It was once determined that Nintendo’s Italian mascot was more recognisable around the world than Mickey Mouse, so, of course, Mario’s 35th anniversary is a pretty big deal for Nintendo. With the celebrations coming to a close at the end of March to make way for Zelda’s equally as important time in the spotlight, and the release of the long awaited Switch port of Super Mario 3D World, what better time to rank the best outings Mario has to offer, the 3D platformers.Note: This list is entirely my own opinion and is in no way a definitive ranking by any means.
#8 Super Mario 3D Land (3DS, 2011)
Before I start, it’s worth noting that every game on this list is fantastic and are all top tier games on their respective consoles. That being said, Super Mario 3D Land is easily the weakest of Mario’s 3D adventures. 3D Land took a different path to the previous 3D games by removing the big open worlds in favour of more single linear levels, closer resembling Mario’s 2D games, It also added traditional Mario power-ups like the mushroom, fire flower and the triumphant return of the tanooki leaf. In fact the only thing separating this game from being a 2D Mario game is, well, the fact that it’s 3D. This is by no means a bad thing though as the game plays smoothly, the powerups, especially Tanooki Mario, feel fantastic in 3D, and the new single level based progression works wonders for small play sessions which is what handheld gaming is about. The biggest problem with 3D Land is the difficulty. This game is way too easy. The eight main worlds can be beaten with very little trouble and even the bonus worlds, while a step up, aren’t anything too challenging with the exception of the final super level. The game is also pretty repetitive, despite the amount of different levels they all end up feeling relatively similar and there’s way to many fights against Boom Boom and Pom Pom, some boss variety would have been nice. The addition of Luigi was a good call however, as he plays differently enough to Mario to add some variety to the game. Despite its negatives, Super Mario 3D World is still a great game that pretty much defined the 3DS early in its life.
#7 Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii, 2010)
Pretty controversial I know, Super Mario Galaxy 2 is one of the most popular Mario games of all time. Galaxy 2 is the game on this list that I’ve by far spent the least amount of time playing, which comes down to the fact that whenever I want to play the Galaxy games I always play through the first one then by the time I’ve finished I’m too burned out to play the second. The first, and so far only, direct 3D Mario sequel, Super Mario Galaxy 2 plays pretty much identically to the original with new worlds, new powerups and the return of everyone’s favourite green dinosaur. Galaxy 2 is a more challenging game than the first, which I’m definitely thankful for, in part thanks to the inclusion of the 120 green stars, which is a way better post game than just playing though the game again as Luigi. Galaxy 2 also set the trend of 3D Mario games featuring a final super level with The GrandMaster Galaxy, which is still arguably the best one to date. The main reason for it being so low is how it seems to have cut a lot of corners. The story is identical to the first game just told in a way more simplified way (I know Mario games aren’t known for their story but the point still stands), and the awesome hub world from the first game has been replaced by the boring Starship Mario and a simple level select screen. I also feel like Galaxy 2 kind of lost the galaxy part of what it’s about; very few levels feel like they take place in space and most just feel like Mario 64 style worlds. Also Rosalina is way better than Lubba. These are just nitpicks however and Super Mario Galaxy 2 is still a fantastic game. If you’ve played the original it’s definitely worth seeking out its sequel. Let’s hope it gets a Switch port sometime soon.
#6 Super Mario 64 DS (DS, 2005)
Released as the big launch title for Nintendo’s incredibly successful duel-screened handheld to show off it’s 3D roaming capabilities, Super Mario 64 DS is the only full remake of a 3D Mario title and I feel that it’s different enough from the original to receive its own entry in this list. Super Mario 64 DS holds a pretty special place in my heart as it was the first 3D Mario game I ever played back on my DS when I was a kid. 64 DS adds a tonne of new content on top of everything from the original, for starters there are now three additional heroes to play as alongside Mario; this includes Yoshi in his first Mario platformer role as more than just a glorified power-up, Luigi who is in the game for real now, and Wario who’s had a change of heart and is now a good guy. Each character has their own unique abilities such as Mario being the only character able to wall jump or Wario being able to break black blocks. The multiple characters add some nice variety to gameplay but are ultimately pretty unbalanced; Luigi is by far the best character to play as unless you need one of the other three for their unique abilities which is pretty uncommon. There are also an additional 30 stars available taking the total up to 150, each of the 15 worlds features an extra star and there’s 15 more castle secret stars. The 15 extra level stars are pretty much all switch stars or silver star levels which get pretty repetitive. The castle secret stars are cool though, except the white rabbit star, I hate that star with a passion and it’s honestly a big reason that I don’t return to this version of the game very often. Also controlling 3D games with a d-pad is pretty inaccurate and feels unnatural. If this list was completely down to nostalgia, Super Mario 64 DS would be a whole lot higher, but the problems it has prevent it from reaching it’s true potential. Maybe if Nintendo had held out for a 3DS release like they did with other N64 titles it would have benefited greatly, but how it is 64 DS is a great but ultimately flawed game.
#5 Super Mario Galaxy (Wii, 2007/ Switch, 2020)
After Princess Peach’s Castle and Isle Delfino, where would be the next location for a 3D Mario game? Well according to Nintendo in the mid 2000s space would be the only logical step up. In Super Mario Galaxy Bowser kidnaps Princess Peach and her whole castle with his armada of spaceships that he pulled out of thin air forcing Mario to journey across the galaxy to save her with the help from an army of star creatures known as Lumas and the queen of the cosmos Rosalina. Galaxy has a tonne of different worlds to explore, some of which are huge open worlds resembling those found in the previous 3D games, while others are made up of smaller planetoids connected by launch stars. There’s a tonne of variety in the different worlds, from an outer space beach world , to a combined ice and lava world, to a world made entirely of toys. As you’d expect from space, most planets have their own gravity allowing Mario to walk all around them without falling off. The gravity physics could have been a disaster, as sometimes they feel a little wonky, but for the most part it works pretty damn well. All worlds are accessed through a fantastic hub world taking place on Rosalina’s Starship which features a bunch of cool secrets including a library where you can learn of Rosalina’s tragic backstory, making her one of the series’ most fleshed out characters in her first appearance. Galaxy takes advantage of the Wii’s motion controls and pointer controls the perfect amount, it feels natural to shake the Wii remote to spin or use the pointer to collect star bits and it never feels as if they’re being forced upon you. Because of this I’d actually recommend playing the Wii version over the recently released Switch port as long as HD isn’t a big deal to you. With the exception of the difficulty being on the easier side and the levels being slightly too linear, there are very few flaws with Super Mario Galaxy, I just simply prefer the following games.
#4 Super Mario 3D World (+ Bowser’s Fury) (Wii U, 2013/ Switch, 2021)
The success of Super Mario 3D Land led to the creation of a second 3D/2D hybrid Mario game, this time for Nintendo’s severely overlooked and badly marketed home console the Wii U. Super Mario 3D World improved on absolutely everything that 3D land had to offer and added new features including five completely different but equally as balanced playable characters, unique hubworlds with hidden secrets, Captain Toad levels that were so good they ended up getting an entire separate game full of them and new power-ups including the frustrating but fun double cherry and the amazing super bell (that breaks the game even more than the tanooki leaf but it’s too fun to care). The biggest and best addition however, is co-op! Yes, the success of the co-op in the New Super Mario Bros games lead to 3D World getting the ability to have up to four players work work together to complete leves, and unlike in those games, the co-op in 3D World is fantastic and is arguably the most fun way to play the game making it the definitive co-op Mario experience. The level variety in 3D world is fantastic, with each level feeling unique, and the game is actually reasonably difficult, especially in the post game which contains four worlds filled with challenging levels. There’s also a nice variety of bosses throughout the game, while Boom Boom and Pom Pom return a few too many times again, the addition of the Hisstocrats and Motley Bossblob, as well as a handful of minibosses, soften their inclusion. As so many of the Wii U’s finest have before, Super Mario 3D World finally received the Switch port that it deserves as part of Mario’s 35th anniversary. The port added very little to the already fantastic game (the most notable addition is new multiplayer in the Captain Toad levels), but it’s main selling point was the entirely new side adventure Bowser’s Fury. This new side game takes the basic gameplay and controls of 3D World and combines it with open worlds reminiscent of Super Mario Odyssey. With help from Bowser Jr (who’s finally returning to main series Mario for the first time in years) Mario must collect 100 cat shines and grab a massive super bell to fight a gigantic Bowser. While it only lasts a few hours, Bowser’s Fury is a fantastic side adventure and makes getting this new port 100% worth it, even if you already played it to death on the Wii U.
#3 Super Mario Sunshine (Gamecube, 2002/ Switch, 2020)
Super Mario Sunshine is arguably the most polarising Mario game to date, with half the fan base praising it like it’s some kind of holy artifact, while the other half want to forget that it ever existed. As you can tell by how high I’ve ranked it, I tend to lead more towards the former. That doesn’t mean I can’t see its flaws however: the game can be pretty glitchy with its physics sometimes, especially in the case of the watermelon festival level, the infamous pachinko level, and that awful boat ride through Corona Mountain, which makes them downright frustrating to play through, the blue coins are annoying to collect and completely pointless, and the voice acting is laughable (although I think it adds to the games charm), but where Sunshine shines, it really shines (pun intended). Mario controls absolutely amazingly, easily his smoothest and most fluid movement until Odyssey, and the sheer amount of different moves you can pull make him fun to control, whether that’s with or without FLUDD. The story of Sunshine is also a nice change of pace, while Peach is ultimately kidnaped as usual this doesn’t happen until part way through and instead the story focuses on Mario cleaning up Isle Delfino after he’s wrongfully accused of ruining it with graffiti, the doing of the newly introduced Bowser Jr. The worlds that are explored throughout Sunshine as a hugely welcome change for the Mario series. While there are only seven to play through, they are all full of areas to explore and have themes that fit with Isle Delfino; Instead of a generic ice world or a generic desert world we get to explore a theme park, a hotel and a harbour. This makes Isle delfino feel like one connected world instead of lots of little ones that don’t relate to each other. Super Mario Sunshine is easily the most challenging Mario platformer to date even without the few glitches, which makes it all the more satisfying when you collect a shine. Sunshine is definitely the black sheep of the 3D Mario games and is definitely not one for newcomers, however the unique charm it gives off makes it stand out to me as one of the best games Mario has ever put his name to and has thankfully had a revival in the public eye thanks to its inclusion in Super Mario 3D All Stars.
#2 Super Mario Odyssey (Switch, 2017)
Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World marked a new direction for 3D Mario games, and while they’re both great games, it had been seven years since the last fully 3D explorative Mario game and many fans, including myself, had begun to worry that Nintendo may never release another game in that style. Thankfully we were proved wrong when Nintendo revealed their newest console, the Nintendo Switch, alongside a new 3D Mario title that would come to be known as Super Mario Odyssey. Odyssey is the biggest, most expensive and almost undeniably best Mario title to date. With 16 huge worlds to explore and almost 1000 moons to collect, doing everything there is to do in Odyssey is no easy feet. Thankfully, unlike the previous games, collecting a moon does not kick you out of a world or return you to the start, with the expectation of a few story related moons, meaning that you can continue exploring a world as your heart desires and collect moons in pretty much any order you want, making Odyssey the closest to an open world Mario game to date. Mario’s new buddy Cappy helps make Odyssey feel unique compared to the previous entries. Cappy’s primary function is to be thrown. This can be used as a simple attack, an extra platform to jump off of, or if thrown at certain objects or enemies, can transform Mario into those things, this includes Goombas, Hammer Bros, or even Yoshi! Super Mario Odyssey is the perfect game for newcomers and veterans alike, playing through the main game never feels too difficult however some optional moons and the final secret worlds add some nice challenges to the game. The three Odyssey Amiibos are very useful, especially Wedding Bowser who can help you locate those pesky last few purple coins in each world, and are definitely a must-have for any die-hard fan. Super Mario Odyssey is the definitive Mario experience and a must have for any Switch owner, it’s fun, challenging and even has a half decent co-op mode. So why only #2? It was a tough decision and I went back and forth between these entries many times but it ultimately came down to personal preference.
Super Mario 64 (Nintendo 64, 1997/ Switch, 2020)
It couldn’t ever have been anything else could it? Super Mario 64 is easily the video game I’ve played the single most times in my life, I play through at least twice a year and in total I’ve played through somewhere between 25-30 times, each time collecting all 120 stars. Mario 64 is my ultimate comfort game. I can pop it in my Nintendo 64 (or more recently Switch) and I’ll know everything about the game, where every star is, the most efficient way to collect 100 coins in each level, and can be done with the game in 3-4 days, sometimes less. Mario 64 set standard for 3D Mario. Princess Peach’s castle makes a fantastic hub world linking together the 15 worlds. Each of the worlds feels completely unique despite some themes crossing over like the two ice worlds or three water worlds. The ability to collect stars in almost any order you want helps the game feel non-linear and makes every playthrough different to the last. There’s a reason that 25 years on Mario 64 is still one of the most popular games of all time and the gold standard for 3D platformers. There’s not much I can say about Super Mario 64 that hasn’t already been said a thousand times already and if you have yet to play it, pick up Super Mario 3D All Stars for Switch before it’s discontinued, it’s easily the best way to experience the game with its higher frame rate, HD graphics and a decent controller.
The S-Word 