Gaming was forever changed upon the release ofSuper Mario Bros.. Since the seminal game, the famous Italian plumber has starred in nearly countless titles, almost twenty of which are traditionalplatformers. He hasn’t stopped innovating on game design either, with several entries reinventing the genre and expanding what people thought was capable in an adventure game.
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The following list will celebrate the series by ranking theMarioplatformers from worst to best, based on their Metacritic scores. A few of the older games' original releases don’t have scores, in which case the re-release on theGame Boy Advancedare used. And finally, theSuper Mario Landgames andThe Lost Levelsare excluded because they lack any score.
16New Super Mario Bros. 2 (78)
One knows their series is pure fire when the weakest entry nabs a still decent seventy-eight on Metacritic. Its mediocre score is mostly attributed to the lack of innovation over its predecessor, which came out on an inferior system six years beforehand. Despite the criticism, it is still immense fun for any fan of the genre.
15New Super Mario Bros. U (84)
The Wii U is perhaps the least-celebrated Nintendo Console since theVirtual Boy, but it still had some heaters in its library.New Super Mario Bros. Ubrought the classic side-scrolling game play to the ultimately doomed system. With the game pad, up to five players can enjoy the fun simultaneously.
14Super Mario Bros. (84)
Age hasn’t slowed down the one that started it all one bit. While most veteran fans can beat it with their eyes closed, it is still valuable as a new gaming experience for those who never touched it. The story about Peach getting kidnapped by Bowser all began here, and the Koopa has not stopped trying every since.
13Super Mario Bros. 2 (84)
The second title in the series is somewhat of a black sheep. The originalSuper Mario Bros. 2was deemed too hard for western gamers, so a different platformer was reskinned and shipped to North America as the sequel, while the true successor didn’t make its way there until years later asThe Lost Levels.
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Because of this, what North Americans know asSuper Mario Bros. 2is a radical departure from everything else in theMariolineage.
12New Super Mario Bros. Wii (87)
TheDSrelease,New Super Mario Bros.,was a revelation, so it was only logical for the revival subseries to make its way to a proper console. It ramps up the difficulty significantly and adds simultaneouscooperativeplay. Unfortunately, playing with buddies on a 2D plain causes everybody to bounce all over each other.
11New Super Mario Bros. (89)
New Super Mario Bros.came during a dearth in two-dimensionalMariogames. The franchise had fully moved into 3D, but fans still yearned for classicMarioaction. Because of this, players welcomed the game with open arms, with the only real complaint being the easy difficulty.
10Super Mario 3D Land (90)
The3DSplatformer presented bite-sized three-dimensional levels more reminiscent ofCrash BandicootthanSuper Mario, making for one of the most unique titles in the franchise to date.
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The difficulty curve is masterfully refined, starting off easy as pie until the later levels punish experienced fans.
9Yoshi’s Island (91)
Yoshi’sfirst starring role comes in one of theSNES’smost unique art styles. The coloring book aesthetic makes the graphics hold up better than most of its contemporaries. While players control Yoshi, the game is still technicallySuper Mario World 2.
8Super Mario World (92)
The premiere SNESMariotitle is continually lauded as one of the best platformers of all time. It comes packed with more levels than any of its predecessors and is chock full of even more secrets.
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The ability to ride Yoshi and the wider variety of locations makes it a notch above most other titles on the console.
7Super Mario Sunshine (92)
Despite its reputation as one of the weaker entries in the franchise,Super Mario Sunshinefor theGameCubestill found favor with most critics. The addition of F.L.U.D.D. to Mario’s arsenal makes for new exploration opportunities, and Isle Delfino switches things up from the typical Mushroom Kingdom style.
