The Best Gimmicks In Mario Games

Key Takeaways

• Mario games use gimmicks to stand out, like collecting coins and introducing new characters.
• Nintendo remakes like Super Mario Bros. All-Stars and Super Mario 64 DS add new content and characters.
• Games like Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Odyssey introduce new gameplay mechanics and worlds for players to enjoy.

The Mario franchise doesn’t need much to coerce gamers into buying new entries in the massive Super Mario Bros. series. However, Nintendo is also unafraid to try something new to entice even more people, utilizing different gimmicks to attract players and help the game stand out in the franchise’s long history.

Gimmicks can come in many forms, from a certain gameplay mechanic being a vital component to simply how the game looks and sounds. These things can drastically change how a person perceives a game and, in a number of cases, help elevate the Mario games to cement their place in the series.

11 So Many Coins In New Super Mario Bros. 2

There Can Never Be Enough Coins

Since the beginning, collecting coins has been a satisfying thing to do in Mario games, playing to the inherent but innocent greed that all humans have. That’s where New Super Mario Bros. 2 shined on the Nintendo 3DS, utilizing the sound effects and the visual of the coin counter rising as the player collects dozens and sometimes hundreds of coins every level.

From the golden color scheme to power-ups that reward players with even more coins, New Super Mario Bros. 2 is all about the coins while providing a fun adventure. It was considered charming gaming that did more innovation for the New Super Mario Bros. series of games than any other, becoming a cherished Mario sequel that many feel deserves a remaster on the Switch.

10 Remastered Games In Super Mario Bros. All-Stars

Four 16-Bit Remakes In One Package Was A Big Deal

Before remasters and remakes were commonplace, Nintendo was ahead of its time when they took four Mario games on the N.E.S. and remade them on the S.N.E.S. in the form of Super Mario Bros. All-Stars. Not only did the games look prettier, but even the music was given a 16-bit enhancement without removing what fans loved about the games.

Super Mario Bros. All-Stars could have been a simple remaster of the original Super Mario Bros., but it also brought back Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and the first international release of Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels, which was originally a Japanese exclusive.

9 The F.L.U.D.D. In Super Mario Sunshine

The Water-Spraying Backpack Has As Many Fans As It Does Critics

Over the years, Super Mario Sunshine has become infamous for being a divisive game on the Nintendo GameCube. It was due to the introduction of the F.L.U.D.D., a backpack invented by Professor E. Gadd, who made Luigi’s ghostbusting Poltergust pack from the Luigi’s Mansion games. It allows Mario to fight the caustic ink plaguing Isle Delfino and have new traversal abilities.

As a result of the F.L.U.D.D., some appreciated that Nintendo embraced the gimmick so heavily in Super Mario Sunshine, while others felt that it was invasive to the Mario experience. However, that doesn’t stop it from creating a unique Mario adventure, allowing Mario to shoot water, hover, spin jump, and more using the F.L.U.D.D., for better or worse.

8 Multiple Playable Characters In Super Mario Bros. 2

The First Game To Have More Than One Alternate Character

Most sequels would only introduce one new playable character, but Super Mario Bros. 2 went above that and introduced two with Toad and Peach. This was the game that cemented that Princess Peach could float, Toad was a fast character, and its version of Luigi was able to jump higher than anybody else.

Unlike in the first game where Luigi was only for the second player, Super Mario Bros. 2 allows gamers to pick any of the four characters at the beginning of every stage. It was a way to experiment and see which character could work for the entire game or perhaps better for certain levels. This concept would later return in Super Mario 3D World.

7 Yoshi’s Introduction In Super Mario World

Everyone’s Favorite Dinosaur Had The Best Beginning

Most people love to see heroes getting a cute pet sidekick and that was the case when Super Mario World introduced the lovable dinosaur named Yoshi. In the jump to the S.N.E.S., not only could the player choose between Mario and Luigi at any time, but they could ride Yoshi, who could run fast, eat enemies, and jump to high areas to help the brothers progress.

Yoshi became the selling point of Super Mario World, from being featured in all advertisements to being in the official box art. Fans loved the character so much that the Yoshis became a crucial part of Mario lore, later being revealed to be the loving creatures that saved Mario and Luigi when they were infants.

6 Giving Fans More To Do In Super Mario 64 DS

Nintendo Turned The DS Version Into A Completely Different Game

With Super Mario 64 being a revolutionary title that is still loved over twenty years later, the 2005 remake on the Nintendo DS could have been a 1:1 port and most would have appreciated it. However, Super Mario 64 DS is a total remake that adds new levels to enjoy as four characters instead of one.

Mario is present, but he, Luigi, and Wario are captured at first. Yoshi is the first playable character and the others have to be unlocked, each with a unique ability they bring to the traversal. This gimmick of four characters led to Super Mario 64 DS becoming a bestseller for the handheld console.

5 The First 3D Mario Experience In Super Mario 64

The Game That Changed Mario Games Forever

While Mario is more known for being a sidescroller, the 3D games are just as beloved and that is all thanks to Super Mario 64. It not only revolutionized Mario games but laid the foundation for 3D platformers in general that populated the late 90s and early 2000s.

In 1996, it was considered to be mind-blowing to move freely in a 3D environment like Peach’s castle in Super Mario 64. That was just the beginning, because inside the castle walls was just the hub to access a plethora of other 3D levels, utilizing more traversal mechanics that seem basic today, but back then on the Nintendo 64, it was unlike anything else, and it changed Mario games forever.

4 Controlling With Cappy In Super Mario Odyssey

Mario Was Given Some Of His Best Controls

When Super Mario Odyssey introduced the sentient hat known as Cappy, some were concerned it would be another F.L.U.D.D. situation, but that was not the case. Instead of removing anything from Mario, Cappy simply adds to Mario, being more of an extension of what fans already enjoyed about 3D Mario controls.

Cappy allowed Mario to extend his jumps, acting as another spring-like platform, and it gave Mario the power to possess any enemy or movable object in the massive worlds. These not only allowed for new ways of solving puzzles to gather the new moon collectibles but also allowed players to experiment with new kinds of combat and traversal, unlike Mario in nearly every way.

3 Brand New Visuals And Worlds In Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Everything Looks And Sounds Wonderfully Unique From Other Games

A common complaint in recent years was that Mario games have become stagnant in terms of their visuals, with characters and enemies looking the same in nearly every game. Super Mario Bros. Wonder feels like a direct response to that, as it not only introduced a new voice for Mario and Luigi, but everything got a new art style that is far more expressive and full of personality.

The new Flower Kingdom and all its different regions are visually distinct, playing on familiar tropes while still having their twist on them. With many familiar Mario universe characters to play as, Super Mario Bros. Wonder also introduces a badge system that allows any character to have any single ability of the player’s choice, adding more customization than ever before.

2 A Godzilla-Sized Bowser And World In Bowser’s Fury

Roaming An Open World Could Be The New Standard For 3D Mario

Many expected the Bowser’s Fury campaign to be nothing but a mod of the Super Mario 3D World remaster. While that is partly true, fans were shocked that it provided fans with a completely open world for Mario to explore and collect the new Cat Shines. There is no hub world or loading screens, allowing total freedom in how players want to progress.

On top of the open world aspect, Bowser’s Fury earns its title thanks to its unique NPC mechanic of having Bowser transformed into a giant monster that drops from the sky sporadically to attack Mario for a few minutes. Fury Bowser not only adds tension, but certain things can only be done while he is attacking, making for puzzling situations and forcing proper timing for certain Cat Shines.

1 Exploring Outer Space In Super Mario Galaxy

Mario’s Adventures That Took Gamers Out Of This World

Nintendo could have easily just tried ripping off Star Wars or some other sci-fi franchise and put Mario at the center, but Super Mario Galaxy is known for being an imaginative entry on the Nintendo Wii. It mixes so much fantasy with sci-fi, creating so much wonder and spectacle to keep the player engaged with beautiful visuals, new characters like Rosalina, and a heartwarming musical score.

The cosmic theme of Super Mario Galaxy also affects the gameplay, with Mario running around alien planets and getting new gravity-based traversal puzzles. Fans loved Super Mario Galaxy so much that it is one of the few times a Mario game got a direct sequel in the same style, with Super Mario Galaxy 2 expanding on the concept by including Yoshi.