Summary
Ever since the launch of the originalSuper Mario Bros., the little plumber from Brooklyn has seen his fair share of evolution. But if there’s one thing that hasn’t seemed to change in theSuper Mariofranchise, it’s the trulyfantastic quality of the stages and levels.
Recent releases have seen Nintendo make use of a design philosophy inspired by four-part Chinese poetry, crafting mechanics that are intended to be used and tossed away. This variety between a modern approach and old-school design has been the secret to Mario’s success
10World 4-2 (Super Mario Bros.)
World 4-2 is a level that doesn’t feel that significant on the surface. It’s a standard underground level filled with Goombas, Buzzy Beetles, and a few secret areas. But its place in the world of Mario speed running, itself almost an entire cottage industry on the internet, is impossible to overstate.
Perhaps no level in Mario’s history has been as highly scrutinized or dissected. The witchcraft that must take place in order for speed runners to achieve asub-5-minute runis nothing short of miraculous. World 4-2 is a good Mario level with a whole load of truly incredible history behind its unassuming exterior.
9World 1-1 (Super Mario Bros.)
1-1 isn’t just the level that started it all, it is genuinely one of the best-designed video game levels of all time. It begins by teaching the player without feeling like a tutorial, but rather a trial by fire, dropping players into a world that features a lone Goomba and a row of boxes.
Mariogets his first mushroom here, but the level also features some of his most iconic power-ups all in one straight shot. A super mushroom, superstar, fire flower, and 1-up mushroom all make their vaunted first appearances. It feels like an anachronistic vision of Mario all in one little stage.
8World 8-6 (New Super Mario Bros.)
Mario tends todeal with a lot of elemental dangers, be it water, wind, or in the case of 8-6 fromNew Super Mario Bros., he must ascend an active volcano that is rapidly filling up with lava. As the player continues to avoid Goombas and Koopa Paratroopas, the fire becomes faster and faster.
It makes great use of secondary travel, as well, featuring springs, ropes, and swinging bridges in order to make the traversal even more precarious over time. It’s a furious, frenzied race to the top that is one of the shining moments in the oft-maligned NSMB line.
7Ricco Harbor (Super Mario Sunshine)
WithSuper Mario Sunshine, Nintendo began tocraft a gameplay style that carried over from the N64 releasebut innovated on it in a few unique ways. Sunshine features closed-off worlds with “episodes” that act as missions, and one of the best of those is Ricco Harbor.
This expansive, seaside harbor is filled with fun little easter egg hunts, secrets, challenging side courses, and a boss fight against a giant Blooper. It was a shift in design in Mario games that was subtle, yet allowed for some spectacular design philosophy to shine through.
6World 8-4 (Super Mario Bros.)
World 8-4 isn’t just the beginning of what would become a 30-plus decaderivalry between Bowser and Mario, it’s also one of the franchise’s unique stages. The castle itself is a harrowing excursion through lava pits, fire bars, and all the enemies the player has faced to this point.
Once the player is deep inside the castle, things begin to get more intense. A subtle warp pipe puzzle will either take the player to the next room and towards Bowser or loop the back to the beginning. It’s a fitting finale to a game that perfected the escalating challenge.
5Wario’s Castle (Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins)
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coinsis one of the more forgotten entries in the franchise. The Mario Land subseries perfected handheld platforming, and the second entry released on the original Gameboy. The final level of Mario Land 2 is a castle that belonged to Mario, which Wario took over and turned into one of the most daunting challenges in the entire franchise.
This castle is a gauntlet of traps, fire pits, spiked balls and mechanical fists that bear Wario’s trademark W glove. Like the previous game, the monchrome aesthetic also adds a sense of surrealist oddity to the game that is wholly unique within the franchise.
4Shifty Boo Mansion (Super Mario 3D World)
Any level that is set in a Boo house is worth playing, and the same can be said for Shifty Boo Mansion inSuper Mario 3D World. This spooky jaunt through the delightfully crafted Boo Mansion is easily one of Super Mario 3D World’s greatest successes.
Often the Boos will be playing some dirty tricks on Mario, either by faking a 1-Up Mushroom or having a checkpoint flag turn into aswarm of ghostiesThis is all backed by one ofSuper Mario 3D World’sbest pieces of music. It all comes together in a wonderfully scary way.
3Plessie’s Plunging Falls (Super Mario 3D World)
Sometimes, players just want to hop onto the back of a dinosaur and speed down a raging river, which is exactly what Plessie’s Plunging Falls allows players to do. The big, goofy dinosaur lets players hop on its back and take them on a thrilling ride down, collecting coins and stamps along the way.
Featuring an arranged version of the Slider theme that has been featured prominently in the franchise sinceSuper Mario 64, Plessie’s Plunging Falls is a level that isinfinitely replayable. It may lack the complexities of other levels, but the amount of joy it creates makes up for that.
2Gusty Garden Galaxy (Super Mario Sunshine)
If one comes from a certain age range, it can be hard to overstate how important Gusty Garden Galaxy is. It comes from one of the more unique eras of video games and is brimming with energy, lovely vibes and a sense of wonder. Gusty Garden Galaxy is like if Disney made a Mario ride.
Everything from the atmosphere, to the music, all the way to the remarkable design structure, it all blends together in a spectacular bit of game design. Soaring around as Mario, using the Wiimote and feeling the beautiful emotions it gives off is hard to top.
1Metro Kingdom (Super Mario Odyssey)
For a while, Mario games had taken a detour from the N64-style design. Levels were restricted to maps, ones that featured levels in a somewhat linear progression. It was still great fun, but with the release ofSuper Mario Odyssey, Nintendo returned to the N64 method with remarkable success.
The Metro Kingdom feels like the culmination of the entire franchise, one buoyed by its nostalgia, but one that is striving to push forward into something new. It combines the way Mario used to be with the way Nintendo wants it to be moving forward, cultivating a play experience that may be difficult for future games in the series to reach.
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