BC Beat Kids

This article was written by Your Favorite " GamerGirlMJ"

Well this is my first article for BC Beat Kids and I am normally writting for BC Beat so I am gonna get used to writting for both. The first game I am gonna write about for the kids is none other than everyone's favorite Mario.

Super Mario is a platform game series and media franchise created by Nintendo and featuring their mascot, Mario. Alternatively called the Super Mario Bros. series or simply the Mario series, it is the central series of the greater Mario franchise. At least one Super Mario game has been released for every major Nintendo video game console. There have also been a number of Super Mario video games released on non-Nintendo gaming platforms. How many Super Mario games there are has been debated. There are currently twenty-one similar games and one cross-series game that may or may not be included as part of the series.

The Super Mario games follow Mario's adventures, typically in the fictional Mushroom Kingdom with Mario as the player character. He is often joined by his brother, Luigi, and occasionally by other members of the Mario cast. As in platform video games, the player runs and jumps across platforms and atop enemies in themed levels. The games have simple plots, typically with Mario rescuing the kidnapped Princess Peach from the primary antagonist, Bowser. The first game in the series, Super Mario Bros., released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in 1985, established gameplay concepts and elements prevalent in nearly every Super Mario game released since. These include a multitude of power-ups and items that give Mario special powers such as fireball-throwing and size-changing into both giant and miniature sizes.

Original Super Mario Bros. games

Super Mario Bros. was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and is the first side-scrolling 2D platform game to feature Mario. It established many core Mario gameplay concepts. The brothers Mario and Luigi live in the Mushroom Kingdom, where they must rescue Princess Toadstool (later called Princess Peach) from Bowser/King Koopa. The game consists of eight worlds of four levels each, totaling 32 levels altogether. Though the worlds differ in themes, the fourth level is always a fortress or castle that ends with a fight against Bowser (or one of his minions disguised as him). This is one of the best-selling video games of all time. The game even had its first indirect sequel by Hudson Soft of the PC-8801 that was agreed to be ported by Nintendo but turned mostly into a different game altogether called Super Mario Bros. Special.

The second Super Mario game is exclusive to Japan's Famicom Disk System as it was deemed too difficult for players outside of Japan.

Super Mario Bros. 2 in Japan is the first sequel to the original Super Mario Bros., and was re-released as Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels worldwide on SNES. It uses the Super Mario Bros. engine, with additions such as weather, character movements, and more complex levels, altogether yielding a much higher difficulty. The game follows the same style of level progression as Super Mario Bros., with eight initial worlds of four levels each. The last level of the eight worlds is a lava-filled castle that culminates in a battle against Bowser. At that time, this sequel was not released outside Japan since Nintendo of America did not want the Mario series to be known to players outside of Japan for frustrating difficulty. It remained inaccessible to a steadily broadening market of American video game players, becoming stylistically outdated by the time the Japanese Super Mario Bros. 2 could be eventually delivered to America. The game later debuted outside Japan in 1993 as "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels" in the compilation game Super Mario All-Stars for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The original Famicom version was released for the Wii's Virtual Console service in September 2007, listed as "Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels" outside Japan. A later Super Mario All-Stars Wii port, Super Mario All-Stars 25th Anniversary Edition, features the SNES gameplay and adds Wii Remote, Classic Controller, and GameCube controller compatibility.

In Super Mario Bros. 2 (Super Mario USA in Japan), Mario and his companions are out to stop the evil frog Wart in the Subcon dreamland. Based on a discarded prototype, the game was instead originally released as Yume Kōjō: Doki Doki Panic in Japan, and was ultimately converted into a Mario game for the rest of the world as Super Mario Bros. 2, before being released in Japan as Super Mario USA as part of Super Mario All-Stars. One of the game's most defining aspects is the four player characters: not only Mario, but Luigi, Princess Peach and Toad are available for single-player action, each with defined character movements: Luigi jumps higher, the Princess glides through the sky for a short amount of time, etc. Characters here also can pluck vegetables from the ground to throw at enemies. This is also the first Super Mario game to use a life meter, which allows Mario, Luigi, Peach and Toad to be hit up to four times before dying. Mushrooms count for two lives, and coins are used for inter-level slot machine minigame. In 1996, a sequel was released exclusively in Japan under the name BS Super Mario Bros. USA Challenge on the Stellaview system.

Super Mario Bros. 3 is divided into eight themed worlds, each with 6–10 levels and several bonus stages displayed as locations on a mapped overworld. These locations are not necessarily in a linear order, and the player is occasionally permitted to skip levels or play the game out of order. Completed levels cannot be replayed. A world's final level is a boss stage. The penultimate boss stage in each world is a side-scrolling level atop an airship ("Doom Ship") with a fight against one of Bowser's seven Koopalings. The game introduced a diverse array of new power-ups, including flight as Raccoon Mario or the level-long P-Wing allowing permanent flight through a whole level. Bowser is again the final boss.

Super Mario Land games

Main articles: Super Mario Land and Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins

Super Mario Land was the first handheld Super Mario game after the Game & Watch port of Super Mario Bros., and was released for the Game Boy. As with other games in the series, it is a sidescrolling platformer in which Mario sets out to save Princess Daisy by defeating a mysterious spaceman named Tatanga. Power-ups include hearts, which gives Mario an extra life (similar to a 1-up mushroom) and small bouncing ball which Mario throws referred to as "superballs". The game consists of twelve levels split across four worlds.

Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins introduces Mario's rival, Wario, who had taken over Mario's castle during the events of Super Mario Land and forces Mario to collect the six golden coins in order to reenter and reclaim his castle. While its predecessor is similar to the original Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Land 2 has more in common with later games. The player is no longer restricted to only moving towards the right. A bell at each level's end activates a minigame, where the player can try to get extra lives. There are 32 levels, based on several themed worlds each with its own boss. Three power-ups return: the Super Mushroom, Fire Flower, and Super Star. The game introduces the Carrot power-up, which gives Mario large rabbit ears that let him glide when falling for a limited time. Its story was continued in Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3, which retroactively became the first of a spin-off series, Wario Land.

Super Mario World games

Main articles: Super Mario World and Yoshi's Island

Super Mario World was released for the SNES and consists of nine worlds displayed via a world map overworld. It is a direct successor to the Super Mario Bros. games, with the subtitle Super Mario Bros. 4 in Japan. Unlike Super Mario Bros. 3, however, where each world map is individual, the world map here is unique and covers the whole game. Most of the 72 levels have one exit, though some have hidden second exits. Mario's new moves include a spin jump and the rideable Yoshi who can eat enemies and either swallow or spit them out. Power-ups include the returning Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Super Star, and the new Cape Feather, based on Super Mario Bros. 3's Super Leaf, which lets Mario and Luigi fly with a cape.

Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island was released for the SNES in 1995. To reunite baby Mario with his brother Luigi, who has been kidnapped by Kamek, the player controls Yoshi as the primary character through 48 levels while carrying Baby Mario. Yoshi runs and jumps to reach the end of the level while solving puzzles and collecting items. In a style new to the series, the game has a hand-drawn aesthetic. The game introduces his signature abilities to flutter jump and produce eggs from swallowed enemies. The game is well known for its unique artstyle, which heavily contrasted with the pre-rendered artstyle of contemporary games popularized by Donkey Kong Country. Some of its special effects were powered by a new Super FX2 microchip. Yoshi's Island received "instant" and "universal acclaim", according to IGN and review aggregator Metacritic, and sold over four million copies. Reviewers posited Yoshi's Island as a masterpiece and one of the greatest video games of all time. Yoshi's signature characteristics established in Yoshi's Island would carry throughout a series of cameos, spin-offs, and sequels, including the 1997 Yoshi's Story, 2006 Yoshi's Island DS, 2014 Yoshi's New Island, and 2019's Yoshi's Crafted World. It was the last 2D game in the Super Mario series released on a home console until New Super Mario Bros. Wii over a decade later.

Open world Super Mario games

Main articles: Super Mario 64, Super Mario Sunshine, and Super Mario Odyssey

Three games in the series feature primarily open-ended, 3D platform gameplay with greater emphasis on exploration.

Super Mario 64 was the first 3D and open world game in the series, and a launch game for the Nintendo 64 home console. Each level is an enclosed environment where the player is free to explore in all directions without time limits. The player collects Power Stars that appear after completing tasks to unlock later courses and areas. The Nintendo 64's analog stick makes an extensive repertoire of precise movements in all directions possible. The game introduced moves such as punching, triple jumping, and using a Wing Cap to fly. It is the first Super Mario series game to feature Charles Martinet's voice acting for Mario. Mario must once again save Princess Peach from Bowser, and collect up to 120 Power Stars from the paintings and return them to her castle, the overworld. There are a total of 105 Power Stars in the paintings, with 15 hidden in the castle. The game's power-ups differ from previous games, now being three different hats with temporary powers: the Wing Cap, allowing Mario to fly; the Metal Cap, turning him into metal; and the Vanish Cap, allowing him to walk through obstacles.

Super Mario Sunshine is the second 3D Super Mario game. It was released in 2002 for the GameCube. In it, Mario and Peach travel to Isle Delfino for a vacation when a Mario doppelgänger, going by the name of Shadow Mario, appears and vandalizes the entire island. Mario is sentenced to clean the island with a water-squirting accessory called F.L.U.D.D. Super Mario Sunshine shares many similar gameplay elements with its predecessor Super Mario 64, yet introduces moves, like spinning while jumping, and several other actions through the use of F.L.U.D.D. The game contains a number of independent levels, which can be reached from the hub, Delfino Plaza. Mario collects Shine Sprites by completing tasks in the levels, which in return unlock levels in Delfino Plaza by way of abilities and plot-related events. Sunshine introduces the last of Bowser's eight children, Bowser Jr. , as an antagonist. Yoshi also appears again for Mario to ride in certain sections.

Released on October 2017 for Nintendo Switch, Super Mario Odyssey is a return to the open-world "sandbox" 3D style of game last seen in Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario 64. After Mario's cap is possessed by a spirit named Cappy, he is able to use it to temporarily "capture" enemies, harmless life forms and objects and utilize their powers. Like previous sandbox 3D games, the game's worlds contain a large variety of objectives that can be achieved in a non-linear order before progressing. Super Mario Odyssey was critically acclaimed, and earned multiple awards. This game adventures through many different kingdoms, in addition to the standard Mushroom Kingdom Mario's adventures usually take place in; and is the very first one to include a vocal theme song, "Jump Up, Super Star!".

New Super Mario Bros. games

Main articles: New Super Mario Bros., New Super Mario Bros. Wii, New Super Mario Bros. 2, and New Super Mario Bros. U

New Super Mario Bros. series logo

New Super Mario Bros. was released on the Nintendo DS in 2006. In it, Mario and Luigi set out to save Princess Peach from Bowser Jr. The gameplay is 2D, but most of the characters and objects are 3D on two-dimensional backgrounds, resulting in a 2.5D effect. The game uses an overworld map similar to those of Super Mario Bros. Deluxe. Some levels have multiple exits. The classic power-ups (Super Mushroom, Fire Flower and Super Star) return alongside the Mega Mushroom, Blue Shell, and Mini Mushroom. The Mega Mushroom briefly turns Mario (or Luigi) into an invincible giant that destroys everything in his path, enemies as pipes and blocks. The Blue Shell protects Mario from harm and allows him to slide (depending on speed), where the Mini Mushroom shrinks Mario to a much smaller size, allowing him to fit through tight spaces and access places normally.

In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Princess Peach is captured by Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings during her birthday party in her castle, and Mario, Luigi, and two Toads (blue and yellow) spring into action to save her. The game features 4-player co-op and new power-ups: the Propeller Mushroom, the Ice Flower, and the Penguin Suit. The Propeller Mushroom allows the player to launch its character high into the air through shaking the Wii Remote. The Penguin Suit enhances sliding traction, speed and agility of swimming abilities, in addition to the ice ball projectiles that are provisioned by the Ice Flower. All characters can ride Yoshi. The levels are organized into individually themed open-worlds reminiscent of Super Mario Bros. 3. Like in its predecessor, there are three hidden Star Coins to find in each level, which can be used to unlock movies with gameplay tips. It was released in November 2009 to an important commercial success, and won several awards.

New Super Mario Bros. 2 was released in July and August 2012 for the Nintendo 3DS. The player, as Mario or Luigi, tries to save Princess Peach from Bowser and the Koopalings, with the game's secondary goal to collect one million coins. Several gameplay elements were introduced to help achieve this goal, such as the Gold Flower, a rarer variant of the Fire Flower that turns items into coins.

New Super Mario Bros. U, the Wii U follow-up to New Super Mario Bros. Wii, was released in November 2012, in North America. It plays similarly to the previous New Super Mario Bros. games, and introduces both a Flying Squirrel suit that lets the players glide through the air, and asymmetric gameplay that allows the player holding the GamePad to influence the environment. On June 2013, New Super Luigi U was released as a downloadable content (DLC) package for the game, featuring shorter, but more difficult levels, starring Luigi as the main protagonist instead of his brother. Subsequently, it was released as a standalone retail game on August 25 in North America. Unlike the downloadable content version, the standalone retail version of New Super Luigi U does not require having New Super Mario Bros. U to play it. The Nintendo Switch port New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe includes both the main game and New Super Luigi U, and new playable characters Nabbit and Toadette.

Super Mario Galaxy games

Main articles: Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2

Super Mario Galaxy was launched in 2007 for the Wii. It is set in outer space, where Mario travels between "galaxies" to collect Power Stars, earned by completing quests or defeating enemies. Each galaxy contains a number of planets and other space objects for the player to explore. The game's physics system gives each celestial object its own gravitational force, which lets the player circumnavigate rounded or irregular planetoids by walking sideways or upside down. The player is usually able to jump from one independent object and fall towards another close object. Though the main gameplay and physics are in 3D, there are several points in the game where the player's movements are restricted into a 2D axis. Several new power-ups appear following the new game mechanics. All of them return in the sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2, besides the Ice Flower and Red Star power-ups.

Super Mario Galaxy 2, the sequel to Super Mario Galaxy, was initially developed as an expansion pack to the latter, although it eventually developed into its own game, released on May 23, 2010. It retains the basic premise of its predecessor and includes its items and power-ups. These include the Cloud Flower, which allows Mario to create platforms in mid-air, and the Rock Mushroom, which turns Mario into a rolling boulder. Mario can also ride Yoshi along. This time, the galaxies each have less Power Stars, three regular Power Stars and three green stars instead of the original six Power Stars, with a few exceptions. Each galaxy has one/two main Power Stars, and either a Prankster Comet or a hidden Power Star, or both. It was released to widespread critical acclaim, getting better reviews than its predecessor, Super Mario Galaxy.

Super Mario 3D games

Main articles: Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World

Super Mario 3D Land was released for the Nintendo 3DS in November and December 2011. It is the first original 3D Super Mario game on a handheld console, since all previous games were either 2D or re-edits of former games. As an attempt to translate the gameplay of the 2D games into a 3D environment, it tried to simplify the control scheme of the 3D games through using more linear levels. It also brought back several older gameplay features, including the Super Leaf power-up last seen in Super Mario Bros. 3. This game was released to critical acclaim.

Super Mario 3D World, the sequel to Super Mario 3D Land, was released for the Wii U on November 22, 2013 in North America, and utilized the same gameplay mechanics as its predecessor. It introduced three power-ups, the Super Bell (which turns the characters into cats able to attack and scale walls in order to reach new areas), Lucky Bell, and Double Cherry (which creates a clone of the character that collects it). Like Super Mario Bros. 2, it features Princess Peach and Toad as playable characters in addition to Mario and Luigi. Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy is also unlocked later in the game.

Super Mario Maker games

Main articles: Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2

Super Mario Maker is a creation tool released for the Wii U in September 2015 which allows players to create their own levels based on the gameplay and style of Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U, as well as to share their creations online. Based on existing games, several gameplay mechanics were introduced for the game, with existing ones also available to be used together in new ways. A Nintendo 3DS version of the game called Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS, was released in December 2016. It features a few new pre-installed levels, but no online level sharing.

Super Mario Maker 2 is very similar in design to its predecessor, Super Mario Maker. It introduced many new items, themes, and enemies, as well as an online multiplayer mode. The game was released on June 28, 2019 for the Nintendo Switch.

Super Mario Run

Main article: Super Mario Run

Super Mario Run is a side-scrolling and auto-scrolling video game released in December 2016 on the iOS platform, then in March 2017 on Android. It is the first official Mario game developed for non-Nintendo hardware (since previous attempts all faced cancellation), as well as the first official Super Mario game developed for mobile devices. As such, it features simplified controls that allow it to be played with only one hand.

In this game, Mario runs automatically, and the player's in charge of controlling the jumping action so that Mario avoids all hazards. This is achieved by touching the tactile screens these devices are built with, and the longer the player touches the jump button, the higher Mario jumps. Collecting all coins in a precise level unlocks a set of 5 pink coins in said level for Mario (the player) to collect, allowing extended replayability. Collecting these 5 coins unlocks another set of 5 purple coins, which upon collecting unlocks another set of 5 coins, black this time and much harder to collect. This further multiplies the game's length, through requiring the player to beat a single level 4 times to fully complete it.

This game also includes a "Toad Rally" mode, quite similar to the "VS Boo" mode of Super Mario Bros Deluxe, in which players have to complete a level faster than a computer-controlled Toad. Success in this mode earns the player access to in-game money to spend in customization options for it to create its own "Mushroom Kingdom" map, using mechanics similar to Farmville, into Super Mario Run's third gameplay mode.