Over the years, Mario has been on many adventures. To see where we’ve been since 1985, play these key Mario games in the order they came out.
Since our favorite plumber got his own game almost forty years ago, there’s been a lot to keep track of in the main Mario games. Every new game has a different focus or theme, which makes it fun to come up with new ideas. We’ve seen the main Mario games grow from tiny 2D platformers to the huge, bright, open-world 3D monsters we know today.
So we could remember the good old days and see what new and long-lasting features each of these Nintendo games added to the main Mario games, we decided to go back and play them all again.
Super Mario Bros.
We met the plumber for the first time in the original Donkey Kong game, but the first of the separate Mario games came out in 1985.
Mario has to go through eight worlds and attack buildings in Super Mario Bros. to find Princess Toadstool, who would later be called Peach, and save her. Besides the plumbing brothers, this first game also presented a lot of important ideas that are still used today.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Bros.
Bloopers |
Bowser |
Bullet Bills |
Buzzy Beetles |
Cheep-Cheeps |
Fire Flowers |
Goombas |
Hammer Bros |
Lakitu |
Mushrooms |
Piranha Plants |
Princess Peach |
Super Stars |
Toad |
Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels
In less than a year, Super Mario Bros. 2 came out in Japan. In North America, it’s known as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels.
You see, the game didn’t officially come out in Europe until 2007, a long time after a different Super Mario Bros. 2 came out in North America. The 2D game is known for adding new features and making the levels much harder. Going through all of the Mario games in order, this might be the hardest one in the series.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Bros.
Poison Mushroom |
Super Mario Bros. 2
Nintendo didn’t bring the original Super Mario Bros. 2 to North America. Instead, they changed the name of a game that was only available in Japan to Super Mario Bros. 2 and added Mario characters to it.
The player can pick between Mario, Luigi, Princess Toadstool, and Toad to play each level in this game. Saving Subcon from Wart, the frog king, is what the game is all about.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Bros. 2
Birdo |
Bob-Ombs |
Ninji |
Pokey |
Shy Guy |
Sniffit |
Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 is by far the most popular Mario game for the NES. Although there were still eight major worlds in the game, each one had almost twice as many levels as the previous ones.
We learned about Bowser’s seven Koopalings, who cause chaos in every world they’re in, and more common enemies were added to the game.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Bros. 3
Boo |
Boom Boom |
Boomerang Brothers |
Chain Chomp |
Dry Bones |
Fire Bros |
Koopalings |
Rocky Wrench |
Spike |
Super Leaf |
Thwomp |
Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land was both the first portable Super Mario game and the first game that wasn’t made by the series’ main creator. Mario goes on an adventure through the world of Sarasaland to save Princess Daisy, a new princess.
An alien named Tatanga, who is an enemy that never shows up again in the story, has taken her hostage. Mario goes on a journey through four countries. Each kingdom has its own variety of enemies.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Land
Princess Daisy |
Super Mario World
He first shows up in Super Mario World for the SNES. He is the monster that all Mario fans love. Mario and Luigi are going on an adventure through Dinosaur Land to save Princess Toadstool. Yoshi joins them.
Bowser and the seven Koopalings were once again causing trouble in the 16-bit game, which led to boss fights that were different from those in Super Mario Bros. 3.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario World
Banzai Bill |
Chargin’ Chuck |
Dolphin |
Fuzzy |
Magikoopa |
Monty Mole |
Wiggler |
Yoshi |
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
In the follow-up to Super Mario Land, the greedy but strangely likeable Wario made his debut, continuing the trend of introducing famous Mario characters.
Wario has taken over Mario’s castle in Mario Land as the main bad guy in Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins. Mario has to go all over his kingdom to find the six golden coins that Wario threw out of Mario’s refuge.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
Wario |
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64 was the game that changed the Super Mario series and 3D platform fans in general. This was the first of the 3D Mario games in the right order. It was also the first big game where you could easily explore an open world. It was also a change for the main Mario games all around.
When Mario gets to Princess Peach’s home in the game, he finds that Bowser has taken her and all of the many power stars that are there. To get stars and save Peach, Mario goes through many worlds that are painted pictures.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario 64
Amp |
Bob-Omb Buddies |
Bully |
Dorrie |
King Bob-Omb |
Metal Cap |
Penguins |
Whomp |
Wing Cap |
Super Mario Sunshine
It’s more than six years before there’s another big Mario game. This time it’s for the GameCube. Super Mario Sunshine is another 3D action game that takes place on Delfino Island with Mario. Mario has to use a machine called F.L.U.D.D. to clean up the mess after being blamed for covering the luxury with gross goo.
Bowser Jr. was added to this game, and the platforming techniques that were first seen in Super Mario 64 were used in a new way. It’s also fun to see how the characters in each level change things.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Sunshine
Bowser Jr. |
F.L.U.D.D. |
Petey Piranha |
Piantas |
Nokis |
Shine Sprites |
Toadsworth |
New Super Mario Bros.
The main Mario games went back to their 2D platforming basics after a shift to 3D platforming. This took Nintendo more than a decade. You can play as either Mario or Luigi in New Super Mario Bros. for Nintendo DS.
The princess is being held by Bowser Jr. and then his father. You need to free her. The game’s world was set up in a way that was similar to old Mario games, and it was the first of many 2D platform games.
Characters And Items Introduced In New Super Mario Bros.
Dry Bowser |
Mega Mushrooms |
Mini Mushrooms |
Super Mario Galaxy
In Super Mario Galaxy, the third 3D adventure, Mario goes to new heights. Mario sees Princess Peach and her castle being taken by Bowser and his minions after being called to the Star Festival at her castle.
This is the first time Mario meets Rosalina. He helps her get power to her station so she can help him get to Bowser. You play by jumping from planet to planet to get to the star at the end of each level. When it came out on the Wii, it was the first major Mario game with motion controls.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Galaxy
Captain Toad |
Ice Flowers |
Lumas |
Queen Bee |
Rosalina |
New Super Mario Bros. Wii
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is a lot like the DS version. It was new because it was the first time that four people could play together with four different characters on the screen at the same time.
Blue Toad and Yellow Toad can join Mario and Luigi. After Bowser and the Koopalings lured Peach into a cake, they went on an adventure to save her again.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario World
Foo |
Jellybeam |
Jumbo Ray |
Propeller Mushrooms |
Super Mario Galaxy 2
After Super Mario Galaxy, there will be a few more straight sequels in the 3D Super Mario games. This one builds on what Super Mario Galaxy did.
It has a bit more of a level-based development model than most 3D Mario games, which are more free-form. This new core Mario game has more features added to it, like the ability to ride Yoshi.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Galaxy 2
Lubba |
Whittles |
Super Mario 3D Land
Super Mario 3D Land was the first major Mario game for the 3DS. It was a new take on the normal Mario 3D adventure. Skibidi Toilet doesn’t have an open world where you can go to the same level more than once to collect something. Instead, it’s straight, like old-school 2D platformers.
Bowser has not only taken Princess Peach, but he has also blown off all the Super Leaves on the Tail Tree. This power-up turns into the game’s main focus.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario 3D Land
Biddybuds |
Boomerang Flowers |
Coin Coffers |
Invincibility Leaf |
Peepas |
Pom Pom |
Propeller Block |
Stingby |
New Super Mario Bros. 2
One that comes right after New Super Mario Bros. and one that comes after it in a roundabout way. New Super Mario Bros. 2 for Wii is all about the coins.
Mario’s quest to get a million of them is one of the main parts of the game. No pressure, though. The Gold Flower was added to the game to help with this. It turns Mario gold and gives him coins every time he moves.
Characters And Items Introduced In New Super Mario Bros. 2
Bone Goomba |
Gold Flower |
New Super Mario Bros. U
New Super Mario Bros. U can now play with up to four other people and has a lot of new skills and things, some of which come from Super Mario World.
In 2013, to honor the year of Luigi, an extra pack was added. No changes were made to the original game as it is already a Nintendo Switch game. The U Deluxe.
Characters And Items Introduced In New Super Mario Bros. U
Nabbit |
Super Acorns |
Super Mario 3D World
Super Mario 3D World, the Wii U follow-up to Super Mario 3D Land, took the idea of 3D platforming with the standard Mario game model to a whole new level. What made the game fun was Super Bells, which changed Mario and his friends into cats.
You could play the deep 3D levels and great boss fights by yourself or with up to four friends. The Switch version of the game has Bowser’s Fury, a whole new story that plays just like the other Mario 3D platform games.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario 3D World
Brolder |
Plessie |
Skipsqueak |
Sprixies |
Super Bells |
Ty-Foo |
Walleyes |
Super Mario Maker
It’s finally possible to make your own Mario levels with Super Mario Maker on the Wii U. You could build your levels in four different game styles: Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U.
Then you could share your work and let other people play it using Course World. Some players were much more detailed in what their levels did than others.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Maker
Mystery Mushrooms |
Weird Mushrooms |
Super Mario Run
Super Mario Run is the first official Mario game to ever come out for mobile devices. It’s a 2D auto-running platformer where you have to direct Mario along the right way to beat the level.
There is extra stuff in the game that you can buy at any time to change things up. The game is free to play. Another mode is Kingdom Builder, which lets you change how the game looks, and Toad Rally is a fight mode.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Run
Poison Bubbles |
Super Mario Odyssey
Super Mario Odyssey, the first major Mario game for the Switch, blew everyone away with its beautiful open worlds and lots of Power Moons to find. Bowser has taken Peach hostage so that he can marry her, and he is now trying to get wedding supplies in every kingdom.
To catch Bowser, Mario needs to go through the countries and collect enough Moons. Cappy, a ghost that lives in Mario’s hat, is standing next to him. This lets Mario throw his hat at a monster and turn into that monster. Eighty moons are out there for you to gather.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Odyssey
The Broodals |
Burrbo |
Cappy |
Goombettes |
Power Moons |
Ruined Dragon |
Talkatoo |
Super Mario Maker 2
Super Mario Maker 2, the next game in the Mario level maker series, had a story mode so that people who don’t like making levels or playing with other people online could still play.
With the new tools, you can use a Super Mario 3D World world and settings like snow or desert levels.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Mario Maker 2
Rotten Mushrooms |
Super Hammers |
Bowser’s Fury
Putting all of the main Mario games in order shows how different the first one looks from later ones. This includes Bowser’s Fury, which is an add-on game for the Nintendo Switch version of Super Mario 3D World.
A black sludge attacked Bowser Jr. and made him into Fury Bowser. In this scene, Mario helps Bowser Jr. make Bowser normal again. The main objective is to gather enough Cat Shines to beat Fury Bowser. The game is a lot like Super Mario Odyssey. At the same time, Fury Bowser will sometimes wake up and attack Mario as he walks around.
Characters And Items Introduced In Bowser’s Fury
Cat Shines |
Fury Bowser |
Giga Bell |
Kittens |
Neko Parents |
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
The Super Mario Bros. Wonder was a surprising change to the original Super Mario game structure. It’s possible to play as your favorite Princess again without having to save her. The story and setting are different. Even with all the clichés, Wonder was a new start for the series, especially since Charles Martinet retired.
His replacement, Kevin Afghani, does a great 1:1 version that will make a lot of fans happy. Wonder also had more characters and monsters than the previous games. It’s like the first time you played Mario.
Characters And Items Introduced In Super Maro Bros Wonder
Drill Mushroom |
Prince Florian |
Elephant Fruit |
Talking Flowers |
Bubble Flower |
Poplins |
Wonder Flower |
Anglefish |
Armads |
Missle Megs |
Blew birds |
Mumsies |
Bloomps |
Outmaway |
Bulrushs |
Pokipedes |
Cloud Piranhas |
Melon Piranha Plants |
Condarts |
Raarghs |
Gnawsher |
Revvers |
Hoppos |
Robbirds |
Hoppycats |
Rolla Koopas |
Hot-Hot Rocks |
Rrrumbas |
Konks |
Seeker Bullet Bills |
Maw-Maws |
Shovas |
Skedaddlers |
Sproings |
Smackerels |
Sugarstars |
Smogrins |
Tailies |
Snootles |
Trottin’ Piranha Plants |
Wubbas |
38 Unnamed Enemies |