Highlights

  • Super Mario Bros. games, including the latest release Super Mario Bros. Wonder, have a formula that can extend their shelf life and keep players invested for a long time.
  • Super Mario Bros. Deluxe for the Game Boy Color is a great example of how the series can expand and add new features to keep the game fresh, such as Challenge Mode and VS mode, which introduced simultaneous competitive multiplayer.
  • The Challenge Mode from Super Mario Bros. Deluxe should return in future Mario games, as it offers additional tasks and goals that can enhance the gameplay experience, such as speedrun challenges and rewards like concept art and extra levels.

There is already a formula to greatly extend a Super Mario Bros. game's shelf life because one game already did it well in the past. With Super Mario Bros being one of Nintendo's longest-running franchises, it doesn't seem right if every system doesn't have at least one title from the series. While having plenty of games is good for the series, the longevity of those games is also worth noting. After all, a game with plenty of content will keep players invested for a long time. Thankfully, Mario games can potentially stay exciting for a long time.

After producing one of the best platformers of 2023 with Super Mario Bros. Wonder, it's safe to say that the Super Mario Bros. series is still going strong. That's doubly true with Nintendo Switch Online, which features most of the older games in the series, giving players a wide array of Mario games to choose from. The 2D games mostly follow a strict formula of running to the end of each level, with occasional secrets to be found, while the newer games are often built on their own gimmicks, such as Super Mario Sunshine's FLUDD. Even over thirty years later, the series clearly has more ideas to share.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder DLC Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
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Super Mario Bros. Wonder Should Take One Page Out of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Playbook

Super Mario Bros. Wonder innovates greatly on Nintendo's platforming formula, and it could take further inspiration from Mario's racing endeavors.

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe Showed How to Expand a Game

Cropped box art from Super Mario Bros. Deluxe

One of the best examples of Nintendo's approach to Mario remakes is Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, for the Game Boy Color. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is a handheld version of the original Super Mario Bros., but with several new features. One side game allows players to race against either another player or a CPU-controlled Boo, navigating through specially-made courses with unique blocks that create and remove barriers. There are also several smaller amusing additions, such as a fortune-teller and even most of the original Super Mario Bros. 2. However, one of its most notable features is the Challenge Mode.

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe 's VS mode is the first instance of simultaneous competitive multiplayer in a Super Mario Bros. platformer, which is still surprisingly rare for the series.

Super Mario games have always had big challenges, as seen with Super Mario Bros. Wonder's Wonder Gauntlet. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe's Challenge Mode was one of the finest examples, though. In it, players have to complete the game's stages while also accomplishing the following missions:

  • Reaching a goal score
  • Collecting all red coins, similar to Super Mario 64
  • Finding a hidden Yoshi egg

Elements of Challenge Mode can be seen in some other Super Mario games, such as rescuing Toads in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, and the large coins that appear in many games. While Challenge Mode has been influential, it deserves a full revival.

Super Mario Bros. Deluxe's Challenge Mode is a perfect example of a Super Mario Bros. feature that should return. Not only would the original concept still work, but several new goals could be proposed as well. For example, a speedrun challenge could task players with completing a level under a specific time frame or reaching the goal without being hit once. Likewise, these challenges could also come with rewards, such as concept art, new color palettes for playable characters, and even extra levels to play. An enhanced variation of Super Mario Deluxe's challenge mode could be the secret weapon of the next Super Mario Bros.

Super Mario Bros. games can easily benefit from more extra tasks. Even though Super Mario Bros. Deluxe is one of the Mario titles missing from the Nintendo Switch, that doesn't mean that it hasn't had an impact. The Super Mario Bros. games have gotten more intricate over the years, but Super Mario Bros. Deluxe, between its VS Modes and Challenge Mode, is still one of the best when it comes to adding additional content. Super Mario Bros. Deluxe could be a good guide for designing the next Super Mario Bros. game's extra content.