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Rather than try to detail how Mario has become a gaming icon or give summaries of the almost countless games he has starred in or at least had a role in I decided that I would try to detail how some gameplay elements and themes of the Mario games have evolved over time. More specifically the platforming games Mario has starred in rather than the many spin off genres he has appeared in. So without further ado, the beginnings and evolution of Mario:
Donkey Kong- Mario appeared as ‘Jump Man’ who had to rescue the princess from the now infamous Donkey Kong. The game was an addictive arcade style game and the first of it’s kind in that it allowed your main character to jump over obstacles and onto moving platforms.
Mario Arcade- This game was the first to include the now infamous POW blocks. It featured Mario and Luigi battling it out on a single screen level. There were a variety of modes including collecting coins and a fight with koopas where you would have to use the spinning shells against your opponent. This title was reincarnated as a multiplay mini-game in Mario Bros. 3 and also on re-releases of some Mario games on the GameBoy and GBA.
Super Mario Bros- Featured a number of worlds each with a number of levels. Each level was a side scrolling level in which Mario had to make his way from one end of the level to the other, avoiding many of the enemies now tied to the Mario series, Koopas, Goombas, Pirahna Plants, Lakitus and more. The game also introduced many of the classic Mario Bros power ups, mushrooms, fire flowers and starmen.
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels- A Japan only sequel to the original, the lost levels included many more taxing levels than the original, and introduced poisonous mushrooms that would kill Mario rather than make him grow larger. Although it was still a Mario game, this sequel did not change or evolve the formula much.
Super Mario Bros 2- Not seen as a ‘true’ Mario game by some, this sequel was not originally even a Mario game. Maybe seeing that the lost levels did not change the formula at all, and not wanting Mario to get stale, Nintendo changed the characters and power ups of an existing title into Mario characters. Again, this title had a number of worlds each containing a number of levels that had to be won in a specific order. This game introduced more enemies who have become very much part of Mario now such as Shy Guys. It also used a new system of throwing items at enemies rather than simply jumping on their heads to subdue them, and was the only(?) 2D Mario platforming title to have a health meter.
Super Mario Bros 3- This game evolved the Mario gameplay further. Maybe the biggest change was having a map screen. Rather than go through levels in a set order you could take different routes through worlds, and bonus areas could be reached such as Toads house. Map screens also had moving enemies such as Hammer Bros who would move their position every now and then. Other innovations were new power ups. As well as the usual fire flowers, mushrooms and starmen, Mario could get a racoons tail, allowing him to fly when he got enough speed, and different suits to give him various abilities. A frog suit gave him superior jumping and swimming skills, a hammer bros suit allowed him to throw hammers, and a racoon suit allowed him to turn to a statue temporarily and fly, as with the racoons tail. These were major steps and ideas in the Mario franchise, and gave extra depth to gameplay.
Super Mario Land- Very much like the original Super Mario Bros game this had the classic Mushrooms, Fire flowers and Starmen, and saw you beating classic Mario enemies. The one major difference over Super Mario Bros was the use of vehicles in certain levels. These levels were more like side scrolling shooters, utilising a submarine and a plane to blast through enemies.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins- Like Super Mario Bros 3 this had a map screen, but unlike Mario Bros 3 this game allowed you to tackle each world in any order you pleased. It also introduced Mario’s evil ‘twin’ Wario. This game also introduced some new power-ups that were never since seen, and the worlds strayed from the typical Mario themes or Mushroom Kingdom, ice, fire, water worlds, etc. although the gameplay remained in the same Mario style.
Super Mario World- An awesome title that included even more innovation. The racoon tail of old was replaced by a cape allowing Mario to soar through the air. Yoshi was introduced into the gameplay, and allowed you to swallow enemies then spit them out at other enemies. There were secrets aplenty to be found, alternate finishes to levels which opened up new secret routes on the map, secret switch palaces, even a secret world! There were also different coloured Yoshi’s, each with unique abilities. This was also the first in the Mario series to include a save function. It was simply far too big to complete in one sitting. The basic running and jumping gameplay remained the same, although there were so many new features and ideas that the gameplay felt incredibly fresh.
Yoshi’s Island- Although not strictly a Mario game, it retained much of the platforming sensibility of Mario World, and had you protecting a baby Mario from his equally infantile rival, Bowser. Although this game brought few truly astounding new ideas, it was still an innovative title, allowing Yoshi to turn enemies to eggs and then throw them at other enemies using a unique aiming system. Mario World to Yoshi’s Island seems to me what I think Mario 64 to Mario Sunshine will be. A game with plenty of new ideas, though none of them exactly revolutionary, building on the previous one.
Mario 64- Whether or not regarded as a ‘true’ Mario game, it’s still a revolutionary title if there ever was one. Rather than go the path of a great many other ‘3D’ platform games and simply introduce two dimensional gameplay into a semi-3D environment, this actually gave gameplay in three dimensions. It is still a benchmark by which platform games are compared. This game did away with many classic Mario power ups in favour of new caps, a winged cap, a metal cap, and an invisible cap. It also had a health meter rather than classic Mario games which had large and small Mario and if small Mario was hit he simply died. Despite this many classic Mairo themes were still included. Enemies, worlds, even the plotline stayed true to classic Mario. Probably the biggest change in gameplay was the fact that you no longer simply made your way from one end of a level to another, but had to search through a level and complete tasks to gain stars which allowed you to progress through the game. This was a huge departure from 2D platform games where you usually just had to get from one side of a level to the other.
Mario Sunshine- Re-introducing Yoshi to the proceedings, and giving a water jet for extra moves, this title appears as though it could outdo Mario 64. But like Yoshi’s Island, nothing about this title seems really revolutionary. It does look set to build upon and evolve ideas and gameplay seen in Mario 64, and maybe that’s all the fans want. But surely they will want more revolutionary new ideas for the next title after Sunshine? We will have to see...
Thank you for reading, despite the length
Donkey Kong- Mario appeared as ‘Jump Man’ who had to rescue the princess from the now infamous Donkey Kong. The game was an addictive arcade style game and the first of it’s kind in that it allowed your main character to jump over obstacles and onto moving platforms.
Mario Arcade- This game was the first to include the now infamous POW blocks. It featured Mario and Luigi battling it out on a single screen level. There were a variety of modes including collecting coins and a fight with koopas where you would have to use the spinning shells against your opponent. This title was reincarnated as a multiplay mini-game in Mario Bros. 3 and also on re-releases of some Mario games on the GameBoy and GBA.
Super Mario Bros- Featured a number of worlds each with a number of levels. Each level was a side scrolling level in which Mario had to make his way from one end of the level to the other, avoiding many of the enemies now tied to the Mario series, Koopas, Goombas, Pirahna Plants, Lakitus and more. The game also introduced many of the classic Mario Bros power ups, mushrooms, fire flowers and starmen.
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels- A Japan only sequel to the original, the lost levels included many more taxing levels than the original, and introduced poisonous mushrooms that would kill Mario rather than make him grow larger. Although it was still a Mario game, this sequel did not change or evolve the formula much.
Super Mario Bros 2- Not seen as a ‘true’ Mario game by some, this sequel was not originally even a Mario game. Maybe seeing that the lost levels did not change the formula at all, and not wanting Mario to get stale, Nintendo changed the characters and power ups of an existing title into Mario characters. Again, this title had a number of worlds each containing a number of levels that had to be won in a specific order. This game introduced more enemies who have become very much part of Mario now such as Shy Guys. It also used a new system of throwing items at enemies rather than simply jumping on their heads to subdue them, and was the only(?) 2D Mario platforming title to have a health meter.
Super Mario Bros 3- This game evolved the Mario gameplay further. Maybe the biggest change was having a map screen. Rather than go through levels in a set order you could take different routes through worlds, and bonus areas could be reached such as Toads house. Map screens also had moving enemies such as Hammer Bros who would move their position every now and then. Other innovations were new power ups. As well as the usual fire flowers, mushrooms and starmen, Mario could get a racoons tail, allowing him to fly when he got enough speed, and different suits to give him various abilities. A frog suit gave him superior jumping and swimming skills, a hammer bros suit allowed him to throw hammers, and a racoon suit allowed him to turn to a statue temporarily and fly, as with the racoons tail. These were major steps and ideas in the Mario franchise, and gave extra depth to gameplay.
Super Mario Land- Very much like the original Super Mario Bros game this had the classic Mushrooms, Fire flowers and Starmen, and saw you beating classic Mario enemies. The one major difference over Super Mario Bros was the use of vehicles in certain levels. These levels were more like side scrolling shooters, utilising a submarine and a plane to blast through enemies.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins- Like Super Mario Bros 3 this had a map screen, but unlike Mario Bros 3 this game allowed you to tackle each world in any order you pleased. It also introduced Mario’s evil ‘twin’ Wario. This game also introduced some new power-ups that were never since seen, and the worlds strayed from the typical Mario themes or Mushroom Kingdom, ice, fire, water worlds, etc. although the gameplay remained in the same Mario style.
Super Mario World- An awesome title that included even more innovation. The racoon tail of old was replaced by a cape allowing Mario to soar through the air. Yoshi was introduced into the gameplay, and allowed you to swallow enemies then spit them out at other enemies. There were secrets aplenty to be found, alternate finishes to levels which opened up new secret routes on the map, secret switch palaces, even a secret world! There were also different coloured Yoshi’s, each with unique abilities. This was also the first in the Mario series to include a save function. It was simply far too big to complete in one sitting. The basic running and jumping gameplay remained the same, although there were so many new features and ideas that the gameplay felt incredibly fresh.
Yoshi’s Island- Although not strictly a Mario game, it retained much of the platforming sensibility of Mario World, and had you protecting a baby Mario from his equally infantile rival, Bowser. Although this game brought few truly astounding new ideas, it was still an innovative title, allowing Yoshi to turn enemies to eggs and then throw them at other enemies using a unique aiming system. Mario World to Yoshi’s Island seems to me what I think Mario 64 to Mario Sunshine will be. A game with plenty of new ideas, though none of them exactly revolutionary, building on the previous one.
Mario 64- Whether or not regarded as a ‘true’ Mario game, it’s still a revolutionary title if there ever was one. Rather than go the path of a great many other ‘3D’ platform games and simply introduce two dimensional gameplay into a semi-3D environment, this actually gave gameplay in three dimensions. It is still a benchmark by which platform games are compared. This game did away with many classic Mario power ups in favour of new caps, a winged cap, a metal cap, and an invisible cap. It also had a health meter rather than classic Mario games which had large and small Mario and if small Mario was hit he simply died. Despite this many classic Mairo themes were still included. Enemies, worlds, even the plotline stayed true to classic Mario. Probably the biggest change in gameplay was the fact that you no longer simply made your way from one end of a level to another, but had to search through a level and complete tasks to gain stars which allowed you to progress through the game. This was a huge departure from 2D platform games where you usually just had to get from one side of a level to the other.
Mario Sunshine- Re-introducing Yoshi to the proceedings, and giving a water jet for extra moves, this title appears as though it could outdo Mario 64. But like Yoshi’s Island, nothing about this title seems really revolutionary. It does look set to build upon and evolve ideas and gameplay seen in Mario 64, and maybe that’s all the fans want. But surely they will want more revolutionary new ideas for the next title after Sunshine? We will have to see...
Thank you for reading, despite the length
Me and Sibs have already done this topic, we both won for it :-D
Erm, thanx for that!
Rather than try to detail how Mario has become a gaming icon or give summaries of the almost countless games he has starred in or at least had a role in I decided that I would try to detail how some gameplay elements and themes of the Mario games have evolved over time. More specifically the platforming games Mario has starred in rather than the many spin off genres he has appeared in. So without further ado, the beginnings and evolution of Mario:
Donkey Kong- Mario appeared as ‘Jump Man’ who had to rescue the princess from the now infamous Donkey Kong. The game was an addictive arcade style game and the first of it’s kind in that it allowed your main character to jump over obstacles and onto moving platforms.
Mario Arcade- This game was the first to include the now infamous POW blocks. It featured Mario and Luigi battling it out on a single screen level. There were a variety of modes including collecting coins and a fight with koopas where you would have to use the spinning shells against your opponent. This title was reincarnated as a multiplay mini-game in Mario Bros. 3 and also on re-releases of some Mario games on the GameBoy and GBA.
Super Mario Bros- Featured a number of worlds each with a number of levels. Each level was a side scrolling level in which Mario had to make his way from one end of the level to the other, avoiding many of the enemies now tied to the Mario series, Koopas, Goombas, Pirahna Plants, Lakitus and more. The game also introduced many of the classic Mario Bros power ups, mushrooms, fire flowers and starmen.
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels- A Japan only sequel to the original, the lost levels included many more taxing levels than the original, and introduced poisonous mushrooms that would kill Mario rather than make him grow larger. Although it was still a Mario game, this sequel did not change or evolve the formula much.
Super Mario Bros 2- Not seen as a ‘true’ Mario game by some, this sequel was not originally even a Mario game. Maybe seeing that the lost levels did not change the formula at all, and not wanting Mario to get stale, Nintendo changed the characters and power ups of an existing title into Mario characters. Again, this title had a number of worlds each containing a number of levels that had to be won in a specific order. This game introduced more enemies who have become very much part of Mario now such as Shy Guys. It also used a new system of throwing items at enemies rather than simply jumping on their heads to subdue them, and was the only(?) 2D Mario platforming title to have a health meter.
Super Mario Bros 3- This game evolved the Mario gameplay further. Maybe the biggest change was having a map screen. Rather than go through levels in a set order you could take different routes through worlds, and bonus areas could be reached such as Toads house. Map screens also had moving enemies such as Hammer Bros who would move their position every now and then. Other innovations were new power ups. As well as the usual fire flowers, mushrooms and starmen, Mario could get a racoons tail, allowing him to fly when he got enough speed, and different suits to give him various abilities. A frog suit gave him superior jumping and swimming skills, a hammer bros suit allowed him to throw hammers, and a racoon suit allowed him to turn to a statue temporarily and fly, as with the racoons tail. These were major steps and ideas in the Mario franchise, and gave extra depth to gameplay.
Super Mario Land- Very much like the original Super Mario Bros game this had the classic Mushrooms, Fire flowers and Starmen, and saw you beating classic Mario enemies. The one major difference over Super Mario Bros was the use of vehicles in certain levels. These levels were more like side scrolling shooters, utilising a submarine and a plane to blast through enemies.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins- Like Super Mario Bros 3 this had a map screen, but unlike Mario Bros 3 this game allowed you to tackle each world in any order you pleased. It also introduced Mario’s evil ‘twin’ Wario. This game also introduced some new power-ups that were never since seen, and the worlds strayed from the typical Mario themes or Mushroom Kingdom, ice, fire, water worlds, etc. although the gameplay remained in the same Mario style.
Super Mario World- An awesome title that included even more innovation. The racoon tail of old was replaced by a cape allowing Mario to soar through the air. Yoshi was introduced into the gameplay, and allowed you to swallow enemies then spit them out at other enemies. There were secrets aplenty to be found, alternate finishes to levels which opened up new secret routes on the map, secret switch palaces, even a secret world! There were also different coloured Yoshi’s, each with unique abilities. This was also the first in the Mario series to include a save function. It was simply far too big to complete in one sitting. The basic running and jumping gameplay remained the same, although there were so many new features and ideas that the gameplay felt incredibly fresh.
Yoshi’s Island- Although not strictly a Mario game, it retained much of the platforming sensibility of Mario World, and had you protecting a baby Mario from his equally infantile rival, Bowser. Although this game brought few truly astounding new ideas, it was still an innovative title, allowing Yoshi to turn enemies to eggs and then throw them at other enemies using a unique aiming system. Mario World to Yoshi’s Island seems to me what I think Mario 64 to Mario Sunshine will be. A game with plenty of new ideas, though none of them exactly revolutionary, building on the previous one.
Mario 64- Whether or not regarded as a ‘true’ Mario game, it’s still a revolutionary title if there ever was one. Rather than go the path of a great many other ‘3D’ platform games and simply introduce two dimensional gameplay into a semi-3D environment, this actually gave gameplay in three dimensions. It is still a benchmark by which platform games are compared. This game did away with many classic Mario power ups in favour of new caps, a winged cap, a metal cap, and an invisible cap. It also had a health meter rather than classic Mario games which had large and small Mario and if small Mario was hit he simply died. Despite this many classic Mairo themes were still included. Enemies, worlds, even the plotline stayed true to classic Mario. Probably the biggest change in gameplay was the fact that you no longer simply made your way from one end of a level to another, but had to search through a level and complete tasks to gain stars which allowed you to progress through the game. This was a huge departure from 2D platform games where you usually just had to get from one side of a level to the other.
Mario Sunshine- Re-introducing Yoshi to the proceedings, and giving a water jet for extra moves, this title appears as though it could outdo Mario 64. But like Yoshi’s Island, nothing about this title seems really revolutionary. It does look set to build upon and evolve ideas and gameplay seen in Mario 64, and maybe that’s all the fans want. But surely they will want more revolutionary new ideas for the next title after Sunshine? We will have to see...
Thank you for reading, despite the length
Donkey Kong- Mario appeared as ‘Jump Man’ who had to rescue the princess from the now infamous Donkey Kong. The game was an addictive arcade style game and the first of it’s kind in that it allowed your main character to jump over obstacles and onto moving platforms.
Mario Arcade- This game was the first to include the now infamous POW blocks. It featured Mario and Luigi battling it out on a single screen level. There were a variety of modes including collecting coins and a fight with koopas where you would have to use the spinning shells against your opponent. This title was reincarnated as a multiplay mini-game in Mario Bros. 3 and also on re-releases of some Mario games on the GameBoy and GBA.
Super Mario Bros- Featured a number of worlds each with a number of levels. Each level was a side scrolling level in which Mario had to make his way from one end of the level to the other, avoiding many of the enemies now tied to the Mario series, Koopas, Goombas, Pirahna Plants, Lakitus and more. The game also introduced many of the classic Mario Bros power ups, mushrooms, fire flowers and starmen.
Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels- A Japan only sequel to the original, the lost levels included many more taxing levels than the original, and introduced poisonous mushrooms that would kill Mario rather than make him grow larger. Although it was still a Mario game, this sequel did not change or evolve the formula much.
Super Mario Bros 2- Not seen as a ‘true’ Mario game by some, this sequel was not originally even a Mario game. Maybe seeing that the lost levels did not change the formula at all, and not wanting Mario to get stale, Nintendo changed the characters and power ups of an existing title into Mario characters. Again, this title had a number of worlds each containing a number of levels that had to be won in a specific order. This game introduced more enemies who have become very much part of Mario now such as Shy Guys. It also used a new system of throwing items at enemies rather than simply jumping on their heads to subdue them, and was the only(?) 2D Mario platforming title to have a health meter.
Super Mario Bros 3- This game evolved the Mario gameplay further. Maybe the biggest change was having a map screen. Rather than go through levels in a set order you could take different routes through worlds, and bonus areas could be reached such as Toads house. Map screens also had moving enemies such as Hammer Bros who would move their position every now and then. Other innovations were new power ups. As well as the usual fire flowers, mushrooms and starmen, Mario could get a racoons tail, allowing him to fly when he got enough speed, and different suits to give him various abilities. A frog suit gave him superior jumping and swimming skills, a hammer bros suit allowed him to throw hammers, and a racoon suit allowed him to turn to a statue temporarily and fly, as with the racoons tail. These were major steps and ideas in the Mario franchise, and gave extra depth to gameplay.
Super Mario Land- Very much like the original Super Mario Bros game this had the classic Mushrooms, Fire flowers and Starmen, and saw you beating classic Mario enemies. The one major difference over Super Mario Bros was the use of vehicles in certain levels. These levels were more like side scrolling shooters, utilising a submarine and a plane to blast through enemies.
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins- Like Super Mario Bros 3 this had a map screen, but unlike Mario Bros 3 this game allowed you to tackle each world in any order you pleased. It also introduced Mario’s evil ‘twin’ Wario. This game also introduced some new power-ups that were never since seen, and the worlds strayed from the typical Mario themes or Mushroom Kingdom, ice, fire, water worlds, etc. although the gameplay remained in the same Mario style.
Super Mario World- An awesome title that included even more innovation. The racoon tail of old was replaced by a cape allowing Mario to soar through the air. Yoshi was introduced into the gameplay, and allowed you to swallow enemies then spit them out at other enemies. There were secrets aplenty to be found, alternate finishes to levels which opened up new secret routes on the map, secret switch palaces, even a secret world! There were also different coloured Yoshi’s, each with unique abilities. This was also the first in the Mario series to include a save function. It was simply far too big to complete in one sitting. The basic running and jumping gameplay remained the same, although there were so many new features and ideas that the gameplay felt incredibly fresh.
Yoshi’s Island- Although not strictly a Mario game, it retained much of the platforming sensibility of Mario World, and had you protecting a baby Mario from his equally infantile rival, Bowser. Although this game brought few truly astounding new ideas, it was still an innovative title, allowing Yoshi to turn enemies to eggs and then throw them at other enemies using a unique aiming system. Mario World to Yoshi’s Island seems to me what I think Mario 64 to Mario Sunshine will be. A game with plenty of new ideas, though none of them exactly revolutionary, building on the previous one.
Mario 64- Whether or not regarded as a ‘true’ Mario game, it’s still a revolutionary title if there ever was one. Rather than go the path of a great many other ‘3D’ platform games and simply introduce two dimensional gameplay into a semi-3D environment, this actually gave gameplay in three dimensions. It is still a benchmark by which platform games are compared. This game did away with many classic Mario power ups in favour of new caps, a winged cap, a metal cap, and an invisible cap. It also had a health meter rather than classic Mario games which had large and small Mario and if small Mario was hit he simply died. Despite this many classic Mairo themes were still included. Enemies, worlds, even the plotline stayed true to classic Mario. Probably the biggest change in gameplay was the fact that you no longer simply made your way from one end of a level to another, but had to search through a level and complete tasks to gain stars which allowed you to progress through the game. This was a huge departure from 2D platform games where you usually just had to get from one side of a level to the other.
Mario Sunshine- Re-introducing Yoshi to the proceedings, and giving a water jet for extra moves, this title appears as though it could outdo Mario 64. But like Yoshi’s Island, nothing about this title seems really revolutionary. It does look set to build upon and evolve ideas and gameplay seen in Mario 64, and maybe that’s all the fans want. But surely they will want more revolutionary new ideas for the next title after Sunshine? We will have to see...
Thank you for reading, despite the length