25 Years of Super Mario Bros: A Look Back Through Mushroom Kingdom History
The man responsible for most well-known characters in gaming, including Link, Donkey Kong and our heroes, the Mario Brothers, Shigeru Miyamoto celebrates the 25th anniversary of his breakthrough side-scrolling epic with a historic video look-back at the evolution of gaming’s most recognizable face.
As Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros crosses the same quarter-century milestone I myself crossed in May, I look back at a literal lifetime of Mario with great reverence. Since 1985’s release of the second-most selling console game of all-time, over 200 Nintendo titles have featured the eponymous Mario Bros. Plumber Power is as prolific and topical today as it was back in ’85, and to celebrate, we are going to take a look back at a cross-section of the different Mario Milestones across the ages.
We’ll begin with the release of Super Mario Bros on the NES platform 25 years ago this week. The widely popular epic side-scrolling adventure game pitted the Mario Brothers against an army of Goombas, Koopas and various other baddies all led by Bowser, the King Koopa himself. Through 8 levels of perilous pitfalls, coin collecting, and Bowser bashing, Mario Mario and Luigi Mario ran, leapt, and clung to our hearts and minds. This is the first ‘true’ Super Mario Bros and the flagship game of Nintendo in whole, selling over 40 million copies to date.
Not satisfied with just one sequel, Nintendo released two different games shortly after the original with the title Super Mario Bros 2, one in 1986 and one in 1988. Due to noticeable similarities between the 1986 SMB2 and the original, it was retitled Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels and later repackaged in the Super Mario All-Stars Collection in 1993 with the original, Super Mario Bros 2 and Super Mario Bros 3. The most widely criticized Mario game in the series, SMB2 featured entirely different game dynamics than those of the original game, and few of those traits were carried on to future installments of the franchise.
Super Mario Bros 3 was released shortly after the turn of the 90’s in America, to much fanfare. With gameplay appearing in the feature film ‘The Wizard’, starring Fred Savage, this was the hottest thing to hit the NES console. When later released with the Super Mario All-Stars Collection on the Super Nintendo, SMB3 went on to be one of the most popular games on both platforms. Introducing such iconic power-ups as the Super Leaf, Frog Suit and Tanooki Suit, this was Miyamoto’s most ambitious game of the NES era, and remains one of IGN’s Top 25 Games of All Time.
Continuing on a wave of energy and critical acclaim, Miyamoto followed up the smashing success of SMB3 with one of the most recognizable titles for the SNES: Super Mario World. Released in 1990, it was the most comprehensive adventure the Super Mario Bros had yet to see. Including the first instance of Mario’s sidekick and pet dinosaur, Yoshi, SMW contained the basis for many now-common gameplay aspects of any SMB game.
Shortly after Mario became a household name, and the launch of the SNES platform, Nintendo branched out into the racing game genre with Super Mario Kart Racing. The widespread success of this title could not have been foreseen, selling over 8 million copies worldwide, and blossoming into a franchise all its own, with the 9th installment soon to come to market for the 3DS. Super Mario Kart introduced many gamers to the concept of weaponized racing, rebranding many power-ups and characters from the original Super Mario Bros as offensive weapons, such as red homing Koopa shells, and defensive items like Donkey Kong’s banana peel. SMK is the third best-selling title for the SNES platform, and regarded as one of the best racing games in history.
With the advancement of gaming technology and the integration of the 64 bit processor, Mario underwent a transformation to three dimensions with the release of Super Mario 64 for the Nintendo 64 gaming system. With the newfound freedom of three dimensional movement, the possibilities were nearly endless for Mario as he took on one of his biggest challenges yet, fighting Bowser’s minions through the Princess’ castle in search of 120 power stars. Perhaps the most critically reviewed of the SMB series, Mario’s newfound freedom came at an expense, as the camera system would often be unresponsive and very frustrating to control. Personally, I despise the N64 and regard it as one of the worst platforms of the 90’s, but due to the massive popularity of the Super Mario name and the diehard marketing efforts of Nintendo executives, it went on to sell over 30 million consoles.
Soon after the turn of the millennium, Nintendo’s newest console, the GameCube hit shelves worldwide. Unlike previous Nintendo console releases, the GameCube platform did not launch with an updated SMB adventure. Instead, in a surprising change of pace, a game centered on Mario’s brother and trusted counterpart Luigi was released. Luigi’s Mansion featured completely new gameplay aspects and characters. It was a daring title, and well received by Mario enthusiasts. Replay value was concerning though, as the title was decidedly short in scope and length, and one run-through of the game was more than enough for many gamers like me.
In late 2003, Mario Kart: Double Dash was introduced for GameCube; this was the second best-selling Kart game in the series, and one of the best reviewed. Personally, I have logged hundreds, if not thousands, of hours power-sliding and dodging traps across all 16 courses, from Luigi’s Circuit to Rainbow Road. Mario Kart: Double Dash, as the name suggests, allowed the player to select two different characters from the SMB catalog to help them progress through some of the craziest track designs in Kart racing. Perhaps best known for the frantic and intense multiplayer gameplay, Double Dash is the perfect party game, and a title that I still enjoy to this very day. Two words: Baby Park.
Regarded as perhaps one of the only poorly received Mario Game in the history of the franchise, Super Mario Sunshine released in early Fall 2002 for the GameCube. Unlike previous installments, Mario collects ‘Shines’ instead of stars and cleans graffiti around Isle Delfino. Originally lauded as a tongue-in-cheek political statement on global warming and the protection of the environment, Sunshine has received harsh criticisms for both its supposed political stance and gameplay aspects. Yoshi’s appearance in the game is undeniably short-lived and the levels are very similar in design to some found in Super Mario 64.
Repetition in a series as long lasting and developed as the SMB franchise is not an easy fault to avoid, but with the release of Super Mario Galaxy on the Wii in 2007, Shigeru Miyamoto proved that he still had some tricks up his sleeve. Galaxy introduced Mario to the Wii, and with the additional abilities inherent with the console’s motion gaming interface, he is able to navigate the cosmos and travel to many new and interesting places. Gravity is no longer linear for Mario, as he finds himself able to jump from planet to planet, and use the environment to assist him on his quest to find the Princess. As he collects stars across the galaxy, he is able to travel to different and exciting levels filled with new and surprising enemies, as well as homages to the classic Super Mario Bros games. An innovative and fresh take on the series, Super Mario Galaxy showed gamers the future of gameplay.
The New Super Mario Bros was released for the Nintendo DS one year prior to the enormous commercial success of Super Mario Galaxy. As the second best-selling game on the DS to this day, New Super Mario Bros was then redesigned and released for the Wii console in late 2009 with the fairly unremarkable title ‘New Super Mario Bros Wii’. A retro re-envisioning of the classic side-scroller, this is the first Mario adventure under the Nintendo banner that incorporates multiplayer play, allowing players to compete for power-ups and coins across each level, pushing, jumping and spinning their way to the goal. It is also the first game in the series to introduce a ‘Super Guide‘, which provides the single player with a guide to help them navigate the course successfully after their repeated attempts are met with failure. Devised by Miyamoto himself, this unique gameplay feature provides a resource for players to learn the best course to follow without excessive frustration. Fun to play alone or with up to three others, the New Super Mario Bros fills a niche that was previously left void in the expansive Super Mario saga.
Finally, the latest and possibly greatest game in the Mario timeline, Super Mario Galaxy 2, hit markets back in May, 2010, and has already sold 4 million copies in just as many months. Featuring better gameplay, level designs so highly acclaimed they could be made into new games in their own right, and smoothed, instinctual WiiMote response, SMG2 has set the bar for any future action-adventure game. Expanding on the already creative and forward-thinking concepts from the first Super Mario Galaxy, new levels are eye-poppingly gorgeous, and the addition of Yoshi in the gameplay is welcomed. Set to surpass sales numbers for the first Mario Galaxy by Christmas, SMG2 is the future of Nintendo, and the future of gaming.
Gaming culture would not be complete, and quite possibly would not exist as it does today without Shigeru Miyamoto’s influence. 25 years after the release of Super Mario Bros, the Mario brand is one of the world’s most recognizable, and the driving momentum behind new game development hasn’t let up once in all that time. With Miyamoto in the driver’s seat at Nintendo’s Entertainment Analysis & Development division, we can expect to look forward to an even more advanced and immersive Mario adventure in the future.
