When it comes to the famed Super Mario Bros. series, gamers don’t often think of wildly tough, grueling trials — certainly not when it comes to the newer, family-friendly games. Yet, Nintendo has a habit of injecting at least a handful of trickier levels into old and newer titles featuring the mustached plumber.
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These often take the form of post-game or bonus stages, which entice players to keep on trucking, and apply all the skills they’ve obtained during their colorful platforming journey. While there’s no shortage to choose from, especially from old-school Mario romps, these tough bonus levels truly stand out for their wild and punishing nature.
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The Lily Pad Ride (Secret Shine) (Super Mario Sunshine)
A Wild, Coin-Collecting Ride
Nintendo’s most whimsical Super Mario game is often among the most deceptively tough. This is especially true with Sunshine’s secret stages, which snatch away Mario’s handy FLUDD tool. On the flipside, The Lily Pad Ride demands frequent use of this water jetpack, or else Mario misses out on the required eight red coins scattered about this flowing waterway. To merely reach this area, players first must navigate a Yoshi to a Warp Pipe in southeast Delfino Plaza and wipe out an Orange Juice Generator.
Then comes the trial itself, which demands impeccable timing and highly sharp maneuvering, as players fumble with both the FLUDD and finicky camera. While lacking enemies or real hazards here, The Lily Pad Ride leans on anxiety-inducing passages — with little room for error — for the crux of its difficulty.
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Tubular (Super Mario World)
Coins And Chaos
While it remains a fan-favorite, some diehards criticize Super Mario World for being a degree simpler than its dynamic predecessor. Still, the game offers a handful of bonus stages (via Special Zone) that can put even the most seasoned, Yoshi-piloting players to the test. Each of these levels presents distinct layouts and challenges, though the second stage, Tubular, stands out for its sheer chaos.
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Tubular swiftly hits players with tough airborne traversal, along with annoying Chargin’ Chucks, ember-spewing Piranhas, and other menaces threatening to quickly end Mario. Players also work against the clock, forced to maneuver quickly before the Power Balloons wear out. It’s a fairly short run, but one packed full of hazards and persistent foes.
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Special World 8 Crown (Super Mario 3D Land)
Baddies, Bosses, And Blocks Abound
The 3D Mario titles tend to be mixed when it comes to difficulty, though many bring some epic “endgame” material that forces players to apply their learned skills and survive a lengthy run. That’s the case with this slew of heart-pumping trials in 3DS’ Super Mario 3D Land. It’s the 96th and final stage — the conclusion of a long journey that ends emphatically. Gaining access to this exclusive experience is no picnic on its own, as players need to earn five stars on their save file.
Like many of Mario‘s toughest levels, enemies and pitfalls are everywhere. Players must power through a series of scattered blocks of varying size, height, and length as Goombas and Hammer Bros. scurry about. Along the way, a checkpoint features tricky minibosses. The latter portion yields movable and flippable panels, Fire Bars, and Burners with even tougher foes like Chain Chomps. Players are then thanked by spelled-out blocks as they ride towards the finish of this colorful fever dream.
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Awesome (Super Mario World)
An Icy Trip
Awesome as it may be, this Special Zone stage is one of the more frustrating in the game. The level keeps players on their toes with some shaky — well, specifically icy — ground, while flinging various shells, flying Troopas, and other foes that seem to be placed in about the worst spots possible, designed for Mario to slide or leap into them.
The latter portion gets even wilder, with just a smattering of sleek platforms rife with jumping fish and Bullet Bills crowding much of the area. A Super Star is available here, which amps up the thrill factor — though Mario is as good as dead without it.
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Champion’s Road (Super Mario 3D World)
An Aply-Named Platforming Trial
Not to be outdone by its 3DS predecessor, the more robust Super Mario 3D World brings a nail-biting marathon trial of its own, known as Champion’s Road. While it comprises about five minutes for those that are prepared, an onslaught of enemies and hazards — and a lack of checkpoints or useful power-ups — make the run feel much longer. Simply reaching this stage requires each and every Green Star, Stamp, and Golden Flag in the game.
Players are bombarded with an array of small, shifting, and disappearing platforms from the outset, complete with plenty of floating and projectile-spewing baddies. Just about every mechanic, obstacle, and foe imaginable is featured in this marathon. This includes rows of spiked rollers and Fuzzies, maneuvers through large spiked blocks while swimming, and countless shockwaves of Ring Burners that demand quick, precise platforming.
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Darker Side (Super Mario Odyssey)
A Side Of The Moon Worth Exploring
Exploring the vibrant, open-world realms of Super Mario Odyssey can be delightful — and light on tough or deceptively perilous trials. Yet, things reach a fever-pitch when playing through the latter Kingdoms, culminating with this intense end-game trial. Players must dedicate countless hours of skillful platforming and exploration to just start this area, as 500 Power Moons must be collected to initiate it.
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Players need to jump, dash, fight, and maneuver their way through a meat-grinder of distinct, unpredictable challenges which comprise several minutes. With elements like low gravity, fields of lava, and other expansive hazards, this is a memorable trip that will likely take time to overcome. A single Power Moon awaits at its conclusion, though Mario also obtains the ever-useful Invisibility Hat upon completion.
2
World C-3 (Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels)
This Level Should Have Probably Remained Lost
Unlike most Mario games with tough levels, the lesser-known Lost Levels — which is, in fact, actually Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan — is basically difficult as a whole. But among the hardest of the hard levels in this amped-up Super Mario Bros. variant for NES/SNES is this late-game stage from World C.
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The stage is essentially built for players to plummet to an untimely demise. Its many pitfalls, rotating Fire Bars, pesky Lakitu, and potent springs would be hard enough to traverse alone. Yet the game trolls players with the unpredictable, destabilizing element of wind blowing throughout.
This ensures ample trial-and-error, as Mario needs spot-on timing, speed, and sharpness to merely hit his landings, let alone survive the baddies and obstacles. This truly feels like a deviously-crafted Super Mario Maker 2 creation that never was.
1
The Final-Final Test Badge Marathon (Super Mario Wonder)
A Maddening Platforming Marathon
Emphasized by the double use of the word “final”, this stage punctuates the wild, vibrant ride that is Super Mario Wonder through this last, and naturally the most difficult, level. Like each other Special World stage, this trial is branded with a “five-star” difficulty, though it probably deserves a sixth.
Mario will need to collect all Wonder Seeds, 10 Flower Coins, and all Golden Flags, as well as utilize badges to overcome obstacles. Players are quickly clued into the grind they’re in for, as Mario must meticulously drift his way downward while avoiding rotating foes. Players then trek across many unique scrolling areas and hazards that can end Mario in a single hit if a slight wrong move is made. With its swift pacing, and the slew of distinct mechanics demanding near-perfection on the fly, players will likely need ample practice for this Final-Final stage.
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