The original Super Mario Bros. was awarded the top spot on Electronic Gaming Monthly's greatest 200 games of their time list^[1] and IGN's top 100 games of all time list twice (2005, 2007).^[45] Super Mario Bros. popularized the side scrolling genre of video games and led to the many sequels in the series that built upon the same basic premise. Super Mario Bros. sold 40.24 million copies, making it the best selling video game of the series.^[46]

Super Mario Bros. 3 is often regarded as one of the Nintendo Entertainment System's greatest games; Nintendo Power rated the game #6 on their 200 Greatest Nintendo Games list. and the game was #14 on Electronic Gaming Monthly's list. Super Mario World also received very positive scores, with a 96.00% average from GameRankings^[47] and rated the 8th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power's Top 200 Games list.^[48]

Super Mario 64, as the first 3D platform game in the Mario series, established a new archetype for the genre, much as Super Mario Bros. did for 2D sidescrolling platformers. It is acclaimed by many critics and fans as one of the greatest and most revolutionary video games of all time.^{[49][50][51][52][53][54]} Guinness World Records reported sales of 11.8 million copies for Super Mario 64 at the end of 2007.

Super Mario Sunshine also received critical acclaim by game reviewers. IGN praised the addition of the water backpack for improving the gameplay,^[55] and GameSpy commented on the "wide variety of moves and the beautifully constructed environments".^[56] Others, however, called the game "unpolished".^[57][58]

Of all the Mario games released, Super Mario Galaxy may very well be the most highly acclaimed Mario video game among both professional critics and ordinary gamers. Extolled for its creativity, special effects, graphics, and amazing soundtrack, Super Mario Galaxy has not only been rated one of the best Mario games created but also one of the greatest platforming games ever made in video game history, according to sites such as IGN and TopTenReviews. GameRankings, a website that collects game scores and rankings from well-established video game critics, estimates that Super Mario Galaxy has an "average score rating of 97.46%",^[59] making it the second best game on the site.^[60]

Mario's legacy is recognized by Guinness World Records, who awarded the Nintendo Mascot, and the series of platform games he has appeared in, 7 world records in the Guinness World Records: Gamer's Edition 2008. These records include, "Best Selling Video Game Series of All Time", "First Movie Based on an Existing Video Game", and "Most Prolific Video Game Character", with Mario appearing in 116 distinct titles (not including remakes or re-releases).

Sales

Games in the Super Mario series have had consistently strong sales. Super Mario Bros. is the second best-selling game ever, second to Wii Sports, with 40.23 million units sold. It is also the best-selling game on the Nintendo Entertainment System, with its two sequels, Super Mario Bros. 3 (18 million copies) and Super Mario Bros. 2 (10 million copies), taking second and third place respectively for the NES.^[69] For the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Super Mario World is the best-selling game for the console, selling 20 million copies. Super Mario World is the seventh best-selling game of all time. Super Mario 64 has sold the most copies for the Nintendo 64 (11 million), whereas Super Mario Sunshine is the second best-selling game, to Super Smash Bros. Melee, on the Nintendo GameCube with 5.5 million units sold. Super Mario Galaxy has sold 8.02 million units as of March 2009, and is the sixth best-selling game for the Wii.

The Super Mario series has also sold well on handheld consoles. Super Mario Land has sold 14 million copies for the Game Boy, and is the fourth best-selling game for that console. Its sequel, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins, sold 2.7 million copies, placing twelfth. Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 was a success in both the NTSC (United States) and JAP (Japan) regions, as well as the PAL (Europe) region, with high sales. New Super Mario Bros., for the Nintendo DS, sold 18.45 million units, making it the second best-selling game for the console. Super Mario 64 DS sold 7.5 million copies, making it the eighth best selling game for the Nintendo DS.^[70]

For all console and handheld games that have not been bundled with a console, Super Mario Bros. 3 is the fourth best-selling game, whereas New Super Mario Bros. is fifth, Super Mario Land is eleventh, and Super Mario 64 is eighteenth.

References

External links

• Official website
• Super Mario Wiki
• The Mushroom Kingdom
• MarioWiki
• Super Mario Bros Headquarters
• List of Mario video games
• Mario licensees at MobyGames