No franchise is more synonymous with video gaming than theMarioseries, in all of its iterations. It’s not only one of the longest-running series of all time, but it’s also perhaps the most consistently popular gaming franchise of all time – even modern games beat sales records and still influence the gaming industry at large.
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Even the most classic and revered games change with time, though, and theMarioseries as we know it today is vastlydifferent than its humble beginnings. Not only has the series turned its focus away from platforming and towards diverse gameplay, but it’s stylistically and mechanically completely different as well.
7Mario Shrinking Upon Taking Damage
In theoriginalSuper Mariogamesfor the NES and SNES Mario would shrink to half his normal sprite size when he took any amount of damage. Players started out the level as small Mario, then gaining a mushroom or any other powerup would grow him up to normal size again.
If one doesn’t take into account theNew Super Mario Bros.series, there hasn’t been a mechanic like this in the series since the classics. This is mostly because it’s easier for players to have a health system than to worry about dying in two hits.
6Castle Levels In Every World
In the classicMariotitles players could expect to run into one of Bowser’s many castles in just about every world.Each game had their ownunique castle setups and special mechanics that tended to be much more difficult than surrounding levels.
In the 3DMariogames there is a severe lack of castle levels, mostly taking place at the end of the entire game rather than regularly throughout. The 3DMariogames rely more on worlds that work as single, gigantic levels rather than worlds with lots of individual stops and linear progression.
5Scary Designs Throughout The Marioverse
One trope in the Super NintendoMariogames, especially in the likes ofYoshi’s IslandandSuper Mario World,are scary-looking enemies. In the latter, for example, there were enemies that looked like American Football players called Chargin' Chucks, who charged at Mario and required two hits to take out, barring the use of a powerup like the Fire Flower.
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These enemies didn’t make other regular appearances in recentMariogames until being an enemy inSuper Mario 3D WorldDLCBowser’s Fury, for which they received a 3D redesign to be much more koopa-like. They’re not nearly as intimidating as their classic counterparts, though, mostly thanks to the lack of glowing red eyes.
4No Special Rewards For Completing A Level
In classicMariogames completing a level was a reward in and of itself. The player gets to see Mario slide down a flagpole, walk into a castle, and if the playerdid especially wellthey get a little fireworks display. The worlds were set up level by level, and these endings indicated progression.
In just about every modernMariogame the open-world level layouts make this final ending to a level hard to pull off. Instead, players get things like Shine Sprites, Stars, and Power Moons when completing objectives within a grander level.Odysseymade use of the classic checkpoint flags throughout its layouts, though.
3The Old Mario Games Were More Difficult
One major difference between classicMariotitles and new ones is their difficulty. Mario games until the 3D era were widely considered to be difficult games. The first game was difficult thanks to its slippery controls (especially in the arcade) and other classic titles in the series were just as unforgiving in other ways.
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ModernMariogames starting withSuper Mario 64have been much more beginner-friendly, offering much easier level layouts to broaden the audience of the game. It worked, asSuper Mario 64is one of the most popular games of all time, but the games have just gotten easier and easier since then with practically no challenge for seasoned gamers.
2Platforming Is 99% Of The Game
In almost every singleMariogame leading up to modern iterations,the primary gameplay focuswas on platforming. The classic games revolved exclusively around this, with controls and level layouts that encouraged careful movement and momentum. More modernMariogames (especially the spin-offs) don’t focus on platforming nearly as much.
Even inOdyssey, which is revered amongstMariofans for being a truereturn to form for the series, there is still less traditional platforming than in the classic games. There are a lot more combat-oriented powerups and bombastic on-rails segments in the modern games, which is true even inNew Super Mario Bros.which was meant to replicate the classic 2D titles.
1Princess Peach Was Hardly Ever Seen
Princess Peach has been criticized for being practically defenseless at all times and being the main motivator for Mario throughout the entire series. This was especially true early on where players hardly ever got to see Peach, knowing her only by her signature on a piece of paper and a hazy, low-poly model.
Nowadays, though, Peach has been brought to theforefront of the Mario franchise, even receiving her own spin-off game for the Nintendo DS in the 2000s. She’s widely regarded as a decent character inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, and her public image is much more developed than it was throughout the franchise’s beginnings.
