Highlights
- Mario has excelled in a wide range of genres, including educational games, turn-based strategy, sports titles, party games, fighting games, puzzles, RPGs, 3D platformers, kart racers, and 2D platformers.
Mario has donned many hats during his decades-long reign as perhaps the most enduring and popular mascot in all of video games. From race car helmets in the Mario Kart series to head mirror and stethoscope in the occasional Dr. Mario spin-off, the mustachioed jumper Mario has switched gameplay styles more times than goombas have been scraped off the mushroom kingdom's blocky sidewalks by a team of disgruntled clean-up toads.
With such a broad variety of games to choose from, it's no secret why the plucky plumber has held such an enduring appeal with a global audience. But with all the great games to have come out under the Super Mario brand, which genre of game suits Mario the best?
10 The Education Games (Mario Discovery / Mario's Early Years)
In the early 90s, some third-party developers released a slew of educational PC games under the Super Mario name, all without Nintendo's supervision. The result was an often-forgotten collection of games for young children. While a well-made educational game can be great fun, many critics of the time regarded them as reputation-tarnishing slop, at least when compared to the Nintendo-approved releases.
While there is sure to be plenty of nostalgia value to be had playing through such games, the gameplay in Mario Is Missing or Mario's Time Machine isn't exactly groundbreaking for most players today. Then again, there are worse ways to learn typing skills than through Mario Teaches Typing and or traditional board games in Mario's FUNdamentals.
9 Turn-Based Strategy (Mario + Rabbids)
The "Mario turn-based tactical strategy genre" may be a niche one, but that's not to say that it hasn't had its share of hits. Mario + Rabbids pits the Nintendo front liners and their unlikely floppy-eared counterparts against an invasion of crazy Rabbids (led by Bowser + the Megabug) intent on warping the Mushroom Kingdom into their own image.
This unlikely collaboration between Ubisoft and Nintendo produced a challenging but fun squad-based battler akin to the popular XCOM series that still retained the plumber's family-friendly image. The game sold well enough to spawn a sequel, Sparks of Hope, opening the door to potentially more turn-based war games from Nintendo.
8 Sports Titles (Super Mario Soccer, Mario Tennis, Mario Golf)
While his portly exterior might suggest otherwise, Mario is a paragon of fitness. As well as being an expert long-jumper (beaten only in the high-jump category by his brother, Luigi), he regularly partakes in a variety of competitive sports: golf, tennis, soccer, and even the Olympic Games; Mario is a skilled athlete in just about every outdoor game imaginable.
Between saving the princess and taking home trophy after trophy, it's a wonder that Mario ever gets the time to fix leaky sinks or install bathroom appliances these days. Truly, the plumber has gained an insatiable thirst to win in every possible arena.
7 The Party Games (Mario Party)
Following Luigi's appearance in 1983's Mario Bros., Nintendo fans everywhere knew in their hearts that the franchise was destined for multi-player greatness. This is no better demonstrated than in the Mario Party series, in which players compete on the board for supremacy through mini-games, dice rolls, and tactical alliances.
While the Mario Party games are emblematic of the genre, the WarioWare series carved up its own space with its fast and irreverent mini-game stylings. While "party game" clearly suggests that they are better played with friends, they are just as much fun in single-player and often feature story modes to beat.
6 The Fighting Games (Super Smash Bros.)
Eagle-eyed fans may know about his first fighting game debut in Punch-Out! (as a referee only), but since then, Mario has starred in one of the all-time greatest fighting games in video game history: Super Smash Bros. Whether it's Melee, Ultimate, the Wii U / 3DS, or the original edition, every Nintendo fan has a favorite.
Each of the Smash Bros. games features a large roster of characters, but it's always Mario leading the charge into the fight. What sets the series apart from other fighters is the fact that players are not trying to deplete each other's health, but their objective is to smash the other characters offscreen, making for frantic, satisfying, and highly-energetic gameplay.
5 The Puzzlers (Dr. Mario, Yoshi)
As well as being quick and light on his feet, the plumber-cum-medical doctor (?) also has a sharp wit, or at least he'd need one to solve some Tetris-like puzzles as his alter-ego in Dr. Mario. Whether a real medical association would legitimately recognize the "Dr." attached to his name or not, the puzzles are simple yet addictive (and there's likely no cure).
Yoshi (or Mario & Yoshi in Australia and Europe) for the NES and GameBoy also features some quick-stacking puzzle action in which Mario catches falling enemies onto plates. It's up to Yoshi to stack them together to make them vanish into thin air. While there's less free movement, the gameplay delivers the same zing of satisfaction for nailing a challenge as a player gets for making it to the end of a stage.
4 Super RPGs (Paper Mario, Mario RPG)
The genre of "role-playing game" is used quite loosely these days, but when taken to mean "incremental character development through loot gaining or leveling up," games such as Paper Mario and Mario & Luigi certainly fit the description well enough, making for highly-enjoyable RPG experiences with Mario themes.
Of course, RPG elements have persisted through other unlikely Mario titles, such as Mario Tennis (which most gamers would consider a sports title first and foremost) and Puzzle & Dragons: Super Mario Bros. Edition (which, as the title suggests, emphasizes puzzles).
3 The 3D Platformers (Super Mario Galaxy, Odyssey)
Since his first fully-3D appearance in Super Mario 64, Mario excels at feeling nimble, fluid, and weighty in all the right ways. The greatest care was put into getting the feel of vertical exploration in a three-dimensional space right for players, and Nintendo has never made a misstep in that department since.
A beautiful little tidbit about the development of Super Mario 64 is that the team focused "99%" on getting Mario's movement right, and it shows. Every game since then has expanded or added in a compelling, meaningful mechanic, from planet-hopping to water jets to cap-tricks.
2 Kart Racers (Mario Kart)
If there's one thing that can bring gamers (and non-gamers!) together, it's a love for Mario Kart. Whether it's a house party, Thanksgiving gathering, or a divorce consultation, Mario Kart will unite people of all genders, ages, or creeds (if only against the player currently clinging to first).
While kart racers were around before Nintendo had a crack, it took Nintendo's emphasis on power-ups, racing weapons, and icon cast to really supercharge the genre. To this day, the Mario Kart series is still the gold standard for games of this kind.
1 The 2D Platformers
Mario games in any genre are a ton of fun, and while many of them kick-started brand-new genres on their own, they simply wouldn't exist without the classic 2D titles. With tight controls, iconic level (and art) design, and an elegantly simple control scheme that just about anyone can pick up and play, the side-scrolling platformers simply have to take the top spot.
It's no wonder that despite there being technology available to easily produce video games in 3D, the 2D platformer is still going strong with gamers, young and old. With all the complexity (and commitments required) of games today, consider picking up a classic 2D Super Mario title and an escape into a pure, blissful state of mind.