Games wouldn’t be the same if it weren’t for everyone’s favorite Italian plumber. The Super Mario Bros. the series has been at the forefront of games, consistently leading the charge in innovative game design. When the medium made its biggest technological leap to 3D, he was right there to show everyone how it is done.
To pay tribute to all of his platforming escapades, the following list will rank all of his platformers based on how long they take to finish, from shortest to longest. The times are taken from howlongtobeat.com. Depending on one’s skill level and familiarity with the title, this time can be made shorter or exponentially larger.
Updated On March 6th, 2021, By Jason Wojnar: Super Mario 3D World was recently re-released on Nintendo Switch, bringing with it the first new Mario platforming content since 2017, Bowser’s Fury. The new adventure has been well received, and the more open nature borrows from Super Mario Odyssey somewhat while adding a few tricks of its own, perhaps representing a glimpse at what we can expect from the series’ future. To compare it to other games in the Super Mario canon, we decided to add it to this list.
20 Super Mario Land (1 Hour)
The character’s debut on the Game Boy is a breeze, but it was impressive enough to have a legitimate platformer on the system. While only an hour to beat, it was great comfort food back in the day when on the commute to work or in a waiting room. The game is currently available on the Nintendo 3DS virtual console.
19 Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (2 Hours)
Super Mario Land’s sequel added an overworld and introduced audiences to Wario, who would later carve out his own niche with the WarioWare series. A platformer is impressive enough on the Game Boy, to have a world map with non-linear paths is icing on the cake. Like its predecessor, the game is also playable on the 3DS via virtual console.
18 Super Mario Bros. (2 Hours)
The first journey to save Princess Peach is just as fun to play today as it was in 1985. For a first time player, doing all the levels without warp pipes will probably take longer than two hours, but veteran players can probably breeze through it with their eyes closed by now. Super Mario 35 takes its levels from this original classic.
17 Super Mario Bros. 2 (2 1/2 Hours)
This isn’t the true sequel to Super Mario Bros., but it is the continuation North American gamers got, because the actual game was considered too difficult. Despite its incongruity to the typical Mushroom Kingdom aesthetic, several features from the games have lived on in the Mario franchises, such as Birdo and Shy Guys. The Super Mario All-Stars version is available on the Nintendo Switch as a part of the Switch online subscription, along with the other mainline 2D Super Mario games.
16 The Lost Levels (3 Hours)
It takes some skills to get through this title in three hours. For newcomers, beating The Lost Levels will take a lot more time and frustration. Easily one of the toughest 2D Mario games, its original release was shelved in the West specifically because Nintendo of America felt it was too difficult for feeble American gamers.
15 Super Mario Bros. 3 (5 Hours)
The last NES Mario platformer made a large number of improvements to the formula. Mario’s progress was marked on a world map, he could collect upgrades to enhance his abilities, and the levels were chock full of more secrets than ever before.
It is a highlight of the series, and often considered one of the best NES games ever released.
14 Super Mario World (5 Hours)
Just when one thought Super Mario Bros. 3 was the peak, Super Mario World comes in and ups the ante even further. It may only take five hours to go through the levels, but completionists will spend a lot more time finding all the secrets and completing Star World.
13 New Super Mario Bros. 2 (5 1/2 Hours)
At a time when people were jonesing for some Mario action, the New Super Mario Bros. series came in to fill the void. It lacked the innovation mainline Mario games often bring to the table, but the handheld entries in the series were all fine platformers in an era when the genre was lacking.
12 Super Mario 3D Land (7 Hours)
The 3DS brought the first true 3D handheld Mario game, and it stands as one of the finest in the series. Its bite-sized 3D levels make it feel more akin to Crash Bandicoot than Super Mario Galaxy or 64, and this format works perfectly for gaming on the go. While it starts off easy, later levels prove to be punishing. Super Mario 3D World would later expand upon this format on the Wii U.
11 New Super Mario Bros. (7 Hours)
The first entry into the New subseries sold over 30 million copies, making it one of the best-selling games ever made. Reviews agree with the sales numbers, hailing it as one of the best Mario games of its time. The only complaint lobbied against it was the low difficulty, something uncommon for the plumber.
10 Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (7 1/2 Hours)
Keep in mind that this time represents the average length of going through both Super Mario 3D World and the expansion, Bowser’s Fury. By itself, reaching the end of Bowser’s Fury without doing everything will probably only take about three hours.
While they are a part of the same package, Bowser’s fury is a lot different than Super Mario 3D World. Gone is the four player co-op in favor of a more asymmetrical multiplayer integration. Linear levels are also out, replaced by one medium-sized landmass to explore.
9 Yoshi’s Island (8 Hours)
The art-style resembling a coloring book makes Yoshi’s Island’s visuals stand out even today. While it seems like a standalone entry, many forget that it is actually the sequel to Super Mario World. Though with Mario’s age in this game, maybe it should be considered a prequel. The game is available as a part of Nintendo Switch Online, free to subscribers.
8 New Super Mario Bros. Wii (9 Hours)
While the addition of cooperative multiplayer was welcome, doing it in this game makes traversing through levels nearly impossible. Players are bouncing all over each other, causing everyone to die immediately during the more challenging segments, of which there are many.
7 New Super Mario Bros. U (9 1/2 Hours)
While the Wii U failed, it still had many games worth playing. New Super Mario Bros. U kept the familiar gameplay of its predecessors while adding the console’s gamepad functionality for asynchronous co-op. With it, one player could assist the others by placing and raising blocks. Like many great Wii U titles, it was re-released for the Nintendo Switch.
6 Super Mario 3D World (10 1/2 Hours)
The sequel to 3D Land brings the action to consoles and adds four-player co-op. The true 3D gameplay eliminates the issues previous cooperative Mario games had.
Players can freely move around and rarely get in each other’s way. A smooth difficulty curve also keeps newcomers along for the ride until the end when things get serious.
5 Super Mario Odyssey (12 1/2 Hours)
The only real complaint against Odyssey was its lack of challenge. Anybody who thinks this probably didn’t do any of the endgame content, however.
The later platforming challenges truly test even the most veteran Mario fan’s mettle. Additionally, the worlds possess a charm few other games match.
4 Super Mario 64 (13 Hours)
The first 3D outing was a revelation for the industry. It tackled the new dimension so well, it would take nearly half a decade for other platformers and adventure games to catch up. Simply moving Mario around in the world is a blast, proving the age-old adage that the act of walking in a game must be entertaining in order for the rest of it to work. Super Mario 64 was recently re-released as a part of Super Mario 3D All-Stars along with Super Mario Galaxy and Sunshine, though some are disappointed by the quality of the port.
3 Super Mario Galaxy 2 (13 Hours)
The first Galaxy’s development was brimming with so many new ideas, the team couldn’t fit it all into one game. With so much unrealized, the team quickly got to work on a sequel. Because of this, nothing in Galaxy 2 feels tired, old, or repetitive. Curiously, this renowned sequel was left out of the 3D All-Stars compilation, the frustration of many.
2 Super Mario Galaxy (15 Hours)
The Wii’s unique controller design proved a challenge for third-party developers, but it presented a wealth of opportunities for Mario. The two Galaxy titles introduced numerous new concepts to a decades-old genre, proving the plumber still has tricks up his sleeve. On the Nintendo Switch version, the game was slightly modified to be played in handheld mode without requiring motion sensing from the detached Joy Cons.
1 Super Mario Sunshine (16 1/2 Hours)
Perhaps the most polarizing entry in the franchise, Super Mario Sunshine draws ire hindsight for its setting, camera, and for the gimmick behind F.L.U.D.D. It certainly has its defenders, however, and it was still better than most platformers of its day. It is just unfortunate this was all Mario fans had for the entire GameCube generation besides the non-platforming spinoffs.
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