What better time to look back at Mario’s 2D adventures than before the imminent release of another left-to-right adventure? While the Goombas are still out as to where Super Mario Bros. Wonder will land on this list, the mustachioed hero has run, jumped, and ground-pounded his way across many two-dimensional planes over nearly 40 years, so it’s worth it to take a look back every now and then. This ranked list of 2D Mario games from worst to best features only Nintendo-developed games that star the red plumber or his brother (sorry, Wario) and leans towards the more innovative of the bunch.
Note that while Super Mario Maker and Super Mario Maker 2 do fit the criteria of a 2D Mario game, they were cut from this ranked list for not being strictly platformers.
13. Super Mario Run
The only game on this ranked list not on a Nintendo console/handheld, Super Mario Run isn’t a bad game by any stretch; however, as a mobile title, it lacked a lot of what makes Mario great: Freedom of exploration and great platforming controls. Yes, you could find little secrets throughout each level and the jumping mechanic was as tight as ever – but that’s all there was, jumping. The titles higher on this list feature quite a lot more secrets, from levels to hidden coins, and backtracking than Super Mario Run provided.
12. New Super Mario Bros.
Mario’s jump to the Nintendo DS felt uninspired. With a rather forgettable aesthetic that all the New titles share, New Super Mario Bros. didn’t introduce anything truly new – despite the title – to the storied series. Sure, the Mega and Mini Mushrooms provided novel ways to complete levels, but at the same time the lackluster multiplayer mode that saw two players control Mario and Luigi and duke it out for Stars placed throughout a level is perhaps the most forgettable form of multiplayer the series has ever seen.
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11. The Lost Levels
Despite amounting to an ultra-difficult version of the original Super Mario Bros., The Lost Levels also introduced a lot of fun concepts that carried over to later games: namely, Luigi provided further challenge with a higher jump but less friction on the ground, and the Poison Mushroom made its first appearance. However, it was a brutally difficult game that wasn’t exactly a joy to play, though the re-release in the Super Mario All-Stars collection – the first time it saw a Western release – eased up on the difficulty some. Still, The Lost Levels is definitely an easy choice for one of the lower spots on this ranked list of 2D Mario games.
10. New Super Mario Bros. 2
While an improvement over its predecessor, New Super Mario Bros. 2 also hopped on some questionable design decisions – namely the focus on collecting coins. While commendable for trying to do something different with items that produced a ton of coins and a way to share your coin score online, this Nintendo 3DS sequel brought with it a lot of what made the original forgettable: namely, uninspired appearance and music.
9. Super Mario Land
Super Mario Land on the Game Boy gets a few bonus points on this ranked list for being such a bizarre take on Mario, including a couple levels that saw Mario pilot a submarine and an airplane with shoot-em-up style mechanics, as well as his first handheld outing. Still, it was a rather short and slightly janky departure from the Mario game that started it all, though Super Mario Land did introduce Princess Daisy, as well as some great, memorable tunes.
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8. Super Mario Bros. 2
Deeming The Lost Levels too difficult for Western audiences, Nintendo re-skinned a prototype platforming game called Yume Kojo: Doki Doki Panic to release as Super Mario Bros. 2. While not a bad game by any stretch, it doesn’t quite feel like a Mario game, even though many elements of the re-skin, such as Birdo, Shy Guys, and multiple characters to play as, became staples of other Mario games. The verticality of Super Mario Bros. 2 definitely set it apart, however, and so too did your ability to pick up and throw items.
7. New Super Mario Bros. Wii
Remembering New Super Mario Bros. Wii is like trying to remember Vietnam flashbacks: bumping into and killing friends over and over in surprisingly difficult levels, being ignored while floating in those stupid bubbles, throwing your Wiimote at the TV in frustration only to be saved by the mandatory wrist-strap, and so on. That said, New Super Mario Bros. Wii made up for what it lacked in unique aesthetic with tight level design – it doled out as many painful memories as fond ones.
6. Yoshi’s Island
Yoshi’s Island has everything going for it – except for any significant challenge. Nearly three decades later, it remains one of the most gorgeous pixel-based games ever made. Controlling Yoshi as he (she?) protected Mario throughout some vivid and iconic stages remains one of the best experiences on the Super Nintendo/Game Boy Advance, yet at the same time, one of the least challenging. It’s difficult to go back and play Yoshi’s Island for that very reason.
5. Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins
A massive improvement over its predecessor, Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins introduces fan favorite and flatulent Wario for the first time and borrows liberally from Super Mario World – which, if you haven’t noticed yet, is higher on this ranked list. Quite a lot of secret levels and hidden areas make this one of the more fun Mario games to explore, including bringing Mario to space well before Mario Galaxy. Much like its predecessor, it also featured some underrated tunes.
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4. New Super Mario Bros. U
New Super Mario Bros. U comes with an asterisk, because the Deluxe re-release on the Nintendo Switch also included the ultra-difficult New Super Luigi U, which was reminiscent of The Lost Levels and gives it a bit of a boost. It’s likely you played the Deluxe version. And regardless of the drab “New” series aesthetic being carried over, all versions of the game feature some of the best 2D platforming level design you’ll come across; it was much more memorable and playable than its Wii predecessor, especially if you wanted to avoid ruining friendships by playing solo. As such, New Super Mario Bros. U has earned a high spot on this ranked list.
3. Super Mario Bros.
While you’ll find plenty of games above this spot more enjoyable to play, none other on this list is as iconic or influential as the original Super Mario Bros. The first few beeps and boops of World 1 – 1 have ingrained themselves into not only gaming history, but entertainment history as a whole. It helps that the levels still pop with vibrant color and straddle the line between difficult and frustrating well, unlike its sequel The Lost Levels. Yes, the later games improved upon what Super Mario Bros. did substantially, yet at the same time, they wouldn’t be here without Mario’s original quest to defeat King Koopa.
2. Super Mario Bros. 3
Super Mario Bros. 3 could easily top this ranked list. You might be a little bit irked that it doesn’t. Truly, it really comes down to preference. Mario’s third platform outing broke open the platforming genre, showing the world what it could do with secret routes, hidden items, and fun powerups – the Tanooki Suit is still the best – combined together with incredibly tight platforming, level design, and a lengthy adventure filled with iconic music. So much of the game went on to inspire later 2D Mario titles, almost as much as the original.
1. Super Mario World
Everything true about Super Mario Bros. 3 is true for Super Mario World. Super Mario World edges its predecessor out by heralding the start of a new console generation in an impressive way, rather than marking the end of a console generation in an equally impressive manner – plus it had Yoshi, which more than makes up for the Tanooki Suit’s superiority to the Cape. Brighter, more vivid graphics, along with amazing level design filled with secrets and an overworld equally as dense, makes Super Mario World the 2D Mario game Super Mario Bros. Wonder will have to beat to top this ranked list.
If you’re looking for more to satisfy your need for the plumber, check out our breakdown of all the badges in Super Mario Bros. Wonder.
